Westchester County Department of Social Services - Contract Monitoring (2018M-35)

Issued Date
May 18, 2018

[read complete report - pdf]

Audit Objective

Determine whether Department officials monitored community-based agencies to ensure that services provided and payments made were in accordance with contractual agreements.

Key Findings

  • For eight of nine contracts reviewed, Department officials obtained and reviewed backup documentation to verify that services were performed as required before authorizing payments.
  • Department officials did not obtain and review backup documentation for one contract with payments totaling $1.7 million during the audit period. The contract agreement with this agency did not have clear guidelines for actions to take upon the agency’s failure to perform as agreed.

Key Recommendations

  • Review performance reports and backup documentation to ensure that services were provided as required before authorizing payments.
  • Include clear provisions in service agreements detailing required performance measures and implications for failure to provide services as agreed.

County officials agreed with our recommendations and indicated they plan to initiate corrective action.