Audit of the Procurement List Addition Process, Procedures, and Practices

The objective of the performance audit was to determine whether the Procurement List (PL) addition process was transparent and performed efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies.To answer the audit objective, the auditors interviewed key officials and reviewed all PL additions and PL transaction data during fiscal years (FY) 2018, 2019, and 2020. The team also assessed 1) the effectiveness of the policies, procedures, and practices employed when approving the addition or removal of products and services to or from the PL, 2) Central Nonprofit Agency (CNA) processes for producing and providing PL addition packages, and 3) how the Procurement List Information Management System (PLIMS) supports the processing of additions to and deletions from the PL.Overall, the performance audit concluded that, in general, the PL additions process complied with applicable laws and regulations, and that the Commission has improved its guidance to the CNAs regarding the submission of transaction packages to PLIMS, which led to improvements in the approval rates of PL addition packages and reduced overall PL addition cycle time. There were also improvement opportunities in four areas of the Commission’s process for completing PL additions.The report offers 13 recommendations to help the Commission improve its controls over the PL additions process as well as improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process in helping the Commission achieve its policy goals.