Prince George, B.C.- Some good news and  not so good news for the Regional District of Fraser Fort George.

B.C.’s Auditor General for Local Government, Gordon Ruth, has issued his report  on the  review his office conducted on the  Regional District’s “operational procurement practices”, basically,  how the  Regional District accounts for the  $12 million dollars worth of goods and services it  spends each year.

The good news is,   Ruth’s audit found  the Regional District has “for the most part, well developed principles, bylaws policies and procedures in place  to manage operational procurement with due regard for value for money.”

But the  report card  is  not perfect.

Ruth says  the audit  noted  “important gaps” in policies, and there were no strategic objectives  or “a system to analyze monitor and report  on  operational procurement.”

The audit  looked at 25  sample transactions and found 4 instances where “staff did not follow the Regional District’s  procurement policy”.  One involved deviations from the  purchasing policy,  3 others  involved purchases taking place without the appropriate authorization.

The audit  also  found the  RD’s policies and procedures were in need of updating  and improvement,  most significantly  in areas related to conflict of interest and  its purchasing authority bylaw.

The Auditor General has made three recommendations  for the Regional District of Fraser Fort George:

1. improve its purchasing and conflict of interest policies and procedures

2.  improve and update its purchasing card policies to address gaps  s specifically  to  limit purchases made on behalf of another employee,  explicit guidance no to exceed limits,  and  formal documentation of the review process and results.

3. improve its information analysis, monitoring and reporting on operational procurement activities and results  including  increased  reporting to the Board about expenditures  activities and results.

The Regional District has responded positively to the report, and has already  developed an action plan to address the  three recommendations “We operate in an environment of continuous improvement, so we welcomed the opportunity to have our procurement practices reviewed to identify areas where we can perform even better,” says Regional District Administrator Jim Martin.