2024 – 007 Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City of Nogales must establish and
maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that it is
managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in the
“Internal Control Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
Per 2 CFR 200.324, the non-Federal entity must perform a cost or price analysis in connection with
every procurement action in excess of the Simplified Acquisition Threshold including contract
modifications. The method and degree of analysis is dependent on the facts surrounding the particular
procurement situation, but as a starting point, the non-Federal entity must make independent estimates
before receiving bids or proposals.
Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered
transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. “Covered transactions” include contracts for
goods and services awarded under a non-procurement transaction (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000 or meet certain other criteria as specified in 2
CFR section 180.220). All non-procurement transactions entered into by a pass-through entity (i.e.,
subawards to subrecipients), irrespective of award amount, are considered covered transactions,
unless they are exempt as provided in 2 CFR section 180.215.
When a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-
Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting
regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction.
This verification may be accomplished by:
(1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General
Services Administration (GSA) and available at SAM.gov | Home (click on Search Record, then
click on Advanced Search-Exclusions) (Note: The OMB guidance at 2 CFR part 180 and agency
implementing regulations still refer to the SAM Exclusions as the Excluded Parties List System
(EPLS)),
(2) collecting a certification from the entity, or
(3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity (2 CFR section 180.300).
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
Three out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide support for the procurement
method used, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
One out of five vendors tested did not have a valid contract on file.
Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to awarding
the contract.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning – Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
• Five out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide sample support requested to test
procurement method selected, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
• Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to
awarding the contract.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.”
Cause: The City’s written procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures are in
compliance with Uniform Grant Guidance but were not properly adhered to. Effect: The City is not in compliance with uniform grant guidance requirements related to procurement,
suspension, and debarment.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2024-005.
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over
procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures to ensure adherence to all uniform
grant guidance requirements. This could include implementing a more robust checklist that should be
completed, signed off by management and included with each procurement which has all required
items noted such as cost/price analysis and verification of suspension and debarment of vendors.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 008 Reporting
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per the Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Version 5.2, 2. Annual Reporting: The following recipients are required to
submit annual Project and Expenditure Reports:
• Tribal governments that are allocated less than $30 million in SLFRF funding
• Metropolitan cities and counties with a population below 250,000 residents that are allocated
less than $10 million in SLFRF funding and NEUs that are allocated less than $10 million in
SLFRF funding
For these recipients, the initial Project and Expenditure Report covered from March 3, 2021 to
March 31, 2022 and was required to be submitted to Treasury by April 30, 2022. The subsequent
annual reports will cover one calendar year and must be submitted to Treasury by April 30.
3. Required Information: The following information is required in Project and Expenditure Reports for
both quarterly and annual reporting: Projects: Provide information on all SLFRF funded projects. Projects are defined as a grouping of
closely related activities that together are intended to achieve a specific goal or are directed toward a
common purpose. These activities can include new or existing eligible government services or
investments funded in whole or in part by SLFRF funding. For each project, the recipient is required to
enter the project name, identification number (created by the recipient), project expenditure category
(see Appendix 1), description, and status of completion. Project descriptions must describe the project
in sufficient detail to provide an understanding of the major activities that will occur, and must be
between 50 and 250 words.
Project descriptions for the emergency relief from natural disasters eligible use category must describe
the natural disaster the recipient is responding to, including the type of event, and how the emergency
relief is related to and reasonably proportional to the natural disaster.
a. Projects should be defined to include only closely related activities directed toward a common
purpose. Recipients should review the Required Programmatic Data described in 3.g. below and define
their projects at a sufficient level of granularity.
Note: For each project, the recipient is asked to select the appropriate Expenditure Category based on
the scope of the project (see Appendix 1). Projects should be scoped to align to a single Expenditure
Category. For select Expenditure Categories, the recipient also is asked to provide additional
programmatic data.
