Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action:
ASBO has entered a contract with a new 3rd party administrator to provide oversight for all subgrant awardees. This contact is active now. We developed our contract to ensure improved monitoring for expenditures and verification of receip...
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action:
ASBO has entered a contract with a new 3rd party administrator to provide oversight for all subgrant awardees. This contact is active now. We developed our contract to ensure improved monitoring for expenditures and verification of receipts. Also, we are in the process of developing a portal which will allow this contractor and ASBO to have full access to all documents from subgrantees. Our new vendor does have prior experience with subgrants management.
In addition, ASBO commits internally to the following:
• We will monitor all capital purchases when the invoices are received at our office.
• We will pull a random sample of five invoices per month and conduct our own review of expenses.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action (Continued):
Highlights for the Baker contract:
ASBO’s broadband grant program management vendor-partner, Michael Baker International (MBI), is contracted for the following activities and deliverables:
• Developing the workflow, process, and online forms that facilitate project monitoring and expense reimbursement.
• Responsible for pursuing and documenting additional information required for project monitoring and reimbursement activities. These activities shall be completed within the framework of the Broadband Grants Project Monitoring and Reimbursement System (see below for details) and not through external email or other document exchange system.
• Develop and apply standardized naming conventions for all project documents that will be maintained throughout the life of the project. Documents shall be stored in a manner that promotes transparency and facilities ease of use by auditors.
• Take all reasonable measures to ensure grant activities are implemented in a manner that ensures transparency, accountability, and oversight sufficient to (1) minimize the opportunity for waste, fraud, and abuse; (2) ensure that subrecipients use funds to further the objectives of Federal programs and the Arkansas State Broadband Office; and (3) allow the public to understand and monitor subgrants awarded under the program.
• Ensuring all reimbursement activity complies with Federal requirements, including Section 60102 of the Infrastructure Act, 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and any supplemental guidance issued by the Federal government.
• Responsible for knowing what constitutes eligible and ineligible expenses under both state and Federal rules.
• Provide education and guidance to subrecipients and the ASBO on key oversight and compliance requirements.
• Ensure payment activities follow all state and Federal policies and procedures. Contractor acknowledges policies may change over the life of the contract.
• Identify policies the ASBO is required to adopt and assist in drafting those policies to ensure ASBO compliance with Federal regulations.
• Assist the Arkansas State Broadband Office in enforcing program rules and laws and imposing penalties for nonperformance, failure to meet statutory obligations, or wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive expenditure of funds. Such penalties include, but are not limited to, imposition of additional award conditions, payment suspension, award suspension, grant termination, de-obligation/clawback of funds, and debarment of organizations and/or personnel.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action (Continued):
• Conduct audits of subrecipients as are necessary and appropriate. Contractor shall report the results of any audits it conducts to the Arkansas State Broadband Office.
• Develop a template contract for subrecipients, specifying key terms including contract length, performance standards, construction and service rollout schedules, competitive access requirements, regulatory compliance requirements, environmental controls, grant reporting and data sharing requirements, monitoring and oversight procedures, and penalties for non-compliance.
• Retain and provide to the Arkansas State Broadband Office upon request all records, documents, and communications of any kind that relates in any manner to grant awards and project procurement, performance, and reimbursement. This data shall be labeled and stored in a manner that promotes transparency and facilitates ease of use by auditors.
Additionally, MBI is building two new systems for ASBO and subgrantee use:
1. Broadband Grants Project Monitoring and Reimbursement System
2. Grant Application Submission, Evaluation, Award, and Appeal System
These systems will have the following features:
• Facilitate inputs, responses, data gathering, analysis, and adjudication decision recommendations and subsequent documentation of payment decisions for the Arkansas State Broadband Office’s final approval.
• Provide a secure mechanism for grant applications and safeguard protected, proprietary, and other confidential information.
• Assign a unique identifier to each application and each project. Contractor shall develop and apply a standardized naming convention to all applications and associated documents that will be maintained throughout award, technical review, project monitoring, and project closing. Documents shall be named and stored in a manner that facilitates ease of use by auditors.
• System shall exhibit built-in quality controls, such as pre-screening, that assist applicants in submitting applications that meet all minimal requirements for consideration (such as requiring a SAM number).
• MBI shall be responsible for pursuing and documenting additional information required for clarification of submitted applications, technical reviews of applications, and project monitoring
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action (Continued):
• and reimbursement activities. These activities shall be completed within the framework of the Grant Application Submission, Evaluation, Award, and Appeal System or the Broadband Grants Project Monitoring and Reimbursement System and not through external email or other document exchange systems.
Anticipated Completion Date: System anticipated go live Date: April 26, 2024
Contact Person:
Name: Glen Howie
Title: Director
Agency: Department of Commerce, Arkansas State Broadband Office
Address: 1 Commerce Way, Suite 601
City, State, Zip: Little Rock, AR 72202
Phone Number: 501-682-1123
Email Address: Glen.howie@arkansasEDC.com