Audit 408381

FINDING 2025-001 Subject: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities - Procurement Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural Communities Assistance Listings Number: 10.760 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): BAN-2 Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 13 CITY OF HUNTINGBURG SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2024-002. Condition and Context As part of sound management of the federal award, the City was responsible for implementing a system of internal controls that would ensure compliance with the applicable requirements. The City had not properly designed or implemented such a system that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. The purchasing policy provided by the City for review did not include the applicable federal regulations, such as procedures to avoid the acquisition of unnecessary or duplicative items and procedures to ensure that all solicitations incorporate a clear and accurate description of the technical requirements for the material, product, or service to be procured. Additionally, the City did not maintain written standards of conduct covering conflicts of interest and governing actions of its employees engaged in the selection, award, and administration of contracts. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) 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. 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 (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.318(a) states: "The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures, consistent with State, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a Federal award or subaward. The non- Federal entity's documented procurement procedures must conform to the procurement standards identified in § 200.317 through 200.327." Cause The City did not fully implement the corrective measures stated in the City's corrective action plan prepared in response to this same finding included in the immediately prior audit report. Effect Without a proper system of internal controls in place that operated effectively, the City did not properly follow its corrective action plan and did not update its purchasing policy to reflect the required federal procurement standards. As a result, noncompliance identified in the immediately prior audit remained uncorrected throughout the current audit period. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 14 CITY OF HUNTINGBURG SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the City. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the City update its purchasing policy to incorporate all appropriate federal regulations to ensure compliance with the procurement standards applicable to federal awards. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.