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included testing the
SLFRF Compliance Report. During the testing of the Compliance report, it was noted that the report’s
key line items below were not properly supported:
Current period expenditure
Cumulative expenditure
Current period expenditures per the Compliance Report $0 and per the expenditure details provided
$907,419 creating a difference of $907,419.
Cumulative expenditure per Compliance Report $6,714,003 and per the expenditure detail provided
$4,264,421 creating a difference of $2,449,582.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of two quarterly reports.
Two out of two of the quarterly reports tested contained no separate reviewer/approver support.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.” Cause: Current internal controls over the review and approval of prepared reports are not at an
effective precision level to detect errors in the figures, answers, and explanations reported prior to
submission.
Effect: The City is not in compliance with Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds Version 5.2, 2.grant guidance requirements related to reporting.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2023-007
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over the
review and approval of reporting to in order to prevent reporting noncompliance and ensure adherence
to all grant guidance requirements.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 009 Special Tests and Provisions – Wage Rate
Federal Agency: Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): 04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: 04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City of Nogales (City) must establish and
maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that it is
managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in the
“Internal Control Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
Per 40 USC 3141–3144, 3146, and 3147 All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or
subcontractors to work on construction contracts in excess of $2,000 financed by federal assistance
funds must be paid wages not less than those established for the locality of the project (prevailing wage
rates) by the Department of Labor (DOL). Per 29 CFR Part 5, Labor Standards Provisions Applicable to Contacts Governing Federally Financed
and Assisted Construction: Nonfederal entities shall include in their construction contracts subject to the
Wage Rate Requirements (which still may be referenced as the Davis-Bacon Act) a provision that the
contractor or subcontractor comply with those requirements and the DOL regulations. This includes a
requirement for the contractor or subcontractor to submit to the nonfederal entity weekly, for each week
in which any contract work is performed, a copy of the payroll and a statement of compliance (certified
payrolls) (29 CFR sections 5.5 and 5.6; the A-102 Common Rule (section 36(i)(5)); OMB Circular A-110
(2 CFR Part 215, Appendix A, Contract Provisions); 2 CFR Part 176, Subpart C; and 2 CFR section
200.326).
Condition: There was no support provided for the three out of three contractor vendors with
construction work noted on their purchase orders.
Questioned costs: None.
Context: See “Condition.”
Cause: Current process and controls are not at the correct precision level to ensure special provisions
regarding the Wage Rate compliances are being met.
Effect: Ineffective internal controls may result in questioned costs and noncompliance with the terms of
the grant award.
Repeat Finding: No
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should refine its current process and associated controls
surrounding the requirements in 40 USC 3141–3144, 3146, and 3147 to ensure they are met.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 007 Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City of Nogales must establish and
maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that it is
managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in the
“Internal Control Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
Per 2 CFR 200.324, the non-Federal entity must perform a cost or price analysis in connection with
every procurement action in excess of the Simplified Acquisition Threshold including contract
modifications. The method and degree of analysis is dependent on the facts surrounding the particular
procurement situation, but as a starting point, the non-Federal entity must make independent estimates
before receiving bids or proposals.
Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered
transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. “Covered transactions” include contracts for
goods and services awarded under a non-procurement transaction (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000 or meet certain other criteria as specified in 2
CFR section 180.220). All non-procurement transactions entered into by a pass-through entity (i.e.,
subawards to subrecipients), irrespective of award amount, are considered covered transactions,
unless they are exempt as provided in 2 CFR section 180.215.
When a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-
Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting
regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction.
This verification may be accomplished by:
(1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General
Services Administration (GSA) and available at SAM.gov | Home (click on Search Record, then
click on Advanced Search-Exclusions) (Note: The OMB guidance at 2 CFR part 180 and agency
implementing regulations still refer to the SAM Exclusions as the Excluded Parties List System
(EPLS)),
(2) collecting a certification from the entity, or
(3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity (2 CFR section 180.300).
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
Three out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide support for the procurement
method used, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
One out of five vendors tested did not have a valid contract on file.
Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to awarding
the contract.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning – Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
• Five out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide sample support requested to test
procurement method selected, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
• Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to
awarding the contract.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.”
Cause: The City’s written procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures are in
compliance with Uniform Grant Guidance but were not properly adhered to. Effect: The City is not in compliance with uniform grant guidance requirements related to procurement,
suspension, and debarment.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2024-005.
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over
procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures to ensure adherence to all uniform
grant guidance requirements. This could include implementing a more robust checklist that should be
completed, signed off by management and included with each procurement which has all required
items noted such as cost/price analysis and verification of suspension and debarment of vendors.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 008 Reporting
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per the Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Version 5.2, 2. Annual Reporting: The following recipients are required to
submit annual Project and Expenditure Reports:
• Tribal governments that are allocated less than $30 million in SLFRF funding
• Metropolitan cities and counties with a population below 250,000 residents that are allocated
less than $10 million in SLFRF funding and NEUs that are allocated less than $10 million in
SLFRF funding
For these recipients, the initial Project and Expenditure Report covered from March 3, 2021 to
March 31, 2022 and was required to be submitted to Treasury by April 30, 2022. The subsequent
annual reports will cover one calendar year and must be submitted to Treasury by April 30.
3. Required Information: The following information is required in Project and Expenditure Reports for
both quarterly and annual reporting: Projects: Provide information on all SLFRF funded projects. Projects are defined as a grouping of
closely related activities that together are intended to achieve a specific goal or are directed toward a
common purpose. These activities can include new or existing eligible government services or
investments funded in whole or in part by SLFRF funding. For each project, the recipient is required to
enter the project name, identification number (created by the recipient), project expenditure category
(see Appendix 1), description, and status of completion. Project descriptions must describe the project
in sufficient detail to provide an understanding of the major activities that will occur, and must be
between 50 and 250 words.
Project descriptions for the emergency relief from natural disasters eligible use category must describe
the natural disaster the recipient is responding to, including the type of event, and how the emergency
relief is related to and reasonably proportional to the natural disaster.
a. Projects should be defined to include only closely related activities directed toward a common
purpose. Recipients should review the Required Programmatic Data described in 3.g. below and define
their projects at a sufficient level of granularity.
Note: For each project, the recipient is asked to select the appropriate Expenditure Category based on
the scope of the project (see Appendix 1). Projects should be scoped to align to a single Expenditure
Category. For select Expenditure Categories, the recipient also is asked to provide additional
programmatic data.
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included testing the
SLFRF Compliance Report. During the testing of the Compliance report, it was noted that the report’s
key line items below were not properly supported:
Current period expenditure
Cumulative expenditure
Current period expenditures per the Compliance Report $0 and per the expenditure details provided
$907,419 creating a difference of $907,419.
Cumulative expenditure per Compliance Report $6,714,003 and per the expenditure detail provided
$4,264,421 creating a difference of $2,449,582.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of two quarterly reports.
Two out of two of the quarterly reports tested contained no separate reviewer/approver support.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.” Cause: Current internal controls over the review and approval of prepared reports are not at an
effective precision level to detect errors in the figures, answers, and explanations reported prior to
submission.
Effect: The City is not in compliance with Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds Version 5.2, 2.grant guidance requirements related to reporting.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2023-007
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over the
review and approval of reporting to in order to prevent reporting noncompliance and ensure adherence
to all grant guidance requirements.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 007 Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City of Nogales must establish and
maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that it is
managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in the
“Internal Control Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
Per 2 CFR 200.324, the non-Federal entity must perform a cost or price analysis in connection with
every procurement action in excess of the Simplified Acquisition Threshold including contract
modifications. The method and degree of analysis is dependent on the facts surrounding the particular
procurement situation, but as a starting point, the non-Federal entity must make independent estimates
before receiving bids or proposals.
Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered
transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. “Covered transactions” include contracts for
goods and services awarded under a non-procurement transaction (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000 or meet certain other criteria as specified in 2
CFR section 180.220). All non-procurement transactions entered into by a pass-through entity (i.e.,
subawards to subrecipients), irrespective of award amount, are considered covered transactions,
unless they are exempt as provided in 2 CFR section 180.215.
When a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-
Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting
regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction.
This verification may be accomplished by:
(1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General
Services Administration (GSA) and available at SAM.gov | Home (click on Search Record, then
click on Advanced Search-Exclusions) (Note: The OMB guidance at 2 CFR part 180 and agency
implementing regulations still refer to the SAM Exclusions as the Excluded Parties List System
(EPLS)),
(2) collecting a certification from the entity, or
(3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity (2 CFR section 180.300).
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
Three out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide support for the procurement
method used, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
One out of five vendors tested did not have a valid contract on file.
Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to awarding
the contract.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning – Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
• Five out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide sample support requested to test
procurement method selected, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
• Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to
awarding the contract.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.”
Cause: The City’s written procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures are in
compliance with Uniform Grant Guidance but were not properly adhered to. Effect: The City is not in compliance with uniform grant guidance requirements related to procurement,
suspension, and debarment.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2024-005.
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over
procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures to ensure adherence to all uniform
grant guidance requirements. This could include implementing a more robust checklist that should be
completed, signed off by management and included with each procurement which has all required
items noted such as cost/price analysis and verification of suspension and debarment of vendors.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 008 Reporting
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per the Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Version 5.2, 2. Annual Reporting: The following recipients are required to
submit annual Project and Expenditure Reports:
• Tribal governments that are allocated less than $30 million in SLFRF funding
• Metropolitan cities and counties with a population below 250,000 residents that are allocated
less than $10 million in SLFRF funding and NEUs that are allocated less than $10 million in
SLFRF funding
For these recipients, the initial Project and Expenditure Report covered from March 3, 2021 to
March 31, 2022 and was required to be submitted to Treasury by April 30, 2022. The subsequent
annual reports will cover one calendar year and must be submitted to Treasury by April 30.
3. Required Information: The following information is required in Project and Expenditure Reports for
both quarterly and annual reporting: Projects: Provide information on all SLFRF funded projects. Projects are defined as a grouping of
closely related activities that together are intended to achieve a specific goal or are directed toward a
common purpose. These activities can include new or existing eligible government services or
investments funded in whole or in part by SLFRF funding. For each project, the recipient is required to
enter the project name, identification number (created by the recipient), project expenditure category
(see Appendix 1), description, and status of completion. Project descriptions must describe the project
in sufficient detail to provide an understanding of the major activities that will occur, and must be
between 50 and 250 words.
Project descriptions for the emergency relief from natural disasters eligible use category must describe
the natural disaster the recipient is responding to, including the type of event, and how the emergency
relief is related to and reasonably proportional to the natural disaster.
a. Projects should be defined to include only closely related activities directed toward a common
purpose. Recipients should review the Required Programmatic Data described in 3.g. below and define
their projects at a sufficient level of granularity.
Note: For each project, the recipient is asked to select the appropriate Expenditure Category based on
the scope of the project (see Appendix 1). Projects should be scoped to align to a single Expenditure
Category. For select Expenditure Categories, the recipient also is asked to provide additional
programmatic data.
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included testing the
SLFRF Compliance Report. During the testing of the Compliance report, it was noted that the report’s
key line items below were not properly supported:
Current period expenditure
Cumulative expenditure
Current period expenditures per the Compliance Report $0 and per the expenditure details provided
$907,419 creating a difference of $907,419.
Cumulative expenditure per Compliance Report $6,714,003 and per the expenditure detail provided
$4,264,421 creating a difference of $2,449,582.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of two quarterly reports.
Two out of two of the quarterly reports tested contained no separate reviewer/approver support.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.” Cause: Current internal controls over the review and approval of prepared reports are not at an
effective precision level to detect errors in the figures, answers, and explanations reported prior to
submission.
