Report 2017-302 Recommendation 2 Responses

Report 2017-302: Judicial Council of California: It Needs to Follow Competitive Bidding Processes More Consistently and Establish Clear Guidance for Invoice Processing (Release Date: December 2017)

Recommendation #2 To: Judicial Council of California

To better align the judicial contracting manual with state requirements and to make certain that it receives the best value for services, the Judicial Council should update by March 2018 the judicial contracting manual's guidance on contract splitting and sole-source procurements to reflect the more specific definitions in SCM.

6-Month Agency Response

In June 2018, an advisory committee to the Judicial Council approved changes to the definitions of "contract splitting" and "sole-source" per the auditor's recommendations. Staff anticipate the Judicial Council will formally adopt these revisions during its next business meeting in July 2018. Judicial Council staff have attached the proposed revisions to the Judicial Branch Contracting Manual.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

60-Day Agency Response

Judicial Council staff have shared the auditor's recommended updates with members of a working group comprised of procurement officials from various courts. The working group periodically considers potential revisions to the Judicial Branch Contracting Manual (JBCM). The working group discussed the auditor's recommendations regarding contract splitting and sole source procurements in its last meeting on January 17, 2018. Revised language in line with provisions in the State Contracting Manual were proposed, and Judicial Council staff anticipate these changes will be published with the next revision of the JBCM (potentially this spring). Judicial Council staff note, as stated in the original response to the audit, that this recommendation is one that Judicial Council staff cannot implement unilaterally, since proposed updates will require formal adoption by the Judicial Council.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2017-302

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.