Los Angeles County Municipal Code Part 1 General Provisions

There is created, by merger, a department of the county, which shall be known as the "internal services department," hereafter referred to in this chapter as the "department." The departments of facilities management, data processing and purchasing and stores are hereby merged into the internal services department.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

The Department shall be under the direction and management of the Director of Internal Services, hereafter referred to in this Chapter as the "Director," who shall be appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The Director shall appoint all employees of the Department.

(Ord. 2024-0053 § 1, 2024; Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

From and after the operative date of the ordinance codified in this Chapter, the Director shall be the successor to the Director of Facilities Management; Director of Data Processing; Director of Communications; Purchasing Agent; or other County official as regards any functions, duties, or responsibilities, whether imposed by contract or otherwise, which prior to the operative date of the ordinance codified in this Chapter were the functions, duties, or responsibilities of the Director of Facilities Management (with the exception of the duties of the County Engineer), Director of Data Processing, Purchasing Agent, Director of Communications, Director of Building Services, Director of Mechanical, or other County official, which by this Chapter are now or hereafter delegated by the Board of Supervisors to be the duties of the Director.

(Ord. 2024-0053 § 2, 2024; Ord. 95-0052 § 33, 1995; Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

County internal services are those services that support County departments in their delivery of services to the public. Internal services include, but are not limited to, facilities operations, design, construction, repair, refurbishment, remodeling, and maintenance of County facilities; design, construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of communications and data processing facilities, systems, and equipment; fleet management and maintenance; business machine maintenance; security services; purchasing, storage, and distribution of personal property, equipment, and supplies; printing services;

energy management; and parking management. County internal services are divided into three categories as designated by the Chief Executive Officer: centralized, decentralized, and delegated internal services, with the responsibilities as follows:

A.

Centralized Internal Services. The Director is responsible for managing and providing centralized internal services to County departments to the extent permitted by budgeted funds or paid for by recipients or requestors of the services.

B.

Decentralized Internal Services. Each County department head is responsible for arranging for the provision of decentralized internal services to support their department's operations in compliance with County-wide standards established by the Chief Executive Officer, approved by the Board of Supervisors, and monitored by the Auditor-Controller. Unless otherwise directed by the Chief Executive Officer, each County department head may purchase decentralized internal services from the Department; or may purchase these services from outside contractors, provided the Department's bid for such services has been solicited and considered, subject to provisions of law, the approval of the Chief Executive Officer, and compliance with contracting policies adopted by the Board of Supervisors; or may, with the approval of the Chief Executive Officer and the Director, provide these services with in-house staff or purchase them from another County department. Any change of service provider from the Department to another provider, including in-house staff, shall be done in conjunction with policies established by the Chief Executive Officer. In competing to be selected as the provider of decentralized internal services, the Department shall function as an entrepreneurial organization with the mission of marketing, selling, and delivering high- quality, competitively-priced services to County departments and other customers and shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law, operate with flexibility analogous to private-sector providers of similar services. All services rendered shall be paid for by the recipient or requestor of the services.

C.

Delegated Internal Services. The Director is responsible for providing these services but may delegate their day-to-day operation to requesting County department heads according to policies established by the Chief Executive Officer and procedures established by, and subject to the approval and supervision of, the Director. Such delegation may be rescinded by the Director upon approval of the Chief Executive Officer.

(Ord. 2024-0053 § 3, 2024; Ord. 95-0052 § 34, 1995; Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Centralized internal services that are the responsibility of the Director, unless otherwise designated by the Board of Supervisors or the Chief Executive Officer, include, but are not limited to, the services set forth in this Chapter.

(Ord. 2024-0053 § 4, 2024; Ord. 95-0052 § 35, 1995; Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

A.

Pursuant to the authority granted by California Government Code section 31000.9, the Director is delegated the authority of the Board of Supervisors to enter into contracts and contract amendments for architectural, engineering, and related services where the amount of the total contract does not exceed $330,000, and is also authorized to enter into amendments to contracts entered into by the Board of Supervisors where the amount of any individual amendment does not exceed 10 percent of the amount of the original contract as long as the amendment does not exceed $330,000. The Director does not have authority if the aggregate total amount of such amendments exceeds 25 percent of the amount of the original contract.

B.

The Director shall exercise their authority in conformance with the following procedures:

On projects, studies, and reports with an estimated cost of less than $25,000, the Director shall:

a.

Prepare a work statement;

b.

Select a consultant from a list maintained by the Department or solicit requests for proposals in the event a list does not exist in the specific type of services to be contacted. Selection of the consultant is to be based on demonstrated competence and professional qualifications needed for the specific services or project requirements, as applicable;

c.

Negotiate a fair and reasonable fee with the consultant, including a maximum cost, using established departmental procedures, fee schedules, and project requirements; and

d.

Execute the contract, subject to approval as to form by County Counsel and receipt of appropriate insurance certificates from the consultant.

On projects, studies, and reports with an estimated cost between $25,000 and $330,000, the Director shall:

a.

Prepare a work statement;

b.

Solicit requests for proposals, which shall be evaluated by the Department service contractor selection committee;

c.

Based on the evaluation conducted by the Department service contractor selection committee, select a consultant on the basis of demonstrated competence and professional qualifications needed for the specific services or project requirements, including, but not limited to, organization, experience, ability to meet County needs, and time commitment;

d.

Negotiate a fair and reasonable not-to-exceed fee with the highest ranked consultant; should the Director be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the highest ranked consultant, the Director shall terminate negotiations with that consultant, and shall, using the same process, undertake negotiations with the second highest ranked consultant, and so on, until a satisfactory agreement is reached; and

e.

Execute the contract, subject to approval as to form by County Counsel and receipt of an appropriate insurance certificate from the consultant.

On amendments to existing services contracts entered into by the Board of Supervisors, which amendments individually do not exceed 10 percent of the original contract, the Director shall:

a.

Determine that such additional work is necessary;

b.

Negotiate a fair and reasonable fee for the additional work; and

c.

Execute an amendment to the original contract, subject to approval as to form by County Counsel and receipt of an appropriate insurance certificate from the consultant.

The Director will maintain, as a public record, documentation of staff recommendations and support materials for all actions taken pursuant to its document retention policy. Quarterly reports will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors listing all actions completed under this delegation. The Director may not take any action requiring funding until the Chief Executive Officer has confirmed that funding is available and has authorized the expenditure of such funds.

(Ord. 2024-0053 § 5, 2024; Ord. 95-0052 § 36, 1995.)