I used to work in a city IT department and the department head would allow future prospective and already existing vendors to take them out for meals "if we wer

I used to work in a city IT department and the department head would allow future prospective and already existing vendors to take them out for meals "if we weren't currently soliciting bids from that specific company for work." Yeah, like they are taking you out because you are buds and they never plan on submitting any bids or extending contracts in the future? A lot of what I saw in the government when I worked there was borderline illegal but certainly ethically wrong.