By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County leaders are considering a $400,000 consulting contract to review and advise on elections.
The county is looking to contract with the accounting and consulting firm BerryDunn. The proposed contract would last for one year, with options to renew for up to four additional years. The contract also allows for the county to extend the contract on a monthly basis for up to six months after May 2026.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to decide on this contract during Wednesday’s meeting. They opted to delay a decision on the contract until their June 25 meeting.
BerryDunn has previously engaged in elections-related projects for the county. The firm conducted a procurement audit for the county’s voting system and related equipment in 2021, and an assessment of the county recorder’s election planning and Election Day activities following the 2018 primary and general elections.
Talks to secure a consulting firm for another audit of the county’s elections system emerged at the start of this year immediately after a slate of fresh faces took over the board of supervisors.
If approved, BerryDunn would review six areas of the county’s elections system with the goal of improving its efficiency: chain of custody, physical security, candidate filing compliance, temporary worker hiring and training, ballot drop boxes, and vote center selection and setup. In terms of efficiency, BerryDunn promised competency in assessing risk and analyzing trends while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.
The proposed timeline spans three phases promising 12 deliverables: planning and oversight for the first four weeks, discovery and fieldwork for the following 14 weeks, and reporting for the final seven weeks.
In its pitch to the county for the contract, BerryDunn pointed to the size of past clientele: 650 state, local, and quasi-governmental clients nationwide. Among those, BerryDunn completed election-related engagements for the New Hampshire secretary of state from 2020 to 2021 concerning its CARES Act elections assistance and grant management.
Within Maricopa County, BerryDunn has undertaken other non-elections projects over the last decade: the Adobe Dam Recreation Center Feasibility Study, Adult Probation Case Management Consultant, Adult Probation Department – Victim Services Review, Cyber Security Risk Assessment for the Judicial Branch, Housing Choice Voucher Forensic Audit Services for the Housing Authority, Information Security Program Maturity Assessment, Parks Fee Analysis, Regional County Parks Master Planning Services, and Sheriff’s Office Bonds, Fines, and Court Order Processing Audit.
Aside from Maricopa County, BerryDunn has contracted with many local and state entities within Arizona in the past: the Departments of Agriculture, Economic Security (and its Division Of Developmental Disabilities), and Health Services; the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System; the State Land Department; Coconico, Maricopa, and Pima counties; the cities of Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Tempe, and Tucson; and the towns of Gilbert, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, and Sahuarita.
Several months ago, BerryDunn entered a $7.25 million class action lawsuit settlement over a 2023 data breach affecting over 1.1 million individuals. The data breach compromised the names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and health insurance policy numbers for the affected individuals.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
