Mismanagement alleged at Veteran Association's local office

Mismanagement alleged at VA's local office
Audit cites bid violations

By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff | July 29, 2007

The VA Boston Healthcare System has come under fire from federal Veterans Administration investigators for allegedly mismanaging approximately $5.4 million and awarding multiple project contracts without putting the jobs out to bid, as required by law.

An audit by the federal inspector general for the US Department of Veterans Affairs alleges that six VA employees made changes to contracts without authorization, ignored legal review requirements, and illegally used expired funds to pay for contracted work.

The alleged mismanagement occurred between 2002 and 2006, according to the VA inspector general's office, and several of the contracts were for maintenance and repairs at the Brockton VA campus.

"The abuses that have taken place in the VA's contracting system are an embarrassment and a waste of taxpayer funds," said US Representative Ginny Brown-Waite, a Florida Republican, in a statement from the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which held a hearing on the issue June 27.

In one example cited in the audit report, a $67,600 contract for roofing-repair work at the Brockton campus evolved into a multijob contract that included façade restoration, window replacement, and roofing repairs on six Brockton campus buildings, according to the inspector general's report. All of those jobs, totaling $1.4 million, were added to the vendor's original contract and never put out to bid.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/29/mismanagement_alleged_at_vas_local_office/