Audit 368952

Condition and Context Bebashi failed to maintain an accurate trial balance and general ledger to support certain account balances resulting in auditor journal entries at year-end which were material to the current year financial statements and audit delays due to support not reconciling and multiple versions of the trial balance being provided. Criteria Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and Government Auditing Standards require that the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting should allow management or employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions to prevent, or detect and correct, misstatements on a timely basis. 2 CFR 200.303 states, “The non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statues, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in ‘Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government’ issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the ‘Internal Control Integrated Framework,’ issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.” 2 CFR 200.302 states, “The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following… accurate, current, and complete disclosure of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in sections 200.328 and 200.329.” Cause As a result of financial constraints, and corresponding staffing challenges, the accounting and finance team at Bebashi was unable to prepare its accounting records on a timely and thorough basis. At the same time, the accounting and finance team was faced with other administrative and operational matters requiring immediate attention to help ensure Bebashi remained operational. The financial and staffing constraints resulted in lack of timely preparation and detailed review of accounting records and analysis which resulted in material audit adjustments. Effect or Potential Effect The accounting records of certain account balances and transactions provided to the auditors were inaccurate for a period of time during the fiscal year and for the year ended June 30, 2024. In certain instances, the related reconciliations and analysis were not performed on a timely basis. This caused adjustments proposed by the auditors that were material to the financial statements. Recommendation We recommend that management implements a more detailed and adequate review of the accounting records including strong processes and internal controls surrounding financial reporting. This process should identify the required accounting records and reconciliations, ensure the existence of preparer and reviewer requirements for the accounting records and reconciliations, and implement an appropriate time frame for the completion of accounting records and reconciliations. We recommend that management implements processes and procedures to identify the required financial reporting deadlines and controls to ensure compliance with the deadlines. Views of Responsible Officials Management agrees with the finding above. Management will review the existing accounting policies and procedures and implement additional steps and controls to incorporate the recommendations above. Subsequent to year-end, management of Bebashi hired a new Director of Finance. Management will review the operational resources available to further expand the finance team and do so accordingly.