(The Center Square) – Annual vendor spending at Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) jumped $2.9 billion in four years, but a state audit assuring taxpayers that the surge was “valid” relied on a small, hand-selected sample of just 11 vendors.

Experts say the sample should not have been used to draw such broad conclusions.

Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.