Finding Text
Finding Number: 2025-005 Finding Type: Federal award finding Federal Assistance Listing No.: 15.685 Program Name: National Fish Passage Federal Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior Pass-Through Entity: n/a Grant Number: F24AC01768-00 Award Project Period: July 1, 2024 through July 1, 2029 Control Deficiency Type: Significant deficiency Instance of Noncompliance: Yes Compliance Requirement: Reporting Repeat Finding: No Criteria: Under 2 CFR Part 170, direct recipients of federal funds must report first tier subawards of $30,000 or more to the Federal Service and Financial Reporting System in SAM.GOV, in accordance with Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), no later than the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. Required information includes subrecipient identifying data, award amount, and other elements specified by FFATA. Condition: The Council did not submit the required FFATA first tier subaward report for its federal subaward. The subaward met the reporting threshold, but no report was filed in SAM.GOV. Cause: This was the Council’s first year receiving direct federal funding, and staff was not yet familiar with FFATA reporting requirements. The Council did not have written procedures in place to identify when FFATA reporting is required or to ensure timely submission. Effect: Failure to submit the required FFATA report results in incomplete public reporting of federal spending and does not comply with 2 CFR Part 170. This increases the risk of reduced transparency. Questioned Costs: None. Audit Recommendation: The Council should establish procedures to identify when FFATA reporting is required and ensure that all first tier subawards are reported in SAM.GOV within the required timeframe. Staff responsible for federal grants management should receive training on FFATA requirements and incorporate FFATA checks into the federal subaward workflow. Management’s Response: Rogue River Watershed Council’s sub-recipient award in 2025 represents our first (and only) such award to date. We were not aware of the FFATA first-tier subaward report requirements for federal subawards in excess of $30,000. The Sub-Recipient Award Policy that we will develop to address audit finding 2025-004 will include a procedure (or set of procedures) to ensure the reporting of qualifying first-tier subawards to the Federal Service and Financial Reporting System in SAM.gov in accordance with Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA).