4 Harbor Department Contracts Violated Guidelines, Audit Finds

A Los Angeles city controller’s review of the Harbor Department’s contracting procedures released Monday showed that several of the department’s consulting contracts were improperly awarded, a violation of department procedures.

The overview, conducted by Controller Rick Tuttle, found that the department adequately handled most of its personal and professional services contracts.

Still, the report showed that the department awarded four contracts, including one for $80,000 and another for $50,000, on a noncompetitive basis. In those cases, the department failed to issue formal request for proposals.

In another contract, worth $110,000, the department issued a request for proposals but then failed to issue selection guidelines or evaluation methods to justify the awarding of the contract.

The cases were found to be violations of the department’s selection procedures.

The report did not accuse officials of criminal misconduct in their handling of the four contracts. The Harbor Department is expected to review the controller’s findings and issue a response within a month.