Office supplies, with benefits

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, September, 2006 | by Marcia Gelbart

Buy a box of plain white envelopes - and get a free seven-piece barbecue set? That, in effect, is what happened in the city Commerce Department, according to an audit released yesterday by the City Controller's Office. Digging into its petty cash fund, department employees have purchased binders, cellophane tape, and other office supplies from vendors that do not have negotiated city contracts.

That inflates the bill to buy those supplies, such as a container of envelopes that cost $29.90 from an unauthorized vendor vs. $13.26 from the city-established supplier. Or tape that rang up at $23.88 rather than $12.07. The review examined payroll, revenue, petty cash and other expenditures during fiscal 2005. No hard figure was given as to how much the city lost paying inflated...