But I'll do it anyway
http://news.yahoo.com/16-muffins-8-coffee-served-u-justice-audit-150909675.html
10$ cookies 8$ cup of joe and 16$ muffins
that's $ per unit btw.
It's almost too easy to fault the government
(26 posts) (10 voices)-
g-man
Member
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bugleg
Member
I dunno if this really reflects on the government in particular--when I was doing event work in the private/non-profit sector I was continually amazed at catering rates in hotel and other meeting spaces.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
Yeah but did you pay $16 for a Muffin Bugleg. No one is saying catering in a high end Hotel is cheap, but for God sakes not even Starbucks costs this much. Next time they should do us a favor and cater with Dunkin Donuts.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
kg97
Member
Kickbacks.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bugleg
Member
It's been a long while, TR, but I seem to remember $10+ muffins. The prices of institutional catering are insane.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
I think the local Bagel Joint would be a better alternative.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
g-man
Member
Back in 99, 04-06 the corporate catering rates were indeed pretty high, I know my firm paid ~ 5$ per cookie and 6$/bagel
but they dropped with the rest of the economy.
We get it at 1$/cookie and 2$ a bagel now.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
stockguru
Member
If a major law firm in NY paid $16/muffin with their own money, I have no problem with it.
But the government meetings using taxpayer dollars? That's disgraceful.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bugleg
Member
It does indeed appear to be wasteful--but I'm doubtful there is a hotel in DC that caters $2 bagels.
They probably should have hosted the conference @ a government building and used the cafeteria (assuming this was a hotel deal). Would have saved taxpayer money and made the point that the private sector can't always provide thing cheaper!
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Posted 1 year ago # -
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
And they complained about AIG Life entertaining their Top sales performers. Bet they didn't pay $16 for a muffin.
Stock: but the law firm will find a way to bill the clients back for it.
Bugleg: I'm sure they could go to the Marriott and probably do better price wise. You need the Hotels because of the Conference space especially if there are multiple seminars at the same time. Just need to have someone use a little common sense when making the arrangements.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
kg97
Member
They could tele-conference, you know the whole greenhouse/global warming/climate change thingy.
Never let anyone from the Gov't preach to you about a carbon footprint.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
stockguru
Member
The government can get away with telling them that there is a mandatory cap of $4 per muffin and that if they can't get it down to that, they will have to contract elsewhere.
I find it just ridiculous that there is so much bureaucracy for certain things and not others.
I have a friend that works for an agency and I'm told their office supplies are on a strict allocation and that if you need anything additional, it needs to go through several layers of approval so you're better off buying it yourself.
Yet, someone else can go and buy a $500 million jet engine that isn't used.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bugleg
Member
Stockguru, I know you aren't suggesting the government dictate prices to private enterprise...what's next, rationing?
I dunno what the conference was about, who attended, or if it was worth it. Maybe it was a big waste of time. I just don't think there are an instructive lessons about government generally based on the info in the linked story. Unless one has an axe to grind with regard to the government being bad at everything.
I would be interested to know where this was held, what the purpose was, and what rates are like at other venues.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
rigo parc
Member
I can't even write anything coherent or thoughtful anymore. The state of our Country is horribly depressing and demoralizing.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bobbyrab
Member
I'm with you rigo parc. Instead of distributing tax rebate checks, I think the government should distribute Paxil instead.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
stockguru
Member
bugleg: the government dictates prices to private enterprise all the time.
They have set maximum expenditure mandates which private sector companies honor as a cap. If you want to do business with the government, you drop your price to the max. The volume makes up for the margin hit.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bugleg
Member
Stockguru: The government does negotiate with vendors to set rates, but I don't think that's the same as dictating. And not for nothing, the government is prohibited from negotiating pharma prices for Medicare. Veterans Affairs consequently pays about half (or less) than Medicare for medication.
In my ,mind, the sad reality is that the current dysfunction and gridlock serve many quite nicely, and there is little interest in making government work better or more efficiently. In fairness, I direct that criticism at powerful groups on both sides of the spectrum.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
jewels
Member
The story appears slightly misleading. This is not having breakfast delivered from the local diner--apparently the Hilton is a preferred venue for major conferences and what you are paying for is "space" rental and not just muffins. Extra staff is hired, etc. Do you think the "power" breakfasts at a hotel like the Regency in NY warrant the price in terms of cost of food prepared. No one is disputing the costs were too high -- and the government has the power to negotiate for lower prices--but this is not the $10 brunch special
Here is another group that has used the Hilton--not a lot of choice when 250 guests are involved
http://usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/DETAILEDADVISORY2011WINTERMTG011811.pdf
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Posted 1 year ago # -
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
Somehow I don't think they took the cost including the room rental and divided it by the no of muffins they put out. It's part of the deal when they rent the space which is likely based on the number of attendees. If they're adding for the muffins then they're getting screwed, they don't have to add that much staff, there's no waiter service. A couple of wait staff are assigned to make sure the trays and the coffee pots are filled.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
stockguru
Member
The government can not tell you what to price your muffins but what they can say is that they can not purchase $16 muffins. Based on policy the max they can purchase is $4 muffins. So if you can not sell them for $4, they will need to find another vendor that does. Perhaps for 250 muffins, they will be willing to go to $4, perhaps not. Either way, there will be $4 muffins served and not $16.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
jane11375
Smart Blonde
Stockguru is correct. In a former position I had to have my AR team redraft a client invoice to knock all T & E down to government rates. And those rates are pitiful. The firm ate the difference.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
g-man
Member
Jewels the article explicitly states that they spent 600k$ for event planning for these conferences which would cover the cost of the conference rental
the 16$ muffins is on top of that.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
g-man
Member
Also the article states
"A Justice Department spokeswoman said most of the gathering were held when there were no strict limits on food and beverage costs, adding the DOJ had taken steps since 2009 "to ensure that these problems do not occur again."
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Posted 1 year ago # -
bugleg
Member
Looks like it is too easy to just fault the government without all the facts.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/23/us/muffins-conference/index.html
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Posted 1 year ago # -
TALBOTRESIDENT
Member
It would just seem to me that over a 5 day period if 534 people attended what appears to be a series of meetings 534*14.72/5= 1572 per morning or even per day is reasonable to secure a room that seats about 110 people. Also somehow I don't think 250 muffins and 300 cookies is gonna be enough for 534 people, which means there had to be other stuff like Bagels etc. as well as the fruit. Factor in the cost of speakers if anyone of them is from the outside and this ain't that big a deal. All Hilton had to do was get a head count from DOJ or a copy of the attendance sheets and bill 14.72 a head. One idiot doesn't know how to prepare an invoice and another idiot doesn't use his head when he relizes how many people attended over how many days and they didn't bill for the room. It's for the room rental, that's how the damn hotels make money.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
COCED
Member
conference-shmonference... bring your own muffin, I say, and thermos!
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Posted 1 year ago #
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