Audit: More paperwork needed

The Austin internets are aflame in response to a report from the City Auditor about the city's use of consultants.

The report didn't conclude that money on consultants was poorly spent. Rather, it concluded that it was hard to know whether the money was well spent because departments provide very little documentation of why the consultant was needed and what the consultant provided.

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Here is the executive summary (emphasis mine):

The City regularly hires consultants. Consultants generally provide services for which departments do not have the capacity or expertise. The City has implemented procurement policies for consultant contracts and assigned contract development and oversight responsibilities. However, the City may not be able to demonstrate that consultant services were justified or that they efficiently helped meet City objectives and the needs of the residents. In addition, we found that departments do not consistently evaluate the performance of their consultants. As a result, the City may be rehiring consultants with a history of performance issues.

And here is the recommendation:

We recommend the Director of Austin Financial Services provide clear guidance to departments on how to conduct needs assessments and to work with the City Manager’s Office to ensure departments maintain all contract-related records and perform consultant performance evaluations at the end of the engagements.

In other words, more paperwork. Not necessarily a bad idea, but probably not a transformational one.