Finding Text
Material Weakness Internal Controls Over Finacial Reporting Deficiencies in the Design of Controls Conditions: During our audit, we noted the organization does not have the following written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), inadequate design of controls over the preparation of the financial statements, inadequate design of controls over significant accounts and processes, inadequate documentation of the components of internal controls. We have also found inadequate segregation of duties. The client has personnel and management under their employ who lack the qualifications and training to fulfill their assigned functions. There is also inadequate design of monitoring controls used to assess the design and operating effectiveness of the entity's internal control environment. Failures in the Operation of Internal Control Conditions: Failure of the information and communication component of internal control to provide complete and accurate output because of deficiencies in timeliness, completeness, and accuracy, failure to perform reconciliations of significant accounts. Poor Documentation Conditions: Lack of clear policies and procedures, making it difficult to monitor compliance and identify potential problems. Risk Assessment Failures Conditions: Not properly identifying and mitigating key risks within the organization. Lack of Management Review Conditions: Not actively monitoring and reviewing internal controls for effectiveness. Human Error Conditions: Mistakes made by employees due to poor training or lack of attention to detail. Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.510 (a) - The auditee shall prepare financial statements that reflect its financial position, results of operation or change in net assets, and, where appropriate, cash flows for the fiscal year audited. Management is responsible for implementing a system of internal control over reconciling, verifying, and evaluating the nature of awards in accordance with applicable accounting standards. Management must assign accountable departmental employees and procedures must be in place for evaluating and documenting the nature of the various accounting steps of rollforwards and reconciliations in accordance with accounting standards and to ensure the accounts are being represented accurately. Effects of Conditions: Without SOPs there is a higher error rate, increased risk of compliance issues, operations stop or a lack of segregation of duties occur when key personnel are unavailable. Without internal controls over the preparation of the financial statements there is no assurance that management has accurate, timely and complete information, including accounting records. The organization faces an increased risk of fraud, errors in accounting, operational inefficiencies, compliance issues, damage to reputation, and difficulty in detecting and investigating fraudulent activity because of a lack of segregation of duties. The lack of monitoring can cause inaccurate financial reporting, increased risk of fraud, poor decision-making due to unreliable data, potential reputational damage, and missed opportunities to identify and correct financial problems early on, ultimately impacting the company's financial stability and overall performance. Cause of Conditions: The lack of SOPs (financial statement close, procure to pay, order tocash) created an environment that is not conducive for monitoring, reconciliation, and communication and can have a material impact on the entity’s financials. Policies and proceduresare not in place to ensure the effectiveness of financial management and oversight. The financial statement close process is not performed in a time manner to allow for reasonable financial statements to be prepared and reviewed by management and those charged with governance. Also, the entity lacks qualified staff in critical roles to ensure that the financial processes are initiated andmonitored and reported in a timely manner.
Auditor’s Recommendation: We recommend that internal controls, along with a control matrix and SOPs, are documented and appropriately implemented and distributed to staff and management along with implementing an ongoing process of regularly reviewing and assessing the financial data. Also, we recommend hiring additional qualified staff and providing the training needed to the current staff and new hires.