Audit 300523

FY End
2023-06-30
Total Expended
$1.27B
Findings
34
Programs
218
Year: 2023 Accepted: 2024-03-29
Auditor: Kpmg LLP

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
389613 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389614 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389615 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389616 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389617 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389618 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389619 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389620 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389621 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389622 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389623 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389624 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389625 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389626 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389627 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
389628 2023-002 Significant Deficiency - L
389629 2023-002 Significant Deficiency - L
966055 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966056 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966057 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966058 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966059 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966060 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966061 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966062 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966063 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966064 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966065 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966066 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966067 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966068 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966069 2023-001 Significant Deficiency - I
966070 2023-002 Significant Deficiency - L
966071 2023-002 Significant Deficiency - L

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $229.31M - 0
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $26.23M - 0
93.658 Foster Care_title IV-E $10.12M - 0
84.038 Federal Perkins Loan Program $8.39M - 0
84.033 Federal Work-Study Program $3.11M - 0
93.398 Cancer Research Manpower $2.59M Yes 0
93.364 Nursing Student Loans $2.57M - 0
16.560 National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants $1.77M Yes 0
84.305 Education Research, Development and Dissemination $1.07M - 0
93.RD Other Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration $1.01M Yes 0
47.079 Office of International Science and Engineering $927,730 Yes 0
84.015 National Resource Centers Program for Foreign Language and Area Studies Or Foreign Language and International Studies Program and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship Program $893,466 - 0
93.732 Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants $874,688 - 0
84.042 Trio_student Support Services $845,346 - 0
93.674 John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood $841,541 - 0
93.516 Affordable Care Act (aca) Public Health Training Centers Program $773,094 - 0
93.110 Maternal and Child Health Federal Consolidated Programs $733,552 - 0
12.006 National Defense Education Program $723,481 Yes 0
93.185 Immunization Research, Demonstration, Public Information and Education_training and Clinical Skills Improvement Projects $699,785 Yes 0
93.264 Nurse Faculty Loan Program (nflp) $619,939 - 0
93.788 Opioid Str $593,403 - 0
93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research $591,233 Yes 0
17.720 Disability Employment Policy Development $589,991 Yes 0
93.350 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences $521,559 Yes 0
43.003 Exploration $499,757 Yes 0
12.357 Rotc Language and Culture Training Grants $499,351 - 0
93.336 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System $496,558 Yes 1
93.211 Telehealth Programs $480,925 - 0
98.001 Usaid Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas $448,334 Yes 0
12.750 Uniformed Services University Medical Research Projects $408,595 Yes 0
93.456 Cdc Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program (cups): A Public Health Experience to Expose Undergraduates Interested in Minority Health to Public Health and the Public Health Professions $402,705 - 0
93.186 National Research Service Award in Primary Care Medicine $400,734 Yes 0
84.325 Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities $393,288 - 0
93.172 Human Genome Research $385,783 Yes 0
93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health $364,257 Yes 0
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $361,062 - 0
93.669 Child Abuse and Neglect State Grants $361,037 - 0
59.037 Small Business Development Centers $326,353 - 0
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants $317,417 - 0
93.353 21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot $307,488 Yes 0
93.RD Covid-19 Other Centers for Disease Control & Prevention $296,650 Yes 0
17.280 Workforce Investment Act (wia) Dislocated Worker National Reserve Demonstration Grants $292,013 - 0
43.002 Aeronautics $280,262 Yes 0
93.884 Grants for Primary Care Training and Enhancement $271,874 Yes 0
77.008 U.s. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Scholarship and Fellowship Program $266,033 Yes 0
