Corrective Action Plans

FINDING 2025-003 Finding Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Meghan Damron Contact Phone Number and Email Address: 219-650-5300, mdamron@mvsc.k12.in.us Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. We have taken the audit finding, conclusions and recommendations and created a corrective action plan to correct our procurement for the future. Description of Corrective Action Plan: Although Merrillville Community School Corporation left Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative (NISEC) as of July 1, 2024 we continue to use our procurement process following our school board policies. NISEC has reported that for the 2023-2024 school year the corrective action plan was initiated by the below process. As a member of the Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative (NISEC), the School Corporation usually expends contracted services out of our general education fund. For the fiscal year of 2023-2024 we included our contracted speech services into our federal grant funds. During the audit the School Corporation was notified that we didn’t following the procurement procedures when expending out of the federal grant. This finding was due to the School Corporation not going out and receiving multiple bids for contracted companies that provide services to our students. The School Corporation uses three contracted companies to provide Speech Pathologist and Speech Language Assistants. We have used these three companies for many years and have built great working relationships with these providers. After receiving the finding and discussing with the auditor we created a memo that we took to our board. In the memo we explain why we use the three contracted vendors instead of going out for bids. Finding Speech pathologist and Assistant are very difficult in the school setting and we have created great working relationships with these three contracted companies. Within the memo we list all of the contracted vendors we use and why we work directly with them instead of going out for bids. At the beginning of each school year we will take a new memo with any contracted companies that we will be using during the school year. Dexter Suggs, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools "Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate" BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES Judy C. Dunlap James Donohue DeLena N. Thomas Alex Dunlap III Robert J. Krause President Vice-President Secretary Member Member INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 31 MERRILLVILLE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION 6701 Delaware Street, Merrillville, IN 46410 (219) 650-5300 FAX (219) 650-5320 www.mvsc.k12.in.us Anticipated Completion Date: The Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative created the memo as soon as we received the finding and took the memo to the board. We have procedures in place now that any vendor that will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, we will obtain bids or create a memo if bids are not an option. We took the memo to our October 9,2024 board. This was completed fully as of July 1, 2024. Dexter Suggs, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools "Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate"

FINDING 2025-002 Finding Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster – Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Contact Person(s) Responsible for Corrective Action: Mendy Shrout & Billy Boyette Contact Phone Number and Email Address(es): (765) 795-4664 / mshrout@cloverdale.k12.in.us & bboyette@cloverdale.k12.in.us Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. Description of Corrective Action Plan: Procurement We will be updating the Policy 6325 for Micro purchases from $10,000.00 to $50,000.00. We are in policy review now. Suspension and Debarment All new vendors entered into the system are checked by the Corporation Treasurer through the Office of Inspector General search, printed and kept on file in the Corporation office. Further, all vendors used by the Food Service department have been updated to be current. Anticipated Completion Date: March 1, 2026

FINDING 2025-003 Finding Subject: Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants – Subrecipient Monitoring Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Chris Gearlds, Assistant Superintendent Contact Phone Number and Email Address: (317) 856-5265; cgearlds@decaturproud.org Views of Responsible Official: We concur with Audit Finding Description of Corrective Action Plan: The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grant was completed during the audit period and the school district does not plan on receiving this award in the future. Therefore, further corrective action is not required and district officials will utilize this information to ensure compliance in other federal awards. Anticipated Completion Date: February 1, 2026

Finding 2025-001 Reporting Federal Agency- U.S. Department of the Treasury Program Name - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF} Federal Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 2 CFR 200.303 requires that a 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 and the "Internal Control Integrated Framework", issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO)." The terms and conditions of the funding require the recipient to submit quarterly Project and Expenditure Reports to the U.S. Department of the Treasury {Treasury). Information required to be included in these quarterly reports includes projects funded, expenditures, obligations, and other information. Treasury's Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Guidance requires that "Reporting must be consistent with the definition of expenditures pursuant to 2 CFR 200.1." Responsible Officials: The City of Charleston utilizes an outside agency to compile and submit the required quarterly reports to the Department of Treasury for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. City officials provide the details of the projects funded, expenditures, obligations, and all other required information to the outside agency, who will then compile and submit the report. Upon review of prior period reports, City officials discovered that the expenditure amount for one of the projects was less than the amount provided to the outside agency for the report. The City brought this to the attention of the outside agency, then increased the project expenditures of the report in question so that the project to-date.

