Nashua Regional Planning CommissionLocal Government

2024-001 Lack of Approved Timesheets (Material Weakness) Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Transportation Pass-through Agency: New Hampshire Department of Transportation Cluster/Program: Highway Planning and Construction Assistance Listing Number: 20.205 Passed-through Identification: 44381 Compliance Requirement: Activities Allowed or Unallowed and Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Type of Finding: Internal Control over Compliance – Material Weakness Material Noncompliance Criteria or Specific Requirement: All timesheets submitted by employees should be formally reviewed and approved prior to payroll being paid. The timesheets should be reviewed by the employee’s direct supervisor and management to ensure the timesheet is accurate. Each timesheet should have the employee’s signature and the supervisor’s signature to show the time reflected is accurate. Condition: During our audit, we noted that for the first six months of the fiscal year, the Commission was not formally approving timesheets for employees. The employees would submit their time through the Commissions time tracking software for the various tasks performed by the employee on a weekly basis. After the time was entered, there was no formal review of the enter timed by the employee’s supervisor or management. Cause: During the first half of the fiscal year, the Commission experienced staff turnover, including the addition of two new finance personnel. These individuals did not prioritize the review and approval of timesheets, resulting in a lapse in adherence to the Commission’s internal controls and processes. Consequently, timesheets were not formally approved during this period. Effect: The absence of formally approved timesheets increases the risk that the time submitted for reimbursement may not be entirely accurate. This raises the potential for inflated time submissions that do not accurately reflect the work performed on the federal project. Questioned Costs: $525,712.06. Identification as Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding. Recommendation: We recommend that all Commission employees print their weekly timesheets, sign them, and submit them to their supervisor for approval. Supervisors should review each timesheet for accuracy, sign it to document their approval, and forward it to management for final review and payroll approval. All signed timesheets should be maintained in an organized and easily accessible manner for future reference. Views of Responsible Officials: Management’s views and corrective action plan is included at the end of this report.