Finding 389400 (2023-001)

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Requirement
F
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-03-29
Audit: 300375
Auditor: Galíndez LLC

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The Foundation failed to conduct a required physical inventory of equipment by the deadline of July 13, 2023, as mandated by federal regulations.
  • Impacted Requirements: This oversight violates the compliance requirement for Equipment and Real Property Management under 2 CFR section 200.313(d), which includes maintaining property records and conducting inventories every two years.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The Foundation should implement reminders for personnel to perform property inventories on schedule and stay updated on federal award guidelines to ensure compliance.

Finding Text

Findings and Questioned Costs Relating to Federal Awards: Finding No. 2023-001 - Equipment and Real Property Management: Federal Program: Research and Development Cluster Name of Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Category: Other matters Compliance requirement: F. Equipment and Real Property Management Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.313(d), Equipment Management Requirements, states that: Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part under a Federal award, until disposition takes place will, as a minimum, meet the following requirements: (1) Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sale price of the property. (2) A physical inventory of the property must be taken and the results reconciled with the property records at least once every two years. (3) A control system must be developed to ensure adequate safeguards to prevent loss, damage, or theft of the property. Any loss, damage, or theft must be investigated. (4) Adequate maintenance procedures must be developed to keep the property in good condition. (5) If the non-Federal entity is authorized or required to sell the property, proper sales procedures must be established to ensure the highest possible return. Condition: As a result of our audit procedures, we noted that the last physical inventory of property was taken on July 13, 2021, accordingly, the Foundation should have performed a physical inventory on or before July 13, 2023. Cause: The property inventory was scheduled for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, however, due to medical complications of the employee in-charge of fixed assets, the inventory was postponed. Effect: Conducting physical inventory ensures compliance with regulations and helps maintain accountability for the use of federal expenditures, prevents fraud and abuse, and helps identify surplus or underutilized equipment, leading to more efficient allocation of resources. Questioned Cost: None. Context: Since the last property inventory was taken on July 13, 2021, the next property inventory should have been performed on or before July 13, 2023. Identification of a repeat finding: This is not a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit. Recommendation: The Foundation should continue monitoring and reviewing guidelines for federal awards under the Research and Development Cluster to ensure it is current on the applicable requirements and changes therein. Also, there should be reminders set to the corresponding personnel to perform the property inventories, at least, every two years.

Corrective Action Plan

CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN: For the findings and questioned costs relating to federal awards of fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, Finding No. 2023-001 - Equipment and Real Property Management: Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.313(d), Equipment Management Requirements, states that: Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part under a Federal award, until disposition takes place will, as a minimum, meet the following requirements: (1) Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sale price of the property. (2) A physical inventory of the property must be taken, and the results reconciled with the property records at least once every two years. (3) A control system must be developed to ensure adequate safeguards to prevent loss, damage, or theft of the property. Any loss, damage, or theft must be investigated. (4) Adequate maintenance procedures must be developed to keep the property in good condition. (5) If the non-Federal entity is authorized or required to sell the property, proper sales procedures must be established to ensure the highest possible return. Condition: The last physical inventory of the property was taken on July 13, 2021, with the property subsidiary as of August 2020. A physical inventory should have been performed on or before July 13, 2023. Cause: The Inventory would be done during fiscal 2022-2023, but the employee in-charge of fixed assets got a chronic condition diagnostic. After the diagnostic the employee is underperforming. The beginning of the inventory was postponed as stated in the corrective action section of this document. Effect: Conducting physical inventory ensures compliance with regulations and helps maintain accountability for the use of federal expenditures, prevents fraud and abuse, and helps identify surplus or underutilized equipment, leading to more efficient allocation of resources. In addition, the condition above resulted in assets that could not be found in the facilities due to disposal after the date of the inventory observation, items relocated to other areas and items purchased after the date of the last inventory observation. Questioned Cost: None. Corrective action: The Foundation duly complies with four of five requirements of 2 CFR section 200.313(d). Management is committed to fully complying with the regulations. A plan is being developed to begin a physical inventory by the end of the fiscal year ending Juen 30, 2024. Finance staff will perform the inventory, along with the staff of the Foundation departments. The inventory plan will include the following: • Establish time schedules. • Identify responsible parties. • Detail description of entire inventory process. • Send to research laboratories, clinical research, clinical laboratory and administrative offices, the subsidiary list of the inventory as per the subsidiary, along with instructions. • Establish a deadline to departments send to finance the certified list of inventories. • Upon receipt of department inventories the finance staff will schedule a visit to each department, to confirm the inventory certification received. • Reconcile the inventory with general ledger and make the necessary adjustments in general ledger and the subsidiary. • Prepare an inventory report, for record, and for audit purposes. The report’s total dollar amount will be reconciled with the general ledger, including all equipment certified in the inventory. Submitted on March 15, 2024, by: Alejandro Ramírez Chief Financial Officer

Categories

Equipment & Real Property Management

Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
93.084 Prevention of Disease, Disability, and Death by Infectious Diseases $2.10M
93.662 Extramural Research Facilities Restoration Program: Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma – Construction $1.70M
21.019 Coronavirus Relief Fund $568,670
93.917 Hiv Care Formula Grants $318,609
93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training $289,495
93.396 Cancer Biology Research $226,136
12.420 Military Medical Research and Development $196,883
93.242 Mental Health Research Grants $178,178
93.243 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services_projects of Regional and National Significance $135,232
93.732 Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants $76,606
93.191 Graduate Psychology Education Program and Patient Navigator and Chronic Disease Prevention Program $71,337
93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs $63,995
93.592 Family Violence Prevention and Services/discretionary $62,535
93.307 Minority Health and Health Disparities Research $26,883
93.671 Family Violence Prevention and Services/domestic Violence Shelter and Supportive Services $25,708
93.310 Trans-Nih Research Support $25,448
93.397 Cancer Centers Support Grants $22,701
93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research $17,761
93.398 Cancer Research Manpower $16,887
93.590 Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Grants $16,840
93.855 Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research $12,635
93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research $15