Audit 295958

FY End
2023-06-30
Total Expended
$1.34B
Findings
44
Programs
111
Organization: County of Orange, California (CA)
Year: 2023 Accepted: 2024-03-19
Auditor: Eide Bailly LLP

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
381232 2023-003 Significant Deficiency - L
381233 2023-004 Significant Deficiency - AB
381234 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
381235 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
381236 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
381237 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
381238 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381239 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381240 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381241 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381242 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381243 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381244 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381245 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381246 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381247 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381248 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381249 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381250 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381251 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381252 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
381253 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957674 2023-003 Significant Deficiency - L
957675 2023-004 Significant Deficiency - AB
957676 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
957677 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
957678 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
957679 2023-001 Material Weakness Yes M
957680 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957681 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957682 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957683 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957684 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957685 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957686 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957687 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957688 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957689 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957690 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957691 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957692 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957693 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957694 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I
957695 2023-002 Significant Deficiency Yes I

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
14.871 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers $185.76M Yes 0
97.036 Covid-19 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $58.74M - 0
12.U01 Santa Ana River Mainstream Project - Prado Dam Construction $39.02M - 0
93.959 Block Grants for Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse $16.63M - 0
20.106 Covid-19 Airport Improvement Program $16.38M - 0
93.658 Foster Care_title IV-E $14.31M Yes 1
93.778 Medical Assistance Program $12.49M - 0
93.667 Social Services Block Grant $11.01M - 0
93.391 Covid-19 Activities to Support State, Tribal, Local and Territorial (stlt) Health Department Response to Public Health Or Healthcare Crises $9.25M Yes 2
93.914 Hiv Emergency Relief Project Grants $5.70M - 0
93.268 Covid-19 Immunization Cooperative Agreements $4.70M - 0
10.557 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children $4.56M - 0
14.231 Covid-19 Emergency Solutions Grant Program $3.25M - 0
93.958 Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services $3.12M - 0
93.069 Public Health Emergency Preparedness $3.00M - 0
14.218 Community Development Block Grants/entitlement Grants $2.94M - 0
14.879 Mainstream Vouchers $2.90M Yes 0
93.354 Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Response: Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response $2.82M - 0
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part B_grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers $2.81M - 0
93.659 Adoption Assistance $2.80M Yes 0
93.994 Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the States $2.47M - 0
93.917 Hiv Care Formula Grants $2.36M - 0
16.575 Crime Victim Assistance $2.31M - 0
93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part C_nutrition Services $2.29M - 0
17.258 Wia Adult Program $2.02M - 0
93.556 Promoting Safe and Stable Families $1.89M - 0
10.923 Emergency Watershed Protection Program $1.68M - 0
93.645 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program $1.66M - 0
21.016 Equitable Sharing $1.63M - 0
93.052 National Family Caregiver Support, Title Iii, Part E $1.44M - 0
17.278 Wia Dislocated Worker Formula Grants $1.38M - 0
20.106 Airport Improvement Program $1.30M - 0
16.034 Covid-19 Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program $1.24M - 0
14.267 Continuum of Care Program $1.23M - 0
93.044 Covid-19 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part B_grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers $1.21M - 0
93.563 Child Support Enforcement $1.12M - 0
20.608 Minimum Penalties for Repeat Offenders for Driving While Intoxicated $980,599 - 0
14.218 Covid-19 Community Development Block Grants/entitlement Grants $915,435 - 0
95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program $858,364 - 0
93.940 Hiv Prevention Activities_health Department Based $808,589 - 0
97.042 Emergency Management Performance Grants $770,032 - 0
93.889 National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program $755,318 - 0
14.241 Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids $751,737 - 0
93.686 Ending the Hiv Epidemic: A Plan for America — Ryan White Hiv/aids Program Parts A and B (b) $745,104 - 0
93.767 Children's Health Insurance Program $744,843 - 0
14.231 Emergency Solutions Grant Program $722,320 - 0
93.918 Grants to Provide Outpatient Early Intervention Services with Respect to Hiv Disease $708,040 - 0
93.053 Nutrition Services Incentive Program $704,143 - 0
93.268 Immunization Cooperative Agreements $647,624 - 0
97.046 Fire Management Assistance Grant $625,128 - 0
17.235 Senior Community Service Employment Program $595,518 - 0
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $553,664 - 0
93.150 Projects for Assistance in Transition From Homelessness (path) $548,505 - 0
93.967 Cdc's Collaboration with Academia to Strengthen Public Health $538,523 - 0
93.674 John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood $532,844 - 0
93.558 Covid-19 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $522,969 - 0
