Risk Management Plan
|
1. OVERARCHING/PERFORMANCE
a. Are the programs under Recovery
Act for my organization following the existing procedures or new procedures?
We are using existing procedures where they address the needs of the
programs and adding procedures as needed to assure accountability of every
use of the funds. b. Are specific Recovery Act fund
objectives and requirements incorporated into agency policies? Yes. As each
opportunity is discussed during the meetings of the President’s Cabinet, the
objectives are defined and the requirements incorporated into the College’s
policies, as appropriate. c. Does my organization have staff
adequately trained to effectively implement Recovery Act requirements?
Yes – we have assigned staff with significant grant management
experience (Title III, NSF, Perkins, and others) to oversee the administration
of these funds. d. Has my organization provided new
requirements, conditions, and guidance to the recipients regarding Recovery
Act? N/A – We don’t anticipate
adding any sub-recipients. e. Does my organization have
reporting mechanisms in place to collect the required data from recipients to
meet Recovery Act transparency requirements?
Yes – as this pertains to students and industry clients who might be
receiving services we make available through these grants, we do have the
processes in place to collect the data.
This is a requirement of some of our existing grants. f. Is there an agency-wide
methodology for measuring performance?
Yes. The College has an annual planning and
evaluation process that includes a college-wide review of performance
indicators defined for all college administrative units and instructional
programs. These measures include
process evaluation as well as student learning outcomes. These measures are required by the
College’s accrediting bodies and for good planning and effective operational
management. What are the key performance
metrics? Funds expended (within budget); funds
expended (only for valid expenditures); number of students/clients served;
number of students/clients having subsequent success because of the services
rendered. g. Are there any process metrics,
or are the metrics primarily outcome-oriented? Both process and outcome-oriented
metrics are employed in the measurement of the institution’s programs and
services. These measurements are required
by our accrediting bodies. h. Does my organization have a
corrective action plan process in place to promptly resolve the audit
findings identified that may impact the ability to successfully implement
Recovery Act? No audit findings have occurred in the past
two years. i. Has my organization established a
governance body to oversee / manage the overall implementation of Recovery
Act? Our planning and oversight
councils – the president’s cabinet and the administrative council – are currently
reviewing these requirements and will have a governance body in place by
September 30, 2009 to oversee/manage the overall implementation of Recovery
Act funds. Management Response and Action Plan: (incorporated in responses to line
items above) |
|
2.
REPORTING a. Is the necessary reporting
under Recovery Act in place? The reporting process will be in place prior to September
30, 2009. b. Has your organization
implemented communication vehicles to ensure Recovery Act data is promptly
reported on the agency's website? The College has implemented a link
in its Home Page to provide access to the institution’s Recovery Act reports
and posted its initial report. c. Are reports published under
Recovery Act reviewed and approved? Yes – these reports are reviewed by the president’s
cabinet and approved by the president after careful review. d. Are reports issued accurate and
have the data fields required under Recovery Act? Yes – the first report has been
reviewed by the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. Future reports will also be reviewed by the
Department of Postsecondary Education prior to posting to the federal
reporting site. e. Do reports tell agency
management what is happening on a timely basis? Yes – the reports are verified and
posted on or before the required posting date. f. Are issues identified through
established reports addressed on a timely basis? Yes - In addition to its internal review, the college’s reports are
subject to review and approval/resolution of issues prior to release to the
federal posting site. g. Are reports issued on the
effectiveness of risk management strategies and tactics timely? Deadlines for reports on the
effectiveness of risk management strategies and tactics are considered to be
of the highest priority. Measures are
in place to assure their timely issuance. h. Are risk management strategies
and tactics properly monitored? In addition to weekly review by the president’s cabinet and
monthly review by the administrative council, they are also reviewed monthly
by the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. Management Response and Action Plan: (incorporated
in responses to line items above) |
|
1. HUMAN CAPITAL a. Has my organization identified
qualified personnel to oversee the Recovery Act funds? Yes – the primary responsibility
is with the Business Manager, Ms. b. Does my organization have
sufficient level of personnel to manage the Recovery Act programs (for
instance, Grant, Contracting, Financial Management, or IT personnel, etc.)? Yes – the Business Office has two
individuals supporting this requirement; the IT department has two
individuals supporting this requirement, and the Accreditation Department has
one individual supporting this requirement, with support available from other
members of the president’s cabinet and administrative council, when required. c. Are they empowered to make
decisions and administer the Recovery Act programs? Yes – these individuals are
empowered to make appropriate decisions needed to administer the Recovery Act
programs, subject to the administrative review process already in place at
the institution. d. Are program
officials trained in the performance management requirements? Both the primary
and the secondary administers responsible for the Recovery Act programs have
attended the mandatory workshop provided by the Alabama Department of
Postsecondary Education. e. Has my
organization considered using alternative hiring methods allowed under the
Recovery Act? No. The College strictly
adheres to the standard hiring methods defined by the State Board policies
and guidelines developed by the State Department of Postsecondary Education. Management Response and Action Plan: (incorporated
in responses to line items above) |
|
2. ACQUISITION a. Do new Requests for Proposals
issued under Recovery Act initiatives contain the necessary language to
satisfy the requirements of the Recovery Act? Yes – The College review each
proposal to assure that it responds to the requirements of the RFP associated
with it and with any other requirements imposed by Recovery Act regulations. b. Are Contracts awarded in a
prompt, fair, and reasonable manner? Contracts and purchases adhere to the requirements
established by the State of c. Do new contracts awarded using
Recovery Act funds have the specific terms and clauses required? Yes – The College review each
proposal to assure that it responds to the requirements of the RFP associated
with it and with any other requirements imposed by Recovery Act regulations. d. Are contracts awarded using
Recovery Act funds transparent to the public? Yes Are the public benefits of the
funds used under these contracts reported clearly, accurately, and in a
timely manner? Yes
– The College is not only committed to serving the public good in a
responsible, accountable manner, but it assures that performance through the
monthly internal and state reviews of its performance. e. Are funds used for authorized
purposes and the potential for fraud, waste, error, and abuse minimized
and/or mitigated? Yes
– As stated in the previous response, the College is not only committed to
serving the public good in a responsible, accountable manner, but it assures
that performance through the monthly internal and state reviews of its
performance. In addition, the College has a link on its website for
individuals to report suspected abuse. The link takes the individual to the Alabama
Stimulus information website address for reporting misuse of stimulus funds:
(http://www.stimulus.alabama.gov/fraud.aspx). f. Do projects funded under
Recovery Act avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns? The expenditure of funds are
carefully planned and documented in budget forms and spreadsheets. The College is committed to the notion that
in terms of the use of Recovery Act funds, time is of the essence. Expenditures are tracked in a timely manner
to avoid cost overruns. g. Are there any performance
issues identified with regards to (potential) contractor?
No Are there follow up actions to address the
performance issues? These
processes are already in place due to the College’s fiscal responsibilities
to funding agencies upon which the College is dependent and with whom the
College has several years of continuous, resopnsible performance. Management Response and Action Plan: (incorporated
in responses to line items above) |
|
3. FINANCIAL a. Has my organization established
separate Treasury Account Fund Symbols to ensure Recovery Act funds are
clearly distinguishable? Yes, the Recovery Act funds are
accounted for in a separate restricted fund self-balancing set of account
numbers. b. Are there controls in place to
ensure that Recovery Act funds are not commingled with other agency funds? Yes.
Funds will be deposited into the restricted funds subfund for Recovery
Act funds. Expenditures will be
assigned to the same subfund numbers.
The fund will be used exclusively for approved Recovery Act
expenditures. c. Are existing internal controls
sufficient to mitigate the risks of fraud, waste, and abuse? Yes. Independent audits through September
30, 2008 have found no significant deficiencies in internal control over
reporting and assessing the risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. Management Response and Action Plan: (incorporated
in responses to line items above) |
|
4. SYSTEM a. Are financial and operational
systems configured to manage and control Recovery funds? The College uses a computerized
Management Information System that has been in place since 2000 and has
consistently served these functions accurately, as substantiated by annual
audits conducted by the Alabama State Examiners. b. Can financial and operational
systems support the increase in volume of contracts, grants and loans
etc.? Yes – The computerized Management
Information System used by the College is scalable to accommodate any
increase in volume that may be induced by the Recovery Act funds awarded to
the College. c. Are the appropriate data
elements identified that must be captured, classified and aggregated for analysis
and reporting to meet Recovery Act requirements? All known required data items are
captured and classified by the existing Management Information System. These data are readily aggregated into any
required grouping and readily available for analysis and reporting to meet
Recovery Act requirements. Management Response and Corrective
Action Plan: (incorporated in responses to line items above). |