A contractor hired by the state to manage a $76.8 million renovation of Camp Randall Stadium agreed to accept a higher bid for a new scoreboard, over a competing offer that an outside consultant advised was of better quality.

State agencies’ hiring of outside contractors surged last year, according to a report quietly released by the state Department of Administration. The annual report, posted Monday on the DOA’s website, shows that state agencies spent $363.8 million on private contractors — an increase of 26 percent compared to the previous fiscal year.