USPS OIG Audit Report – Purchasing Compliance and Imprudent Purchases Follow-Up Audit;
The Postal Service has an increased risk of loss when purchases are made without proper authorization or justification
This report presents the results of a follow-up audit to determine whether purchases complied with U.S. Postal Service policy and whether imprudent purchases were still occurring related to the SmartPay® Purchase Card and select Accounts Payable Excellence (APEX) system transactions since our last audit.The SmartPay program is the primary method for making local purchases needed for day-to-day operations, and the APEX system is used to perform accounts payable voucher processing for purchases such as meals and events. This is the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) third report focusing on purchases that could negatively impact the Postal Service’s public image and brand.
Highlights:
Based on our review of 673 judgmentally selected transactions totaling about $3.4 million,
we identified 124 purchases totaling $401,113 that were not made in accordance with Postal Service policy. Specifically, approving officials did not ensure that eBuy5 requests contained a business justification for meals served at events, personnel did not obtain officer approval for beer and wine purchases, purchases did not have an approved eBuy requisition attached, individuals purchased gift cards from unapproved vendors, and responsible officials did not enter gifts into the eAwards system.
The business justification was not provided in the requisition of 49 internal and external events where meals totaling $118,198 were served. Meals provided at eight of these events did not have proper approval from either an officer or a Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) manager.
– Beer and wine purchases totaling $2,927 were provided at nine events for which the cardholder did not obtain an officer’s approval. Beer and wine purchases are allowed when approved by an officer.
– Cardholders made 32 purchases totaling $177,462 without submitting an eBuy requisition or without proper eBuy authorization.These purchases consisted of pre-paid car washes, vehicle rentals, auto repairs and parts, and online stamp supplies.
– Five cardholders made eight purchases of gift cards from unauthorized vendors totaling $16,308.10
… we identified one district that continued to make imprudent and unnecessary purchases during a time of severe economic uncertainty for the Postal Service. Specifically, we identified three purchases totaling $14,778 for season and group tickets to future professional sporting events. These purchases were made for one city’s professional basketball, football, and baseball teams. Although the district purchased these tickets to provide as recognition awards, the recipients were not determined prior to ticket purchase. The following are details regarding these potentially imprudent purchases:
* Six season tickets (264 tickets for 44 games) totaling $8,448 were purchased on April 21, 2010, for one National Basketball Association team.
* Six personal seat licenses and season tickets14 (60 tickets for 10 games) totaling $4,350 were purchased on July 12, 2010, for one National Football League team.
* Six group tickets14 for 14 games (84 tickets for $1,980) for one major league baseball team were purchased on March 9, 2010.
its sad that we are going broken but due to poor mgr team oig team cant see what our mgr team does right under their eyes you have mgr shopping for them self and our customerservice is falling because line are forming out the door and mgr sat on their butt no one asst the front end also you have station mgr delete clock rings and moving carrier on street time when they put up two rts but the usps had gave the post master and station mgr to much power its sad they can paid certain employees free overtimes on their off day but the postal service say they are broken our southeast region is not broken if they can abused the money like they do here and usps inspector cant see what going on then i guess it ok if they brought beer on company credit card if the post master general will take time out to evaluted his postmaster station mgr teams we as a company will not be loose as much money that we are loose and our customer will not be walking out the door we falling in millions of dollars everyday because of mgr team but if you pay for three mgr to sat on their butt all day instead of put their hands on some real work go out and asst your from in , deliver some parcel do some customer connect and stay off the computer change employees clock rings or stay off the computer order stuff for your self but to me it make post inspector look bad because mgr team get over big time but if the usps got money to waste good luck because i believe that one day all the clocks rings they delete out of the system that federal judge and lawyer will make the usps repay the money back and all those bonus check they give the station mgr every year to change emploiyees clock rings wont match what these mgr done did over the years because the usps give area mgr postmaster and station mgr to much assets and company is loosing money and they say we going broken cant be if postmaster gerenal in washington DC starter delete clock rings on some of these mgr team they will see how is feel most carrier that carry mail work hard in this hot temperature weather we dont sat up in the office like your mgr team does doing nothing we work for a living
The Postal management has been out of control for many years. The only
reason the USPS is afloat now is because of the thousands of dedicated craft
workers we have. There needs to be intelligent control over the managers.
As far as the beer purchases… managers need more to do besides
drink. One way to save the Postal Service is by eliminating the position of
PostMaster. They are nothing but glorifyed mesengers these days with no
authority. “Lets have another telecon”.
craft employees keep doing this sort of thing because they feel as though they are entitled to some kind of bonus. their paycheck is their bonus
I don’t know what the problem is. My plant just put all new tileing, 10 new flat screen tv’s, new satelite programming, new lighting, new computers, new office furniture….
we is entitled…. just raise the price of stamps,,you folks is greedy
So let’s get paid and ask for the money back,and take action on those who did so.
35 years on job and not once have I had any beer or wine on usps dime…..all those sports tickets purchased by their showcase affirmative action wonders? lol!
OIG audit the whole damm place now….corruption by mismanaging low IQ bureaucrats is everywhere.get the GAO-Government Accounting Office to help you. how long can these mismanaging PO imbecils keep losing 1 billion a month and stay afloat?
Congress appoint retired former Chairman & CEO Robert Crandall of American Airlines fame, MBA in Finance from Warton School of Business, U of Penn and years of cost cutting under his belt.
what would Crandall think of PO 95 Vice-Presidents………….94 out the door! GET ER DONE!
worked for USPS for over thirty years. Audit practices of credit cards were lacking then and it’s apprarent they are still lacking now. There are probably a larger number mis-uses of credit cards than shared in the aforementioned report. Additionally, there most likely will be only hand slapping for the current mis-use identified. But the company is going broke and can’t figure out how to save additional funds. May not be much but every stamp counts.