Finding Text
Criteria or Specific Requirement Procurement: Part 2 CFR Section 200.318 requires that recipients and subrecipients maintain and use documented procedures for procurement transactions under federal awards and subawards, including for acquisition of property or services. It also requires that recipients and subrecipients maintain records sufficient to detail the history of each procurement transaction. These records must include the rationale for the procurement method, contract type selection, contractor selection or rejection, and the basis for the contract type.
Suspension and Debarment: Part 2 CFR Section 180.300 describes federal requirements related to suspension and debarment for federal award recipients. The standards require that a federal award recipient verify that an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended and debarred. Procedures for satisfying such requirements should be documented, and evidence of such procedures should be maintained. Condition Procurement: The Organization has a documented procurement policy. However, we were unable to view records detailing the history of the Organization’s two procurement transactions and that steps required by the Organization’s procurement were completed for the transactions.
Suspension and Debarment: We were unable to see evidence that the Organization verified two vendors with which it entered a covered transaction were not suspended and debarred before the date it entered the transaction with such vendors. During our audit procedures, we noted that the vendors were not suspended and debarred.Questioned Costs: None Context: Procurement: Two instances were noted during testing of eight transactions above the Organization’s micro purchase threshold.
Suspension and Debarment: Two instances were noted during testing of two coveredtransactions.
Cause: We were unable to view evidence that the Organization's documented procurement, and suspension and debarment policies were followed. Effect: The Organization is not in compliance with federal requirements related to documented procurement, and suspension and debarment procedures.
Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding.
Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization document and maintain evidence of: its completion of the required steps of its procurement policy for applicable transactions, and
suspension and debarment checks and procedures the Organization performs over vendors.Documentation and evidence of these procedures should be maintained to help show that the Organization in compliance with requirements specified in the Uniform Guidance.
Views of responsible officials: Management partially agrees with this finding. Regarding suspension and debarment, CLS agrees on improving the documentation to comply and demonstrate compliance with this requirement, though CLS disagrees with the characterization of material weakness. Regarding the two procurement transactions, CLS disagrees strongly that these transactions were procurements subject to the CLS accounting manual procurement section. CLS provided documentation to the auditors demonstrating that these were not procurements but were, in fact, required by existing leases. In one instance, our Denver landlord required us to pay a “catch-up” payment for operating expenses it had underbilled us previously; this cannot conceivably have been a procurement as we did not have discretion not to pay it and it was required by an existing lease. The second instance was a payment related to the expansion of leased office space in Colorado Springs; that also was not a procurement as there was no alternative but to pay the existing landlord for increased space, and it could not conceivably have been conducive to third-party bidding etc. We understand that the auditors may prefer to have a sole source letter in these instances, but we disagree with any finding that this is required by our accounting manual and the auditors have pointed to no specific language in the accounting manual for this requirement.
Auditor’s Concluding Remarks: Management’s response did not persuade the auditor to revise the finding. Part 2 CFR Section 200.318 requires that recipients and subrecipients maintain and use documented procedures for procurement transactions under federal awards and subawards, including for acquisition of property or services. It also requires that recipients and subrecipients maintain records sufficient to detail the history of each procurement transaction. These records must include the rationale for the procurement method, contract type selection, contractor selection or rejection, and the basis for the contract type. We were unable to see evidence of the federally required documentation. The Organization’s accounting manual states that leases of office buildings and office storage space and contracted services are considered procurements.