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Committee directs JSEB reporting to track dollars paid to certified firms as well as contract counts
Summary
The committee voted to change reporting to emphasize dollars actually paid to JSEB-certified contractors (in addition to contract counts) to better measure program impact; staff said the department will continue to report both metrics and pursue improved post-award auditing and technology to track payments.
The JSEB special committee approved a motion to refocus program reporting so that the primary performance measure includes the actual dollars paid to JSEB-certified contractors, along with the existing count of contracts awarded.
Staff said shifting the emphasis to payments rather than only contract awards provides a more accurate picture of program impact because an awarded contract's face value may not equal the dollars that flow to a certified subcontractor after change orders and substitutions. Mr. Grant told the committee the department currently tracks payments through an accounting workflow and a transparency dashboard but acknowledged the city lacks a robust, consistent post-award audit for every contract.
Several council members urged the department to report both measures (number of contracts and dollars paid) so the committee can assess spread and equity across the JSEB pool (for example, whether many dollars go to a few firms or smaller amounts reach many firms). Committee members suggested using existing technology on the transparency website to require contractors to report subcontract payments and to strengthen back-end auditing.
The committee recorded a motion to add dollars-paid reporting specific to the JSEB administrator/CIP reporting; staff agreed to continue producing both contract-count and dollars-paid metrics monthly and to work with finance and procurement on enforcement and reporting details.
