INFORMATIONAL REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Response to the September 9, 2019 San Jos? Spotlight article, written by Janice Bitters, titled "Santa Clara Bucked City Rules with Singer Public Relations Contracts"
Report
BACKGROUND
This memorandum addresses inaccuracies and accusations that were made in the above-mentioned San Jos? Spotlight article (https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-bucked-city-rules-with-singer-public-relations-contracts/) regarding the City's procurement practices and award of contracts to Singer Associates, Inc.
The article asserts that City officials did not follow: a) the City's Charter; b) typical timelines and industry best practices when bidding for a six-figure contract, and c) doubled the value of the contracts while seeking out bids. In addition, the article claims that the Civil Grand Jury could not finish its investigation into the Singer Contracts because jurors struggled to get information from the City. As reported at the September 4, 2019 City Council special meeting, the Civil Grand Jury told staff at the Exit Interview, on May 28, 2019, that there was no wrongdoing in their review of the Singer contracts and, as a result, they moved on to a review of public records requests. Additionally, the Grand Jury received all documents requested on a rolling basis from the City, as referenced in the September 4 City Council report.
These accusations ignore key facts. The article itself is misleading about the City's public procurement practices and represents a misunderstanding on the part of the author. This type of journalism does a disservice to the public and should be corrected.
The City Manager has acknowledged on several occasions that the City's rules and processes for procurement, contracting, and document control need to be reformed; however, the City did follow its procurement rules. It is also worth noting that the procurement took place in January 2018, before the City's new procurement procedures were put i...
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