Finding Text
Assistance Listing, Federal Agency, and Program Name - 93.088, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Advancing System Improvements for Key Issues in Women's Health 93.323, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) 93.592, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Family Violence Prevention and Services/Discretionary and COVID - 19 Family Violence Prevention and Services/Discretionary 93.837, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cardiovascular Disease Research (Research and Development Cluster) Federal Award Identification Number and Year - 93.088 ASTWH220110 (2023 and 2024) 93.323 - 32680012K (2024) 93.592 - 90EV0516 (2021); 90EV0530 (2023); ; 90EV0544 (2024) 93.837 - U01HL146245 (2024) Pass through Entity - 93.088 N/A 93.323 - Illinois Department of Public Health 93.592 - N/A 93.837 - N/A Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations Repeat Finding - Yes 2024-001 Criteria - Per 2 CFR 200.303(a), nonfederal entities must establish and maintain effective internal controls over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the nonfederal entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with the guidance in Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, or the Internal Control Framework, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Per 2 CFR 200.318(a), the nonfederal entity must have and use documented procedures, consistent with state, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a federal award or subaward. The nonfederal entity's documented procurement procedures must conform to the procurement standards identified in §§200.317 through 200.327. The LLC has established in its internal procurement policies and procedures that a minimum of 3 quotes must be obtained for purchases made under informal, simplified acquisition procedures. Per 2 CFR 200.318(i), the nonfederal entity must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement. These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: rationale for the method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the basis for the contract price. Condition - Controls were not sufficient to ensure that the history of procurement decisions was documented, as required by 2 CFR 200. Additionally, controls were not sufficient to ensure checks for suspension and debarment were documented before entering into covered transactions with third parties. Questioned Costs - unknown If questioned costs are not determinable, description of why known questioned costs were undetermined or otherwise could not be reported We are unable to predictably quantify, had federal procurement standards been followed, which portion of activity presented on the SEFA under these contracts would be in question. Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed N/A Context - 93.088 - Management was unable to provide evidence that three out of three contractors tested was checked for suspension and debarment in advance of entering into a covered transaction. 93.323 - Management was unable to provide evidence that three out of three contractors tested was checked for suspension and debarment in advance of entering into a covered transaction. 93.592 - Management was unable to provide evidence that four out of four contractors tested was checked for suspension and debarment in advance of entering into a covered transaction. 93.837 - Of the four contracts tested, management was unable to produce records sufficient to detail the history of procurement for one contract. Additionally, for that same contractor, management was unable to provide evidence that the third party was checked for suspension and debarment in advance of entering into a covered transaction. Because we were able to confirm via a check of the Excluded Parties Listing that the contractors noted above were not suspended or debarred, no questioned costs related to this noncompliance were identified. Cause and Effect - Newly revised procurement policies and procedures implemented during the last month of the fiscal period under audit were not in place during the time of the contract acquisitions noted above, and therefore a lack of internally established procurement documentation practices resulted in material noncompliance with federal procurement standards. Recommendation - We recommend that management continue to follow and formalize its procurement policies and procedures to demonstrate how the LLC will achieve compliance with federal procurement standards identified in §§200.317 through 200.327. Additionally, we recommend management retain documented evidence that its policies and procedures were followed to ensure compliance with federal procurement standards. Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - Management will continue to strengthen internal controls through the revised Procurement Policy, enhanced documentation requirements, and clarified approval procedures. A centralized tracking database has been implemented to document sanctions, suspension, and debarment checks, as well as other required verifications based on the nature of each purchase or service. These procedures are required prior to entering into covered transactions and are monitored through dual staff reviews. Management believes that ongoing monitoring and consistent enforcement of these procedures will ensure compliance and prevent recurrence.