FINDING 2025-001 Finding Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Summary of Finding: Procurement: For two vendors, the School Corporation did not obtain price or rate quotes as required. The School Corporation did not maintain documentation to support the rationale and justification to limit competition, and there was no documentation of the history of the Procurement which would include the rationale for the method of procurement, the selection of the vendor, and the basis for price. Suspension and Debarment: Two vendors were identified for which the School Corporation was required to verify the suspension and debarment status, however no such verification could be provided for audit. Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Food Service Director, Joshua Deck Contact Phone Number and Email Address: (812) 649-2591 / josh.deck@sspencer.k12.in.us Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. Description of Corrective Action Plan: Procurement: The Food Service Director will maintain a binder/Google Drive folder with documentation of price and/or rate quotes and documentation of the attempts made from at least three vendors that fall within the small purchase threshold. If price and/or rate quotes cannot be obtained from at least three vendors, documentation of the reasoning will be maintained. Suspension and Debarment: The Food Service Director will ensure that all vendors are not suspended or debarred by either ensuring the suspension and debarment verbiage is included in the contracts, providing a clause to the vendor to sign that they are not suspended or debarred, or checking the SAM.gov website. Documentation of these records will be maintained for audit. Anticipated Completion Date: Effective FY 2025/2026

FINDING 2025-001 Finding Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Samantha Berrier Contact Phone Number and Email Address: 219-962-2909, sberrier@rfcsc.k12.in.us Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. Description of Corrective Action Plan: The offices of the Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative (NISEC), on behalf of River Forest Community School Corporation, its member school, has implemented a corrective action plan to ensure that the proper methodology for procurement is followed. Additionally, a system of internal controls has been established to ensure that vendors are procured using the required methods. The Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative created a corrective action plan to develop procedures to obtain bids when any vendor will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. As part of this corrective action plan they have included procedures to follow if a noncompetitive procurement would be applicable. These procedures include documenting the rationale for using this alternative method and requesting approval from the Board of School Trustees when doing so. Anticipated Completion Date: October 9th, 2024

FINDING 2025-002 Finding Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster-Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Missy Schultheis Contact Phone Number and Email Address: 812-354-8478 mschultheis@pcsc.k12.in.us Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. Description of Corrective Action Plan: The School Corporation will review and update the existing procurement policy to ensure it clearly outlines the procedures for different purchasing methods including the specific thresholds. We will establish a procedure requiring the retention of all documentation supporting procurement decisions. We will develop a process to verify that vendors/contractors are not suspended or debarred by any federal or state agency prior to entering into a "covered transaction" or contract. Anticipated Completion Date: This be implemented in the 2025-2026 school year and will continue for future years.

State Agency: State Education Department Program Name: Rehabilitation Services – Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States ALN #: 84.126 Single Audit Contact: Maria Stamoulis Title: Audit Manager Telephone: (518) 473-2810 E-mail Address: Maria.Stamoulis@nysed.gov Audit Report Reference: 2025-003 Anticipated Completion Date: 12/31/2026 Corrective Action Planned: New York State Education Department (SED) has updated the payment procedures to require additional review prior to processing and will provide training to staff involved in preparing or processing payment forms to understand the appropriate application of cost centers to align with the Period of Performance for Federal awards, including the Vocational Rehabilitation grant. Additional controls planned include the alignment of purchase orders with the Federal fiscal year to ensure cost centers are appropriately assigned to services.

2025-001 Costs Incurred Beyond the Period of Performance Criteria: According to 2 CFR §§200.1, 200.308, 200.309, 200.344, and 200.403(h), a non-Federal entity may only charge allowable costs incurred during the approved budget period of the Federal award’s period of performance, and any costs incurred before the Federal award was made that were authorized by the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity. All financial obligations incurred under the Federal award must be liquidated within the required time period. Costs incurred outside the approved period of performance are unallowable and constitute questioned costs. Client’s Response: During the grant cycle, the Organization submitted for an extension but did not receive confirmation of said extension. During the current fiscal year, the Organization has implemented additional controls to ensure that all grant funding is expended within the timeframe allotted. Proposed Implementation Date – 12/31/2025 Name of Contact Person – John Edwards, Sr. Email: jledwards@umadaop.org Phone: 419-255-4444

Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners: This issue originated under the prior County Clerk’s administration where key reporting processes were not followed. The Board of County Commissioners and the other elected officials have made correcting this a top priority. Together, we are: • developing a comprehensive SOP to ensure accurate and timely tracking and reporting of federal funds, • improving communication and oversight between all county offices to ensure consistent reporting standards, • and ensuring annual compliance with federal reporting requirements. Our collective goal is to implement the policies and structures that will keep Osage County operating with the highest standard of accountability and excellence. County Clerk: I was not the County Clerk in office at this time. To correct this issue. the County plans to develop a SOP to timely and accurately track and report on federal funds. The SOP will be reviewed, adopted, and monitored by the Board of County Commissioners. County Treasurer: The County was under the understanding that once we established we were reporting as Loss Revenue, we would not have to submit the report annually. The final reporting was submitted prior to deadline.

FA 2024-002 Strengthen Controls over Journal Entries Compliance Requirement: Activities Allowed or Unallowed Internal Control Impact: Material Weakness Compliance Impact: Material Noncompliance Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pass-Through Entity: Georgia Department of Education AL Numbers and Title: 10.553 – School Breakfast Program 10.555 – National School Lunch Program COVID-19-10.555 – National School Lunch Program Federal Award Number: 245GA324N1199 (Year: 2024), 225GA324N1099 (Year: 2024) Questioned Costs: Unknown Description: The policies and procedures of the School District were insufficient to ensure that journal entries made for the Child Nutrition Cluster were properly documented. Corrective Action Plan: All journal entries transferring cash from the School Nutrition Fund to the General fund will be done on a more frequent basis and include the detail of amounts used to arrive at the amount of the transfer. Estimated Completion Date: October 17, 2025 Contact Person: Danny Durham, Director of School Nutrition Telephone: 478-994-2031 Email: danny.durham@mcschools.org

FINDING 2024-010 Finding Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Susie Swango, Director of Special Education Contact Phone Number and Email Address: swangos@nlcs.k12.in.us (812) 277-3220 ext. 16243 Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. Description of Corrective Action Plan: Procurement - Small Purchases The school corporation will follow all Federal Requirements for small purchase procedures including obtaining price or rate quotations from an adequate number of qualified sources. We will document the procurement method we are using and attach supporting documentation for rate and price quotes by source. Suspension and Debarment Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with federal award funds, the school corporation will verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. All purchases $25,000 or greater will involve the following process - (1) checking SAM.gov to see if there are any exclusions, (2) require Vendor supply certification that they have not been suspended or debarred OR clause will be added to agreement or contract signed by Vendor as certification. Anticipated Completion Date: December 1, 2025

FINDING 2024-009 Finding Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Period of Performance Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Susie Swango, Director of Special Education Contact Phone Number and Email Address: swangos@nlcs.k12.in.us (812) 277-3220 ext. 16243 Views of Responsible Officials: We concur with the finding. Description of Corrective Action Plan: The Director of Business and Director of Special Education have implemented a system of internal controls around grant reimbursement submissions. Grant reimbursements are submitted only after a month is officially closed in the books and the expenses are reviewed by the Special Education Director prior to submission. Reimbursements will be filed monthly, with both Directors monitoring the allowable timeframe for expenditures and liquidation and signing off on the reimbursement. Anticipated Completion Date: June 30, 2026

Finance staff will implement a review process prior to submission of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Annual Project and Expenditure Report in order to ensure accurate reporting. In addition, the City will reconcile internal records with reports prior to submission and submit corrected reports as needed, but no later than with the final report Anticipated completion date 12/31/2025 Responsible Contact Person: Tessa DeLine, Finance Director

Cayuga Centers has engaged grants management advisors who will assist in evaluating the scope of this asserted finding and address it accordingly. Evaluation of this finding and Cayuga Centers’ procurement policies will be completed no later than November 2025 and any improvements needed for compliance or recommended as best practice will be adopted. As an initial action step, Cayuga Centers has developed a compliance checklist for all significant and recurring purchases. This checklist requires evidence of competitive bidding, vendor selection, and justification for sole-source procurement. Staff involved in purchasing have received, or will receive, training on federal and organizational procurement policies. The Compliance Department will conduct quarterly reviews of procurement records to ensure adherence to established procedures.

