Auditor Fitzpatrick begins audit of state employee purchasing cards

With approximately $100 million in taxpayer funds being spent each year through the use of credit cards provided by the State of Missouri to thousands of state employees, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick thinks it's a good idea to take a closer look to make sure these transactions are free from waste, fraud, and abuse. Fitzpatrick announced his office has started an audit of the state employee purchasing cards, which began recently with a series of entrance meetings with various state agencies.

"The purchasing cards serve an important purpose to allow state agencies to make small dollar purchases more efficiently, but with almost $100 million of spending occurring on these cards each year it is important to review how agencies are using and monitoring these cards," said Auditor Fitzpatrick. "There are a large number of cards issued to employees spread across more than 25 state agencies and we will be working to ensure all agencies have appropriate policies and procedures in place to ensure each transaction is reasonable and necessary. Our audit will look closely at these areas and make any recommendations, if necessary, on how the program can be improved to better safeguard the tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds expended by these cards each year."

The State of Missouri first entered into an agreement to provide purchasing cards to state agencies in 1998 with the goal of reducing costs related to small dollar purchasing. Over the years the program has grown in size and is now used by more than 25 state agencies. According to state policy, each new cardholder is required to complete training prior to receiving a purchasing card. In addition, each existing cardholder is required to complete training on an annual basis.

The audit is being conducted by the Special Projects Unit of the Missouri State Auditor's Office. Individuals may provide information confidentially for consideration during the audit of state employee purchasing cards to the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline by calling 800-347-8597, emailing moaudit@auditor.mo.gov, or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.