The Education Leaders Council failed to follow federal procurement rules when it paid $17.5 million to technology companies working on a federal grant, the Department of Education’s inspector general concluded last month.
The ELC, which this year has renamed itself Following the Leaders and relocated from Washington to Springfield, Tenn., awarded the subcontracts to provide technology tools to help districts develop standards-based curricula without conducting a price analysis or competitive bidding, which federal rules require, the July 28 inspector general’s report says.
The inspector general recommended that the Education Department require the group to adopt the policies to comply with all of the department’s regulations. The organization agreed with the findings and said it has adopted policies to comply with the auditors’ findings.
In an earlier audit, the inspector general recommended that the department require the ELC to reimburse $495,326 of the $33 million in federal money it collected for its Follow the Leaders project. (“Audit Faults Spending by Leaders Council,” Feb. 15, 2006.)
