By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News, March 30, 2006
Audits performed over the past two years have found a consistent lack of state oversight of multimillion-dollar contracts awarded to private vendors, state officials said Wednesday. Deputy State Auditor Cindi Stetson said performance audits found that nearly half of 44 contracts awarded by various state agencies were haphazardly managed. As a result, the state has potentially spent millions of dollars on contractors who have failed to fully deliver. ..... A series of audits in 2004 and 2005 found that agencies failed to comply with state purchasing guidelines and rules; found a number of contracts that were unsigned; found contracts that failed to include a maximum payout; and found contracts that failed to include monetary penalties if a contractor failed to perform or deliver goods or service as promised.
