Finding Text
Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Special Tests and Provisions - Wage Rate Requirements Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers or Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425D210013, S425U200013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Special Tests and Provisions - Wage Rate Requirements Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context An effective internal control system was not designed or implemented at the School Corporation to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the Special Tests and Provisions - Wage Rate Requirements compliance requirement. Construction contracts in excess of $2,000 financed by federal assistance funds must pay wages not less than those established for the locality of the project (prevailing wage rates) by the Department of Labor (DOL) to their laborers and mechanics. Nonfederal entities are to include in their construction contracts subject to the Wage Rate Requirements a provision that the contractor or subcontractor comply with these requirements and the DOL regulations. This would include a requirement to submit a copy of the payroll and statement of compliance to the entity for each week in which contract work was performed. The School Corporation did not have adequate policies or procedures to ensure that construction contracts in excess of $2,000 paid from federal grant funds included a prevailing wage rate clause. One construction contract during the audit period was subject to the Wage Rate Requirements; however, the contract did not have the required prevailing wage rate clause included in the contract, nor were certified payrolls submitted by the contractor. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 SCHOOL TOWN OF MUNSTER SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 29 CFR 5.5 states in part: "(a) The Agency head shall cause or require the contracting officer to insert in full in any contract in excess of $2,000 which is entered into for the actual construction, alteration and/or repair, including painting and decorating, of a public building or public work, or building or work financed in whole or in part from Federal funds or in accordance with guarantees of a Federal agency or financed from funds obtained by pledge of any contract of a Federal agency to make a loan, grant or annual contribution (except where a different meaning is expressly indicated), and which is subject to the labor standards provisions of any of the acts listed in ? 5.1, the following clauses. . . . (1) Minimum wages. (i) All laborers and mechanics employed or working upon the site of the work (or under the United States Housing Act of 1937 or under the Housing Act of 1949 in the construction or development of the project), will be paid unconditionally and not less often than once a week, and without subsequent deduction or rebate on any account (except such payroll deductions as are permitted by regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor under the Copeland Act (29 CFR part 3)), the full amount of wages and bona fide fringe benefits (or cash equivalents thereof) due at time of payment computed at rates not less than those contained in the wage determination of the Secretary of Labor which is attached hereto and made a part hereof, regardless of any contractual relationship which may be alleged to exist between the contractor and such laborers and mechanics. . . . (3) Payroll and basic records . . . (ii) (A) The contractor shall submit weekly for each week in which any contract work is performed a copy of all payrolls to the (write in name of appropriate federal agency) if the agency is a party to the contract, but if the agency is not such a party, 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). . . ." 2 CFR 200 Appendix II states in part: "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 CFR 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. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 27 SCHOOL TOWN OF MUNSTER SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause Management had not established a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance or that the required clause was included in the contracts for the Special Tests and Provisions - Wage Rate Requirements compliance requirement. Effect The failure to establish an effective system of internal controls and include the required clause in contracts prevented the determination of the School Corporation's compliance with the Special Tests and Provisions - Wage Rate Requirements compliance requirement. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish internal controls to ensure compliance with the grant agreement and the Special Tests and Provisions - Wage Rate Requirements compliance requirement. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report. Auditor's Response The School Corporation did not directly pay payroll with federal funds; however, federal funds were used to pay a construction contract subject to the wage rate requirements. The wage rate requirements are used to ensure that the contractor paid the prevailing wage rate to individuals performing work in relation to the construction contract. As the prevailing wage rate clause was not included in the contract and certified payrolls were not submitted, we could not determine if the wage rate requirements were met.