Report 2016-139 Recommendation 3 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 #3 To: Education, Department of
To comply with federal regulations and provide transparency to the public, Education should immediately post to its website a summary of the results of any administrative reviews that it has shared with the relevant school food authorities. Moving forward, it should comply with federal regulations by posting the results of administrative reviews to its website within 30 days of sharing them with school food authorities.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2018
Education's Administrative Review (AR) Transparency change request was completed and implemented in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) on March 22, 2018. AR results are available to the public by selecting the AR Transparency link located on the CNIPS home page at https://www.cnips.ca.gov/Splash.aspx.
Education ensures review results are available to the public within 30 days of sharing the final result of a school food authority's (SFA) AR by using a combination of the following CNIPS system design and procedures:
(1) Education shares the final results of the AR with a SFA and the status of the AR record in the CNIPS is changed by Education staff to Closed; (2) The AR Transparency search is designed to display the results of all AR with a Closed status. This means that as soon as the status is updated to Closed in the CNIPS for any SFA AR, the review report is immediately available for public viewing.
- Completion Date: March 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
In compliance with regulations, Education has begun posting the results of administrative reviews to its website. The corrective action it indicates does address all aspects of our recommendation. However, we are unable to fully confirm that Education is posting the results of its reviews within 30 days without conducting a follow-up review.
1-Year Agency Response
Fully Implemented. Education's Administrative Review (AR) Transparency change request was completed and implemented in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) on March 22, 2018. AR results are available to the public by selecting the AR Transparency link located on the CNIPS home page at https://www.cnips.ca.gov/Splash.aspx.
- Completion Date: March 2018
- Response Date: July 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented
Education has begun posting the results of administrative reviews to its website. However, it has not yet demonstrated that it is posting these results within 30 days of sharing them with school food authorities as federal regulations require.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
6-Month Agency Response
Education's change request to the technology contractor has been assessed. Testing is anticipated to begin in March 2018.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 2018
- Response Date: January 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
60-Day Agency Response
Education submitted a change request to the technology contractor to post the Administrative Review (AR) results on the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Web site. The change request is currently being assessed by the contractor. Posting of administrative review results can be implemented once required approvals are obtained and all changes are finalized on the CNIPS Web site.
- Estimated Completion Date: December 2018
- Response Date: October 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2016-139
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.