Top VA contracting office slammed in auditor’s report

A top contracting official for the Department of Veterans Affairs strong-armed staff in an attempt to direct business to a favored bidder, a company with deep ties to former government officials and prominent financiers, according to an newly released investigative report.

Susan M. Taylor, deputy chief procurement officer for the VeteransHealth Administration, “continually” lied about her dealings with FedBid, the well-connected reverse-auction company, the VA’s inspector general said in the scathing report released Friday.

Ms. Taylor also used her official job title to negotiate a refund on a private vacation...