Despite efforts to bring costs, no bid contracts, and a lack of transparency to an end, Orange County officials have approved $26 million in no-bid contracts and overruns in the last three months. More than half of their change orders came on no-bid contracts.
Reformers and organized labor point to the no-bid contracts and overruns as proof that the County’s IT department has been mismanaged. But part of the problem in Orange County comes from outside of Orange County. Take for instance CalWIN – a statewide welfare system with shared costs by counties. Recent overruns caused a $3.3 million increase in current year spending and a$17.5 million two-year extension.
Other problems, however, can be attributed to Orange County. Supervisor Janet Nguyen seemed to voice some frustration during a recent council meeting when she attested to the seeming endless rounds of sole-source contracts. And her frustration can be understood after seven years of the County empowering a task force to realize savings and efficiency in the system.
Read the full article at the Voice of OC.