93.052 Covid-19 National Family Caregiver Support, Title Iii, Part E $522,594 - 0
16.588 Violence Against Women Formula Grants $513,000 - 0
14.896 Family Self-Sufficiency Program $452,308 - 0
93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $412,921 - 0
10.025 Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care $393,231 - 0
17.259 Wia Youth Activities $369,492 - 0
16.922 Equitable Sharing Program $353,260 - 0
93.590 Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Grants $307,806 - 0
10.555 National School Lunch Program $276,321 - 0
97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program $267,527 - 0
97.U01 Preparing for Emerging Threats and Hazards Tsa: National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program $258,278 - 0
14.239 Covid-19 Home Investment Partnerships Program $246,833 - 0
20.616 National Priority Safety Programs $235,347 - 0
17.277 Workforce Investment Act (wia) National Emergency Grants $209,450 - 0
20.205 Highway Planning and Construction $170,682 - 0
93.045 Covid-19 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part C_nutrition Services $168,419 - 0
10.553 School Breakfast Program $166,910 - 0
93.603 Adoption Incentive Payments $152,081 - 0
93.324 State Health Insurance Assistance Program $146,447 - 0
15.226 Payments in Lieu of Taxes $146,094 - 0
93.071 Medicare Enrollment Assistance Program $146,065 - 0
16.838 Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based Program $140,593 - 0
93.043 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part D_disease Prevention and Health Promotion Services $138,810 - 0
93.042 Special Programs for the Aging_title Vii, Chapter 2_long Term Care Ombudsman Services for Older Individuals $121,207 - 0
16.742 Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program $118,091 - 0
16.741 Dna Backlog Reduction Program $117,782 - 0
93.977 Preventive Health Services_sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Grants $103,950 - 0
20.600 State and Community Highway Safety $102,046 - 0
97.042 Covid-19 Emergency Management Performance Grants $84,054 - 0
93.090 Guardianship Assistance $81,943 - 0
10.576 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program $75,000 - 0
93.323 Covid-19 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $72,175 - 0
16.U01 Oc Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory $60,367 - 0
93.042 Covid-19 Special Programs for the Aging_title Vii, Chapter 2_long Term Care Ombudsman Services for Older Individuals $55,504 - 0
14.241 Covid-19 Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids $52,462 - 0
93.116 Project Grants and Cooperative Agreements for Tuberculosis Control Programs $49,949 - 0
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $40,476 - 0
93.041 Special Programs for the Aging_title Vii, Chapter 3_programs for Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation $39,596 - 0
10.665 Schools and Roads - Grants to States $29,324 - 0
16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program $27,307 - 0
93.575 Child Care and Development Block Grant $24,226 - 0
93.747 Covid-19 Elder Abuse Prevention Interventions Program $23,666 - 0
10.561 State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program $22,728 - 0
93.634 Support for Ombudsman and Beneficiary Counseling Programs for States Participating in Financial Alignment Model Demonstrations for Dually Eligible Individuals $21,789 - 0
16.U02 Orange County Drug Enforcement Task Force $19,506 - 0
45.024 Promotion of the Arts_grants to Organizations and Individuals $19,000 - 0
21.027 Covid-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $13,125 Yes 1
97.106 Securing the Cities Program $11,471 - 0
10.555 Covid-19 National School Lunch Program $8,528 - 0
93.747 Elder Abuse Prevention Interventions Program $8,099 - 0
93.043 Covid-19 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part D_disease Prevention and Health Promotion Services $3,645 - 0
93.566 Covid-19 Refugee and Entrant Assistance_state Administered Programs $1,949 - 0
93.566 Refugee and Entrant Assistance_state Administered Programs $1,060 - 0
16.835 Body Worn Camera Policy and Implementation $463 - 0
14.239 Home Investment Partnerships Program $8 - 0

Contacts

Name Title Type
Z27AVTCCKHU3 Margie Pham Auditee
7148347480 Kinnaly Soukhaseum Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: Relationship to Basic Financial Statements Accounting Policies: The accompanying Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) presents the activity of all federal award programs of the County of Orange, California (County), except as noted herein for the year ended June 30, 2023. The County’s reporting entity is defined in Note 1 of the County’s basic financial statements. These financial statements include the operations of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County (CFCOC), the Orange County Health Authority, a Public Agency/dba Orange Prevention and Treatment Integrated Medical Assistance (CalOptima), and the Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS) (discretely presented component units for CFCOC and CalOptima and a fiduciary component unit for OCERS), which expended $350,126, $3,042,208, and $0, respectively, in federal awards, which are not included in the SEFA. Federal awards received directly from federal agencies as well as federal awards passed through other government agencies, primarily the State of California, are included on the schedule. The accompanying SEFA and Supplementary Schedule of Grant Expenditures for Grants Provided by the California Health and Human Services Agency, Department of Aging (DOA), are presented using the modified accrual basis of accounting except for programs recorded in the County’s enterprise funds, which are presented using the accrual basis of accounting, which are described in Note 1 of the County’s basic financial statements. Subrecipient expenditures are recorded on the cash basis. The information in the SEFA is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). De Minimis Rate Used: Both Rate Explanation: With the exception of the following programs, the County has not elected to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance. (See Notes for Chart/Graph) Federal award expenditures and the supplementary schedule of grant expenditures for grants provided by the DOA, agree or can be reconciled with the amounts reported in the County’s basic financial statements. Expenditures reported in the schedule, including subrecipient expenditures, are reported on the modified accrual basis of accounting. Because the schedule presents only a selected portion of the operations of the County, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position, changes in net position or fund balance, or cash flows of the County.
