Finding 2024-002 – Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Condition: Texas Biomed did not comply with procurement requirements per the Uniform Guidance. Specifically, Texas Biomed did not comply with informal procurement methods for small purchases and noncompetitive procurement requirements. Texa...
Finding 2024-002 – Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Condition: Texas Biomed did not comply with procurement requirements per the Uniform Guidance. Specifically, Texas Biomed did not comply with informal procurement methods for small purchases and noncompetitive procurement requirements. Texas Biomed also did not comply with its own procurement policy in relation to procurements of small purchases and noncompetitive procurements. Additionally, Texas Biomed did not maintain records for certain procurements sufficient to detail the history of procurement, including the rationale for the method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, the basis for the contract price, and the performance of a cost or price analysis, when required. Three of the four procurements noted as findings were, in fact, sole source procurements but lacked timely documentation of sole source rationale. Corrective Action Plan: Texas Biomed made a change in management over the procurement function and hired an experienced and knowledgeable Assistant Director of Supply Chain Management on September 15, 2025 to oversee procurement and ensure compliance with the necessary requirements. To ensure compliance and adherence to purchasing policies and procedures, Texas Biomed will introduce a Purchasing Compliance Program. This program will include training and oversight procedures for the purchasing program. The training will include: new hire training, ongoing quarterly purchasing training for end users and purchasing staff. The purchasing team will maintain training documents and ensure new and existing employees have the most current policy, procedures, and requirements to guide them through the purchasing process. The oversight procedures will be performed by the Assistant Director of Supply Chain Management and shall include auditing purchase orders over the micro-purchase threshold to ensure proper documentation is present. The Assistant Director of Supply Chain Management will also lead efforts of continuous improvement to update and communicate the Purchasing Compliance Program to all Texas Biomed staff. Key dates shall include: • Enhanced new hire training October 2025 • Quarterly training session January 2026 • Oversight procedures developed November 2025 Responsible Parties: Eva Zepeda, Director, Finance; Eric McGowin, Assistant Director, Supply Chain Management Completion Date: October 31, 2025