45.169 Promotion of the Humanities_office of Digital Humanities $262,399 - 0
93.940 Hiv Prevention Activities_health Department Based $250,060 - 0
47.074 Biological Sciences $249,881 Yes 0
20.701 University Transportation Centers Program $242,678 Yes 0
93.U03 Other Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration $237,378 - 0
93.600 Head Start $213,933 Yes 1
16.RD Other Department of Justice $209,621 Yes 0
93.233 National Center on Sleep Disorders Research $209,189 Yes 0
45.163 Promotion of the Humanities_professional Development $202,677 - 0
93.396 Cancer Biology Research $197,360 Yes 0
93.104 Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances (sed) $194,484 Yes 0
12.RD Other Advanced Research Projects Agency $183,909 Yes 0
94.026 National Service and Civic Engagement Research Competition $172,508 - 0
12.630 Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering $172,041 Yes 0
14.RD Other Department of Housing and Urban Development $167,674 Yes 0
97.132 Financial Assistance for Countering Violent Extremism $165,214 - 0
43.012 Space Technology $165,192 Yes 0
94.006 Americorps $156,352 - 0
93.912 Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement $155,223 - 0
47.083 Integrative Activities $153,193 Yes 0
93.359 Nurse Education, Practice Quality and Retention Grants $149,288 - 0
12.RD Other Defense Threat Reduction Agency $147,702 Yes 0
47.084 Nsf Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships $145,730 Yes 0
12.RD Other Department of the Navy $133,282 Yes 0
12.600 Community Investment $129,040 Yes 0
93.225 National Research Service Awards_health Services Research Training $124,540 Yes 0
84.021 Overseas Programs - Group Projects Abroad $122,355 - 0
84.217 Trio_mcnair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement $118,059 - 0
93.127 Emergency Medical Services for Children $114,146 Yes 0
20.205 Highway Planning and Construction $112,868 Yes 0
98.RD Other Agency for International Development $111,081 Yes 0
15.670 Adaptive Science $110,363 Yes 0
12.U04 Other Defense Health Agency $110,154 - 0
47.050 Geosciences $109,563 Yes 0
81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program $104,003 Yes 0
93.U01 Other Centers for Disease Control and Prevention $103,225 - 0
12.420 Military Medical Research and Development $101,105 Yes 0
47.041 Engineering $100,329 Yes 0
16.838 Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based Program $99,519 - 0
93.648 Child Welfare Research Training Or Demonstration $96,916 - 0
47.RD Other National Science Foundation $93,438 Yes 0
21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics $91,586 - 0
93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training $91,166 Yes 0
64.051 Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology Grant Program $88,830 Yes 0
84.016 Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Programs $87,247 - 0
93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders $86,277 Yes 0
64.U10 Other Department of Veterans Affairs $81,572 - 0
93.840 Translation and Implementation Science Research for Heart, Lung, Blood Diseases, and Sleep Disorders $79,896 Yes 0
93.395 Cancer Treatment Research $79,110 Yes 0
20.RD Other Department of Transportation $77,537 Yes 0
93.838 Lung Diseases Research $76,298 Yes 0
93.351 Research Infrastructure Programs $75,534 Yes 0
12.U06 Other National Security Agency $75,077 - 0
10.683 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation $74,995 Yes 0
43.007 Space Operations $74,324 Yes 0
93.342 Health Professions Student Loans, Including Primary Care Loans/loans for Disadvantaged Students $72,709 - 0
15.255 Science and Technology Projects Related to Coal Mining and Reclamation $70,795 Yes 0
47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences $70,171 Yes 0
47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering $70,052 Yes 0
93.914 Hiv Emergency Relief Project Grants $69,458 - 0
93.317 Emerging Infections Programs $67,422 Yes 0
12.U05 Other Department of the Navy $67,287 - 0
93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research $66,354 Yes 0
93.307 Minority Health and Health Disparities Research $66,300 Yes 0
81.087 Renewable Energy Research and Development $66,279 Yes 1
93.RD Administration for Community Living $65,699 Yes 0
93.124 Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships $65,475 - 0
45.149 Promotion of the Humanities_division of Preservation and Access $62,641 - 0
93.143 Niehs Superfund Hazardous Substances_basic Research and Education $61,666 Yes 0
47.078 Polar Programs $58,669 Yes 0
12.431 Basic Scientific Research $54,477 Yes 0
93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research $53,786 Yes 0
15.808 U.s. Geological Survey_ Research and Data Collection $50,756 Yes 0
93.243 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services_projects of Regional and National Significance $50,425 - 0
93.670 Child Abuse and Neglect Discretionary Activities $49,496 Yes 0
45.161 Promotion of the Humanities_research $49,208 - 0
66.511 Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research/training/fellowships $49,068 Yes 0
43.008 Education $48,941 Yes 0
93.855 Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research $47,515 Yes 0
93.779 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (cms) Research, Demonstrations and Evaluations $47,039 Yes 0
12.800 Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program $43,213 Yes 0
11.609 Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards $43,060 Yes 0
93.408 Nursing Faculty Loan Program - Arra $43,021 - 0
