OIG Bulletins

This special issue celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Office of the Inspector General’s Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) program.

The OIG Bulletin keeps you updated on the work of the Office of the Inspector General and shares guidance about best practices in public procurement.

This double issue of the OIG Bulletin commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General - the first state-level OIG in the country.

This issue includes information about tools you need to protect your communities from fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds and recent OIG investigations and civil recoveries.

This issue contains articles from the OIG’s Audit, Oversight and Investigations Division, the Bureau of Program Integrity, the Internal Special Audit Unit and the Regulatory and Compliance Division.

This issue of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Bulletin includes an interview with an instructor from an MCPPO class, recommendations for Massachusetts State Police paid detail administration, information about bond requirements for municipal employees, and FAQs.

This issue of the OIG Bulletin highlights a cost recovery case, provides recommendations for post-retirement earnings oversight, outlines cooperative purchasing best practices and discusses the Internal Special Audit Unit in the OIG.

This issue of the OIG Bulletin includes the OIG’s review of the Massachusetts State Police travel time policy; protecting individuals from fraud, waste and abuse when they receive healthcare from personal attendants; information for public procurement officials about emergency measures during COVID-19 and more.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announces the publication of its first edition of the OIG Bulletin, February 2020, Vol. 1, #1. The OIG Bulletin is designed to support efforts to protect your communities with information from all of the Office’s divisions and also includes answers to procurement questions.

The Office of the Inspector General created an index of past Procurement Bulletins for your use as a research tool by topic. The index covers Procurement Bulletins from volume 6 (2000) through volume 1, issue 2 (May 2020) of the new OIG Bulletin introduced in February 2020.

The November 2019 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on: timekeeping, overtime and departure payouts for public employers; legislative initiatives from the Office of the Inspector General; and, responses to frequently asked questions.

The Office of the Inspector General's May 2019 Procurement Bulletin focuses on time-and-attendance fraud detection and prevention. We have devoted this edition of the Procurement Bulletin to how time is used and how employers can monitor it better.

The Office of the Inspector General's February 2019 Procurement Bulletin covers fraud prevention, public contracting, and cybersecurity topics.

The Office of the Inspector General's October 2018 Procurement Bulletin includes a summary of a bid protest decision, an article on surplus supplies and the reuse of school furniture, preventing bid manipulation, applying the special education exemption and a reminder to file compensating balance reports.

The Office of the Inspector General's July 2018 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on fraud related to employee reimbursement requests, recent amendments to the designer selection law and parking placard enforcement.

The Office of the Inspector General April 2018 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on using competitive procedures, written procurement policies, a public transfer station management contract and leasing space for an ATM.

The January 2018 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on collective purchasing agreements, real property transactions and snow hauling.

Our October 2017 Procurement Bulletin covers topics including checking vendor invoices as part of contract administration, how Chapter 30B applies to public education and government (PEG) programming, the importance of procuring mobile-friendly software and a procurement FAQ.

Our April 2017 Procurement Bulletin covers topics including bid tailoring, janitorial supplies procurement, detecting time fraud and frequently-asked questions related to procurement.

Our January 2017 Procurement Bulletin includes information related to energy contracts, requirements for obtaining financial services in relation to Chapter 30B and the Municipal Modernization Act.

Our October 2016 Procurement Bulletin covers an amendment to chapter 30B--An Act Modernizing Municipal Finance and Government, forum-selection clause in contracts, An Act to Improve Public Records and a procurement FAQ.

Our July 2016 Procurement Bulletin includes information about school-based purchases made by students and their parents or guardians in relation to Chapter 30B, procurement of police equipment, contracts for deputy tax collectors and procurement frequently-asked questions.

Our April 2016 Procurement Bulletin covers voting machine procurements, a new court decision on a “minor informality" in a vendor's bid submission and buying electricity for town buildings.

Our January 2016 Procurement Bulletin features preparing for emergency procurements, a fraud alert regarding group cell service plans, appointing a chief procurement officer and Chapter 30B exemptions.

The Office of the Inspector General’s October 2015 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on detecting fraud through vendor audits, leasing municipal space for income from telecommunication equipment and cell towers, and other frequently asked questions.

