Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner has released an audit criticizing the Rendell Administration for $592 million in contracts with Deloitte Consulting.

Rendell wasted taxpayer dollars in awarding the contracts, Wagner says.

From a statement Wagner issued with the release of the audit:

"With the state facing billion-dollar budget deficits because of our national economic crisis, the state must do all that it can to make every dollar count -- and to make sure that every dollar is accounted for," Wagner said.

"I have always believed that taxpayers are best served when the contracting process is transparent and truly competitive; when the execution of contracts follows clear lines of accountability; and when the results of the contract meet performance benchmarks that are clear and measurable. This is a textbook case of what happens when accountability, competition and transparency are not present in the daily operation of state government.

"The Department of General Services, which has primary responsibility for bidding contracts and monitoring the performance of vendors, simply fell down on the job with regard to Deloitte Consulting."

Read more about the audit at the link below:

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner Calls for Reform of State's Methods for Awarding Vendor Contracts