Maryland audit follows up on flaws in COVID-19 procurements

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A review of emergency procurements for supplies in Maryland during the COVID-19 pandemic has found “a lack of compliance” in general with state regulations. The special review by the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits also found “ineffective monitoring” of payments in its review released Thursday. The review found that 11 of 15 emergency procurements totaling $189.4 million were not in compliance with all state regulations for emergency procurements. The review also found that the agencies responsible for the procurements frequently could not provide critical documentation to support the basis for the purchases, including written explanations for how the vendors were identified and selected.