County counsel outlines procurement controls, urges documentation and layered review

Office of Corporation Counsel and deputy counsel presented an informational briefing on contracting, procurement and contract management across Milwaukee County.

Officials described a semi-centralized model in which departments retain operational ownership of contracts while central units (procurement, risk, OCC, comptroller, OEI and IMSD) set standards and provide oversight. OCC and deputy counsel stressed the importance of model contract clauses (audit rights, termination language) and contemporaneous documentation of vendor performance as the foundation for any enforcement action. William Davidson summarized the procurement life cycle and emphasized that "every contract that comes to Milwaukee County has to be signed off on twice by corporation counsel, once by the comptroller, by the county executive, by the department head, by risk management, by OEI," noting statutory signature rules and AMOP 15.01 as the guiding administrative document.

Deputy counsel said enforcement ranges from collaborative amendments to termination or litigation depending on the contracts importance and market alternatives; liquidated damages can be difficult to enforce if the county cannot show proportional harm. Supervisors asked about the countys ability to decline future appropriations for multi-year contracts and how centralization relates to a recently adopted contracts dashboard; OCC said centralization and dashboard work are proceeding on parallel tracks.