Issue: Vendors were not checked for suspension or debarment before payments were made.
Trend: This practice changed with the implementation of the Debarment and Suspension Policy in June 2022.
Follow-up: Ensure all vendor checks are conducted moving forward to comply with the new policy.
Finding Text
No search for suspension or debarment was performed for vendors until the Debarment and Suspension Policy and Procedure was put into place in June 2022, which was after payments were made.
Corrective Action Plan
The Organization agrees with the finding. The Organization has performed this search on all vendors paid with Federal Awards and verified that no payments were made to any vendors or individuals on the Federal debarment listing. Moving forward, the Organization will perform comprehensive testing annually on all vendors by March 31st and prior to payments being made to new vendors. The Organization will retain documentation to include date and source of search when verifying debarment or suspension. A procedure has been created to ensure this testing is performed before payments are made and that documentation of this process is retained and was put into place in June 2022.