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 Reference Number: 2025-001 – Noncompliance with Procurement Requirements Planned Corrective Action: Food Service Director will participate in the collaborative purchasing each year and will not utilize vendors that do not appear on the bid award. He will be sure to monitor bid results to ensure the previous year’s vendor was awarded the bid before purchasing and will create individual contracts with the vendors who have been awarded the bid for the school year. If not participating in the collaborative purchasing group, the Food Service Director will be sure to follow proper procurement processes to ensure compliance. Responsible Official Name: Erika Snyder Title: Business Manager Anticipated Completion Date: 9/1/2025

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 2025-002 Finding Subject: Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants – Procurement and Suspension and Debarment 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

Condition: The Village did not have written policies for cash management or procurement that adhered to the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations. Planned Corrective Action: The Village is currently reviewing existing policies to determine the best course of action and updating them for compliance. Some updates may require voter approval as certain provisions are in the Village Charter. Contact person responsible for corrective action: Penny Ray Anticipated Completion Date: 12/31/2026

Management Response/Corrective Action Plan: The School Department reviewed both the federal and local procurement policies with the administrative team in December of 2024. A memo was also sent to all administrators specifically discussing the suspension and debarment procedures regarding the use of federal funds. Since then, the School Board has since reviewed both policies and has revised threshold amounts and other language per the advice of legal counsel and MSMA. Now adopted, the policies have been shared with administration to ensure that purchasing procedures are followed and will be reviewed regularly. If there is any chance of federal funds being used for a purchase, the Department will follow the federal procurement requirements. Municipal staff attempted to follow Treasury guidance to administer the State and Local Fiscal Recover Fund (SLFRF) grant and interpreted the “Revenue Replacement” category of expenditure to be exempt from nearly all of the usual federal grant requirements, including the Suspension and Debarment verification step. More recently, the interpretation of the rule changed, but not before certain projects had been initiated, in which the verification step had been missed. Going forward, this will not be an issue as all SLFRF monies have been expended.

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

Audit Finding 2025-001 - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Corrective Action Plan The City will revise its procurement policy and procedures to address all relevant requirements under Uniform Guidance, specifically: . Incorporate written standards of conduct covering conflicts of interest for employees involved in procurement, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.318(c)(1). . Include written policies and procedures requiring affirmative steps to solicit and consider participation by small, minority, women-owned, veteran-owned, and labor surplus area businesses, as specified in 2 CFR 200.321(b). . Add explicit provisions to require sufficient and detailed recordkeeping for all procurement transactions funded with federal awards, addressing the requirements of 2 CFR 200.318(i). Persons responsible for corrective action Jamie Rhodes, Administrative Services Manager Branden Dross, City Administrator Corrective action completion date June 30, 2026

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.

CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN (Concerning Finding 2025-001) Contact Person Responsible for Corrective Action: Meghan Butts, Executive Director Corrective Action: The Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission will take the following actions to address finding 2025-001: We will revise our existing procurement policy to align with the current requirements outlined in 2 CFR 200. Anticipated Completion Date: February 11th, 2026

The District Cafeteria Manager, Melanie Pardini, corrected this procedure for fiscal year 2025-26 and has the process in place going forward for each fiscal year.

Condition: The School District's internal controls did not effectively identify the required formal solicitation. The School District did not utilize the appropriate competitive procurement methods and did not retain suspended or debarred verification documentation. Planned Corrective Action: The School District will ensure that the proper procurement methods are adhered to, prior to executing future contracts. This includes also reviewing to ensure that vendors are not suspended or debarred, prior to awarding the contract. To accomplish this, the School District will use their grant budget process as a control for identifying the population of applicable expenditures that will be subject to procurement compliance requirements for federal programs. Contact person responsible for corrective action: Kyle Jen, Chief Financial and Operations Officer Anticipated Completion Date: 6/30/2026

Finding 2025-001 Lack of Internal Control Over Procurement Name of Contact: Rayna Bowdre Corrective Action: The District will ensure all procurements follow Board polices relating to bids and procurement, including written documentation for sole source and procurements and exemptions. Proposed Completion Date: December 31, 2025.

Condition: The School District's internal controls did not effectively identify all of the required components necessary in formal solicitation documents for food service/cost reimbursable contracts and when using a third party entity (e.g., consortium) and did not utilize competitive procurement methods. Planned Corrective Action: The School District is revising its food service procurement documents to explicitly include all required contract provisions under the Uniform Guidance. The School District is also incorporating recent interpretations and guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as communicated through MDE, particularly regarding cooperative purchasing and pricing structures for federal compliance. These actions are intended to strengthen the procurement controls to ensure all future food service contracts meet the compliance requirements of the Uniform Guidance and USDA regulations. Contact person responsible for corrective action: Danielle Jacobs, Director of Business Services Anticipated Completion Date: 8/15/2025