Finding Number: 2024-005 Planned Corrective Action: The Special Projects Manager will ensure the County does not charge Indirect Costs in excess of the de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs. Anticipated Completion Date: December 31, 2025 Responsible Contact Person: Philip Schaffer, Special Projects Manager

In response to the previous audit finding, CDPH submitted the required risk assessment as of January 2025, along with supporting documentation. Moving forward, CDPH will establish formal procedures to ensure that all required federal award information – such as the Assistance Listings Number, Title, and FAIN – is clearly identified in all agreements with subrecipients. Estimated Implementation Date: March 2026 Contact: • Melissa Relles • Assistant Deputy Director • Center for Preparedness and Response

The County has created a filing system for recipients of SLFRF funds and a calendar set to send reminder notices to get receipts and other information from recipients. The reminders will be set in 3 month increments from the time funds are awarded to recipient. Implementation will begin January 1, 2026 with reminder notices set in calendar.

Finding 2024-010 – Period of Performance (Material Weakness) Finding: The Organization did not have good controls to ensure the period of performance requirements was met due to staff turnover. Management Response: Management concurs. Corrective action plan: •Implement a grant compliance checklist and training for staff by the end of 2025 to ensure expenditures are within the grant period. •Require pre-approval for all expenditures near grant end dates. •Quarterly compliance reviews. Responsible Party: CFO Completion Date/Status: Expected to be Implemented by end of 2025; ongoing review.

The Board of County Commissioners will take measures to ensure future compliance with all requirements of federal grants.

VIEWS OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICIALS Management agrees with the audit finding and has implemented a comprehensive corrective action plan to address payroll processing errors, strengthen internal controls, and ensure accurate and timely payments. As part of PRDE’s Fiscal Plan of 2020–2021, the Department launched the official integration project between the Time, Attendance, and Leave (TAL) system and the Payroll (RHUM) system. This integration ensures that payroll disbursements are made only after the employee’s attendance has been validated through the TAL system. Employees are required to record their attendance using biometric verification or have an authorized leave properly documented and approved by their supervisor before receiving payment. If attendance is not validated, the system automatically issues a notification and applies the necessary adjustment. This project, initiated in November 2020 with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), MS Consulting, the Department of the Treasury (Hacienda), the Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF), and the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS), was fully integrated by February 2021. As a result, PRDE has significantly reduced overpayments, duplicate payments, and other payroll inconsistencies. To reinforce this effort, PRDE issued a new Time and Attendance Policy on December 7, 2021, later updated on April 11, 2022, which clearly defines employee responsibilities, authorized leaves, disciplinary procedures, and supervisor accountability. Under this policy, employees and supervisors are required to follow strict timekeeping procedures, and noncompliance triggers automatic system notifications and salary adjustments. The PRDE’s Time and Attendance staff continues to monitor and maintain compliance through: i. Ongoing training sessions for PRDE personnel; ii. System dashboards tracking attendance behaviors; iii. Issuance of notifications and payroll adjustments as required; and iv. Regular follow-up and evaluation activities. Additionally, PRDE’s Finance Office implemented a reconciliation process that integrates data from TAL, RHUM, and SIFDE, ensuring that payroll expenditures align with validated attendance records. The system now performs cross-checks before submission to the Treasury Department, preventing disbursements for unverified time. These combined measures—technological integration, policy enforcement, staff training, and reconciliation controls—have strengthened payroll accuracy, reduced the risk of overpayments, and improved financial accountability across the Department. IMPLEMENTATION DATE Done RESPONSIBLE PERSON Evelyn Rodríguez Cardé Finance Office Director Jullymar Octtaviani Vega Sub-Secretary of Administration

VIEWS OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICIALS The PRDE does not agree with the Recommendation to establish an allocation method for TPFA invoices because TPFA services are overhead costs paid from administrative funds and are not tied to any specific federal grant. In addition, the PRDE does not agree that contract terms should be revised before the contract expiration to require a reconciliation of total hours and rates because again, payments to the TPFA are overhead costs not directly tied to any specific program. Finally, the PRDE does not agree with the recommendation that the TPFA submit supporting evidence for the reimbursement of expenses because (i) the TPFA contract is a fixed fee that is inclusive of all professional service fees and expenses and (ii) the TPFA provides an explanation of major expenses incurred within each monthly invoice. Auditor Comment on Management Response for Finding No. 2024-004 As stated in CONDITION 2., “…on invoice 830311-2023-32 the amount of $1,978,791 (85% of total invoice amount) was charged to several programs of ALN 84.425, although the services described in the invoice were not related only to these programs; therefore, the cost objective is not chargeable in accordance with the relative benefit received.” Further, the 2 CFR 200.1, establishes that: “Indirect [facilities & administrative (F&A)] costs mean those costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved. To facilitate equitable distribution of indirect expenses to the cost objectives served, it may be necessary to establish a number of pools of indirect (F&A) costs. Indirect (F&A) cost pools must be distributed to benefitted cost objectives on bases that will produce an equitable result in consideration of relative benefits derived.” This information was not provided for our evaluation. Also, we made reference to the Program Determination Email for ALNs. 84.938 and 84.425 dated September 18, 2024 (Audit Control Number 02-21-39634), received from Ms. Catherine Miers of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the US Department of Education (USDE), in which they required that the PRDE provide documentation for the following corrective actions: “revised the contract terms to include a reconciliation of total hours and rates to adjust the payments made to the vendor before the contract expiration; requested that adequate supporting evidence from the vendors be presented for any expenses to be reimbursed by the PRDE; and develop an adequate review of the vendors invoice to properly identify the actual hours of services that benefited the Federal programs so a correct allocation of the costs incurred can be made within Federal programs and state funds”. IMPLEMENTATION DATE None RESPONSIBLE PERSON Jullymar Octtaviani Vega Sub-Secretary of Administration María de los Angeles Lizardi Valdés Office of Federal Affairs Director

The Board of County Commissioners will take measures to ensure future compliance with all requirements of federal grants,

While reviewing the City of Pueblo Schedule of Expenditure of Federal Awards (SEFA), the auditors found that there were subrecipient awards of Federal funding of CDBG and HOME programs, that met the criteria for FFATA reporting, that were not reported. Management acknowledges fault in reporting subrecipient awards. The primary cause was lack of awareness of FFATA criteria in reporting requirements. To address these issues, management will ensure staff is trained in reporting criteria and that all reporting is completed within 30 days as required.

