(The Center Square) – Procurement card programs at a public North Carolina university reviewed by the state auditor were inconsistent in administration, including noncompliance with procurement usage.
Transactions at UNC Asheville lacked supportive documentation, some including preapprovals, and some transactions were not in compliance with purchasing requirements, says the analysis from the office of first-term Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek.
In the audit presentation, he wrote in part, “By not consistently managing procurement card and travel card programs, inappropriate, unauthorized, or prohibited purchases may occur and go undetected, increasing the risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and misuse of school resources.”
Auditors reviewed 1,026 P-Card transactions for $681,461 during an audit period from July 1, 2025, to Feb. 28 where 8,914 transactions totaling $2 million were processed. Auditors found 21 with missing travel preapproved; three missing Airbnb cost-savings documentation; nine prohibited purchases to Verizon; four prohibited purchases totaling $4,450 of alcohol at university events; three prohibited purchases totaling $5,299 of legal fees; and two prohibited purchases of six iPhones and one iPads.
UNC Asheville’s 218 P-Cards had 6,282 transactions totaling $1,371,370 during the audit period, and the 173 T-Cards had 2,632 transactions totaling $668,791. For P-Cards, top categories of spending were in bookstores ($124,968), restaurants and fast food ($91,881) and specialty retail stores ($48,918), with Amazon ($162,199) and Sam’s Club ($33,181) the top two merchants. For T-Cards, top categories of spending were in hotels and lodging ($208,096), restaurants and fast food ($137,156) and flights ($84,239), with American Airlines ($46,350) and Enterprise Rent-A-Car ($41,523) the top two merchants.
Monitoring, training, and enforcement of usage requirements top the list of recommendations from the auditor’s office. Also recommended is establishment of procedures to identify, investigate and address noncompliance; and take corrective actions when violations are identified.
The UNCA Budget & Finance Department provided the response within the audit, saying in part, “UNC Asheville is committed to addressing the recommendations identified in this audit while continuing to support the Procurement Card program that provides significant operational and financial value to the institution.”
UNC Asheville in 2026-27 has 2,646 students. The state budget passed this summer for fiscal year 2027 appropriates $51.1 million to the university; tuition, mandatory fees, auxiliary services, grants and private gifts supply the rest of operational costs.
The greater Asheville regional economy’s impact from UNC Asheville is about $450 million, according to a report from SYNEVA Economics. Roughly 4,000 jobs and $62 million in tax revenues is attached to the university.
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