Audit of Orlando toller finds lax management, cozy consultants but no corruption

An extensive audit of the Orlando Orange County (Toll) Expressway Authority finds that consulting contracts have not be sufficiently competed, that controls over contracts and spending are often lax, records are poor, and that it needs to bring many functions in-house.

The authority concurs with many of the criticisms though it contests some. The audit was under the control of County Comptroller Martha O Haynie.

Harshest criticism is of the almost permanent appointment of general engineering consultants (PBS&J) and lawyers and lack of any rebidding of their contracts.  The report is critical of the overhead and profit multiplier of 2.26 applied to hourly bills of consultants.

Some contracts entered into were open-ended - having no dates for expiry or re-evaluation.

She recommends strengthening staff and bringing many contracted functions in-house.

The auditor does not report any clear fraud by contractors or consultants, or corruption on the part of staff.

Amazingly the 170 pages of the report do not have a single word on highly publicized furores over payment of over $100k in hush money to an anti-toll activist Doug Guetzloe or accusations of false billing by the authority's marketing and public relations consulting firm.

See the 170 page report here: http://www.occompt.com/audit/reports/rpt386.pdf

TOLLROADSnews 2007-10-23