Effect: The City is not in compliance with Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds Version 5.2, 2.grant guidance requirements related to reporting.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2023-007
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over the
review and approval of reporting to in order to prevent reporting noncompliance and ensure adherence
to all grant guidance requirements.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 009 Special Tests and Provisions – Wage Rate
Federal Agency: Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): 04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: 04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City of Nogales (City) must establish and
maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that it is
managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in the
“Internal Control Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
Per 40 USC 3141–3144, 3146, and 3147 All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or
subcontractors to work on construction contracts in excess of $2,000 financed by federal assistance
funds must be paid wages not less than those established for the locality of the project (prevailing wage
rates) by the Department of Labor (DOL). Per 29 CFR Part 5, Labor Standards Provisions Applicable to Contacts Governing Federally Financed
and Assisted Construction: Nonfederal entities shall include in their construction contracts subject to the
Wage Rate Requirements (which still may be referenced as the Davis-Bacon Act) a provision that the
contractor or subcontractor comply with those requirements and the DOL regulations. This includes a
requirement for the contractor or subcontractor to submit to the nonfederal entity weekly, for each week
in which any contract work is performed, a copy of the payroll and a statement of compliance (certified
payrolls) (29 CFR sections 5.5 and 5.6; the A-102 Common Rule (section 36(i)(5)); OMB Circular A-110
(2 CFR Part 215, Appendix A, Contract Provisions); 2 CFR Part 176, Subpart C; and 2 CFR section
200.326).
Condition: There was no support provided for the three out of three contractor vendors with
construction work noted on their purchase orders.
Questioned costs: None.
Context: See “Condition.”
Cause: Current process and controls are not at the correct precision level to ensure special provisions
regarding the Wage Rate compliances are being met.
Effect: Ineffective internal controls may result in questioned costs and noncompliance with the terms of
the grant award.
Repeat Finding: No
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should refine its current process and associated controls
surrounding the requirements in 40 USC 3141–3144, 3146, and 3147 to ensure they are met.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 007 Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), the City of Nogales must establish and
maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that it is
managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in the
“Internal Control Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
Per 2 CFR 200.324, the non-Federal entity must perform a cost or price analysis in connection with
every procurement action in excess of the Simplified Acquisition Threshold including contract
modifications. The method and degree of analysis is dependent on the facts surrounding the particular
procurement situation, but as a starting point, the non-Federal entity must make independent estimates
before receiving bids or proposals.
Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered
transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. “Covered transactions” include contracts for
goods and services awarded under a non-procurement transaction (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000 or meet certain other criteria as specified in 2
CFR section 180.220). All non-procurement transactions entered into by a pass-through entity (i.e.,
subawards to subrecipients), irrespective of award amount, are considered covered transactions,
unless they are exempt as provided in 2 CFR section 180.215.
When a non-Federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-
Federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting
regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction.
This verification may be accomplished by:
(1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General
Services Administration (GSA) and available at SAM.gov | Home (click on Search Record, then
click on Advanced Search-Exclusions) (Note: The OMB guidance at 2 CFR part 180 and agency
implementing regulations still refer to the SAM Exclusions as the Excluded Parties List System
(EPLS)),
(2) collecting a certification from the entity, or
(3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity (2 CFR section 180.300).
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
Three out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide support for the procurement
method used, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
One out of five vendors tested did not have a valid contract on file.
Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to awarding
the contract.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning – Audit procedures included selection and
testing of five competitively procured vendor contracts.
• Five out of five vendors tested for procurement did not provide sample support requested to test
procurement method selected, price/bid comparison, and cost analysis performed.
• Five out of five vendors tested did not provide support for the SAMS verification check that the
winning vendor was not suspended nor debarred from receiving federal funds prior to
awarding the contract.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.”
Cause: The City’s written procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures are in
compliance with Uniform Grant Guidance but were not properly adhered to. Effect: The City is not in compliance with uniform grant guidance requirements related to procurement,
suspension, and debarment.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2024-005.
