BRADENTON — A recent audit of Manatee County’s purchasing card program by the county Inspector General found that while the program was generally compliant with policy, more than 200 transactions totaling over $66,000 appeared to lack a clear public purpose or appeared wasteful or unnecessary. Additional audit findings included instances of transactions being split to avoid purchasing limits and inconsistent enforcement of program rules.
The county’s Purchasing Card Program (PCard) is designed for efficiency in the processing of small purchases by county credit cardholders. The program is overseen by the Purchasing Division of the county’s Department of Financial Management. Employees who are issued county credit cards must complete mandatory training on program rules, and the cards may only be used for authorized purchases that serve a public purpose.
During the audit period of December 5, 2022, through April 4, 2025, Inspector General auditors identified more than 71,000 purchasing card transactions totaling over $25 million. The audit included sampling and testing of transactions associated with more than 800 PCard accounts across all county departments…