Finding Text
Information on Federal Programs: 93.083 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Prevention of Disease, Disability, and Death through Immunization & Control of Respiratory & Related Diseases. Criteria or Specific Requirements: 2 CFR §200.303 requires the non-Federal entity to establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the award is managed in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (Green Book), issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, or the COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework. 2 CFR §200.318-200.320 require the non-Federal entity to have and use documented procurement procedures for the acquisition of property or services under a Federal award that are consistent with the standards for general procurement, competition, and methods of procurement. Condition: ATS’s organization-wide procurement policy does not include documented procurement procedures that address the Uniform Guidance requirements for procurement under Federal awards (for example, methods of procurement, competition requirements, and applicable thresholds) as required by 2 CFR §200.318-200.320. For the federally funded program, ATS implemented a separate written selection policy for contractors/health systems; however, this policy does not fully address all Uniform Guidance procurement elements. Cause: Management had not fully updated its written procurement policies and procedures to incorporate the specific requirements of 2 CFR §200.318-200.320 for procurements under Federal awards. As a result, internal control procedures over procurement under the Federal program were not fully documented in a manner consistent with the Uniform Guidance. Effect: Failure to have and use fully documented procurement policies and procedures compliant with the Uniform Guidance could result in noncompliance with Federal procurement requirements and increase the risk of unallowable or improperly procured costs under Federal awards. In the current year, our testing did not identify specific instances in which procurement transactions under the Federal program were noncompliant; however, the lack of fully compliant written procedures represents a significant deficiency in internal control over compliance. Perspective: ATS did not have documented procurement policies and procedures that were fully compliant with 2 CFR §200.320 for procurement under Federal awards. However, for the Federal program, ATS established a documented selection criteria policy for contractors/health systems. Under this policy, a selection subcommittee reviews, evaluates, and selects health systems based on defined criteria, and each selected application is submitted to the prime awardee for review and approval before ATS issues contracts. In a random sample of 8 procurement contracts tested, all 8 followed the documented selection process and were supported by appropriate documentation. Questioned Costs: None. Identification as a Repeat Finding: Continued Finding 2023-005. Recommendation: ATS should update and formalize its procurement policies and procedures to incorporate the requirements of 2 CFR §200.318-200.320 for all procurements under Federal awards, including: methods of procurement and thresholds, competition requirements, documentation of procurement history, and oversight responsibilities. Once updated, ATS should ensure the procurement under the Federal program is carried out in accordance with these policies and that staff are trained on the revised requirements.