Report 2011-116.1 Recommendation 9 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 #9 To: General Services, Department of

To ensure that it approves inspectors prior to the start of project construction, the division should streamline its approval process by reviewing inspectors' workloads and past experience using the data it already maintains.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2013

To assist in ensuring the approval of inspectors prior to the start of project construction, DSA has enhanced its electronic project tracking system to report on inspector workloads and past experience. The system enhancement allows division field engineers to obtain data on an inspector's current workload to inform decisions regarding his/her approval for a specific project. In February 2013, training was provided to all field staff and supervisors on this enhancement.

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

The division provided evidence of the February 2013 training mentioned above. That training included elements on using the field review status report to identify active projects for individual inspectors. Also, the division's updated procedures require that, for more complicated projects, design professionals consult with field engineers assigned to the projects prior to submitting forms for inspector approval. That meeting should include discussion of an inspector's workload and past experience.

1-Year Agency Response

General Services stated that the division has updated its electronic project-tracking system to report on inspector workloads and experience. According to General Services, the updates allow division field engineers to obtain data on an inspector's current workload and that information can inform decisions regarding inspector approval. General Services stated that the division is developing procedures for statewide staff training on this system update scheduled for the first quarter of 2013. (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.