Finding 624817 (2022-002)

Material Weakness
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-09-11

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The School District failed to ensure compliance with the Davis-Bacon Act for two construction projects, lacking necessary documentation and payroll certifications.
  • Impacted Requirements: Contracts must include provisions for prevailing wages, and contractors must submit weekly payrolls and a Statement of Compliance.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Establish procedures to collect and review all payroll certifications, and ensure all contractors and subcontractors are informed of prevailing wage requirements.

Finding Text

2 C.F.R. ? 3474.1 gives regulatory effect to the Department of Education for Appendix II to 2 C.F.R. ? 200 which states that, in addition to other provisions required by the Federal agency or non-Federal entity, all contracts made by the non-Federal entity under the Federal award must contain provisions covering the following, as applicable: (D) Davis-Bacon Act, as amended (40 U.S.C. 3141-3148). When required by Federal program legislation, all prime construction contracts in excess of $2,000 awarded by non-Federal entities must include a provision for compliance with the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. 3141-3144, and 3146-3148) as supplemented by Department of Labor regulations (29 C.F.R. Part 5, ?Labor Standards Provisions Applicable to Contracts Covering Federally Financed and Assisted Construction?). In accordance with the statute, contractors must be required to pay wages to laborers and mechanics at a rate not less than the prevailing wages specified in a wage determination made by the Secretary of Labor. In addition, contractors must be required to pay wages not less than once a week. The non-Federal entity must place a copy of the current prevailing wage determination issued by the Department of Labor in each solicitation. The decision to award a contract or subcontract must be conditioned upon the acceptance of the wage determination. The non-Federal entity must report all suspected or reported violations to the Federal awarding agency. 29 C.F.R. ? 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(A) provides, in part, that the contractor will submit the payrolls to the applicant, sponsor, or owner, as the case may be, for transmission to the (write in name of agency). The required weekly payroll information may be submitted in any form desired. Optional Form WH?347 is available for this purpose from the Wage and Hour Division Web site at http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/forms/wh347instr.htm or its successor site. The prime contractor is responsible for the submission of copies of payrolls by all subcontractors. 29 C.F.R. ? 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(B) requires each payroll submitted be accompanied by a ?Statement of Compliance,? signed by the contractor or subcontractor or his or her agent who pays or supervises the payment of the persons employed under the contract. 29 C.F.R. ? 5.6 states that furthermore, no payment, advance, grant, loan, or guarantee of funds shall be approved by the Federal agency after the beginning of construction unless there is on file with the agency a certification by the contractor that the contractor and its subcontractors have complied with the provisions of ? 5.5 or unless there is on file with the agency a certification by the contractor that there is a substantial dispute with respect to the required provisions. The School District had two construction projects (boiler and HVAC unit project and high school roof repair project) paid with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds. The following items were noted in regards to prevailing wages with these projects: ? Although the agreement for the high school roof repair project between the contractor and the School District contained Davis Bacon language, there is no documentation to show that the subcontractor on the project was notified of the requirement to pay prevailing wages. ? The School District did not receive any weekly payroll certifications related to the high school roof repair project even though the project started in April 2022. ? Even though the School District received the weekly payroll certifications reports related to the boiler and HVAC unit project, there is no evidence that the School District reviewed the reports to ensure that prevailing wages were properly paid. The School District should implement procedures to ensure that all weekly payroll certification reports are received from the contractors and subcontractors. The School District should also review these reports to ensure that prevailing wages are properly paid. Additionally, the School District should ensure that all contractors and subcontractors are notified that prevailing wages must be paid as required by this compliance requirement.

Categories

Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 43583 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 43584 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 43585 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 43586 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 48372 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 48373 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 48374 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 48375 2022-002
    Material Weakness
  • 48376 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 48377 2022-002
    Material Weakness
  • 48378 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 48379 2022-002
    Material Weakness
  • 620025 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 620026 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 620027 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 620028 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 624814 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 624815 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 624816 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 624818 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 624819 2022-002
    Material Weakness
  • 624820 2022-001
    Material Weakness
  • 624821 2022-002
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.425 Covid-19 American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief $1.55M
84.425 Covid-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief $1.32M
10.555 National School Lunch Program $899,951
84.027 Special Education_grants to States $632,596
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies $629,812
10.553 School Breakfast Program $287,000
32.009 Emergency Connectivity Fund Program $107,650
84.027 American Rescue Plan Idea Part B Special Education $69,888
84.365 English Language Acquisition State Grants $60,946
10.555 Covid-19 National School Lunch Program $50,758
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program $41,105
84.173 Special Education_preschool Grants $38,800
84.367 Supporting Effective Instruction State Grant $30,902
10.553 Covid-19 School Breakfast Program $13,723
10.649 Pandemic Ebt Administrative Costs $3,063
84.173 American Rescue Plan Idea Early Childhood Special Education $272