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Show Foundation Blasts COP Dominated Purchasing Agency Utah has not achieved the savings and benefits possible by a centralized purchasing system. This was the charge leveled by Utah Foundation, the private, nonprofit governmental research organization, in its latest study of Uath's purchasing procedures. Among the specific criticisms of the present Utah purchasing system noted in the report are the following: 1. There is a lack of standardization standard-ization in the supplies, materials ma-terials and equipment used by the several state agencies. 2. Utah has not consolidated purchases in order to take advantage ad-vantage of the more favorable prices that would be possible by quantity buying. 3. Little attempt has been made in th past to anticipate needs for commodities and services used by the state. 4. Except in isolated cases, the state has not used price agreement agree-ment contracts which would provide pro-vide a number of advantages in the purchase of many types of goods and services. 5. Lack of central inspection and testing facilities has handicapped handi-capped effective purchasing procedures. pro-cedures. 6. Market conditions are not analyzed in order to determine the most opportune time to pur chase the various items used by the state. 7. Commodily price records which could be a valuable aid in such market analysts work are not kept in Utah. 8. Lack of a special revolving fund for timely purchases has limited the ability of the state purchasing agent in taking advantage ad-vantage of savings from distress sales, seasonal clearances, style and model clear-outs. 9. Statutory provisions requiring requir-ing formal bid advertising nn purchases above $1,000 have been circumvented by dividing large purchases into several small ones of less than $1,000 each. 10. Effective control over the state owned property has been made difficult if not impossible, by the absence of central inventory in-ventory records which are required re-quired by law. Despite these general criticisms, criti-cisms, the report observes that several improvements have been initiated during recent months in the control of miscellaneous expenditure vouchers and confirmation con-firmation purchases. n addition motor vehicles currently are purchased on an advertised bid basis despite a section of Utah law which permits an exception of automobiles, trucks, and insurance in-surance from the advertised bid requirement. Foundation analysts point out that 27,647 separate purchase orders or-ders totaling $6,313,000 were issued by the central purchasing department during the 1957 fiscal year. Approximately 70 per cent of all purchase orders issued by the state last year were for amounts below $100 and 17 per cent were for amounts of less than $10. The report suggests that "the state of Utah can achieve im- portant savings in the expenditure expendi-ture of public funds by establishing estab-lishing modern purchasing procedures pro-cedures in an agency staffed by competent personnel trained in this technical function." He said that "purchasing is a scientific function affording the opportunity opportu-nity for substantial economies if sound procedures are followed. Such procedures have been well developed and formulated into widely accepted principles and practices. Business concerns with large purchasing volume usually employ purchasing agents who are skilled in these techniques." |