39.RD Other General Services Administration $41,967 Yes 0
93.113 Environmental Health $40,691 Yes 0
93.129 Technical and Non-Financial Assistance to Health Centers $39,993 Yes 0
43.RD Other National Aeronautics and Space Administration $39,312 Yes 0
93.426 Improving the Health of Americans Through Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke $39,301 - 0
12.300 Basic and Applied Scientific Research $39,275 Yes 0
93.433 Acl National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research $38,090 - 0
93.226 Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes $37,720 Yes 0
93.399 Cancer Control $36,166 Yes 0
45.313 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program $34,897 - 0
93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research $32,533 Yes 0
81.RD Other Department of Energy $31,951 Yes 0
93.315 Rare Disorders: Research, Surveillance, Health Promotion, and Education $31,418 Yes 0
84.200 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need $31,393 - 0
93.846 Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research $29,293 Yes 0
93.643 Children's Justice Grants to States $29,137 - 0
45.301 Museums for America $28,244 Yes 0
93.145 Aids Education and Training Centers $28,129 Yes 0
93.084 Prevention of Disease, Disability, and Death by Infectious Diseases $27,623 Yes 0
81.086 Conservation Research and Development $27,432 Yes 0
93.310 Trans-Nih Research Support $27,409 Yes 0
93.867 Vision Research $26,927 Yes 0
93.286 Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health $26,415 Yes 0
64.RD Other Department of Veterans Affairs $24,298 Yes 0
93.RD Other Food and Drug Administration $24,220 Yes 0
93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research $24,082 Yes 0
96.007 Social Security_research and Demonstration $23,888 Yes 0
12.RD Other Defense Health Agency $23,330 Yes 0
84.022 Overseas Programs - Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad $22,546 Yes 0
93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders $22,078 Yes 0
93.879 Medical Library Assistance $21,626 Yes 0
93.RD Other Health Resources and Services Administration $21,595 Yes 0
23.U07 Other Appalachian Regional Commission $21,337 - 0
19.900 Aeeca/esf Pd Programs $20,863 - 0
81.089 Fossil Energy Research and Development $19,187 Yes 0
93.242 Mental Health Research Grants $19,169 Yes 0
10.558 Child and Adult Care Food Program $18,287 - 0
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $17,528 Yes 0
12.330 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (stem) Education, Outreach and Workforce Program $17,356 Yes 0
93.103 Food and Drug Administration_research $17,342 Yes 0
93.368 21st Century Cures Act - Precision Medicine Initiative $17,028 Yes 0
81.121 Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration $16,529 Yes 0
93.262 Occupational Safety and Health Program $15,929 Yes 0
93.069 Public Health Emergency Preparedness $15,392 - 0
93.989 International Research and Research Training $15,196 Yes 0
93.397 Cancer Centers Support Grants $14,234 Yes 0
43.001 Science $11,769 Yes 0
47.076 Education and Human Resources $11,516 Yes 0
45.024 Promotion of the Arts_grants to Organizations and Individuals $11,143 Yes 0
93.839 Blood Diseases and Resources Research $10,955 Yes 0
93.421 Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services Through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health $9,869 - 0
93.136 Injury Prevention and Control Research and State and Community Based Programs $9,652 - 0
81.135 Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy $9,296 Yes 0
93.083 Prevention of Disease, Disability, and Death Through Immunization and Control of Respiratory and Related Diseases $9,127 Yes 0
20.200 Highway Research and Development Program $8,691 Yes 0
12.910 Research and Technology Development $7,481 Yes 0
84.411 Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund $7,312 Yes 0
12.360 Research on Chemical and Biological Defense $7,274 Yes 0
93.436 Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (wisewoman) $7,128 Yes 0
93.738 Pphf: Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Program Financed Solely by Public Prevention and Health Funds $6,886 Yes 0
93.945 Assistance Programs for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control $5,686 Yes 0
47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences $5,597 Yes 0
99.RD Other Medicaid and Chip Payment and Access Commission $5,086 Yes 0
23.011 Appalachian Research, Technical Assistance, and Demonstration Projects $5,000 - 0
93.RD Other Department of Health and Human Services $3,148 Yes 0
93.077 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research $2,523 Yes 0
66.509 Science to Achieve Results (star) Research Program $2,367 Yes 0
93.361 Nursing Research $1,870 Yes 0
84.229 Language Resource Centers $1,776 - 0
81.U08 Other Department of Energy $1,145 - 0
81.U09 Other Department of Energy $999 - 0
93.325 Paralysis Resource Center $875 Yes 0
93.991 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant $717 Yes 0
93.RD Other Centers for Disease Control & Prevention $300 Yes 0
11.307 Economic Adjustment Assistance $200 - 0
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $25 - 0
93.866 Aging Research $-113 Yes 0
12.RD Other Department of the Air Force $-128 Yes 0
93.273 Alcohol Research Programs $-380 Yes 0
84.126 Rehabilitation Services_vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States $-653 - 0
93.977 Preventive Health Services_sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Grants $-685 - 0
