Orange County board hires Weaver & Tidwell for phased forensic audit of county contracts

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to contract with Weaver & Tidwell to perform a phased forensic audit of county contracts covering funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the CARES Act, the Mental Health Services Act and general‑fund expenditures from January 2019 through August 2024.

Supervisor Sarmiento and others pressed staff to prioritize timeliness and capacity in the selection, citing earlier procurement irregularities. Board members scrutinized three finalists and discussed a wide range of projected hours, costs and completion times before making a firm‑fixed, phased award that includes public reports after each phase.

Internal Audit Director Agui Alonso told the board that all three shortlisted firms had work plans that would meet the RFP’s objectives but that their hour and cost estimates varied substantially. Supervisors contrasted CRI’s larger forecast (about 8,500 hours and roughly two years) with Weaver & Tidwell’s more compressed schedule: Weaver proposed roughly 4,400 hours and a Phase 1 completion in roughly 98 days under the negotiated work plan. Supervisor Sarmiento said he preferred a quicker turnaround to avoid stale evidence: “My concern is that we've already waited close to a year to get this audit going, to have to wait another, 600 days for this to come back to us.”

Weaver & Tidwell confirmed on the record that they understood and agreed to a firm‑fixed price contract and recognized the board’s right to terminate for convenience. Weaver representatives described prior experience and said the firm has conducted numerous forensic engagements and structured a phased approach that targets the highest‑risk contracts first. The board directed staff to complete a security review with OCIT given the shortlisted firms’ use of automated tools.

Supervisor Sarmiento moved to award the contract to Weaver & Tidwell with a phased schedule and public deliverables; the motion passed unanimously. County staff said they would return with a negotiated contract for final board approval as soon as security reviews and negotiations are complete. The auditor is required to produce a public report at the conclusion of each phase; the board may decide whether to proceed to subsequent phases.

Next steps: staff will negotiate final contract language, complete OCIT security review and present the contract for approval; each phase will deliver a public report and presentation to the board on findings and recommended follow‑up actions to county counsel and, if warranted, to the district attorney.