Finding No.: 2024-002 For procurements using federal funds, GMHA is permitted to use a Simplified Acquisition Threshold up to the federal limit, which is currently set at $250,000 or $7.5 million for commercial goods. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) permits a non-federal entity to use a SAT up to the federal limits, without having to follow threshold limitations imposed by state or local law. The set of criteria employed by the Ernst & Young is incomplete, and fails to give proper deference to the legal opinions of licensed attorneys. In determining to follow the federal SAT, GMHA considered the guidance of a memorandum from the Office of the Attorney General indicating substantively the same legal analysis as follows. See Memorandum from Deputy Attorney General, Solicitor Division to Chief Deputy Attorney General, Federal Simplified Acquisition Threshold and Micro-purchase Threshold, Ref: AG 22-0410 (Sept. 14, 2022). When presented with this memorandum, the auditors refused to accept its instructions stating: “We were unable to follow why the Attorney General considered the definition of a non-Federal entity in applying the requirements of §§ 200.318 through 200.327. In reviewing the aforementioned sections, there was no reference to non-Federal entities.” This statement evidences the auditors’ fundamental misunderstanding of the law. The auditors based their analysis on an amended version of the CFR, which became effective only January 2025. According the definitions in the Code of Federal Regulations in effect during the relevant 2023-2024 audit period, Guam is both a “State” and a “Non-Federal entity.” Guam Memorial Hospital Authority also falls within the definition of “Hospital” and “subrecipient.” As relevant here, 2 CFR 200.1 states: State means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any agency or instrumentality thereof exclusive of local governments. Non-Federal entity (NFE) means a State, local government, Indian Tribe, Institution of Higher Education (IHE), or nonprofit organization that carries out a Federal award as a recipient or subrecipient. Hospital means a facility licensed as a hospital under the law of any State or a facility operated as a hospital by the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State. Subrecipient means an entity, usually but not limited to non-Federal entities, that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a Federal award; but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such award. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other Federal awards directly from a Federal awarding agency. As a Non-Federal entity, GMHA also is required to abide by the definition of “simplified acquisition threshold.” According to 2 CFR 200.1: Simplified acquisition threshold means the dollar amount below which a non-Federal entity may purchase property or services using small purchase methods (see § 200.320). Non-Federal entities adopt small purchase procedures in order to expedite the purchase of items at or below the simplified acquisition threshold. The simplified acquisition threshold for procurement activities administered under Federal awards is set by the FAR at 48 CFR part 2, subpart 2.1. The non-Federal entity is responsible for determining an appropriate simplified acquisition threshold based on internal controls, an evaluation of risk, and its documented procurement procedures. However, in no circumstances can this threshold exceed the dollar value established in the FAR (48 CFR part 2, subpart 2.1) for the simplified acquisition threshold. Recipients should determine if local government laws on purchasing apply. (emphasis added). This definition applies to purchasing by all non-federal entities—including GMHA. Title 2 CFR 200.317 provides: When procuring property and services under a Federal award, a State must follow the same policies and procedures it uses for procurements from its non-Federal funds. The State will comply with §§ 200.321, 200.322, and 200.323 and ensure that every purchase order or other contract includes any clauses required by § 200.327. All other non-Federal entities, including subrecipients of a State, must follow the procurement standards in §§ 200.318 through 200.327. (emphasis added). As a subrecipient of Guam, GMHA would also be required to follow 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(ii), which reiterates that: “The non-Federal entity is responsible for determining an appropriate simplified acquisition threshold based on internal controls, an evaluation of risk and its documented procurement procedures which must not exceed the threshold established in the FAR.” The CFR treats the requirement that a state or local entity follow (1) its own “policies and procedures” and (2) its own small purchase “threshold” as separate requirements. The CFR applicable to most federal funds—including ARPA—only requires the hospital to follow the local “policies and procedures.” 2 CFR 200.317. The CFR requires GMHA—as a non-federal entity—to separately make a determination of an appropriate small purchase threshold based on a number of factors specific to GMHA, provided it does not exceed the federal SAT. 2 CFR 200.1; 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(ii). Procurement method selection is essentially a two-step process: (1) Make a substantive determination about the monetary cost of a proposed procurement and determine whether it is below or above an applicable threshold. Which side of a threshold a procurement falls on (and some other factors) will determine the method—sole source, RFQ, RFP, IFB—that will be used. (2) After the method is determined, an entity is then pointed to specific policies and procedures applicable to that type of procurement. The relevant factors for determining a recipient-specific SAT include an entity’s “internal controls, an evaluation of risk, and its documented procurement procedures.” 2 CFR 200.1; 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(ii). For a portion of the relevant procurement period, the CFR also stated: “When applicable, a lower simplified acquisition threshold used by the non-Federal entity must be authorized or not prohibited under State, local, or tribal laws or regulations.” This section was amended effective approximately October 1, 2024. Now, it no longer requires the recipient or sub-recipient to ascertain whether this entity-specific threshold is “authorized or not prohibited under State, local, or tribal laws or regulations.” But even under the prior version, the entity only needed to consider the authorization or lack of prohibition under state or local law if it was adopting a “lower simplified acquisition threshold” than the federal SAT. 