For years, Orange County officials have scrambled to get their hands around the massive IT bureaucracy they’ve built.

And most of the time, it seems, they haven’t hit their mark.

The county’s performance auditor has filed numerous reports criticizing the county’s computer infrastructure, noting, among other things, that it’s a money drain with nearly $50 million in no-bid contracts let in recent years.

Now, the head of the department is retiring amid some hard questions.

But in the midst of all those questions, there’s a bonus on tap for ACS State and Local Solutions, the county contractor in charge of it all.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will debate whether to grant the company a $254,609 performance bonus based on a survey of end-users that they designed and helped conduct.

While county staff said that ACS hired an independent company to conduct the survey, it’s already drawing some attention.

“Enron had an independent auditor too,” Supervisor Shawn Nelson said.

— NORBERTO SANTANA, JR.

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