PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT - Internal Audit: Construction Contract Management Process - Report 2020A-02

Sep 12, 2026

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Internal audit report covering St. Johns County Public Works Department’s engineering division and its construction contract management processes. The review evaluates whether project monitoring controls and related authorization procedures operate effectively and comply with the St. Johns County Purchasing Procedure Manual. It also assesses controls over change orders and contract amendments to ensure effective operation and compliance. The audit applies a three-phase methodology covering planning, field work, and reporting, concluding with observations and recommendations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background

Objective

Scope

Methodology

Overall Conclusion

Observations & Recommendations

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Internal Audit: Construction Contract Management Process REPORT NO. 2020A-02 September 30, 2020 OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL Brandon J. Patty Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller St. Johns County, Florida Curtis Evans Jr. CPA, CIG, CFE Inspector General TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Background ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Objective ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Overall Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 OBSERVATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION Background The St. Johns County (SJC) Public Works Department (PWD) consists of six divisions, which includes Information Systems, Solid Waste, County Engineering, Road and Bridge, Administration, and Fleet Maintenance. PWD is responsible for engineering services and project management relating to construction and maintenance of streets, roadways, sidewalks and other public right-of-ways within the County. PWD Engineering also manages engineering and construction of all facilities (buildings) Countywide including design, permitting and construction for capital projects for several departments including Fire Services, Parks and Recreation, Sherriff’s Office, Library, and the Amphitheater. Additionally, PWD is responsible for solid waste management, drainage maintenance and traffic engineering and management. In terms of asset management, PWD’s responsibilities include the following: • Over 950 miles of roadway • Over 250 miles of drainage pipes • Over 2,000 acres of maintained landscape • 143 traffic signals • Over 34,000 signs • Over 200 street lights • Over $100 million in CIP annually • Garbage collections, disposal, recycling to over 200,000 residents • Servicing of over 1,000 vehicles and equipment Countywide • Over 12,000 work orders annually For the scope of our audit, we focused on the Engineering division, which has the highest volume of construction contracts for PWD. The Engineering division is comprised of five units, which includes: Right of Way Management Traffic Operations Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Planning Facilities and Special Projects (also referred to as Construction Services) We noted during our audit that as SJC continues to experience significant growth, PWD faces a multitude of challenges with project delivery. There has been a major challenge with PWD recruiting and retaining quality staff while still needing to meet service expectations and protecting County facility and equipment investments, operating in some cases with unrealistic timelines for project delivery. More specifically, there has been a high rate turnover in leadership positions within the Engineering division within recent years,(3 county engineers in the past 5 years) . A couple of key engineering positions, which had been vacant for a long duration of time, were newly filled near the end of the audit. A trend of inclement weather has also severely imp

FAQs

What is the audit focusing on within the St. Johns County Public Works Department?

The audit focuses on the Engineering division’s construction contract management process, including project monitoring and the handling of change orders and contract amendments.

What are the primary audit objectives?

The objectives are to determine whether PWD has effective controls for monitoring construction projects and whether controls for change orders and contract amendments operate effectively in compliance with the SJC Purchasing Procedure Manual.

What time period and types of documents are included in the audit scope?

The scope includes construction contracts, change orders, and contract amendments issued for Engineering division projects during October 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020.

Sep 12, 2026

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