http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/29/State/Audit__Tech_office_ca.shtmlBy Associated Press
Published July 29, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - A scathing audit says the State Technology Office may have improperly awarded big contracts to vendors who used politically connected lobbyists, but officials said Wednesday the agency has since changed the way it does business.
The 20-page audit said the Technology Office, created by Gov. Jeb Bush nearly six years ago, failed to provide even basic justification for many of the deals.
The audit showed more than three dozen companies had some interest in doing work with the agency, but the contracts appeared to be designed to give an advantage to two - Accenture and BearingPoint - and included clauses that gave them opportunities for price increases and renegotiations.
The audit said "the competitive process may have been circumvented" in awarding contracts to the two companies, which are responsible for a number of state operations, including the state's Web site. Both have longtime Bush friends and political supporters lobbying on their behalf, although those relationships were not mentioned in the audit.
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