Report 2013-115 Recommendation 9 Responses
Report 2013-115: Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program: Meaningful Performance Standards and Better Guidance by the California Departments of General Services and Veterans Affairs Would Strengthen the Program (Release Date: February 2014)
Recommendation #9 To: Veterans Affairs, Department of
To ensure CalVet is meeting its statutory obligations for the DVBE program, it should do the following:
Develop stronger measures to evaluate its outreach efforts, including formalizing a process for interpreting and evaluating its DVBE survey results and incorporating those results into its DVBE outreach plan.
Work more closely with awarding departments to help them meet the DVBE participation goals and promote DVBE contracting opportunities, including taking a more active role in leading DVBE advocate meetings and posting formal minutes from those meetings on its public Web site.
6-Month Agency Response
In response to Recommendation #1, CalVet is:
- Collecting contact information from outreach events, cross referencing them in BidSync to identify if the potential new DVBEs have since become certified and offering assistance 90 days after each event.
-Interpreting and reporting DVBE survey results quarterly for evaluating and improving the DVBE outreach efforts. Based on feedback, a Welcome Packet was created to support new DVBEs.
-Tracking more metrics on promotional efforts; reports are produced quarterly. FY 2013-14 Annual Report was completed July 8, 2014 and used to develop and improve the FY 2014-15 Outreach Plan, completed August 12, 2014.
-Increasing collaboration with the Department of General Services (DGS) to reduce duplication of efforts and more efficiently use resources. CalVet is increasing the number of unduplicated outreach events from 32 in FY 2013-14 to 47 in FY 2014-15.
In response to Recommendation #2, CalVet is:
-Increasing efforts to help low performing departments meet their DVBE participation goals through executive-level meetings and providing one-on-one training to advocates.
-Leading meetings for advocates: management is now participating in advocate steering committee meetings; CalVet posts minutes on their website and is seeking feedback from advocates on how CalVet and DGS may help them meet their department goals.
-Revitalizing the advocate mentor program and will double the number of seasoned advocates available to mentor new advocates from 9 to 18 by December 2014.
-Developing lists of local DVBE resources specific to prime contractors in California to promote DVBE contracting opportunities.
-Increasing productivity and accountability in the DVBE Advisory Council to include reported progress each quarter on objectives and metrics for each committee.
Through CalVet's increased efforts included but not limited to those described above, CalVet has fully implemented all recommendations.
- Completion Date: August 2014
- Response Date: August 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented
60-Day Agency Response
In response to Recommendation #1, CalVet is:
- Collecting contact information from outreach events, then cross referencing them in the BidSync database to identify if the potential new DVBEs have since become certified in the program 90 days after each event.
-Tracking more metrics on promotional efforts; reports are produced quarterly for use in evaluating the DVBE outreach plan.
-Interpreting and reporting DVBE survey results quarterly for evaluating and improving the DVBE outreach plan. The next report will be produced in June 2014.
-Increasing collaboration with the Department of General Services (DGS) in evaluating and developing the DVBE outreach plan to reduce duplication of efforts and more efficiently use resources.
In response Recommendation #2, CalVet is:
-Increasing efforts to help low performing departments meet their DVBE participation goals through executive-level meetings and providing training to advocates.
-Leading meetings for advocates: management is now participating in advocate steering committee meetings; CalVet posts minutes on their website and is seeking feedback from advocates on how CalVet and DGS may help them meet their department goals.
-Developing lists of local DVBE resources specific to prime contractors in California to promote DVBE contracting opportunities.
-Increasing productivity in the DVBE Advisory Council to include reported progress each quarter on objectives and metrics for each committee.
In May, CalVet will collaborate with DGS to most efficiently fill gaps and reduce duplication of efforts in our outreach plan for fiscal year 2014-15. This plan will be published by June 30, 2014. Through CalVets increased efforts to work directly with low performing departments on their corrective plans, acting in a greater leadership role with advocates and the Advisory Council, and working directly with prime contractors to facilitate DVBE contracting, CalVet will fully implement this recommendation by July 30, 2014.
- Estimated Completion Date: July 31, 2014
- Response Date: April 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2013-115
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.