CITY OF KENDALLVILLE

FINDING 2025-002 Subject: Assistance to Firefighters Grant - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Federal Agency: Department of Homeland Security Federal Program: Assistance to Firefighters Grant Assistance Listings Number: 97.044 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): EMW-2023-FG-06299 Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context Procurement Federal regulations require recipients of federal awards to maintain documented procedures for procurement under a federal award. These procedures must comply with State, local, and tribal laws, along with applicable provisions under 2 CFR 200.317 through 2 CFR 200.327. These requirements include the avoiding of acquisition of unnecessary or duplicative items, a clear and accurate description of technical requirements for the items or services to be procured, the requirements for solicitations to identify any and all requirements which offerors must fill and other factors to be used in evaluating bids or proposals, and a policy prohibiting the use of statutorily or administratively imposed state, local, or tribal geographical preferences in the evaluation of bids or proposals. The City did not present a procurement policy containing these required provisions for the audit. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 15 CITY OF KENDALLVILLE SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Additionally, when the value of the procurement for property or service exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), or a lower threshold established by a nonfederal entity, formal procurement methods are required. The SAT is typically set at $250,000. However, Indiana Code 5-22-8 has a more restrictive threshold. Therefore, the SAT threshold is set at $150,000. Formal procurement methods require adherence to documented procedures and formal methods such as sealed bids or proposals. Federal regulations require a firm-fixed-price contract to be awarded in writing to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. The City solicited bids for Air-Paks funded through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. After awarding the bid, the City did not enter into a formal written contract with the vendor. Suspension and Debarment Prior to entering into covered transactions with federal award funds, recipients are required to verify that vendors are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under a nonprocurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person. The City did not have policies or procedures in place to verify that vendors were not suspended or debarred before entering into covered transactions. During the audit period, the City entered into one covered transaction for Air-Paks, utilizing $837,350 of federal award monies, which met the $25,000 threshold for verification. However, the City did not verify the vendor's suspension or debarment status prior to payment because no process existed to ensure contractors were not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in federal assistance programs or activities. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was a systemic issue 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). . . ." 2 CFR 200.320 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures, consistent with the standards of this section and §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.319 for any of the following methods of procurement used for the acquisition of property or services required under a Federal award or sub-award. . . . INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 16 CITY OF KENDALLVILLE SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (b) Formal procurement methods. When the value of the procurement for property or services under a Federal financial assistance award exceeds the SAT, 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. The following formal methods of procurement are used for procurement of property or services above the simplified acquisition threshold or a value below the simplified acquisition threshold the non-Federal entity determines to be appropriate: . . . (ii) If sealed bids are used, the following requirements apply: . . . (D) A firm-fixed-price contract will be made in writing to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. When specified in bidding documents, factors such as discounts, transportation cost, and life-cycle costs must be considered in determining which bid is lowest. Payment discounts will only be used to determine the low bid when prior experience indicates that such discounts are usually taken advantage of; and . . ." 2 CFR 180.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking SAM.gov Exclusions; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." Cause The City did not implement effective internal controls to safeguard their procurement policy. The City's procurement policy was destroyed in a storm, and no backup copies were available. Also, the City was not aware that a formal written contract was needed for procurements exceeding the SAT threshold or the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement when a covered transaction is expected to equal or exceed $25,000. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the City is at risk of noncompliance with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement, including the potential for a loss of federal funds awarded to the City. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the City design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures, to ensure the City complies with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 17 CITY OF KENDALLVILLE SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.

FINDING 2025-003 Subject: Assistance to Firefighters Grant - Equipment and Real Property Management Federal Agency: Department of Homeland Security Federal Program: Assistance to Firefighters Grant Assistance Listings Number: 97.044 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): EMW-2023-FG-06299 Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context The City was awarded the Assistance to Firefighters Grant to fund Air-Paks for the City's fire department and other participating fire departments. The Air-Paks were not included in the City's detailed capital asset listing. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was a systemic issue 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). . . ." 2 CFR 200.313(d)(1) states: "Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sales price of the property." Cause The City did not design or implement internal controls to ensure the Air-Paks were included in the City's detailed capital asset listing. The City's fire department maintained an inventory of the Air-Paks; however, the Air-Paks were not included in the City's detailed capital asset listing. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 18 CITY OF KENDALLVILLE SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the City is at risk of noncompliance with the Equipment and Real Property Management compliance requirement, including the potential for incomplete and inaccurate property records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the City design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures, to ensure that assets being purchased with federal funds are added to the City's detailed capital asset listing and all required information is maintained. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.

FINDING 2025-004 Subject: Assistance to Firefighters Grant - Internal Controls Federal Agency: Department of Homeland Security Federal Program: Assistance to Firefighters Grant Assistance Listings Number: 97.044 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): EMW-2023-FG-06299 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Finding: Material Weakness Condition and Context The grant agreement between the City and the awarding agency required the City to submit a Federal Financial Report (SF-425) and a Performance Progress Report (PPR) on a semiannual basis. The submitted reports encompassing the audit period were tested. The reports were prepared and submitted by the grant administrator; however, there was no segregation of duties documented to ensure the reports were complete, accurate, and timely submitted. The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue 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 19 CITY OF KENDALLVILLE SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The City did not design or implement internal controls over the reports because the City relied on the grant administrator for complying with the Reporting requirement. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the City is at risk of noncompliance with the Reporting compliance requirement, including the potential for incomplete, inaccurate, or untimely reporting. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the City design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures, to ensure that the City provides the awarding agency with complete, accurate, and timely reports. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.