Report 2011-116.1 Recommendation 8 Responses

Report 2011-116.1: Department of General Services: The Division of the State Architect Lacks Enforcement Authority and Has Weak Oversight Procedures, Increasing the Risk That School Construction Projects May Be Unsafe (Release Date: December 2011)

Recommendation #8 To: General Services, Department of

To mitigate risks arising from the relationship between inspectors, school districts, and project managers, the division should develop formal procedures and explicit directions for field engineers to ensure that they establish a presence on project sites and provide adequate oversight of inspectors during construction.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2013

The DSA has initiated a training program that focuses on ensuring that consistent construction oversight is being provided by its field engineers. The training includes modules that address overseeing project inspector performance and record keeping during construction. The first module was conducted in August 2012 and provided instruction on monitoring project inspector recordkeeping. A second training course on documentation of field oversight activities, including site visit goals, was completed in November 2012. The final training session, held in February 2013, outlined procedures for generating field status data to ensure adequate oversight of active construction projects.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

The division provided evidence of the trainings mentioned above.

1-Year Agency Response

In August 2012 the division conducted training on monitoring project inspector recordkeeping. A second training in November 2012 focused on documentation of field oversight activities, including site visit goals. According to General Services, additional training sessions will be completed by February 2013. These sessions will outline procedures for generating field status data to ensure adequate oversight of active construction projects. (See 2013-406, p. 42)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

All Recommendations in 2011-116.1

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.