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Audit finds gaps in El Paso on‑call services contracting, invoices and documentation
Summary
An internal audit of on‑call professional services identified missing department checks, indebtedness verifications, insurance certificates and delayed invoice payments; management reported updated procedures, training and improved invoice timeliness and the committee approved forwarding the report to council.
An internal audit of the City of El Paso’s on‑call services agreements identified multiple control gaps, including missing evidence of department checks and indebtedness verifications, incomplete insurance certificates and invoices not paid within 30 days, the Financial Oversight and Audit Committee heard Sept. 11.
Elizabeth (Liz) Delaau of the city’s internal audit department presented an audit covering fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The review examined five active on‑call agreements for professional services that together involved 18 consultants. Audit findings included: 18 consultant files that did not contain evidence of a department check, 12 files without evidence of an indebtedness verification, and three consultants missing required certificates of insurance. In a sample of nine invoices, four had not been paid within the city’s 30‑calendar‑day target; additional invoice review found mismatches to fee proposals and missing documentation of task completion and percentage‑of‑completion reporting on one invoice.
The auditors recommended that the Capital Improvement Department (CID) ensure department checks, indebtedness verifications and insurance confirmations are performed and saved in consultant files; that invoices be paid within 30 days; and that invoices include the documentation required by each on‑call services agreement. Management responded that CID has updated standard operating procedures, created a SharePoint file structure for on‑call contracts, referenced sam.gov and the seamlessdocs workflow for documentation, and held training with project managers. CID staff said it has assigned personnel to monitor invoice receipt and processing and reported that invoices are now being paid within 15 days in most cases.
Committee members characterized the audit as a high‑risk review and pressed management on controls. Representative Chavez asked the audit team to verify that citations to Texas code were correct; CID staff agreed to provide updated procedures and evidence of training and said they are tracking invoices in monday.com and have a designated reviewer for received invoices. Liz Delaau said follow‑up is scheduled for fiscal 2026.
The committee moved to accept the audit results and forward the report to City Council; the motion passed 3‑0.
