An audit report of Dickinson State University found that procurement documentation was missing for $334,705 of goods and services purchased. State law – as well as University policies and procedures – requires documentation for all items purchased.
The primary cause of the missing documentation was due to staff turnover. A total of seven purchases were not documented in the procurement process. This was a repeat finding from the past two audits.
The breakdown of dollar amounts were:
• Four purchases, totaling $91,768 fell into the $10,000 to $49,999 category, which requires bids from three or more vendors.
• Two purchases, totaling $136,886 fell into the $50,000 - $99,999 category, which requires bids solicited through the state’s online procurement office website.
• One purchase of $106,051 was over $100,000, which requires the use of formal sealed bids and posting to the state’s online procurement office website.
“Procurement continues to be an issue in the University System,” said State Auditor Joshua Gallion. “The procurement process is important to follow because it provides an opportunity for healthy competition from multiple vendors to secure the greatest value for taxpayers.”
This audit is a result of the State Auditor’s Office statutory responsibility to audit or review each state agency once every two years. The complete audit report can be found here.