Date: 03/29/2006
Final
Presentation by the Department of Personnel
SENATE COMMITTEE ON -- SELECT -- GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
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12:03 PM
Senator Groff made opening remarks and stated that Senator Takis would likely be Senator Hanna's replacement on the committee. He indicated that the committee would likely meet two more times this session.
12:04 PM -- Presentation by the Department of Personnel and Administration
Jeff Wells, Director of the Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA), introduced himself and distributed a handout detailing the state procurement and contracting process (Attachment A). Mr. Wells discussed the handout and explained the model procurement code. He stated that there are projects that are exempt from the code including CDOT bridge and highway construction, some grants, and contracts established by elected officials. Higher education may also opt out. Mr. Wells stated that price is not the only component in choosing one contract over another. He indicated this is especially the case in personal services contracts. In many cases, DPA will try to establish the best value by looking at both price and quality of contractors.
12:09 PM
Mr. Wells explained the functions of the State Controller's Office and the Purchasing Office. Mr. Wells talked about price agreements that are generally used for inexpensive commodities used by multiple agencies. He was asked to explain the department's current program that purchases and tests bullet proof vests for law enforcement.
12:19 PM
Mr. Wells discussed the department's on-line solicitation distribution system. Senator Owen asked how the department manages damaged property claims for things like damage rental cars. Mr. Wells explained that Colorado is self-insured for those types of claims, but that the state is covered by an insurance company for other types of property damage. Mr. Wells talked about outsourcing, when commercial services are contracted to a private company (such as private prisons), and privatization of services, when a function of government is moved to the free market (such as garbage collection).
12:26 PM
Mr. Wells was asked to discuss the State Auditor's recommendations and Senator Groff's Senate Bill 06-064. Senate bill 06-064 concerns the monitoring of vendor performance on state contracts, requires the submission of information on the use of personal services and sole-source contracts by state agencies, requires the existing state database of prospective vendors to include information concerning vendor performance, requires the disclosure of state contract work to be performed outside the state, establishes procedures for monitoring vendor performance, and authorizes the state to pursue specified remedies for vendor nonperformance. Mr. Wells listed the state auditor's recommendations. He stated that the department supports Senate Bill 06-064. The committee discussed the communication between the state Chief Information Officer (CIO) and department CIOs.