There has been significant discussion of the contract the Assessor's Office  had with Mike Richman and his firm MPR Strategies. Many have criticized the contract, which fell just below the $50,000 limit requiring Board of Supervisors approval, as being unnecessary and inappropriate. The fact that  it was a no-bid contract--meaning that other firms weren't allowed to submit competing bids--has also been criticized.

First, it is, of course, curious that the amount of the contract was $49,200, very close to the $50,000 limit. The thing is, the limit exists for a reason. Setting aside all other issues, should the Assessor's Office have given an extra $800 to MPR Strategies in order to force it's referral to the Board of Supervisors? If that were forced, it would have occupied some of the Board's time, costing the county even money.

The $50,000 limit exists for a reason. Anything below $50,000 is left to the department, and anything above that figure requires BOS approval. It's done that way for a reason. If $50,000 is too significant a sum to be left to the departments, then change the limit to $30,000 or $20,000. But being critical of the Assessor's Office for awarding a $49,200 contract (not considering the other issues) is silly.

The $50,000 limit exists both to prevent large expenditures by County departments from occurring without oversight, but also to reduce the amount of oversight on smaller purchase orders. The Board of Supervisors has a lot of duties and responsibilities, and at some point it was decided that any purchase below $50,000 did not require BOS approval and, therefore, oversight.

Next, it is important to understand why the contract was awarded to MPR Strategies without providing an opportunity for other firms to bid. It is unlikely that any other PR firm could have completed the tasks needed as effectively as Richman. The Assessor's Office wished to hire a public affairs consultant to complete various tasks, including the production of a newsletter, the planning of outreach events, scheduling presentations by the Assessor's Office, a staff review, presentation of new project ideas, and facilitation of a closer relationship between the San Bernardino County Assessor's Office and the Board of Equalization (which oversees the various Assessor's Offices in California).

While most of those tasks could be completed by a number of public relations firms, Richman had a close preexisting relationship with BOE member Michelle Steel, and was therefore in a prime position to foster relations between the two offices. The community of public affairs consultants is small, and as politically aware as Bill Postmus and Adam Aleman are, they likely know all of the local ones. They could have made a few calls to their contacts and determined which had close relationships with the Board of Equalization.

It seems unlikely on its face that any other local consultant would have both the skills and contacts to complete the various tasks required, while also possessing a close pre-existing relationship with either Bill Leonard or Michelle Steel. That guess on my part could have been easily confirmed by Postmus and Aleman. To go through the bid process for a contract that could really only be awarded to one firm would represent an additional, unnecessary expense.

According to a Press-Enterprise story published on May 16, Richman utilized his existing contacts to arrange for Bill Postmus to give presentations before two civil groups and three city councils and also helped organize two major events with BOE member Michelle Steel. He also designed and implemented a newsletter for the office which included various tax-savings programs, past press releases, and news articles. Richman distributed the newsletter via email, and produced some of its content.

Based on the requirements of the contract, it seems that Richman fulfilled that which was required of him. Debate over whether the contract should have been negotiated at a lower cost, or over whether the tasks he completed were necessary for the office, is legitimate. But the fact that the amount paid is close to the limit requiring BOS approval, and that it was awarded in a no-bid manner aren't reasonable causes for concern. There was a legitimate purpose behind those aspects of this contract, and Mike Richman appears to have fulfilled his contractual requirements. Even if the contract was unnecessary, that's not Richman's fault, it's Postmus and Aleman's.