Title: California Health and Human Services Agency, Department of Aging Accounting Policies: The accompanying Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) presents the activity of all federal award programs of the County of Orange, California (County), except as noted herein for the year ended June 30, 2023. The County’s reporting entity is defined in Note 1 of the County’s basic financial statements. These financial statements include the operations of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County (CFCOC), the Orange County Health Authority, a Public Agency/dba Orange Prevention and Treatment Integrated Medical Assistance (CalOptima), and the Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS) (discretely presented component units for CFCOC and CalOptima and a fiduciary component unit for OCERS), which expended $350,126, $3,042,208, and $0, respectively, in federal awards, which are not included in the SEFA. Federal awards received directly from federal agencies as well as federal awards passed through other government agencies, primarily the State of California, are included on the schedule. The accompanying SEFA and Supplementary Schedule of Grant Expenditures for Grants Provided by the California Health and Human Services Agency, Department of Aging (DOA), are presented using the modified accrual basis of accounting except for programs recorded in the County’s enterprise funds, which are presented using the accrual basis of accounting, which are described in Note 1 of the County’s basic financial statements. Subrecipient expenditures are recorded on the cash basis. The information in the SEFA is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). De Minimis Rate Used: Both Rate Explanation: With the exception of the following programs, the County has not elected to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance. (See Notes for Chart/Graph) The Department of Aging (DOA) considers other closely-related pass through programs by the State to be included with the Aging Cluster, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.1. At the request of the DOA, the schedule of grant expenditures for their grant programs is included as a supplementary schedule on page 16.

Finding Details

Program: COVID-19 Activities to Support State, Tribal, Local and Territorial (STLT) Health Department Response to Public Health and Healthcare Crises Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.391 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Award No. and Year: 2022 Compliance Requirements: Reporting Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition: During our testing of the Health Care Agency’s (HCA) compliance with reporting requirements, we noted that four (4) of four (4) reports the department did not retain evidence of the review and approval over the performance report. Cause: HCA personnel prepared program required performance reports and submitted the reports without retaining documented evidence that the reports were reviewed and approved by a separate individual prior to submission. Effect: The County did not document their review and approval of the report. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: The entire population of four (4) reports were selected for reporting testwork from HCA. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: No. Recommendation: We recommend the HCA to implement policies that ensure the review and approval of reports are clearly documented prior to the report’s submission. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Activities to Support State, Tribal, Local and Territorial (STLT) Health Department Response to Public Health or Healthcare Crises Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.391 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Award No. and Year: 2022 Compliance Requirements: Allowable Activities and Allowable Costs and Cost Principles Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition: During our testing of the Health Care Agency’s (HCA) compliance with allowable activities and allowable costs and cost principles requirements, we noted for one (1) of forty-seven (47) transactions HCA did not retain evidence of the review and approval over the transaction. Cause: The transaction was with a specific vendor that requires orders to be placed on the vendor’s portal. At the time the order was placed, the vendor’s portal did not have a system control set up to require a separate approver for the order and HCA did not retain any other evidence to document the order’s review and approval. The vendor portal was later updated during the year to add the segregation of duties system control. Effect: The County’s control was not consistently followed, which requires transactions to be reviewed and approved by a separate individual prior to payment. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of forty-seven (47) of two hundred thirty-six (236) transactions were selected for HCA. The condition above was identified during our testwork of the HCA’s internal controls over allowable activities and allowable costs and cost principles. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: No. Recommendation: We recommend the HCA adhere to their policies and ensure the review and approval of transactions are clearly documented prior payment. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Activities to Support State, Tribal, Local and Territorial (STLT) Health Department Response to Public Health and Healthcare Crises Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.391 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Award No. and Year: 2022 Compliance Requirements: Reporting Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition: During our testing of the Health Care Agency’s (HCA) compliance with reporting requirements, we noted that four (4) of four (4) reports the department did not retain evidence of the review and approval over the performance report. Cause: HCA personnel prepared program required performance reports and submitted the reports without retaining documented evidence that the reports were reviewed and approved by a separate individual prior to submission. Effect: The County did not document their review and approval of the report. