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Board approves several retroactive District Attorney purchase orders and support services after staff explain timing gaps
Summary
The board approved multiple retroactive District Attorney purchase orders and contracts (including Securo Data Analytics for DNA analysis and Insight Public Sector for Microsoft Unified Support) after staff explained contract lapses and timing gaps that led to retroactive paid work.
The Board of Supervisors approved several District Attorney items on May 20 involving retroactive purchase orders and contracts. Items included a retroactive purchase order for Gregory D’Angelo, dba Securo Data Analytics LLC, to provide DNA-database and recidivism analysis consulting services, a retroactive contract for Katie Parsons to provide consulting to a data research team, and a contract with Insight Public Sector Inc. for Microsoft Unified Support services.
Why it matters: Supervisors questioned why contracts were retroactive and cautioned that retroactive contracting can create fiscal and legal risks. County staff said retroactive measures were not common but that three items at the end of the fiscal year required staff action to ‘‘clean up’’ work performed during gaps between contract periods.
What officials said: Staff explained each retroactive item had unique circumstances; for example, an existing contract expired between December and March, staff directed the vendor to continue work without realizing the lapse, and later contract modifications caught up. The board pressed staff to be more careful about avoiding retroactive approvals.
Board action: After supervisors asked questions, staff answered, and the items were moved and approved on the floor. Supervisors recorded concerns and asked for closer administrative oversight to prevent future retroactive authorizations.
Next steps: County staff indicated they will take steps to minimize retroactive contracting, improve timing of contract modifications, and provide explanations at future meetings when retroactive actions arise.