10.001 Agricultural Research_basic and Applied Research $-974 Yes 0
93.RD Other National Institutes of Health $-1,652 Yes 0
45.312 National Leadership Grants $-2,870 Yes 0
10.310 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (afri) $-3,790 Yes 0
93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs $-5,065 Yes 0
12.351 Basic Scientific Research - Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction $-8,563 Yes 0
93.U02 Other Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration $-9,636 - 0
93.394 Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research $-9,710 Yes 0
12.RD Other Department of Army $-14,230 Yes 0

Contacts

Name Title Type
MKAGLD59JRL1 Thurman Wingrove Auditee
4126246028 Eric Forkner Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. The accompanying schedule of expenditures of federal awards (the Schedule) includes all grants, contracts, and similar agreements of the University of Pittsburgh – Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education (the University), which has been financed by the U.S. federal government for the year ended June 30, 2023. The federal award information is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principals, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). For the purposes of the Schedule, federal awards have been classified in two types: • Direct federal awards, and • Pass through funds received from nonfederal organizations made under federally sponsored programs conducted by those organizations. The Schedule also presents expenditures passed through from the University to other nonfederal subrecipient organizations. Since the Schedule presents only a selected portion of the activities of the University, it is not intended to and does not present either the financial position, changes in net assets, or cash flows of the University. The Schedule is prepared on the accrual basis of accounting. Negative expenditures detailed in the Schedule result from current year adjustments to prior year award amounts. Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, as applicable. Under these costs principles and administrative requirements, certain expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable.
Title: Reimbursement of Facilities and Administrative Costs Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. Sponsored grants and contracts normally provide for the recovery of direct and facilities and administrative costs (F&A costs). Recovery of the related F&A costs is generally recorded at predetermined rates negotiated with the federal government. Entitlement to these resources for the recovery of the applicable direct and related F&A costs is generally conditioned upon compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant agreements and applicable federal regulations, including the expenditure of the resources for eligible purposes. Substantially all grants and the University's F&A cost rate are subject to financial and compliance reviews and audits by the grantors. In management's opinion, the likelihood of an adverse material outcome upon the University's financial position from those reviews and audits is remote. The Department of Health and Human Services have approved F&A cost recovery rates for the University through fiscal year 2025. The University has elected not to use the 10-percent de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance.
Title: Federal Loan Program Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. The University administers the following federal loan programs with an outstanding loan balance at June 30, 2023 (See the Notes to the SEFA for the chart/table): The Perkins and Department of Health and Human Services Public Service Loan Programs are administered directly by the University, and balances and transactions relating to these programs are included in the University's consolidated financial statements. The amounts included in the Schedule of Expenditures under the Perkins and Department of Health and Human Services Public Service Loan Programs include the balance of the respective loan program as of June 30, 2022 and new loans issued during fiscal 2023.
Title: Department of Education Loan Programs Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. The University is responsible only for the performance of certain administrative duties with respect to the Direct Loans; accordingly, these loans are not included in the University's consolidated financial statements and it is not practical to determine the balance of loans outstanding to students and former students of the University under these programs.
Title: Student Financial Assistance Program Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. For the year ended June 30, 2023, administrative costs on the Student Financial Assistance Program were claimed under the Federal Work Study Program in the amount of $209,527.
Title: 2023 Program Expenditures Incurred in Prior Years Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. During the year ended June 30, 2023, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sub-awarded to the University COVD-19 Disaster Grants – Public Assistance (Presidentially Declared Disasters) (ALN 97.036) for funding obligated in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and reported on the Schedule totaling $19,797,903. Included in the amount reported on the Schedule are project expenditures that were incurred by the University in prior years totaling $19,414,426.
