State Auditor General Jack Wagner has found no wrongdoing by the company that installed artificial turf last year at Seneca Valley School District's football field.

A review by Mr. Wagner's office found that Sprinturf, headquartered near Philadelphia, did not violate the competitive bidding process by submitting a bid to Seneca Valley and later sending a letter that said the district might be eligible for a $320,000 discount on the $640,000 cost.

The company said the discount might be possible through what it called a Marketing Brand Awareness program.

Seneca Valley awarded the contract to Sprinturf and paid the company $640,000 to install the turf. The district did not receive a discount.

Sprinturf officials later said the money was not available and that Seneca Valley would be put on a list with another school district to receive the discount, if and when money became available.

State legislators later asked the state auditor general to look into the matter, school board members said.

In a letter to Seneca Valley that school board President Dean Berkebile read at the Sept. 11 board meeting, Mr. Wagner said the company had been cleared of any wrongdoing. The letter said four other Pennsylvania school districts had received similar bids from Sprinturf that included the discount written into the official bid, and those districts had hired the company based on the discount.

At the time Seneca Valley was deciding on the contract, district solicitor Matt Hoffman advised board members that they were not to consider the discount in their decision because it was not part of the official bid and only the offer on the table could legally be considered.

The district had received lower bids for the work, but district Athletic Director Greg Caprara suggested Sprinturf's product was superior and that the company that had offered the lower bid did not have a satisfactory warranty.

Board members voted 6-2 to contract with Sprinturf for the work, and the turf was installed in August 2005.

First Published: September 24, 2006, 4:00 a.m.