The State Auditor’s Office has determined that — for the second year in a row — the North Dakota Soybean Council is not following procurement practices to acquire commodities and services. Marketing services for $192,000 were signed into contract without the Soybean Council seeking any additional bids or proposals.

“It’s important to use a competitive bidding process to verify that taxpayer money is being used in the best possible way,” said Auditor Gallion. “Since this is a repeat finding, it’s critical that this is addressed to provide the best value to the citizens of North Dakota.”

The Office of Management and Budget requires that agencies use bids or a proposal system that allows for multiple bidders to offer services on projects. This process helps assess the benefits and costs of multiple entities that provide services.

This audit is a result of the State Auditor’s Office statutory responsibility to audit or review each state agency once every two years. The complete audit report can be found on our website, http://bit.ly/SoybeanCouncil