SAN DIEGO (AP) - An audit concludes San Diego employees improperly awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to a vendor that provided information technology services to the city.

The Union-Tribune reported Friday that San Diego’s auditor found officials violated procurement rules and bypassed the city council while issuing the no-bid contract.

The investigation was sparked by a complaint to a fraud and whistleblower hotline. It found city staff ignored inquiries from rival providers and allowed the vendor to help define the scope of its contract.

The public version of the report does not identify the officials or the dollar amount of the contract.

Ronald Villa, assistant chief operating officer for the city, filed a 9-page response that disputes many of the findings. However, he agreed to implement all the audit’s recommendations.

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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com

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