AUGUSTA -- A report released today by the state's watchdog agency concluded that the state does an "adequate" job awarding contracts, but noted a few areas for improvement.

Scott Farwell, analyst for the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, told legislators who serve on the Government Oversight Committee that overall, the state Division of Purchases does use appropriate methods for watching how state contracts are awarded.

However, he did recommend that the state do a better job requiring agencies to justify why they don't always use competitive bidding. Farwell said he reviewed 65 contracts over $2,500 that were not competitively bid. Reasons given by agencies included that a vendor has exceptional expertise or was uniquely qualified, he said.

Farwell said more transparency is needed for that part of the process.