Finding Text
2023-003: Period of Performance
a. Condition: Meadville Area Sewer Authority did not properly pay out vendors in a timely basis for services performed during their current project for sewer plant upgrades.
b. Criteria: Compliance with federal guidelines was not properly followed when paying out vendors for work performed in the proper timeframe of project activity.
c. Cause: The internal procedures failed to disclose that one disbursement was not paid within the 120-day deadline to liquidate expenses with no extension of payments noted.
d. Effect: The failure to pay out vendor invoices within the 120-day period.
e. Recommendation: The auditor recommends that on completion of work by vendors, the Authority should look to request invoices from the vendor to ensure payables are properly kept track of and payments are made within the time period noted in the grant paperwork.
f. Response: An internal procedure was created, in addition to former procedures that shows a more detailed approach of ensuring every invoice involved with each drawdown are accounted for and paid on a timely basis to each vendor. The Authority believes this instance was a one-time item that will be corrected.