City audit finds contract-tracking gaps at Baltimore City Health Department, recommends tighter controls

Auditor Josh Pash presented a binding performance audit that found Baltimore City Health Department controls over professional and subrecipient contracting were insufficient to identify delays and increase legal and financial risk to the city.

The audit found the department’s contract tracker had a “design flaw,” with about 25% of expected date fields left blank and multiple incorrect date entries when compared with supporting documentation, and noted average approval times of roughly five months for subrecipient agreements when enough data was available. "The health department tracker is not effective to identify and address the contractual approval process delays," Auditor Josh Pash told the board.

The audit’s nut graf: the shortcomings impair the department’s ability to spot where approvals stall, have led to many contracts whose approval process began after the contract’s start date, and increase the risk of denied grant reimbursements and legal exposure. Pash said auditors selected random…