Report 2016-139 Recommendation 1 Responses

Report 2016-139: California Department of Education: It Has Not Ensured That School Food Authorities Comply With the Federal Buy American Requirement (Release Date: July 2017)

Recommendation #1 To: Education, Department of

To strengthen its administrative reviews and help ensure that school food authorities comply with the Buy American requirement, Education should update its written procedures to include a requirement that reviewers collect and retain evidence for all items they evaluate for compliance with the Buy American requirement. This update should occur no later than October 1, 2017.

1-Year Agency Response

Education's status on this recommendation is unchanged; no additional comments will be forthcoming.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Will Not Implement

Although Education continues to state that it does not plan to implement this recommendation, we stand by our original recommendation. If Education required its reviewers to collect and retain evidence for all items they evaluate for compliance with the Buy American requirement, it would strengthen its administrative reviews and therefore help ensure that school food authorities comply with the Buy American requirement.


6-Month Agency Response

Education's status on this recommendation is unchanged; no additional comments will be forthcoming.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Will Not Implement

We discuss in our report how, because of the limited evidence they are provided, managers who oversee Education's administrative reviews are not in a position to know about differences in how reviewers are assessing compliance with the Buy American requirement. We continue to believe that Education's administrative reviews would be strengthened by having its reviewers collect supporting evidence for all items they evaluate.


60-Day Agency Response

Education's status on this recommendation is unchanged; no additional comments will be forthcoming.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Will Not Implement

We discuss in our report how, because of the limited evidence they are provided, managers who oversee Education's administrative reviews are not in a position to know about differences in how reviewers are assessing compliance with the Buy American requirement. We continue to believe that Education's administrative reviews would be strengthened by having its reviewers collect supporting evidence for all items they evaluate.


All Recommendations in 2016-139

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.