Title: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Department of Health Accounting Policies: Expenditures for federal awards (excluding student financial assistance) are determined using cost accounting principles and procedures set forth in OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, and the uniform administrative requirements as set forth in OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Adminsitrative Requirments for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations, or the administrative and cost principles contained in the Uniform Gudiance, as applicable which exxlcude or limit certain expenditures from reimbursement. Expenditures for student financial assistance are recognized as incurred and include the federal share of students' Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program and Federal Work-Study program earnings, Pell grants, loan disbursements and administrative cost allowances, where applicable. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The University uses its federally negotiated rate. For the awards passed through from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health to the University, the following supplemental information is provided for the year ended June 30, 2023 (See the Notes to the SEFA for the chart/table):

Finding Details

Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Head Start Cluster: Assistance Listing Number 93.600 Federal Agency Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Not applicable, direct award Federal Award Year September 30, 2021 – September 29, 2023 Criteria or Requirement The requirements for reporting are contained in 2 CFR 200.328 which states unless otherwise approved by OMB, the Federal awarding agency must solicit only the OMB-approved governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information (at time of publication the Federal Financial Report or such future, OMB- approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead). This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition Found, including perspective The semi-annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) and Annual Federal Financial Report (AFFR), which are due 30 and 90 days, respectively, after the budget end period, detail cumulative program information that is required to be reported. We sampled two FFRs and the one AFFR for testing, and both of the FFRs were submitted late. The budget end period for project ID #136677 was September 29, 2022; however, the FFR was not submitted until December 9, 2022, 40 days late. The budget end period for project ID #138397 was April 30, 2023; however, the FFR was not submitted until May 2, 2023, 2 days late. Additionally, the FFR for project ID #138397 required information to be reported for the six-month period of September 29, 2023 to March 29, 2023; however, only 5 months of activity was reported. Cause Required program information for project ID #136677 was not made available within HHS’ Payment Management System (PMS) by the Sponsor for the University to prepare the FFR until December 2, 2022. This was 33 days after the due date of October 30, 2022. Further, due to human oversight, the FFR for project ID #138397 erroneously excluded data (5 months submitted vs. 6 months required) and was not submitted prior to the April 30, 2023 due date. Effect Failure to properly submit accurate and timely reporting submissions may prevent the University from being in compliance with the requirements set forth by the Uniform Guidance. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University enhance the design and implementation of internal controls to ensure that all required reports are submitted accurately and timely. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding. The University takes seriously its responsibility to meet all financial terms and conditions of grants, contracts, and other agreements including reporting. Reporting requirements are flagged in the University’s financial systems and manually tracked for completion where sponsor systems do not provide systematic alerts of pending and delinquent reports. The Early Head Start program reporting requirements are tracked via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System (PMS). The Grants Management Specialist (GMS) for the applicable awards has informed the University that technical issues within PMS are preventing reports from automatically being made available for preparation and subsequent certification. The GMS requested the University institute a procedure to request report access when identified as unavailable. The appropriate staff in Sponsored Projects Accounting have been informed of the PMS technical issue resulting in reports not being released for preparation and instructed to contact the GMS immediately to release the reports, if they are not readily available.
Federal Program Head Start Cluster: Assistance Listing Number 93.600 Federal Agency Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Not applicable, direct award Federal Award Year September 30, 2021 – September 29, 2023 Criteria or Requirement The requirements for reporting are contained in 2 CFR 200.328 which states unless otherwise approved by OMB, the Federal awarding agency must solicit only the OMB-approved governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information (at time of publication the Federal Financial Report or such future, OMB- approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead). This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition Found, including perspective The semi-annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) and Annual Federal Financial Report (AFFR), which are due 30 and 90 days, respectively, after the budget end period, detail cumulative program information that is required to be reported. We sampled two FFRs and the one AFFR for testing, and both of the FFRs were submitted late. The budget end period for project ID #136677 was September 29, 2022; however, the FFR was not submitted until December 9, 2022, 40 days late. The budget end period for project ID #138397 was April 30, 2023; however, the FFR was not submitted until May 2, 2023, 2 days late. Additionally, the FFR for project ID #138397 required information to be reported for the six-month period of September 29, 2023 to March 29, 2023; however, only 5 months of activity was reported. Cause Required program information for project ID #136677 was not made available within HHS’ Payment Management System (PMS) by the Sponsor for the University to prepare the FFR until December 2, 2022. This was 33 days after the due date of October 30, 2022. Further, due to human oversight, the FFR for project ID #138397 erroneously excluded data (5 months submitted vs. 6 months required) and was not submitted prior to the April 30, 2023 due date. Effect Failure to properly submit accurate and timely reporting submissions may prevent the University from being in compliance with the requirements set forth by the Uniform Guidance. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University enhance the design and implementation of internal controls to ensure that all required reports are submitted accurately and timely. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding. The University takes seriously its responsibility to meet all financial terms and conditions of grants, contracts, and other agreements including reporting. Reporting requirements are flagged in the University’s financial systems and manually tracked for completion where sponsor systems do not provide systematic alerts of pending and delinquent reports. The Early Head Start program reporting requirements are tracked via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System (PMS). The Grants Management Specialist (GMS) for the applicable awards has informed the University that technical issues within PMS are preventing reports from automatically being made available for preparation and subsequent certification. The GMS requested the University institute a procedure to request report access when identified as unavailable. The appropriate staff in Sponsored Projects Accounting have been informed of the PMS technical issue resulting in reports not being released for preparation and instructed to contact the GMS immediately to release the reports, if they are not readily available.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Research and Development Cluster ALNs 12.RD, 81.087, 93.RD, 93.173, 93.273, 93.336, 93.837, 93.839, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866 Federal Agencies Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Various Federal Award Year Ranges from September 23, 2016 – September 30, 2025 Criteria or Requirement 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) states that small purchase procedures for non-Federal entities includes the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. The University's procurement policies and procedures for small purchases requires the University's purchaser to conduct and select a supplier through a competitive bidding process for items ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. The University's procurement policies state that competitive bidding is not required when purchasing goods or services from a University contracted supplier or for directed sole source purchases. 2 CFR 200.303 requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal awards to 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. Effective internal controls should include procedures to comply with the University's purchasing policies and procedures. Condition Found, including perspective University purchasers have the ability to request payment for goods or services purchased by submitting a requisition in Panther Express for the order to be routed to the Purchasing Department for review and approval, or an other payment request (OPR) specialty form is completed and submitted with the invoice in Panther Express which bypasses the Purchasing Department to Payment Processing for review and check processing. We identified one out of the 40 procurements sampled for testing did not have the required competitive bidding documentation for purchases ranging between $10,000 and $50,000 because the University purchaser utilized the OPR form bypassing the Purchasing Department review. The Purchasing Department subsequently ran queries from its system for a list of all Research and Development cluster (R&D) expenditures exceeding $10,000 that utilized the OPR form that did not have the required competitive bidding documentation and identified 24 purchases (including our sampled item) from multiple University purchasers totaling approximately $402,000, which is 0.04% of total R&D expenditures. None of these purchases were from a University contracted supplier, and there was no directed or sole source documentation filed, which is a violation of the University procurement policies. Cause University purchasers did not follow University payment procedures for procurements exceeding $10,000 to be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Department prior to disbursement. Effect Failure to properly follow University payment and procurement policies could result in noncompliance and/or the use of an inappropriate vendor. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University reinforce its procurement policies and procedures to all departments to ensure all the University’s procurement policies are being followed. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding and the following corrective actions are being taken to minimize future risks. First, although all purchasers are required to complete training on purchasing and payment policies prior to obtaining system access, a refresher policy training will be provided to the 13 departments in which exceptions were discovered along with a reminder communication to all the approximately 4,300 department purchasers. This will be completed by June 30, 2024. Second, for certain types of purchases such as those involving intellectual property rights, suppliers may complete work in good faith and request payment in the absence of a purchase order or contract. A new procedure has been instituted requiring the department/supplier to execute a contract prior to payment in order to minimize legal risks to the University and its funding agencies. This new procedure is complete. Finally, we are analyzing legitimate uses of the OPRS form and evaluating whether placing a maximum dollar limit, such as $5,000, for the use of the form will further strengthen internal controls. The evaluation will be completed by June 30, 2024. Implementing maximum dollar limits on the OPRS form will require IT changes, and therefore implementation will not occur until December 31, 2024.
