The State Audit Office of Georgia has published a compliance audit of the financial and economic activities of the Central Election Commission (CEC) for 2023-2024, identifying shortcomings in remuneration, state procurement, and internal control systems.
The audit finds a total of 81.6 million GEL was spent on remuneration and salaries for employees under employment contracts at the CEC during the two-year period. Of this, 8.9 million GEL was issued in the form of salary supplements.
The State Audit Office says there were no legal grounds for issuing salary supplements beyond those defined in the Law on Remuneration in Public Institutions, although additional payments exceeding the maximum amount were made based on an internal CEC legal act.
The audit also highlights problems in working time recording. It says the primary document used for salary calculations — the payslip — was not produced for CEC staff and contract employees. In addition, turnstile data from the building was not included in accounting records, which the report says indicates weaknesses in financial management and control.
Significant remarks were also made regarding public procurement procedures. The report says the CEC conducted market research, but the results were not properly documented, making it unclear how suppliers were assessed or whether sufficient information was used to determine estimated procurement costs.
Special attention is given to a tender announced on November 17, 2023, for the design and construction of archive-warehouse infrastructure using the Design-Build method. The final cost of the project amounted to 12.2 million GEL.
The audit says the project was implemented in violation of the Procurement Agency’s methodological guidelines. In particular, feasibility studies and conceptual design services were not commissioned before the tender was announced, which may have affected cost estimation and the efficient use of public funds.
The report also points to deficiencies in defining technical requirements for construction and repair tenders, saying documentation did not clearly specify materials, equipment, colors, and other specifications, leaving key decisions to the purchaser’s discretion. It says this approach may reduce competition and limit the number of bidders.
