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After a former Orange County supervisor pled guilty to taking bribes over public contracts, county leaders are now considering reorganizing their purchasing agents under the CEO – an action that could make it harder for public spending to be improperly manipulated.
The proposed shift also comes on the heels of a possible budget shortfall just as county leaders launch a series of investigations into the fallout of former Supervisor Andrew Do improperly influencing millions of dollars in contracts.
[Read: What’s Changed After An Orange County Supervisor Pleaded Guilty to Bribery?]
Now, county CEO Michelle Aguirre is proposing to instead put all the county’s purchasing officers under her purview.
Right now, 189 purchasing agents are scattered across the county’s 22 agencies and departments, who work in those departments and report on their purchases to the CEO’s office.
They’re responsible for overseeing all bids for contracts throughout the county, overseeing at least 400 bids in the last two years according to their contracting database.
Many of those never come before the county board of supervisors, with the website noting that “formal” contract awards on agendas have to be worth over $200,000.
The department has won the award for excellence in procurement from the National Procurement Institute every year for the last decade according to the county website – even as FBI investigations raised red flags over how contracts were being monitored.
The request calls for supervisors to “approve phased reorganization of County’s procurement function to County Executive Office and shift all procurement personnel to County Procurement Office.”
Buried halfway through a 110 page supplemental agenda for today’s supervisor meeting, officials outlined concerns over how county’s procurement officer Maria Agrusa “lacks supervisorial authority over staff which creates operational challenges,” because of how spread out the department is.
“The proposed reorganization will align procurement authority with the ability to supervise staff, ensuring more effective management,” staff wrote in their report. “This centralization will enhance operational efficiency and consistency in overseeing the procurement of goods and services, as well as monitoring contract compliance.”
Over the next year, all 189 procurement staff will be rerouted to the CEO’s office, from existing departments like Public Works, Community Resources, the Healthcare Agency and more.
Aguirre also sent out a memo ordering a hiring freeze and slashing discretionary spending earlier this month, raising concerns over the county budget’s stability.
[Read: Orange County Reins in Public Spending Amidst Possible Budget Shortfall]
“Immediate budget restrictions and cost saving measures,” Aguirre wrote, “are necessary to close any gaps that may occur.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
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