CONDITION: During my review of Aliquippa School District’s compliance with the requirements of the Public School Code and the Uniform Guidance for procurement of goods and services, the District was unable to provide documentation or other evidence that either 1) three price or rate quotations for t...
CONDITION: During my review of Aliquippa School District’s compliance with the requirements of the Public School Code and the Uniform Guidance for procurement of goods and services, the District was unable to provide documentation or other evidence that either 1) three price or rate quotations for the purchase of goods between $10,000 and $22,500, and services between $10,000 and $250,000 were obtained, 2) competitive bidding was performed for the purchases of goods over $22,500 or 3) the vendor met the requirements of a ‘sole source provider’ with documentation to support such designation, for the following vendors: Saving Ourselves ($30,000), AGI Repair ($16,216), IXL ($19,218), Learning Systems Associates LLC ($25,425), AGC Education Inc. ($11,644), Apple ($163,505), Germ Solutions LLC ($160,070), Graham Security ($12,025), Curriculum Designers, Inc. ($27,875), RJ Rhodes Transit, Inc. ($24,845).
CRITERIA: As specified in 2 CFR 200 318(i) of the Uniform Guidance, the District must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement. These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: rationale for the method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the basis for the contract price. In addition, small purchase procedures per 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) for acquisitions between the micro-purchase threshold (currently $10,000) and the simplified acquisition threshold (current $250,000), price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate. Per 24 PA Statue 8.807.1, there should be three quotes that are either written or well documented and over $22,500 formal bidding procedures must be utilized. Furthermore, Section 2 CFR 200.320(c’) of the Uniform Guidance details five (5) circumstances in which noncompetitive procurement can be used.
MANAGEMENT’S CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN: Management will review and update as necessary, it’s current procurement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable sections of the Uniform Guidance, in specific, Sections 2 CFR 200.318(i) and 200.320(a)(2)(i) of the Uniform Guidance, as well as 24 PS 8.807.1. In specific, these procedures will include 1) obtaining all relevant information pertaining to procurements involving federal assistance from any cooperative purchasing group, 2) obtaining quotations from three qualified providers where applicable and documenting those results, and 3) properly document purchases using federal assistance when the vendor meets the criteria as a sole source provider. These three (3) updated procedures will be implemented during the remaining months of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, and all subsequent years, for future purchases where applicable.