Audit of the Department for the Aging’s Oversight of Its Contracts for the Delivery of Frozen Meals

Audit Report In Brief

This audit evaluated the Department for the Aging’s (DFTA’s) oversight of the delivery of frozen meals under its contracts with Regional Aid for Interim Needs (RAIN) and Mid-Bronx Senior Citizen Center (MBSCC). DFTA, in conjunction with the non-profit organization Citymeals-on-Wheels, funds a network of community-based agencies to prepare and deliver meals to homebound seniors in New York City who are unable to prepare their own meals. The home-delivered meals program, also known as Meals-on-Wheels, is a national program that is administered locally.

On October 1, 2004, DFTA revised the Meals-on-Wheels program in the Bronx as a pilot project called the Bronx Senior Options Program. DFTA awarded three consolidated Bronx Senior Options Program contracts to two vendors for the period October 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005, to provide home-delivered meals, including frozen meals, to eligible seniors. RAIN was awarded two contracts totaling $1,333,635, and MBSCC was awarded one contract totaling $648,650.

Audit Findings and Conclusions

The frozen meals received by the clients in the Bronx Senior Options Program were delivered in adherence with DFTA’s Home-Delivered Meals Standards. During our observations of the frozen meal delivery process, we found that, for the most part, the clients were satisfied with the program. The meals were delivered in a timely fashion, they were maintained frozen throughout the delivery process, and the meals delivered to the clients matched DFTA’s pre-approved frozen menu plan. In addition, meals were personally hand-delivered to the clients, and the vendors called clients if they were late or if the clients did not answer the door at the time of delivery. Further, the drivers completed their entire routes each day, and the undelivered frozen meals were properly stored for redelivery the next day.

However, DFTA does not adequately oversee or monitor its contracts with its two Bronx Senior Options Program vendors. Specifically:

• DFTA renewed contracts for both vendors without formally assessing their performance;

• DFTA does not maintain memos, notes, reports, assessments, or correspondence of meetings and observations;

• The Daily Activity Reports and the Daily Route Reports do not reconcile; and

• DFTA does not ensure that drivers are properly licensed and credentialed, and that all required documentation is maintained in the vendors’ personnel files.

Audit Recommendations

Based on our findings, we make the following five recommendations:

• DFTA should formally assess and evaluate its vendors’ performances prior to renewing their contracts.

• DFTA should ensure that the vendors review and reconcile the Daily Route and Daily Activity Reports.

• DFTA should review on a daily basis the Daily Route and Daily Activity Reports for accuracy.

• DFTA should ensure that all correspondence, monitoring reports, observations, and corrective action plans are documented and maintained for review.

• DFTA should review and monitor its vendors’ personnel files to ensure that the employees are qualified and have the required documentation on file.

Agency Response

Though in their response DFTA officials did not agree with all of our findings, they generally agreed with the recommendations.