There’s a reason Benjamin “BJ” Cruz is the Guam public auditor and has been running the Guam Office of Public Accountability since 2018.
It’s no easy job keeping an eye on the multiple departments, multiple financial conditions of the numerous Government of Guam departments, with a limited number of staff.
Cruz brings to the job the talents of an attorney, justice and chief justice — which include eyes and ears that understand and retain details.
There are more than 50 GovGuam agencies.
And about half of those carry most of the Guam government’s budget and incoming federal funding.
Cruz expressed his amazement at the Guam Chamber of Commerce’s membership meeting on May 27 that many of these numerous Government of Guam agencies are not prepared for their annual audits and neither follow procedures nor follow instructions.
“It’s just a matter of record keeping,” he said.
Cruz said the same lack of attention applies when it comes to the procurement law.
“The procurement law may not be the most perfect, but it does have a structure,” he said.
The public auditor recognized the need for training in procurement and said the audience would be surprised at how many agency heads have not taken a procurement class. Any business that has bid on government work, or filed a protest, knows how arduous the procedures are when it comes to procurement.
Cruz also shared that his office produces compliance reports. “Some of the findings are repeat findings in the last two or three years,” he said.
The chamber called on its membership at the same lunch to send in questions that can be fielded to gubernatorial and senatorial candidates.
Maybe chamber members could start by asking gubernatorial candidates what the leadership policy will be for bringing agencies into audit and procurement compliance and ensuring that agency leaders are given meaningful training — to include in ethics.
And whether agency leaders who do not lead or similarly guide their employees should be retained. mbj
It’s no easy job keeping an eye on the multiple departments, multiple financial conditions of the numerous Government of Guam departments, with a limited number of staff.
Cruz brings to the job the talents of an attorney, justice and chief justice — which include eyes and ears that understand and retain details.
There are more than 50 GovGuam agencies.
And about half of those carry most of the Guam government’s budget and incoming federal funding.
Cruz expressed his amazement at the Guam Chamber of Commerce’s membership meeting on May 27 that many of these numerous Government of Guam agencies are not prepared for their annual audits and neither follow procedures nor follow instructions.
“It’s just a matter of record keeping,” he said.
Cruz said the same lack of attention applies when it comes to the procurement law.
“The procurement law may not be the most perfect, but it does have a structure,” he said.
The public auditor recognized the need for training in procurement and said the audience would be surprised at how many agency heads have not taken a procurement class. Any business that has bid on government work, or filed a protest, knows how arduous the procedures are when it comes to procurement.
Cruz also shared that his office produces compliance reports. “Some of the findings are repeat findings in the last two or three years,” he said.
The chamber called on its membership at the same lunch to send in questions that can be fielded to gubernatorial and senatorial candidates.
Maybe chamber members could start by asking gubernatorial candidates what the leadership policy will be for bringing agencies into audit and procurement compliance and ensuring that agency leaders are given meaningful training — to include in ethics.
And whether agency leaders who do not lead or similarly guide their employees should be retained. mbj
