Finding Text
2022-004 INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER ALLOWABLE COSTS Grantor: Various Award Name: Various Award Year: Various Award Numbers: Various CFDA Number: Various Criteria: Title 2, Chapter 2, part 200 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR Part 200) establishes cost principles for determining costs applicable to federal awards with nonprofit organizations. An important method of adhering to these cost principles and ensuring allowable and allocable costs are charged to federal programs is through the use of a cost allocation plan. As important as the plan is, internal controls over the cost allocation plan are just as necessary. Nonprofit organizations must maintain internal controls over the allocation of costs to ensure costs are not over or under allocated, consistency across programs, and that they are traceable back to the accounting records themselves. Condition: During our audit procedures, we noted that although the Center maintains a cost allocation plan, there were no internal controls in place to ensure the plan was achieving the requirements referenced in the previous paragraph. The cost allocation plan was effectively existing and operating independently from the underlying accounting records. Cause: No individuals at the Center were periodically performing reconciling and other activities which would have served to ensure the cost allocation plan and underlying accounting records were in line and consistent. Effect: The Center incurs the risk of allocating disallowed costs to federal programs contrary to Federal Regulations. Questioned Costs: None noted. Recommendation: The Center should implement internal controls (periodic reconciliations, etc.) to ensure accuracy and consistency in allocations. Management?s Views and Corrective Action Plan: Management agrees with this finding and has outlined its resulting actions in a separately issued Corrective Action Plan.