Nevada County Board of Supervisors Responses to

It appears that the county has awarded multiple contracts to Fire Safe Council (FSC), without verifying that FSC had required licenses. Partially disagree. Professional service contracts are thoroughly vetted for specific license and/or certification requirements based on the specific work to be performed prior to the execution of contracts. Vetting is conducted by departments managing the specific service contract as well as Purchasing staff. License requirements are also clearly stated in competitive procurement solicitations when applicable to the specific type of work requiring license and/or certification. County staff are constantly engaged with the Contractors State License Board ensuring required licenses are in place for vendors prior to the initiation of service contracts and maintain this practice moving forward. The County issued several contracts with FSC with a variety of scope and requirements. The County staff wrote each contract with the requirements known at the time. Staff are engaged in gaining clarification around the nuances of the variety of vegetation management services that require licensing.

The county has not been sufficiently diligent about confirming the validity of the contractors’ invoices. Disagree. All invoices received from contractors are thoroughly vetted and reviewed by department staff managing the contract, agency fiscal staff, and Auditor/Controller staff prior to processing payments. There are a minimum of three layers of reviews within account payable processes. This includes, but is not limited to, review of contract deliverables, proofing invoicing, review of timecards, etc. Any errors or required additional information are reported back to the contractor to make corrections and resubmit for review. These processes are constantly being reviewed for enhancements to contract and invoice accountability with each department, agency, through budget processes, contract improvement team, and grants team. B. RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS