The Maryland Transit Administration will not say whether anyone was disciplined as a result of the problems at the agency in an audit that found issues with procurement, enforcement of contracts, and protecting computers from malicious software.
The audit, released Thursday, found that MTA didn’t follow state procurement rules in a number of areas; used existing agreements with colleges to get around state rules for some contracts that required competitive bidding; didn’t properly justify single-bid contracts; didn’t properly make sure that some contracts were fulfilled; and didn’t provide administration computers with sufficient malware protection.
Asked Friday whether anyone had been terminated, reassigned, or faced other repercussions for the incidents in the report, MTA spokesman Paul Shepard said in an email, “MDOT MTA does not comment on personnel matters. [It] has implemented additional policies and procedures which address the areas of concern identified in the Office of Legislative Audit report and will continue to ensure employees are trained in the appropriate procedures for their department.”
In one incident cited in the report, MTA used a management services contract to get unrelated labor negotiation consulting services worth $257,000, including $14,000 in unnecessary management fees.
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