Department of Education business practices under scrutiny

The Department of Education will reportedly be under a microscope as elected officials question the agency?s business practices.
According to a Daily News report, elected officials are questioning how the department spent $120 million in services for Bronx and city schools without going through a bidding process. The bidding process is required of city contracting agencies.
However, department officials say that since the agency is regulated by the state, it is exempt from city contracting rules. Education officials told the Daily News that while there isn?t always a formal bidding process, all contracts are posted online and most contracts are awarded competitively. Education officials add that bids are sometimes bypassed if they extend a contract initially awarded through a competitive process.