Occupational training costs differed twelve times at state administration offices
PRESS RELEASE on Audit No. 13/34 – July 7, 2014
The Supreme Audit Office (SAO) performed an audit of the Czech Statistical Office, the Czech Telecommunication Office, and the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic. Auditors scrutinized their expenses on office supplies, consulting and legal services, occupational training activities, and translating services and also aimed at costs of cleaning services, security, and maintenance of company cars. The audited period was from 2010 to 2012 and the audited expenses totalled to CZK 161.5 million.
Auditors revealed that during the audited period, the Czech Telecommunication Office spent three times higher the amount on office supplies than at the Customs Administration (when the number of employees taken into accounts). For example, the Customs Administration paid on average CZK 636 for one employee’s office supplies (apart from cartridges for printers), the Czech Statistical Office spent CZK 730, and the spent CZK 2 435 in 2012.
Auditors also aimed at copier paper prices and found differences in acquisition costs, which ranged between CZK 60 and CZK 101 for 500pcs of A4 format paper. At the Customs Administration, tenders were organized in 2010 and 2011, in which eight customs directorates awarded below-the-threshold public contracts as individual contracting entities, in spite the total price for the purchased copier paper supplies highly exceeded the limit. The SAO concluded that the Act on Public Contract was violated and informed the financial authority about this budgetary discipline violation.
When scrutinizing costs of occupational training activities, auditors revealed that on average, the Czech Telecommunication Office spent twelve times more for one employee’s training than the Customs Administration and three times more than the Czech Statistical Office. For example, one English lesson cost from CZK 298 to CZK 576.
At the audited institutions, auditors also scrutinized expenses on maintenance of company cars and revealed that the Czech Statistical Office and the Customs Administration rented automobiles. For example, the Czech Statistical Office paid over CZK 19 million for 50 cars and the average cost of one kilometre ranged from CZK 5.91 to CZK 10.76 depending on the rented automobile’s type. With one automobile type, it was even CZK 22.36. Using a model case, auditors revealed that the average price for one kilometre in a car owned by the Czech Statistical Office was CZK 3.48, which illustrates the fact that renting the automobiles was not budget-wise.
In 2012, legal and consulting services expenses of the Czech Telecommunication Office were by CZK 34.5 million higher than in 2010, which represents an increase by 470 %. The cost rise was mainly caused by consultations about projects co-financed from the EU funds. In the same period, the Czech Statistical Office reduced these costs by more than a half, namely because a new public contract department was established at the Office.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office