Auditor General Reports
Consultant services An audit of contract procurement of consultant services by state agencies, revealed it is impossible to determine how many consultants are used, at what cost and for what purposes. Findings show that the filing requirement with the comptroller is not being met within the five-day limit. The auditor general suggested that the comptroller introduce legislation amending section 15 of the Comptroller Act to change the requirement to 15 days. Examination also revealed incorrect use of the codes required by the Comptroller's Uniform Statewide Accounting System (CUSAS). Different codes were used interchangeably by agencies to describe the same service, resulting in inaccurate reporting of information. New codes for type of service and for object of expenditure should be established in CUSAS. The audit also showed a lack of records identifying consultant expenditures. It is recommended that the comptroller's office establish a unique contract numbering system which will allow identification of the number of contracts awarded and the expenditures incurred by each contract. Another finding indicated that a major deficiency in the state's program is the lack of definition of consultant services. It is suggested that the comptroller's office develop guidelines defining types of consultant services and establish a coding system to identify consultant service contracts and expenditures. The same audit found that the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) does not have statutory authority to issue instructions and guidelines for the procurement of certain consultant services by other state agencies. It is recommended that BOB either retract its instructions on consultant services or introduce legislation to give BOB the authority to regulate the procurement of services by other agencies. The auditor general concluded that is order for the legislature to strengthen its control in the area of consultant procurement, it must pass an amendment to the Purchasing Act to require detailed information in eight specific areas of consultant procurement: project justification, proposal requests, consultant selection, contract terms, contents of contract, monitoring of consultant performance, payment process under contracts and evaluation of costs-benefits. 30/ November 1978 / Illinois Issues
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