Comptroller and auditors find widespread p‑card documentation gaps at CSCU; chancellor vows reforms

Comptroller Sean Scanlon told lawmakers at a joint forum of the General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee and the Government Oversight Committee that a special examination of procurement‑card spending at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) found numerous policy gaps and missing documentation.

The comptroller’s office reviewed roughly 1,000 sampled p‑card transactions spanning July 2021 through October 2024 and compared university records with vendor transaction data. “While none of the behavior that we found warranted in our minds a criminal referral, they certainly were things that were clear that there was not the right policies and procedures in place,” Scanlon said.

The comptroller and auditors outlined several recurring problems: missing or incomplete receipts, transactions that lacked attendee lists or stated business purpose, senior‑leadership carve‑outs from ordinary spending limits, and use of p‑cards for purchases that typically require formal procurement processes. The comptroller said 70% of the chancellor’s reviewed purchases were for dining and that 43% of those dining transactions lacked itemized or fully itemized receipts. State auditors separately reported duplicate payments and untimely reconciliations.

Why it matters: lawmakers said the findings undercut public confidence while the system seeks more state funding and faces budget pressure. “These dollars are precious,” said Senator Alexis Slapp, adding the committee will evaluate whether the system has “the right fiscal controls in place.”

What the reviews found - Sample and scope: The comptroller’s…