Report 2022-301 Recommendation 1 Responses

Report 2022-301: Judicial Branch Procurement: Although Four Superior Courts We Reviewed Generally Met Procurement Requirements, Glenn County Superior Court Needs to Significantly Improve Its Procurement Practices (Release Date: January 2023)

Recommendation #1 To: Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco

To ensure that payments are appropriate, San Francisco should, by July 2023, document and implement formal procedures for approving invoices—including appropriate levels of approval—and require staff to follow these procedures.

1-Year Agency Response

Beginning August 1, 2023, the Superior Court of San Francisco implemented a signature card for all managers and their designees who have purchase and invoice approval authority. This list of managers along with spending limits and associated approvals is listed on a fiscal intranet that all court staff can access. This list is updated on an as needed basis to reflect managerial changes. The local JBCM and purchase manual, on the fiscal intranet, has additional detail about the purchasing and invoice approval proocess, in addition to the list of authorized managers who can appprove purchases and invoices.

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

San Francisco provided documentation to demonstrate that it documented and implemented formal procedures that it requires staff to follow for approving invoices—including appropriate levels of approval.

6-Month Agency Response

A new CEO joined the San Francisco Superior Court in June 2023 and we are in the midst of implementing the recommended changes by establishing clear approval levels and collecting signature authorizations. We anticipate full implementation by September 2023.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

San Francisco Superior Court has developed a formal policy that will list of managers with approval levels for contracts, procurement and invoices. This list will be incorporated into the Local Contract Manual and be annually updated. The Local Contract Manual will also have standard operating procedures regarding procurement invoice approval processes. This draft is being circulated for final revisions and departmental approvals and the plan for full implementation is April 30, 2023.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2022-301

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.