LINCOLN - Nebraska's state purchasing agency apparently gave a contract to the wrong bidder, used questionable bidding practices and had erroneous accounting, according to an audit released Monday.

State Auditor Mike Foley was critical of several practices found in the audit of the Department of Administrative Services' Materiel Division.

"The taxpayers of Nebraska deserve better than what is occurring here," he said.

The audit raised several concerns about contracting procedures, including one case in which the scorecards filled out by bid evaluators did not match the scores published on the department's website.

Foley said that suggested the wrong bidder had been awarded a $13.8 million contract for photocopying equipment, although agency staff maintain the contract was awarded properly.

He also criticized the agency for not providing the evaluators' scorecards when requested. The cards were eventually found in a folder than had not been provided to audit staff.

The audit also found that an $8.9 million contract for asphaltic road oil was awarded, even though the agency got only two bids.