Federal Program: Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – MPSIG IV Assistance Listing No.: 10.170 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pass-Through Entity: None Federal Award Identification Number: 23SCBPME1171 Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding Criteria – Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered transactions to parties that are suspended or debarred. “Covered transactions” include contracts for goods and services awarded under a non-procurement transaction (e.g., grant or cooperative agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000 or meet certain other criteria as specified in 2 CFR section 180.220. All non-procurement transactions entered into by a pass-through entity (i.e., subawards to subrecipients), irrespective of award amount, are considered covered transactions, unless they are exempt as provided in 2 CFR section 180.215. When a non-federal entity enters into a covered transaction with an entity at a lower tier, the non-federal entity must verify that the entity, as defined in 2 CFR section 180.995 and agency adopting regulations, is not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. This verification may be accomplished by (1) checking the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusions maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and available at SAM.gov Home (click on Search Record, then click on Advanced Search-Exclusions) (Note: The OMB guidance at 2 CFR Part 180 and agency implementing regulations still refer to the SAM Exclusions as the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS)), (2) collecting a certification from the entity, or (3) adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that entity (2 CFR section 180.300). Condition – During 2024, MOFGA did not perform any reviews of subrecipients to ensure they were in good standing before receiving federal funds. Questioned costs – None. Cause – MOFGA did not perform any reviews of subrecipients to ensure they were in good standing before passing through federal funds. Effect or potential effect – There is a risk that the specialty crop block grant funds a suspended or debarred subrecipient which could result in them receiving penalties or having their agreement for the grant terminated. Context – The sample of subrecipients was a statistically valid sample. Recommendation – MOFGA should put in place a policy to review subrecipients standing to ensure that all subrecipients are appropriately receiving grant funds. Corrective Actions Taken or Planned – MOFGA will put into place a process for checking the sam.gov website as part of our eligibility process for subrecipient awardees, and will also add this verification for all employees that are working on grants to ensure anyone receiving grant funds are not suspended or debarred. Responsible Parties – Angela Haiss,. Director of Operations Anticipated Completion Date – December 31, 2025