We acknowledge the audit finding and agree that, for the two vendors identified, documentation of suspension and debarment verification was not completed or retained in accordance with proper internal controls for our federal programs. This was an oversight in our procurement documentation process and not an intentional omission. Neither vendor had any exclusions based on the SAM.gov database record. Since becoming aware of this issue, the organization is in the midst of implementing the following corrective actions to strengthen compliance with suspension and debarment requirements: (1) Revised Procurement Procedures- We will update our written procurement policies and procedures to explicitly require and document suspension and debarment checks prior to the execution of any contract using federal funds. This includes checking the federal SAM.gov database or obtaining a signed certification from the vendor, as permitted. (2) Standardized Documentation- We will create a standardized checklist that must be completed and filed in the procurement record for each vendor before payment of federal funds. This form documents the date, verification method, and staff member responsible. (3) Staff Training- All staff involved in procurement and accounts payable will complete training on federal procurement requirements, including suspension and debarment verification. This training will be repeated annually and upon onboarding of new staff. (4) Internal Control Review- A secondary review step has been added. Before any payment of federal funds is processed, our finance team will verify that the suspension and debarment check is on file. This dual review adds an additional layer of assurance.

We agree with auditor's comments, and the following actions have or will be taken to ensure the procurement of goods and services for the nutrition services department follows all applicable steps according to Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR) sections 200.317 -200.327; Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR), parts 210 and 220; and all applicable state and local rules: 1. During the school year 2024/2025, changes were made to staff to allow for additional oversight. A Procurement Specialist reporting directly to the Director of Purchasing was added to staff in lieu of a Buyer that had previously reported to the Director of Nutrition Services. This move allowed for an additional step to ensure proper procurement is happening. 2. All purchasing methods, including Micropurchase, Simplified Acquisition, and Formal, will be followed in accordance with all applicable regulations, in line with RUSD's written procurement procedures. 3. Any noncompetitive procurement will only occur if the conditions outlined in applicable regulations are met and sufficient evidence and documentation is received and retained, including participating in performing due diligence to ascertain whether a single source document is accurate from any given vendor. 4. In addition documented annual training will take place for all staff involved in the procurement process. This procedure includes a review and annual update of procurement procedures, if applicable, and an acknowledgement of the nutrition services code of conduct in regards to purchasing. Please reach out to us with any questions.

Management will update written procurement policy that conforms with the Uniform Guidance and implement procedures and control processes to retain documentation supporting compliance with major federal program compliance requirements regarding suspension and debarment. Our HUD program currently checks certificates of occupancy through the City of Rochester and Towns to ensure that the properties do not have violations. Moving forward, we will also check new landlords and or contractors through the central contractor registry to be following federal requirements regarding suspension and debarment.

Finding 2024-005 – Inadequate Procurement Documentation (Material Weakness) Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Federal Program Name: Nonpoint Source Implementation Grants Assistance Listing Numbers: 66.460 Pass-Through Entity: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Program Name: Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Program Assistance Listing Numbers: 11.438, 15.015, 15.244 Pass-Through Entity: State of Oregon – Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Program Name: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Assistance Listing Numbers: 10.665 Pass-Through Entity: U.S. Forest Service Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Program Name: Natural Resources Conservation Service Assistance Listing Numbers: 10.905 Pass-Through Entity: U.S. Forest Service Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior Federal Program Name: Wildlife, Sport Fish and Restoration Program Assistance Listing Numbers: 15.244 Pass-Through Entity: Bureau of Land Management Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Department of the InteriorFederal Program Name: Secure Rural Schools and community Self-Determination – Watershed and water-quality improvements Assistance Listing Numbers: 15.234 Pass-Through Entity: Bureau of Land Management Criteria: Federal procurement standards require non-Federal entities to maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement, including the method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and basis for the contract price. Competitive procurement must follow the entity’s written procedures consistent with 2 CFR §§200.317-200.327, including:  Written procedures for procurement (§200.318(a)).  Full and open competition requirements (§200.319).  Methods of procurement (sealed bids, proposal requirements, and required documentation (§200.320).  Contract cost and price justification, (§200.324).  Suspension/debarment verification for covered transactions (§200.214; §200.213). Condition: During the audit period, the Entity did not retain sufficient procurement documentation for several contracts funded under the above Assistance Listings. Specifically, files lacked one or more of the following:  Evidence of the procurement method used.  Price or cost analysis.  Suspension/debarment checks for vendors where required.  Documentation of competition.  Conflict-of-interest attestations. Cause: Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers procurement procedures were not sufficiently detailed or consistently applied to federal purchases. No evidence of procedures or review for procurement or suspension / debarment was provided to auditors. Turnover and limited training on Uniform Guidance procurement standards contributed to the inconsistent file completeness. Effect or Potential Effect: Without complete procurement documentation, the Entity cannot demonstrate compliance with federal procurement requirements, increasing the risk of:  Noncompetitive awards or unreasonable prices.  Unallowable costs for the award requirements.  Potential disallowance or repayment of federal funds.  Findings in federal or pass-through monitoring and future audits. Questioned Cost: Yes, $902,496 related to expenditures that had no procurement support or detail. Context: During our audit, it was found that the Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers had experienced complete staff turnover in Financial Management for the year being audited. No current finance employees had worked for the organization during the year being audited. Award files provided to auditors did not contain information related to procurement, suspension or debarment procedures or processes. Repeat of a Prior-Year Finding: No, Prior- year did not require a Single Audit. Recommendation: We recommend that Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers: Update Written Procurement Procedures o Incorporate Uniform Guidance thresholds and methods (§200.320), competition requirements (§200.319), and documentation expectations (history of procurement). o Embed steps for suspension / debarment checks and Appendix II Contract clauses.  Standardized Procurement Checklist o Pre-award checklist that verifies: method, competition evidence, cost/price analysis, conflict of interest attestations, SAM exclusion check, and required federal clauses. o Post -award checklist ensuring complete contract file (award memo, bid tab / evaluation, signed agreement, clause verification).  Cost/Price Analysis Guidance o Require documented price reasonableness for small purchases, formal cost or price analysis for larger or sole-source awards, per (§200.324).  Training & Accountability o Provide targeted training to procurement and program staff on 2 CFR §§200.317- 20.327 and Assistance Listing award conditions. o Implement supervisory pre-award review and periodic file audits. District Response: Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers acknowledges the deficiencies. Corrective Action Plan: ____________ (To be completed by Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers) Planned Implementation Date: _____________ Responsible Person: Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers Finance Manager

Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners: These procurement issues originated during the prior County Clerk’s administration, but the current leadership is focused on corrective measures. Together, we are: • developing a SOP to ensure vendor checks for suspension and debarment are conducted on all purchases over $25,000, • establishing written standards of conduct to address conflicts of interest and set clear procurement guidelines, • and enhancing oversight and review to ensure all procurement processes are fully compliant with federal regulations. Our goal is to build a consistent, transparent procurement framework that safeguards both compliance and public trust. 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 the SEFA. The SOP will be reviewed, adopted, and monitored by the Board of County Commissioners.

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

Views of Auditee and Corrective Actions: GDOE disagrees with the finding. Auditors cited the lack of procurement policies that meet 2 CFR 200.324(a), but did not find any evidence that GDOE did not comply with procurement regulations.

Finding Title: Noncompliance with Procurement Standards – Professional Services Responsible Person: Grace Kim, CFO Corrective Action Plan: The Foundation acknowledges the auditor’s finding that procurement standards were not followed when the attorney for this project was hired. Management did not anticipate the need to apply procurement requirements to legal services at the time of engagement. Management recognizes the importance of procurement regulations as a core internal control responsibility and will implement the following corrective actions: The organization will formalize and strengthen its procurement procedures to ensure compliance with applicable requirements. Specifically: 1. A written procurement policy will be developed and adopted that clearly defines competitive quote and documentation requirements for all goods and services, including professional services such as legal counsel. 2. The policy will specify thresholds requiring multiple price quotes or justification for sole-source procurement. 3. Management will require documentation on price comparisons or written justification prior to executing contracts or engagement letters for professional services. 4. Staff involved in procurement and contract approvals will be trained on the new procurement policy and compliance requirements. Anticipated Completion Date: January 1, 2026

Prospectively, Historic South will review best practices related to the contract awarding process and formal contracting arrangements for construction work. In addition, Historic South will implement policies of: 1. Requiring the solicitation of multiple bids for all construction work in excess of $10,000 2. Establishing criteria for awarding all construction work 3. Implementing formal contracting processes for all construction work

Finding 2024-240: The Division is not following Idaho Administrative Rules for Purchasing as required by federal requirements. Related to Prior Finding: N/A Agency’s view: Agree 4.1 Corrective Action Plan: Policy Alignment: Review and revise internal procurement policies and procedures to align with IDAPA 38.05.01, 2 CFR 200.317, and 2 CFR 200.303 requirements. 4.2 Training and Awareness: Provide training to all staff to ensure understanding of: 4.2.1 Purchasing thresholds and categories (small, informal, and formal purchases). 4.2.2 Documentation and approval requirements. 4.2.3 Process and documentation requirements for purchases requiring exemptions. 4.3 Internal Control Strengthening: Develop and implement internal control mechanisms to ensure compliance with State and Federal purchasing requirements. 4.4 Monitoring and Accountability: Establish a quality assurance and compliance monitoring process to perform monitoring of procurement transactions to verify compliance with Division policies and procedures. Anticipated Corrective Action Date: 06/30/2026 Responsible for Corrective Action: Contracts and Vendor Relations Officer, To be Hired Position Oversight: MiKayla Monaghan, Internal Operations and Stakeholder Relations Manager