Baltimore County’s inspector general says the county has wasted more than $737,000 on a software program that was never used properly.

In a report released Wednesday, Inspector General Kelly Madigan said the software was supposed to help the county monitor contracts to make sure it was meeting its goals of hiring minority businesses.

The county had technical issues for years utilizing the software, called PRiSM. That kept the county from being able to determine if it is meeting its minority hiring goals.

“Compliance on these contracts is essential – without it there is no way to ensure the contractors are abiding by the established MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) goals and the rules governing the MBE program,” Madigan wrote. “Every contract should be reviewed for MBE compliance.”

In her response to Madigan’s report, County Administrative Officer D’Andrea Walker said they are now working to fully integrate that software system.

According to Madigan, the MBE around 2021 had been moved from the Office of Budget and Finance to the county’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Division within the Office of Human Resources.

Walker said the MBE is now back under the Office of Budget and Finance.

Walker wrote, “Since the July 1 transfer back to OBF, we have been evaluating, and will continue to evaluate, existing human capital resources with potential additional needs and any changes in software.”

Madigan said she decided to initiate an overall review of MBE after receiving several complaints about individual contracts.