Finding Text
2024-001 Significant Deficiency in Internal Controls over Compliance and Compliance, Other Matter – Procurement (suspension and debarment)
Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior
Program(s) and
Federal Award
Listing Number(s): Partners for Fish and Wildlife
ALN: 15.631
FAIN: FA22AC02756, FA23AC02476
New or Repeat: New
Criteria: Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. Per 2 CFR Part 180, as referenced in 2 CFR Part 1400, for any contract expected to total $25,000 or more, a recipient of federal funds must confirm that the contractor is not suspended or debarred from receiving federal funds.
Per 2 CFR 200.332, a pass-through entity must verify that the subrecipient is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from receiving federal funds in accordance with 2 CFR 180.300.
Condition: SAWC was not able to provide supporting documentation indicating that it had verified that contractors and subrecipients were not suspended or debarred prior to contracting with, or making a subaward to, the entities.
Cause: Internal controls were designed, but not sufficiently implemented to ensure that documentation of the check for suspension and debarment was retained.
Effect: SAWC could have contracted with, or made a subaward to, an entity that was suspended or debarred.
Context: We tested 100% of the procurement population. For three of the three contractors/subrecipients tested, we were not able to verify that SAWC confirmed the contractor/subrecipient was not suspended or debarred prior to entering into the transaction.
Questioned costs: There are no questioned costs associated with this finding.
Recommendation: We recommend SAWC consider either collecting a certification regarding suspension and debarment from contractors/subrecipients or adding a suspension and debarment clause or condition to contracts and subawards.
View of responsible
officials: Management concurs with this finding, see corrective action plan.