BOSTON – An audit released today by the Office of State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump (OSA) found inadequacies in the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) processes to ensure equal opportunity staffing requirements of its contractors for women and minority participation.
The audit, which reviewed the period of January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020, also found that DCAMM’s internal control plan was not updated with a coronavirus pandemic component as required by the Comptroller’s Office, and employees’ cybersecurity awareness training certificates were not retained by DCAMM. This audit is one in a series of performance audits that focuses on equitable access and equitable results for services and programs provided by state agencies and their contractors.
“Both state law and state contracts impose on contractors obligations to create opportunities for women and non-white persons to move into these well-paid jobs in the design and construction of public infrastructure. DCAMM has not been diligent in its monitoring and enforcement of these requirements. All state agencies must ensure that the jobs we create through state spending afford opportunities for all demographics, not just those groups who have traditionally held the positions. I am glad to see that DCAMM is implementing our recommendations in this area; it is important that they stay vigilant and proactive on these issues moving forward,” said Auditor Bump.
The audit found that DCAMM did not have sufficient processes in place to effectively monitor its contractors’ compliance with workforce participation goals for women and minorities. According to state guidelines, each construction contract should include workforce participation goals of 15.3% of the hours of construction work performed should be done by minority workers and 6.9% by female workers. The audit found that of the 127 construction contracts active during the audit period, 120 (95%) did not meet the women’s workforce participation goal, 78 (61%) did not have any hours worked by women. In addition, 81 (64%) of the 127 contracts did not meet the minority workforce participation goal, and 36 of those (28%) did not have any hours worked by minorities.
The audit also found issues with documentation at DCAMM. Specifically, the audit found that there were no cybersecurity awareness training certificates in the personnel file for any of the 424 active DCAMM employees in 2019, and issues were identified in the documentation of information supporting DCAMM’s Fiscal Year 2020 annual report submitted to the state legislature. Additionally, DCAMM’s internal control plan was not updated with a 2019 coronavirus pandemic component, as required by the Office of the Comptroller’s internal controls guidance issued in September 2020.
To address the issues identified, the audit recommends DCAMM develop policies and procedures to monitor its contractors’ compliance with achieving workforce participation goals for women and minorities, update its internal control plan when significant changes occur, and keep cybersecurity awareness training certificates in employee personnel files. Based on its response, DCAMM is taking steps to address these issues.
DCAMM is the state agency responsible for capital planning, public building construction, facilities management, and real estate services for the Commonwealth. It manages more than two billion dollars annually in state-funded construction projects and 550 active leases, consisting of more than five million square feet of office space that house state agencies. DCAMM received state appropriations of $19,118,113 and $22,603,445, respectively, for fiscal years 2019 and 2020.
The full audit report is available here.
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About the Office of the State Auditor
The Office of the State Auditor conducts performance audits of state government programs, departments, agencies, authorities, contracts, and vendors. With its reports, the OSA issues recommendations to improve accountability, efficiency, and transparency. The OSA has identified approximately $1.4 billion in unallowable, questionable, or potentially fraudulent spending and saving opportunities for the Commonwealth since 2011. Last year, auditees reported implementation of 90 percent of the OSA’s audit recommendations.
For more information, visit http://www.mass.gov/auditor or follow Auditor Bump on Twitter @MassAuditor, on Facebook, or subscribe to the Auditor’s Report e-newsletter.