Finding Text
2024-001 Suspension and Debarment
Prior Year Finding Number: N/A
Year of Finding Origination: 2024
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: SLFRP1447; 2021
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 effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the auditee is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award.
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 the one covered transaction tested, the County did not maintain documentation of verification that the vendor was not suspended or debarred prior to entering into the covered transaction.
Questioned Costs: None.
Context: The County entered into one covered transaction during the year using COVID-19 – Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The vendor tested was not listed as suspended or debarred on SAM.gov at the time of the audit.
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 County informed us that it is their practice to perform the SAM.gov search; however, the results of the suspension and debarment search were not retained for this vendor.
Recommendation: We recommend the County maintain documentation to demonstrate that vendors were not debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded from conducting business with the County; the County should complete this documentation prior to entering into a covered transaction.
View of Responsible Official: Concur