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: The entire population of four (4) reports were selected for reporting testwork from HCA. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: No. Recommendation: We recommend the HCA to implement policies that ensure the review and approval of reports are clearly documented prior to the report’s submission. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Activities to Support State, Tribal, Local and Territorial (STLT) Health Department Response to Public Health or Healthcare Crises Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.391 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Award No. and Year: 2022 Compliance Requirements: Allowable Activities and Allowable Costs and Cost Principles Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition: During our testing of the Health Care Agency’s (HCA) compliance with allowable activities and allowable costs and cost principles requirements, we noted for one (1) of forty-seven (47) transactions HCA did not retain evidence of the review and approval over the transaction. Cause: The transaction was with a specific vendor that requires orders to be placed on the vendor’s portal. At the time the order was placed, the vendor’s portal did not have a system control set up to require a separate approver for the order and HCA did not retain any other evidence to document the order’s review and approval. The vendor portal was later updated during the year to add the segregation of duties system control. Effect: The County’s control was not consistently followed, which requires transactions to be reviewed and approved by a separate individual prior to payment. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of forty-seven (47) of two hundred thirty-six (236) transactions were selected for HCA. The condition above was identified during our testwork of the HCA’s internal controls over allowable activities and allowable costs and cost principles. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: No. Recommendation: We recommend the HCA adhere to their policies and ensure the review and approval of transactions are clearly documented prior payment. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: Foster Care Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 93.658 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pass-Through: California Department of Social Services Award No. and Year: 2301CAFOST and 2023, 2201CAFOST and 2022 Compliance Requirements: Subrecipient Monitoring Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Material Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: In accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.332, pass-through entities must comply with the following: • 2 CFR Part 200.332(a), Requirements for Pass-Through Entities, states that all pass-through entities must ensure that every subaward is clearly identified to the subrecipient as a subaward and includes certain information as well as all the requirements imposed by the pass-through entity on the subrecipient so that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. • 2 CFR 200.332(b) – Evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance for purposes of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring related to the subaward. This evaluation of risk may include consideration of such factors listed in 2 CFR 200.332(b)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(d)- Monitor the activities of the subrecipient as necessary to ensure that the subaward is used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward; and that subaward performance goals are achieved. Pass-through entity monitoring of the subrecipient must include the information at 2 CFR 200.332(d)(1) through (4). • 2 CFR 200.332(f) – Verify that every subrecipient is audited as required by Subpart F of this part when it is expected that the subrecipient’s Federal awards expended during the respective fiscal year equaled or exceeded the threshold set forth in 200.501. The California Department of Social Services further clarifies in its County Fiscal Letter No. 22/23-91 that Foster Family Agency (FFA), Group Home, and Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTP) are “considered subrecipients and subject to the same audit requirements and require the same degree of oversight as other subrecipients”. Further, while there are some licensing and oversight functions performed by the state over FFAs, group homes, and STRTPs, “counties are still ultimately responsible for review of these audits and their findings, any follow-up to ensure compliance, and any other form of monitoring and oversight required by federal and state laws and regulations.” 2 CFR Section 180.300a, Responsibilities of Participants Regarding Doing Business with Other Persons (and repeated in the California Department of Social Services - County Fiscal Letter No. 21/22 – 115) counties are required to verify that recipients or contracts have not been suspended or debarred by using the federal SAM (Systems for Award Management). Condition: The Social Services Agency (SSA) did not have any formal controls in place for evaluating each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance or the purpose of determining the appropriate subrecipient monitoring or for subrecipient monitoring for the Foster Care program. Additionally, the following information was not provided at the time of the subaward for ten (10) of fourteen (14) subawards selected for testing from the SSA’s for the Foster Care program: • Subrecipient’s unique entity identifier • Federal award identification number • Federal award date of award to recipient by the Federal agency • Subaward period of performance • Amount of federal funds obligated to the subrecipient • Amount of federal funds committed to the subrecipient • Federal award project description • Name of federal awarding agency • CFDA/Assistance Listing number • Identification of whether the award is research and development • Indirect cost rate During our testing, we noted for four (4) of fourteen (14) subrecipients selected, SSA did not have documentation that the SAM clearance was performed prior to entering the contract with