Evening star., 1903-07-27
A PROPOSED REFORM
Change in: Method Of Buying
District Supplies,
THE OPEN MARKET
REPORT MADE TODAY BY ACTING
AUDITOR TWEEDALE.
Articles Not Covered by Contract to Be
Obtained Only Upon Order Of
Commissioners.

A decided reform is to be made by the
Commissioners in the matter of the pur-
chase of supplies for the District govern
ment. AS a result OF the holding up OF a
number OF requistions in the auditors Of
| flee since Mr.. Alonzo Tweedale. the deputy
auditor, assumed control of affairs, Com
missioner West has learned that an alto
gether too large amount Of supplies have
been secured through what is known as
open market purchases. These supplies
| have been paid for at retail rates. when in
most cases the articles desired should have
been included in the schedule Of items upon
! which proposals are invited each year and
contracts let for furnishing the same. Con-
| tract prices are as a rule very close to
| wholesale prices.
AS 1t is estimated the District pays out
more than $4,000 year for supplies. in
cluding those bought in the open market
and those by the contract, and as the
open market purchases are asid to aggre-
| gate large proportion of this amount. 1t
| will be seen that the opportunity for saw
| ing is manifest 1t is believed that maybe
| 10 per cent of the entire amount may be
| saved.
| Commissioner West recently talked the
matter over with Mr.. Tweedale OF the
| auditors Office, and asked him to sub
| nit a report OF the open market purchases
| Mr.. Tweedale has recently held up several
| requlsittons where there was no evidence
! OF competition In fixing the prices. One of
| these acquisitions was from the school
| board asking for 800 to be expended
| for repairs to school furniture on the es-
| innate of a local firm Of furniture dealers.
The Commissioners decided this work must
| be done only after competition. They call
| ed for proposals in the usual way and have
awarded contracts for the work to be done
| for $1,sU9 net saving to the District of
| S491. or more than 20 per cent
Mr.. Tweedale's Report.
| Mr.. Tweedale submitted his report today.
| His statements are terse and fraught with
much that Is interesting. Mr.. Tweedale
| says that articles are bought for the Dis
| trict year after year and yet these items
| are not included in the schedules upon
| which proposals for general supplies are
| asked.
| Commissioner West has recommended to
| his associates Of the District board that
| hereafter no purchases be made of articles
not covered by contract except upon the
| approval OF the Commissioners and then
| only after there has been competition.
Heretofore these articles have been pur-
| chased upon the 20. x" of Property Clerk
auditor Ths these OF es
| market purchases year after year has just
now been questioned.
In forwarding Mr.. Tweedale's report to
| the other Commissioners, Mr.. West says:
THE within communication. from the
| acting auditor. fs the result OF several con-
| ferences, the object of which has been to
arrive at some method whereby the large
| proportion Of open market purchases can
| be reduced and competition invited for all
| articles used by the District. I find. upon
| examination, that 1t has been the custom
! ployes of the District to buy for the Dis
I trict when and where 1t suited their pleas
! ure, paying retail prices for all purchases
1 and no competition being invited. The
| requisitions for the articles thus selected
| have been approved by the auditor and the
| property clerk without question, until a
system has grown UP which ought to be be
| IS a step in the right direction, l approve
| the recommendation OF the acting auditor
that every article that will probably be
needed during the fiscal year be included
| In the various schedules on which proposals
| are to be invited and that open market
| purchases be made only after competition
| has been invited: also. that requisitions for
| open market purchases be personally ap-
| proved by the Commissioners. l agree with
| the acting auditor that If this course is
| pursued a large sum will be saved the
| District.
! Sample acquisitions.
| Mr.. Tweedale's statement follows:
| II forward herewith requisition. dated
! June 80. 1903. by the health officer. for one
|
go pounds. estimated cost. s55: two dozen
chairs. No. 81 r. estimated cost. $42; one
| small iron safe, to be selected. estimated
cost, s75: total $172. chargeable to appro-
| priation for scarlet fever, diphtheria serv-
Ice, ETC.. 1903.
| 'The above reausition being for articles
| which failed to find listed among the con-
| tract items for the fiscal year 1903. I re-
| turned it to the property clerk for tnforma-
ton. and asked him if competition had
| been invited on these items. He returned
| the reausition with the following indorse-
i ment;
| we nave not purchased yet. No COM
petition can be had for such .ntc ar5icles 1,rr
I'm addition, the reauisition is marked
| %, X. Beckett on the back. which Is the
| form of approval adopted by the property
| clerk on all acquisitions forwarded to the
| auditor In accordance with the order of
| the Commissioners Of May %, 1895, copy
| Of which follows:
"'Ordered: That hereafter all ordinary
| acquisitions for general supplies shall be
| filled upon the approval of the auditor and
| the property clerk except in cases where
! either OF said officers shall be in doubt as
| to the propriety or expediency Of any re-
ton shall be submitted to the consideration
Of the Commissioners.
.The requisition in question" continues
Mr. Tweedale. is subject to the criticism
| that only the estimated cost of the articles
1 to be purchased Is given. Mr.. Becketts no
tation that We have not purchased yet is
| an intimation to the auditor that his ap-
proyal has nothing to DO with the price:
and this contention might be sustained If
the articles purchased were embraced
| among the items advertised and for which
a contract had been entered into by the
Commissiopsrs-rs In such case the action
of the audjtars would not affect the price.
for the rea6on chat that official would be
| required to correct any erroneous charges
and to see that the contract price was paid
I'LL In tn n an
dit. az AZ e.
| Approval Of Auditor.
"In the reuuisft1on above referred to. how
ever, the atpro1ai of the auditor is the au-
| thority for the-eurchase. and there Is no
opportunityIto again question the expendi-
lures until ..tbeaarticles have been deliv-
cred and psobably used, and the bill pre-
sented for payment. at which time it is too
late to WITHHOLD approval of the payment.
| although IL may be that the price is con-
| sidered exofbitAAt.' 1t Is therefore believed
| ta be naceaHarlei that reQuisitiens for Dur