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over
procurement, suspension and debarment policies and procedures to ensure adherence to all uniform
grant guidance requirements. This could include implementing a more robust checklist that should be
completed, signed off by management and included with each procurement which has all required
items noted such as cost/price analysis and verification of suspension and debarment of vendors.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.
2024 – 008 Reporting
Federal Agency: Department of the Treasury
Department of Interior
Federal Program Title: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
ALN: 21.027
15.916
Pass-Through Agency: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
Arizona State Park Trails
Pass-Through Number(s): Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
N/A
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04-007-652304
Award Number and Period: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA)
1505-0271
3/3/2021 – 12/31/2024
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning
04/18/2022-12/31/24
Statistically Valid Sample: No, and not intended to be a statistically valid sample
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance
Criteria or specific requirement: Per the Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Version 5.2, 2. Annual Reporting: The following recipients are required to
submit annual Project and Expenditure Reports:
• Tribal governments that are allocated less than $30 million in SLFRF funding
• Metropolitan cities and counties with a population below 250,000 residents that are allocated
less than $10 million in SLFRF funding and NEUs that are allocated less than $10 million in
SLFRF funding
For these recipients, the initial Project and Expenditure Report covered from March 3, 2021 to
March 31, 2022 and was required to be submitted to Treasury by April 30, 2022. The subsequent
annual reports will cover one calendar year and must be submitted to Treasury by April 30.
3. Required Information: The following information is required in Project and Expenditure Reports for
both quarterly and annual reporting: Projects: Provide information on all SLFRF funded projects. Projects are defined as a grouping of
closely related activities that together are intended to achieve a specific goal or are directed toward a
common purpose. These activities can include new or existing eligible government services or
investments funded in whole or in part by SLFRF funding. For each project, the recipient is required to
enter the project name, identification number (created by the recipient), project expenditure category
(see Appendix 1), description, and status of completion. Project descriptions must describe the project
in sufficient detail to provide an understanding of the major activities that will occur, and must be
between 50 and 250 words.
Project descriptions for the emergency relief from natural disasters eligible use category must describe
the natural disaster the recipient is responding to, including the type of event, and how the emergency
relief is related to and reasonably proportional to the natural disaster.
a. Projects should be defined to include only closely related activities directed toward a common
purpose. Recipients should review the Required Programmatic Data described in 3.g. below and define
their projects at a sufficient level of granularity.
Note: For each project, the recipient is asked to select the appropriate Expenditure Category based on
the scope of the project (see Appendix 1). Projects should be scoped to align to a single Expenditure
Category. For select Expenditure Categories, the recipient also is asked to provide additional
programmatic data.
Condition: The following is a summary results for each audited program.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA) - Audit procedures included testing the
SLFRF Compliance Report. During the testing of the Compliance report, it was noted that the report’s
key line items below were not properly supported:
Current period expenditure
Cumulative expenditure
Current period expenditures per the Compliance Report $0 and per the expenditure details provided
$907,419 creating a difference of $907,419.
Cumulative expenditure per Compliance Report $6,714,003 and per the expenditure detail provided
$4,264,421 creating a difference of $2,449,582.
Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning - Audit procedures included selection and
testing of two quarterly reports.
Two out of two of the quarterly reports tested contained no separate reviewer/approver support.
Questioned costs: Unknown
Context: See “Condition.” Cause: Current internal controls over the review and approval of prepared reports are not at an
effective precision level to detect errors in the figures, answers, and explanations reported prior to
submission.
Effect: The City is not in compliance with Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds Version 5.2, 2.grant guidance requirements related to reporting.
Repeat Finding: Yes. See 2023-007
Recommendation: The City of Nogales should enhance and/or modify existing controls over the
review and approval of reporting to in order to prevent reporting noncompliance and ensure adherence
to all grant guidance requirements.
Views of responsible officials: See corrective action plan.
Corrective action plan: See corrective action plan.