Florida CFO: Reform $50B contracting system

TALLAHASSEE — Florida CFO Jeff Atwater has requested the Legislature make reform of the state's contracting system, which spends $50 billion a year, a priority in the upcoming session.

“The best protection for taxpayers' money is to implement a higher standard of auditing state contracts,” Atwater says in a release. “We have an obligation to reform the system to prevent poorly written contracts from being executed. If we pre-audit a contract at the beginning, then follow up with an audit at the conclusion of the contract, we can ensure that the promised goods or services were delivered at the best possible price.”

Besides tougher auditing, Atwater, in the release, says he wants vendors to help identify inefficiency in the ways Florida buys products and services.

“In Florida, we have hundreds of smart entrepreneurs who interact with state agencies every single day,” says Atwater. “We need a process to invite them to identify areas where the state is wasting money or taking longer than necessary to get the job done. If state agencies become smarter, more efficient consumers, we can save money.”