the subrecipient. The County’s policy was to verify the subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering the contract, but the County did not retain evidence of this check prior to entering the contract. Cause: The SSA’s procedures did not consistently ensure that the required award information and applicable requires were communicated to the subrecipients. The SSA did not follow their procedures to evaluate the risk of noncompliance or monitor the activities of each subrecipient, and the SSA did not maintain documentation of their verification that every subrecipient is audited, as required. Additionally, the SSA department did not follow their policy to retain documentation of the verification of the information prior to entering the contract. Effect: The County’s control policies were not consistently followed which require compliance with the Subrecipient Monitoring requirements in 2 CFR 200.332 and did not comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements related to the program. Additionally, the County’s control policies were not consistently followed, which required documentation of the verification prior to entering the contract. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of fourteen (14) out of seventy (70) subrecipients were sampled, which included seven (7) FFA, and seven (7) STRTP types. The condition noted above was identified during our procedures related to subrecipient monitoring and was pervasive to the program. Repeat Findings from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-002,2022-005 and 2022-006. Recommendation: We recommend that the County adhere to their policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332 to ensure compliance with subrecipient monitoring requirements. We recommend that the County adhere to their procedures requiring documentation of the SAM clearance prior to entering the contract. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.
Program: COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Grantor: U.S. Department of Treasury Award No. and Year: 2021 Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Instance of Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303(a), Internal Controls, states that the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Title 2 CFR Section 200.214 of the Uniform Guidance states that the County must comply with 2 CFR part 180, which implements Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. Per 2 CFR Section 180.300, when a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/, (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity. 2 CFR section Appendix II to Part 200, Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards states that in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain certain provisions, as applicable. Condition: During our testing of the Orange County Public Works (OCPW), Orange County Community Resources (OCCR) and the Social Services Agency’s (SSA) provisions for procurement requirements under the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, we noted the following instances where there was no evidence that the OCPW, OCCR or SSA departments verified the entity was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction, prior to entering the contract, in accordance with County policy: • Four (4) of four (4) contracts through the OCPW department selected for testing. • Three (3) of eight (8) contracts through the OCCR department selected for testing. • One (1) of one (1) contract through the SSA department selected for testing. The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for four (4) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department, one (1) of one (1) contract selected within SSA, and five (5) of eight (8) contracts selected for testing within the OCCR department: • Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment • Clean Air Act and Federal Pollution Control Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for two (2) of four (4) contracts selected for testing within the OCPW department and one (1) of one (1) contract selected for testing within SSA: • Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provision The following information was not provided at the time of the contract award for one (1) of one contract selected for testing within SSA: • Davis-Bacon Act provision • Equal Employment Opportunity provision Cause: The OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments did not follow their policy to verify the information described in the condition prior to entering the transactions and did not consistently ensure that the applicable required provisions were communicated to contractors. Effect: The County’s control and compliance were not consistently followed, which required verification of suspension or debarment prior to entering the contract. EB reviewed the vendor’s status on SAM.gov and verified the vendors selected for testing were not suspended and debarred at the date of the audit. Additionally, the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments did not identify the applicable required provisions of the contract to the contractors at the time of the contract award. Questioned Costs: No questioned costs were identified as a result of our procedures. Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of four (4) out of twelve (12) procurement contracts were sampled from OCPW and eight (8) out of nineteen (19) procurement contracts were sampled from OCCR for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The entire population of 1 (contract) was tested from SSA for the COVID-19 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: Yes, Finding 2022-003 and 2022-009. Recommendation: We recommend that the OCPW, OCCR and SSA departments adhere to their procurement procedures requiring the suspension or debarment verification is performed prior to entering into a covered transaction. Additionally, we recommend the OCPW, SSA and OCCR departments modify and strengthen its current policies and procedures to ensure that all applicable required provisions are communicated to contractors in accordance with 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees. See separately issued Corrective Action Plan.