Highlights of the latest audit of Fulton County’s Information Technology Department:
*Poor communication by IT officials hindered other departments trying to buy or implement new technology. One example: In 2013 Fulton’s planning department tried to launch new software to manage building permits and inspections. Two years later, the department still can’t use the software for basic permit processing, thanks to “inadequate project management” by the IT Department, according to the audit.
*Consilium Consulting of Roswell overbilled the county by more than $125,000. Auditors determined the company billed Fulton for some employees whose positions were not filled at times.
*The county failed to pay Microsoft for all the software licenses it used because the IT Department significantly undercounted the number of computers and servers using the company’s software.
*The IT Department failed to properly manage the county’s technical assets. Among other things, it failed to track the status and location of hardware and software in various departments.
*The department may have improperly paid Vixio Technology of Atlanta $147,950 for support of software after the county’s licenses for the software had expired and after the software had been decommissioned.
*The department may have skirted purchasing rules in awarding contracts totaling $288,450 to Vixio Technology over several years. Each contract was valued at just under $50,000 the threshold that would have required the contracts be opened up to competition.
*The Department may have steered a contract to Vixio Technology by directing another company to work through Vixio to provide a quote for telecommunication software. Vixio appears to have provided nothing of value to the county, which could have saved $10,555 by dealing directly with the other firm.
*Auditors received complaints of retaliation against employees who reported potential security breaches and other problems. Auditors recommended further investigation.
To view the complete audit, visit www.myajc.com.
Fulton County’s Information Technology Department may have skirted purchasing rules by awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of contracts to a favored vendor, a new audit shows.
The department paid Vixio Technology of Atlanta $288,450 in a series of contracts worth just under the $50,000 threshold that would have required the work to be opened up for competition, according to the audit report. It says the IT Department may have paid the company another $148,000 improperly, and it paid the company more than $10,000 for serving as an unnecessary middle-man on another contract.
The report also says another company overbilled the county by more than $125,000. And auditors found evidence of retaliation against IT employees who reported potential security breaches and other problems.
A Vixio Technology representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The new audit follows a December report that found mismanagement, conflicts of interest and excessive salaries for contracted employees in the Fulton IT Department. Taken together, they portray a department where cronyism and mismanagement undermine the careful use of tax dollars and the efficiency of county operations.
Among the findings in the latest audit:
*Vixio Technology benefited in several ways from alleged mismanagement. It received six contracts ranging in value from $41,500 to $49,500 over several years. The audit says those contracts may have been designed to circumvent rules requiring competition for county business.
The department also may have improperly paid Vixio $147,950 to support software after the county’s licenses for the software had expired and the software had been decommissioned.
And the department may have steered a contract to Vixio by directing another company to work through Vixio to provide telecommunication software. Vixio appears to have provided nothing of value to the county, which could have saved $10,555 by dealing directly with the other firm, the audit found.
*Consilium Consulting of Roswell overbilled the county by more than $125,000. Auditors determined the company billed Fulton for some employees whose positions were not filled at times.
Michael Solis, an attorney for Consilium, said the company did not overbill the county. He said the audit report relies on “suppositions” and said the company will make a “full and thoughtful response” soon.
*Auditors received complaints of retaliation against employees who reported potential security breaches and other problems. They recommend further investigation.
Other findings include underpayments to Microsoft Corp. for software licenses, failure to track the status and location of county hardware and software and lengthy delays in helping various departments implement new technology.
The Department has 30 days to respond to the findings. IT officials already have vowed to address problems found in the December audit. Among other things, they will seek an independent assessment of the department’s operations to determine whether it should continue to outsource some work or hire employees to do it.
The Fulton Board of Commissioners will get a briefing on the findings this afternoon.
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