The Office of the Inspector General’s July 2015 Procurement Bulletin includes updates and changes to procurements for energy management services, new resources provided by the General Services Administration, and frequently asked questions related to municipal fire departments and procuring water meter systems.

The Office of the Inspector General’s April 2015 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on planning for procurements, emergency procurements, conducting vendor reference checks, recommendations for internal controls and oversight, and frequently asked questions related to winter-weather and emergency procurements.

The Office of the Inspector General’s December 2014 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on energy and energy-related contracts, deciding whether to lease or purchase an asset, crowdfunding for municipal projects, and other frequently asked questions.

The Office of the Inspector General’s October 2014 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the process for alternate purchasing on invitations for bids, delegating procurement powers, changes to Chapter 30B thresholds, and FAQs related to purchasing voting equipment, multi-year contract requirements and Chapter 30B.

The Office of the Inspector General’s June 2014 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on preparing for an emergency procurement, submitting certifications of good faith/“non-collusion statements” and public records requirements associated with the Invitation for Bids/Request for Proposals process.

The Office of the Inspector General’s March 2014 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the “25-percent rule” of increasing the value of a contract, clarification on the inability to accept a late bid and lessons learned from the Hinton Drug Lab scandal.

The Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) December 2013 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the Internal Special Audit Unit’s report investigating MassDOT and MBTA parking benefits, and the OIG’s report investigating the misuse of disabled persons’ parking placards in the City of Boston.

The Office of the Inspector General’s September 2013 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on cooperative purchasing agreements, changes to procurement law within the FY 2014 state budget, and notification of DCAMM's determination to decline recertification to a vendor.

The OIG’s June 2013 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on developing policies for vehicle trade-ins, contracting violations in the Brockton Public School District’s facilities department, measuring energy-savings under Chapter 25A, and the availability of the Ward Commission Report through the MA State Library.

The OIG’s January 2013 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the SJC ruling of Northeast Energy Partners, LLC v. Mahar Regional School District regarding energy broker contracts and Chapter 30B exemptions, and contracting violations in the East Bridgewater Fire Department.

The Office of the Inspector General’s October 2012 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the sub-bid category for fire protection sprinkler systems, OSD Contract User Guides, best practices for hiring a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and using a Chief Procurement Officer delegation form.

The Office of the Inspector General’s June 2012 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on construction material procurements, inventory and asset management best practices, and the SJC ruling of Barr Incorporated v. Town of Holliston, 462 Mass. 112 (2012).

The Office of the Inspector General’s March 2012 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on prevailing wage law as applied to charter school leasehold improvements, the procurement of top-level domain names, and requirements and best practices for school bus transportation contracts under Chapter 30B.

The topics in the Office of the Inspector General’s December 2011 Procurement Bulletin include the disposition of surplus supplies, “No Cost” solar energy contracts and Chapter 30B requirements for certain retirement board services.

The Office of the Inspector General’s October 2011 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), tips for invitations for bid and requests for proposal during winter months, and a notice of the online availability of bid protest decisions.

Topics in the OIG’s June 2011 Procurement Bulletin include emergency procurements, procuring e-procurement services, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), “minor informalities” waivable in the bidding process, public records in the bidding process and cooperative purchasing agreements.

The OIG’s December 2010 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on professional exemptions for service procurements under Chapter 30B, establishing a preference for procuring supplies and/or services from Massachusetts-based businesses and prevailing wage requirements for school bus contracts.

The Office of the Inspector General’s September 2010 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the Municipal Relief Act of 2010, cooperative purchasing agreements, reverse auctions through the e-procurement process, MSBA training and recertification requirements, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The OIG’s June 2010 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on the prohibition of self-renewing agreements under Chapter 30B § 12, the Supreme Judicial Court decision on Brasi Development Corp. v. Attorney General regarding build-to-lease agreements, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The OIG’s March 2010 Procurement Bulletin includes articles on ethics regarding accepting gifts from vendors, donating surplus supplies to private non-profit organizations, the prohibition of geographical restrictions on procurements using federal grants, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

ARRA funds requirements for municipalities, amendments to Chapter 30B and questions and answers about Chapter 30B.