We agree with the finding that internal controls were not sufficient to maintain compliance with federal procurement standards under Title 2, Subtitle A, Chapter II, Part 200, Subpart D, 200.318 to 200.327 for a non-federal entity. However, the funds were expended for the intended purpose of the fed...
We agree with the finding that internal controls were not sufficient to maintain compliance with federal procurement standards under Title 2, Subtitle A, Chapter II, Part 200, Subpart D, 200.318 to 200.327 for a non-federal entity. However, the funds were expended for the intended purpose of the federal award. The Company is committed to implementing internal controls to ensure procurement related to federal awards follow 2 CFR section 200.318 to 200.327. The Company implemented the procurement policy it created on September 30, 2025, in response to prior audit findings 2024-001 and 2024-003, which occurred after the end of the federal award year for this program, that addresses this finding. This procurement policy complies with the requirements of 2 CFR section 200.318 through 200.327, that includes the written standards of conduct covering conflicts of interest and governs the actions of its employees who select, award and administer procurement contracts. This policy includes procedures to ensure proper procurement for small purchases to ensure sufficient price quotations are obtained from the required number of qualified sources, proper sealed bids or proposals are obtained through public advertising, an appropriate cost or price analysis is performed for procurement actions exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, documentation is retained, and proper oversight is exercised in accordance with 2 CFR section 200.318 through 200.327. While the Company did not perform a check of each vendor against the SAM Exclusions prior to selecting a vendor, the Company has procedures in place to ensure the vendors are approved by Corporate purchasing and in good standing, which limits the risk of conflict of interest between employees and vendors, and limits contracting with a vendor who is suspended or debarred from federal related contracting. Further, the Company confirmed the vendors that were contracted with related to this finding were not included on the SAM Exclusions listing. The Company has now filed the Notice of Federal Interest (“NFI”), and provided the NFI to the appropriate HRSA Grants Management Specialist. The Company also updated its procurement policy to ensure that, regardless of the award amount, it files an NFI against the property deed prior to construction of any project in the appropriate public records office of the jurisdiction in which the property is located and provides a copy to the appropriate HRSA Grants Management Specialist. Contact Person: Ela Lena, Chief Executive Officer of Southern Regional Hospital Expected completion date: Provide training to all employees who are relevant to the procurement process of federal contracts by September 30, 2026.