Finding Text
Noncompliance and Material Weakness
2 CFR § 3474.1 provides that the Department of Education (DOE) adopts the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidance in 2 CFR part 200. Thus, this section gives regulatory effect to the OMB guidance and supplements the guidance as needed for the DOE, except as otherwise noted in that section.
2 CFR Section 200.320(b) states in part that when the value of the procurement for property or services under a Federal financial assistance award exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold, or a lower threshold established by a non-Federal entity, formal procurement methods are required. Formal procurement methods require following documented procedures. Formal procurement methods also require public advertising unless a non-competitive procurement can be used in accordance with § 200.319 or paragraph (c) of this section.
2 CFR § 200.318(e) states to foster greater economy and efficiency, and in accordance with efforts to promote cost-effective use of shared services across the Federal Government, the non-Federal entity is encouraged to enter into state and local intergovernmental agreements or inter-entity agreements where appropriate for procurement or use of common or shared goods and services. Competition requirements will be met with documented procurement actions using strategic sourcing, shared services, and other similar procurement arrangements.
2 CFR §200.320 (a)(2) states small purchases are the acquisition of property or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity.
Ohio Rev. Code § 167.081, states, in part, that a regional council may enter into a unit price contract for materials, labor, services, overhead, profit, and associated expenses for the repair, enlargement, improvement, or demolition of a building or structure if the contract is awarded pursuant to a competitive bidding procedure of a county, municipal corporation, or township or a special district, school district, or other political subdivision that is a council member.
A political subdivision that is a member of a regional council may participate in a contract entered into under Ohio Rev. Code § 167.081. Purchases under a contract entered into under Ohio Rev. Code § 167.081 are exempt from any competitive selection or bidding requirements otherwise required by law.
The School District participated in KPC’s purchasing cooperative unit price contract with Bluegrass Recreation., for the School District's playground resurfacing project pursuant to Ohio Rev. Code § 167.081. Additionally, the District participated in The Ohio Purchasing Council’s unit price contract with Prodigy Building Solutions, LLC., for the School District's roofing, HVAC, and Lighting project, pursuant to Ohio Rev. Code § 167.081. The School District utilized ESSER grant funds for parts of these projects. The School District did not maintain documentation that KPC or Ohio Purchasing Council followed competitive bidding procedures of a council member pursuant to Ohio Revised Code § 167.081 when awarding the unit price contract to Bluegrass Recreation and Prodigy Building Solutions respectively, failing to meet the documentation requirements of 2 CFR § 200.320(b) and 2 CFR § 200.318(e) noted above.
The School District also failed to obtain an adequate number of quotes from qualified sources for purchases of a van and floor scrubbers with ESSER grant funds as required by 2 CFR §200.320 (a)(2) noted above.
Failure to comply with the applicable Uniform Guidance Requirements and the Ohio Revised Code could result in further citations for the School District and potential loss of grant funding.
The School District should review Uniform Guidance Requirements and the Ohio Revised Code before entering any contracts that require competitive bidding. The School District should maintain appropriate documentation to evidence that compliance requirements have been met.