Rogue Berkeley worker bought $285,000 ambulance without approval, audit says

"An unnamed, now-former public works employee went ahead with a purchase agreement for the ambulance. The trouble with that was that the unnamed worker never submitted a purchase requisition or purchase order or consulted the Finance Department's General Services Division, the only department in the city actually empowered to authorize purchase orders, according to the report."

"Purchase requisitions are a procedural step the city put in place to make sure purchases comply with the city's own rules on competitive pricing and vendor selection, among other things. This step was skipped entirely, Wong and Mullin wrote. The city worker also did not get approval from the City Council, something city ordinances require."

"City Auditor Jenny Wong's office first heard of the purchase through a whistleblower program the office set up in 2023. The report on the ambulance purchase is the first public investigation report the office has issued through that program, she wrote in a prepared statement."

In 2022, an unnamed Berkeley Public Works employee committed the city to purchasing a $285,000 custom ambulance without proper authorization. The purchase bypassed required procedural steps including purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and Finance Department approval. City Council later retroactively legitimized the purchase in 2023. City Auditor Jenny Wong's office discovered the unauthorized purchase through a whistleblower program established in 2023, marking the first public investigation report issued through that program. The incident exposed significant gaps in the city's procurement processes for expensive equipment purchases and highlighted the need for stronger oversight mechanisms.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org