Finding 579192 (2022-004)

Material Weakness
Requirement
AB
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-11-30
Audit: 4754
Organization: Launch Alaska (AK)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: There are inadequate internal controls over payroll costs, leading to unsupported salary expenses charged to the program.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 2 CFR Part 200.403.g, which mandates proper documentation for allowable costs.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Launch Alaska should implement a system to track employee eligibility and maintain documentation for payroll costs associated with each program.

Finding Text

Finding 2022-004 Lack of Internal Controls over Activities Allowed or Unallowed and Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Office of Naval Research Federal Program: Office of Naval Research Technology and Innovation Development in Alaska ALN Number: 12.300 Award Number: N00014-19-1-2030 Award Years: 2022 Type of Finding: Material Weakness over compliance and noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR Part 200.403.g states that costs must be adequately documented in order to be allowable under Federal awards. Condition and Context: There was not an adequate system in place to track the payroll costs charged to this program. The client was unable to provide support for the salary expenses charged to this program, or support for which employees were eligible to be paid from this award, making it impossible to test transactions for allowable costs. Cause: Lack of internal control over allowable payroll transactions charged to the major program. Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding. Effect: The lack of supporting documentation allows for the potential for misstatement of expenditures due to employees being incorrectly charged to funding sources for which their payroll is an unallowable cost. Questioned Costs: The total amount of salary and fringe expenditures charged to the program was $749,570. Recommendation: We recommend that Launch Alaska begins to maintain documentation for employees eligible to charge to various programs, as well as maintaining documentation for tracking the payroll costs charged to each program. Management Response: Management concurs with this finding. See Corrective Action Plan.

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 2750 2022-004
    Material Weakness
  • 2751 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 579193 2022-005
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
12.300 Basic and Applied Scientific Research $1.27M
81.010 Office of Technology Transitions (ott)-Technology Deployment, Demonstration and Commercialization $186,747
11.307 Economic Adjustment Assistance $73,058