Finding 1187077 (2025-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
I
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-26
Audit: 394801
Organization: Lake Havasu City (AZ)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The City lacks adequate internal controls to verify that contractors are not suspended or debarred before entering into contracts.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 2 CFR Part 200 is necessary to prevent contracting with suspended or debarred entities.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement a review process to ensure documentation of contractor status checks is retained before contract execution.

Finding Text

2025 – 002 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Federal Program Name: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Assistance Listing Number: 21.027 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: H79TI083313 - 2020 Award Period: March 3, 2021 through December 31, 2026 Type of Finding: • Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance Criteria or specific requirement: 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Award requires compliance with the provisions of procurement, suspension, and debarment. Non-federal entities are prohibited from contracting with or making subawards under covered transactions that are suspended or debarred. Before entering into a covered transaction, the entity must verify that the contractor is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from participating in the transaction. Condition: During our testing, we noted the City did not have adequate internal controls designed to ensure vendors were not suspended or debarred. The City did not retain documentation that the suspension and debarment status of contractors were verified prior to entering into the contract. Questioned costs: None Context: During our testing, it was noted that for one out of the five items the City successfully completed the suspension and debarment check as required by the uniform guidance. However, during the review, it was found that the city did not retain the documentation supporting the date when the check was performed. Cause: The City’s controls were not sufficient to ensure that contractors’ suspension and debarment status was documented prior to entering into the contract. Effect: The City could have entered into an agreement with a contractor that was suspended or debarred. Although the City was able to demonstrate that contracts were not entered into with vendors who were suspended or debarred, the absence of documentation performed prior to contract execution presents a risk of noncompliance with applicable procurement regulations. Repeat Finding: No. Recommendation: We recommend the City design controls to ensure an adequate review process is in place to review potential contractors to determine they are not suspended or debarred prior to entering into transactions with contractors. Views of responsible officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.

Corrective Action Plan

Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds – Assistance Listing No. 21.027 Recommendation: We recommend the City design controls to ensure an adequate review process is in place to review potential contractors to verify they are not suspended or debarred prior to entering into transactions with contractors. Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding. Action planned in response to finding. Lake Havasu City recognizes the need for strengthened internal communication and training related to federal grant requirements, specifically in identifying purchases made with federal funds. To address this, the City is implementing the following actions: • Providing targeted training to all departments that utilize federal grant funding, emphasizing requirements under Assistance Listing 21.027, including pre-procurement responsibilities such as identifying grant-funded purchases. • Reinforcing procedures requiring departments to clearly flag and communicate any purchases involving federal funds to Procurement before initiating vendor engagement. • Updating internal guidance and distributing a quick-reference tool that outlines federal procurement obligations so that staff can easily determine when suspension and debarment checks are required. • Conducting follow-up training and monitoring to ensure departments consistently follow notification and documentation procedures. These steps will help ensure federal requirements are met and that Procurement is appropriately informed to perform suspension and debarment checks before transactions occur. Name(s) of the contact person(s) responsible for corrective action: Vijette Saari, Grants Manager Trinna Ware, Finance Division Manager Planned completion date for corrective action: June 30, 2026 If the U.S. Department of Treasury has questions regarding this plan, please call Trinna Ware at (928)854-0735.

Categories

Procurement, Suspension & Debarment

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1187072 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1187073 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1187074 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1187075 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1187076 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
97.083 STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE (SAFER) $1.41M
20.205 HIGHWAY PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION $123,855
20.505 METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND STATE AND NON-METROPOLITAN PLANNING AND RESEARCH $120,167
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $97,328
16.585 TREATMENT COURT DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM $83,423
20.106 AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT PROGRAMS, AND COVID-19 AIRPORTS PROGRAMS $73,360
16.710 PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY POLICING GRANTS $56,728
16.738 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM $47,833
97.044 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT $45,646
97.067 HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM $44,219
20.507 FEDERAL TRANSIT FORMULA GRANTS $34,258
16.554 NATIONAL CRIMINAL HISTORY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (NCHIP) $29,156
20.600 STATE AND COMMUNITY HIGHWAY SAFETY $18,812
16.607 BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM $11,854
14.228 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/STATE'S PROGRAM AND NON-ENTITLEMENT GRANTS IN HAWAII $1,500