City Administration

Information

Browse our audit reports about City administration topics. This includes the Office of Management and Finance, human resources, internal business services, technology services/information technology, government relations, and the City Attorney's Office.

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City credit card use slowed during pandemic but exposed underlying risks

New risks for City-issued credit card misuse emerged when employees began working from home due to COVID-19. We asked: How did compliance with rules, management, and card spending change? We found some issues the City should shore up to prevent misuse.

April 2021

Ending Audit of CityFleet Services

We have decided to discontinue this audit because CityFleet's ongoing strategic planning process may address some of the reasons we originally initiated it.

February 2021

Equity in Construction Contracting: Some goals achieved despite mismanagement, waste, and gamesmanship

Portland attempts to promote equity in construction contracting by setting goals for use of diverse work crews and for hiring historically disadvantaged businesses that have been certified by a state agency. On small projects, Portland limits bidding to historically disadvantaged firms. The City also sets aside money for training diverse workers and business owners. We found that though the City achieved or came close to achieving equity goals in some areas, some programs were not successful. We also found programs were vulnerable to abuse. We provided 16 recommendations to Procurement Services to make programs more equitable, effective, and protected from misconduct.

Interactive report showing details about contractor and bureau performance toward equity goals

Highlights | Report | September 2020

Portland Building Contract: Costs reviewed were consistent with contract, although required cost classification and calculations for final payment need to start now

Most of the Portland Building renovation activity is included in a design, build, and relocation services contract. The contract includes requirements for how the City’s main contractor will be compensated for costs, submit contract changes, and select subcontractors. Generally, we found the contractor was following these contract requirements. We identify a few improvement areas and recommend specific actions to be taken leading up to the City’s final payment to the contractor. For example, the cost classification required by contract still needs to be completed, and interim calculations should begin now to identify potential cost savings. In addition, we identify lessons learned for future City projects.

Highlights | Report | October 2019

Follow-up Report | December 2020

Portland Building Follow-Up: Greater public transparency needed about project costs, trade-offs, and missed equity requirement

The Portland Building is an active construction site and renovation is forecasted to be completed ahead of schedule. We reported on risk areas during the initial phase of the Portland Building renovation, and this report follows up on early recommendations from that 2016 audit. We found that budget transparency was still needed as renovation costs grew more than planned; the City was on track to meet its main renovation goals but – due to policy trade-offs – will fall short of other aspirations; and the City missed the requirement to award about $1 million in grants to meet equity goals.

Report (PDF)Report (HTML) | June 2019

Highlights: Report summary, Community benefits, Trade-offs

Follow-Up Report | September 2020

Data Loss Prevention: City's approach is sound but its practices should be strengthened

Data loss prevention is the practice of detecting and preventing unauthorized transmittal of sensitive or confidential information outside of an organization. The City’s Technology Services follows the voluntary National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework. The audit found the City’s overall data loss prevention system was adequately designed and carried out with some exceptions. We made recommendations to strengthen the City’s data loss prevention practices.

Report | October 2018

Risk Management: City loss prevention needs a proactive approach

The City’s Risk Management Division spends about $16 million each year to help City bureaus avoid injuries and loss and manage claims against the City if an accident occurs. This audit found that Risk Management does not have a proactive approach to loss prevention, which may hinder City safety programs. If a claim against the City is made, the audit found most claims are well managed.

Highlights | Report | Video| June 2017

Follow-up report | July 2019

Portland's Financial Condition: Funding infrastructure should be high priority

The financial condition report focuses on the City’s financial trends over five years. The report helps decision makers to visualize the City’s course, to consider options, and make adjustments to improve the City’s long-term financial health. The audit found that Portland’s financial condition is currently stable, but there are long-term challenges to address, such as increased pension liabilities and some assets losing value faster than the City can make repairs.

Highlights | Report | April 2017

Portland Building Reconstruction: City faced with important post-planning decisions to ensure project success

As the City launches a high-profile reconstruction project with many complexities, we report on six key areas related to project constraints and public accountability challenges. We make recommendations to ensure effective, inclusive, and timely decisions will be made by stated milestones; greater budget transparency, and the development of an implementation plan for the additional community benefits associated with the project. We also share lessons learned from this project for future City construction projects in the Appendix.

Highlights | Report | December 2016

Follow-up report | June 2019