Federal Program Head Start Cluster: Assistance Listing Number 93.600 Federal Agency Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Not applicable, direct award Federal Award Year September 30, 2021 – September 29, 2023 Criteria or Requirement The requirements for reporting are contained in 2 CFR 200.328 which states unless otherwise approved by OMB, the Federal awarding agency must solicit only the OMB-approved governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information (at time of publication the Federal Financial Report or such future, OMB- approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead). This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition Found, including perspective The semi-annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) and Annual Federal Financial Report (AFFR), which are due 30 and 90 days, respectively, after the budget end period, detail cumulative program information that is required to be reported. We sampled two FFRs and the one AFFR for testing, and both of the FFRs were submitted late. The budget end period for project ID #136677 was September 29, 2022; however, the FFR was not submitted until December 9, 2022, 40 days late. The budget end period for project ID #138397 was April 30, 2023; however, the FFR was not submitted until May 2, 2023, 2 days late. Additionally, the FFR for project ID #138397 required information to be reported for the six-month period of September 29, 2023 to March 29, 2023; however, only 5 months of activity was reported. Cause Required program information for project ID #136677 was not made available within HHS’ Payment Management System (PMS) by the Sponsor for the University to prepare the FFR until December 2, 2022. This was 33 days after the due date of October 30, 2022. Further, due to human oversight, the FFR for project ID #138397 erroneously excluded data (5 months submitted vs. 6 months required) and was not submitted prior to the April 30, 2023 due date. Effect Failure to properly submit accurate and timely reporting submissions may prevent the University from being in compliance with the requirements set forth by the Uniform Guidance. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University enhance the design and implementation of internal controls to ensure that all required reports are submitted accurately and timely. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding. The University takes seriously its responsibility to meet all financial terms and conditions of grants, contracts, and other agreements including reporting. Reporting requirements are flagged in the University’s financial systems and manually tracked for completion where sponsor systems do not provide systematic alerts of pending and delinquent reports. The Early Head Start program reporting requirements are tracked via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System (PMS). The Grants Management Specialist (GMS) for the applicable awards has informed the University that technical issues within PMS are preventing reports from automatically being made available for preparation and subsequent certification. The GMS requested the University institute a procedure to request report access when identified as unavailable. The appropriate staff in Sponsored Projects Accounting have been informed of the PMS technical issue resulting in reports not being released for preparation and instructed to contact the GMS immediately to release the reports, if they are not readily available.
Federal Program Head Start Cluster: Assistance Listing Number 93.600 Federal Agency Department of Health and Human Services Pass-through Entity Not applicable, direct award Federal Award Year September 30, 2021 – September 29, 2023 Criteria or Requirement The requirements for reporting are contained in 2 CFR 200.328 which states unless otherwise approved by OMB, the Federal awarding agency must solicit only the OMB-approved governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information (at time of publication the Federal Financial Report or such future, OMB- approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead). This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition Found, including perspective The semi-annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) and Annual Federal Financial Report (AFFR), which are due 30 and 90 days, respectively, after the budget end period, detail cumulative program information that is required to be reported. We sampled two FFRs and the one AFFR for testing, and both of the FFRs were submitted late. The budget end period for project ID #136677 was September 29, 2022; however, the FFR was not submitted until December 9, 2022, 40 days late. The budget end period for project ID #138397 was April 30, 2023; however, the FFR was not submitted until May 2, 2023, 2 days late. Additionally, the FFR for project ID #138397 required information to be reported for the six-month period of September 29, 2023 to March 29, 2023; however, only 5 months of activity was reported. Cause Required program information for project ID #136677 was not made available within HHS’ Payment Management System (PMS) by the Sponsor for the University to prepare the FFR until December 2, 2022. This was 33 days after the due date of October 30, 2022. Further, due to human oversight, the FFR for project ID #138397 erroneously excluded data (5 months submitted vs. 6 months required) and was not submitted prior to the April 30, 2023 due date. Effect Failure to properly submit accurate and timely reporting submissions may prevent the University from being in compliance with the requirements set forth by the Uniform Guidance. Questioned Costs No questioned costs were identified. Statistical Sample The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding No. Recommendation We recommend that the University enhance the design and implementation of internal controls to ensure that all required reports are submitted accurately and timely. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding. The University takes seriously its responsibility to meet all financial terms and conditions of grants, contracts, and other agreements including reporting. Reporting requirements are flagged in the University’s financial systems and manually tracked for completion where sponsor systems do not provide systematic alerts of pending and delinquent reports. The Early Head Start program reporting requirements are tracked via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System (PMS). The Grants Management Specialist (GMS) for the applicable awards has informed the University that technical issues within PMS are preventing reports from automatically being made available for preparation and subsequent certification. The GMS requested the University institute a procedure to request report access when identified as unavailable. The appropriate staff in Sponsored Projects Accounting have been informed of the PMS technical issue resulting in reports not being released for preparation and instructed to contact the GMS immediately to release the reports, if they are not readily available.