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(ii) (effective until Sept. 30, 2024) (emphasis added). GMHA determined that the federal SAT levels were appropriate, and—in any event—local law does not prohibit GMHA from adopting the federal SAT when using federal funds. GMHA’s use of the federal SAT for procurements using federal funds has been a decades long practice of our materials management, so a suggestion that it is unauthorized would be a finding quite inconsistent with GMHA’s internal controls. Highlighting the distinctness or difference between the “policies and procedures” and “threshold” requirements, is the fact that “simplified acquisition procedures” and “simplified acquisition threshold” are defined separately. See 48 CFR 2.101. And the two requirements are discussed separately in the section of the CFR discussing “informal procurement methods.” 2 CFR 200.320. Additionally, the small purchase “procedures” applicable to federal agencies, FAR Part 13, are contemplated in an entire section that is separate from the rules about the controlling SAT or other threshold. Finally, in other portions of the CFR—such as federal highway funds—the government has specifically instructed state entities to follow both the state or local “procedures” and the state or local “threshold. 23 CFR 172.7(a)(2). When the CFR wants the state government to follow state SATs, it will specifically do so. It has not put that instruction in 2 CFR 200.320. Guam law also specifically directs all persons within the Government of Guam to comply with the applicable federal law and regulations that are in conflict with or are not reflected in the Procurement Code. 5 GCA § 5501. In other words: Guam law requires GMHA to follow the federal rules. Specifically, here, the federal requirement that GMHA determine an appropriate SAT is not reflected in the local laws. GMHA, thus, must comply with the federal requirement that GMHA make a recipient-specific determination of an appropriate SAT. Even the Guam Legislature understands that the law operates in the same manner as the Attorney General’s memorandum. During a legislative hearing on June 25, 2024, Senator Sabina Perez recited the same analysis, recognizing that Guam agencies can use the federal simplified acquisition threshold when expending federal funds. See Guam Legislature, Public Hearing Bill No. 134-39 (COR) at *1:46:00-1:46:31 (June 25, 2025), available at https://www.youtube.com/live/ciXo1EEXJZI. In deciding the federal SAT applies, GMHA was also guided by precedent and guidance issued to other government entities. In 2015, when the Guam Department of Education was under a federal third-party fiduciary, it was still employing the lower local small purchase threshold. GDOE was instructed that this was inappropriate because federal law supersedes Guam law on the SAT. The federal fiduciary—consistent with USDOE instructions—required GDOE to follow the federal SAT. See Letter from John E. Hampford, Alvarez & Marsal, to Jon J.P. Fernandez, Superintendent of Guam Department of Education (Dec. 30, 2015); see also Letter from Jon J.P. Fernandez, Superintendent of Guam Department of Education to Attorney General Leevin T. Camacho and Public Auditor Benjamin J.F. Cruz (July 20, 2020). Thus, other Guam agencies have been instructed by the federal government to use the federal SAT. This is also bolstered by the case law. The Guam Supreme Court has ruled that the CARES Act funding was a federal appropriation for a specific purpose, “outside the control of the Guam Legislature.” See Story-Bernardo v. Gov’t of Guam, 2023 Guam 27 ¶ 46. ARPA funding is substantively similar to CARES Act funds, simply with additional permitted uses. Local law cannot dictate how these federal funds are spent. GMHA also considered case law from Texas federal court where a self-styled “whistleblower” sued the City of Burleson, Texas for allegedly spending in excess of their own SAT. Under Burleson’s own regulations, the local SAT was $10,000, see Rule 5.1, City Council Policy 36, City of Burleson Purchasing Policy (adopted July 2, 2018, revised Oct. 16, 2023). However, the lawsuit alleged that the city was spending in excess of this $10,000 SAT. The federal judge in that court stated: “In addition, the regulations show that “formal purchasing methods are not required” for purchases that are less than the “simplified acquisition threshold.” 2 C.F.R. § 200.1(2021). The simplified acquisition threshold is set at $250,000. 48 C.F.R. § 2.101(2021). However, Mr. Eder's complaint incorrectly alleges “upon information and belief” that the simplified acquisition threshold is $10,000. Doc. No. 37 at 12, ¶27(b). Mr. Eder's apparent misreading of the threshold for formal purchasing is central to his claim under the FCA, and it appears this concern may have arisen from simply misreading the rules, rather than any reasonable dispute under the law.” Eder v. City of Burleson, Civil No. 3:23-CV-00948-K, 2024 WL 4771408 at *5 (N.D. Tex., Nov. 13, 2024). Thus, the federal court recognized that the lower local SAT did not control. The only relevant SAT was the federal one. GMHA’s determination to use the maximum SAT allowed by the federal CFR is thus appropriate. The federal CFR rule requiring a recipient-specific SAT determination supersedes the local thresholds. If the procurement is under the federally-allowed $250,000 SAT, GMHA must still follow the local small purchase procedures. See in part 5 GCA § 5213. The auditors’ view of Guam law appears to be a clear outlier, inconsistent with a plain reading of both federal and Guam law, the opinions of both federal and local courts, the memorandum from the Attorney General’s Office, the understanding of the Guam Legislature, and the reasoned opinion of Hospital Legal Counsel. The auditors’ finding is also inconsistent with decades of GMHA procurement practice. The questioned costs based on this finding should be removed. The auditors’ (1) inability to even reference the relevant definitions from the CFR in effect at the time of the relevant audit period and (2) unwillingness to accept the legal opinions from licensed attorneys, should be a finding on the auditors’ peer review.