The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has completed its Third Annual Progress Report on the work of the Procurement Reform Task Force (PRTF). The Chief Procurement Officer Committee’s 2018 Annual Report indicated that its Participating Members had fully addressed 23 recommendations and partially addressed the remaining 8. OIG concludes that the Participating Members have, in fact, fully implemented 13 of the recommendations and partially implemented 9 others, and that the remaining 9 recommendations, which are designated as completed, have not yet been fully and consistently operationalized.
“While substantial progress has been and continues to be made, this report reflects areas of slippage in follow-through and pace that can be addressed only through renewed and express impetus, emphasis, and commitment of resources from the new Administration, most particularly with respect to stage three recommendations around data technology and organizationally based information, compliance, and enforcement systems,” said Inspector General Joe Ferguson.
OIG hopes this report serves as a useful tool for the new Administration in renewing the PRTF’s charge and prioritizing the completion of the good work done to date. We also hope the report serves the new City Council well at the next annual PRTF hearing through its efforts to drill down into the areas where implementation is lagging and the recommendations remain works-in-progress.
The PRTF was convened in May 2015, co-chaired by the Chief Procurement Officer and the Inspector General for the City of the Chicago, as well the CEO, Executive Director, or Chancellor of the City’s six sister agencies: the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Transit Authority, the Chicago Housing Authority, the City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and the Public Building Commission (known as the Participating Members). The PRTF identified opportunities for these entities to implement best practices for awarding, managing, and overseeing public contracts, with the mission to maximize operational efficiency, increase accountability, and economize public funds.
Pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement executed under the authority of an ordinance in January 2016, the Participating Members created a Chief Procurement Officer Committee and charged it with addressing the Task Force’s recommendations, tracking their implementation, and issuing quarterly and annual reports. The ordinance also directed the Members to establish a committee of Chief Information Officers to manage the technical aspects of the implementation process and directed OIG to prepare and publish independent evaluations of the Members’ progress toward implementing the recommendations.
The full report can be found online at OIG’s website: bit.ly/PRTF2019
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The mission of the independent and non-partisan City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption, waste, and mismanagement in City government. OIG is a watchdog for the taxpayers of the City and has jurisdiction to conduct investigations and audits into most aspects of City government. If you see corruption, fraud, or waste of any kind, we need to hear from you. For more information, visit our website at: www.igchicago.org.