Finding 1075555 (2023-003)

2023-003 Suspension and Debarment Prior Year Finding Number: N/A Year of Finding Origination: 2023 Type of Finding: Internal Control Over Compliance and Compliance Severity of Deficiency: Significant Deficiency and Other Matter Federal Agency: U.S. Department of the Treasury Program: 21.027 COVID-19 – Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Award Number and Year: SLFRP1336; 2022 Pass-Through Agency: N/A – Direct Criteria: Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations § 200.303 states that the auditee must establish and maintain internal control over federal programs that provides reasonable assurance that the auditee is managing federal awards in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards. Federal requirements prohibit non-federal entities from contracting with or making subawards under covered transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations § 180.300 describes a required verification process. Prior to entering into the transaction, one of the following must be performed: (1) checking SAM.gov exclusions, (2) collecting a certification, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction. Condition: For two covered transactions tested, the verification for suspended or debarred vendors was not performed prior to entering into the covered transactions. Questioned Costs: None Context: The County entered into a total of 12 covered transactions for this grant during 2023. The County performed the SAM.gov search and obtained the suspension and debarment certifications from each contractor; however, these procedures were performed after the project was started. A sample size was based on guidance from Chapter 11 of the AICPA Audit Guide, Government Auditing Standards and Single Audits. Effect: Failure to verify vendors are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into a covered transaction may result in the County entering into a transaction with a vendor that is not authorized to provide goods and services under the grant. Cause: The project started in March 2023, and the Board did not approve the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding for the project until August 2023. Recommendation: We recommend the County maintain documentation to demonstrate that vendors are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from conducting business with the County; this documentation should be completed prior to entering into a covered transaction. View of Responsible Official: Concur