Covid-19 may prove to be costly to state taxpayers.

The Department of Transportation initially wanted $1.34 million worth of hand sanitizer from Hollow Creek Distillery in Leesville, Palmetto Distillery in Anderson, and Six & Twenty Distillery in Powdersville.

The Department of Administration requested 1,500 laptop computers and related equipment totaling nearly $468,000.

The Department of Employment and Workforce sought an out-of-state technology firm with a reduced annual “subscription fee” of $74,371 for its services.

These proposals were among an initial estimated $12.6 million in emergency purchase orders issued by 13 state agencies in response to corona virus.

The purchases were allowed by Gov. Henry McMaster who allowed the suspension of state procurement regulations.

State lawmakers in March approved $45 million for the Department of Health and Environmental Control although, as we revealed, the agency spent less than 10% of the money through April.

Our latest review of Department of Administration records found that DHEC had issued a total projected $8 million in emergency purchase orders through April 21 – the largest total among the 13 state agencies – though amounts were about $1.6 million.

The items initially sought by DHEC included an estimated $5.8 million in N95 face masks and other medical masks and services provided by technology and cleaning companies.

Departments of Health and Human Services, Mental Health, and Disabilities and Special Needs issued emergency purchase orders.

DDSN paid $70,684 for face shields, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and other items and laptop computers from Dell Marketing in Atlanta for about $8,600.

Department of Motor Vehicles said it needed $36,900 for “management console licenses” for 300 laptops it acquired from the Department of Administration to allow DMV employees to work from home.

DMV sought a $34,800 procurement for 2 employees of TekSystems, a Maryland technology company, to “facilitate employees to be able to work from home.”

In response to our Freedom of Information Act request, the Department of Administration didn’t specify why it needed 1,500 laptops and “associated freight” costing $467,886 from the Greenville division of Massachusetts NWN Corp.

We asked the Department of Employment and Workforce why it needed emergency purchases from 5 technology companies that included an initial $148,742 “subscription fee” for a year’s services from Minnesota-based Sagitec Solution, later reduced to $74,371.

Brundrett is news editor of The Nerve (www.thenerve.org). Contact him at rick@thenerve.org.