An internal audit released Tuesday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) found that the agency’s offices spent too much on food and beverages at conferences.
The inspector general for the DOJ, in a 122-page report, found that it spent $490,000 on food and spent $600,000 on logistical planning at conferences over two years. According to the executive summary, the department did not have adequate internal controls for spending on events.
The audit evaluated the budgets for 10 sampled events during that time. The 10 events cost $4.4 million in total.
“This was done without demonstrating that these firms offered the most cost-effective logistical event planning services,” the inspector general’s office said, recommending that the DOJ curb its spending on conferences.
The DOJ hosted or participated in 1,832 conferences in 2008 and 2009, costing $121 million in all.
“For example, one conference served $16 muffins while another served Beef Wellington hors d’oeuvres that cost $7.32 per serving,” said the report. It said the expenses were allowable, yet not always appropriate or cost effective.
A separate conference served $8.24 cups of coffee while another served $5 Swedish meatballs, the report added.
The report said certain conferences had “costly meals, refreshments, and themed breaks” and could be considered “wasteful or extravagant spending.”
