Report 2013-302/2013-303 Recommendation 23 Responses

Report 2013-302/2013-303: Judicial Branch Procurement: Semiannual Reports to the Legislature Are of Limited Usefulness, Information Systems Have Weak Controls, and Certain Improvements in Procurement Practices Are Needed (Release Date: December 2013)

Recommendation #23 To: Habeas Corpus Resource Center

The AOC, HCRC, Supreme Court, and fourth and fifth districts should implement procedures to ensure that required noncompetitive procurement processes, such as preparing justifications and obtaining approval for sole-source procurements, are properly documented.

60-Day Agency Response

The Habeas Corpus Resource Center (HCRC) implemented the following steps in response to the recommendation by the California State Auditor that the HCRC should implement procedures to ensure that required noncompetitive procurement processes, such as preparing justifications and obtaining approval for sole-source procurements, are properly documented.

One, we have retrained staff on the Judicial Branch Contracting Manual (JBCM) rules regarding competitive and sole-source procurement.

Two, we have provided each staff member responsible for purchasing with a checklist on approval and documentation requirements for non-competitive procurements. The checklist was taken from JBCM Chapter 5 and provided as part of the HCRC response in the California State Auditors report. This checklist, along with others documenting requirements for competitive procurements, is reviewed by staff as part of every procurement.

We believe that these steps fully implement the recommendation made by the California State Auditor.

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

All Recommendations in 2013-302/2013-303

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.