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Corporate Contributions

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
2021-15794
Report Type
Audit
Description
The Office of the Inspector General included an audit of Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) corporate contributions in our annual audit plan due to the potential reputational risk associated with contributions that do not comply with TVA policies and procedures. Our audit objective was to determine if corporate contributions were made in compliance with TVA’s Standard Programs and Processes (SPP) 36.001, Corporate Contributions (Contributions Policy).We found 41 contributions totaling $296,582 made using miscellaneous vouchers rather than submitted through TVA’s online request and approval system in violation of TVA’s Contributions Policy. We also noted the Contributions Policy and TVA‑SPP‑13.092, Miscellaneous Vouchers, contradict one another. TVA‑SPP‑13.092, Miscellaneous Vouchers, states miscellaneous vouchers may be used for payment of contributions while the Contributions Policy states all contributions made by TVA must be processed through the Community Relations office to confirm consistent adherence to the approval requirements and minimize overlapping of contributions, including sponsorships.We also found control weaknesses including inadequate segregation of duties, inadequate controls for contribution approvals, and a lack of ongoing technical support for the contributions request and approval system. Additionally, in-kind donations are not managed and tracked as outlined in the Contributions Policy.
Joint Report
Yes
Participating OIG
Tennessee Valley Authority OIG
Agency Wide
Yes (agency-wide)
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
View report on Oversight.gov

Recommendations

We recommend the Vice President, External Strategy and Regulatory Oversight update the contributions process and/or system to segregate the duties of requesting, approving, and distributing contributions payments.

We recommend the Vice President, External Strategy and Regulatory Oversight reinforce the requirement for all contribution requests to be submitted through the Tennessee Valley Authority’s online request and approval system.

We recommend the Vice President, External Strategy and Regulatory Oversight work with Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Vice President and Controller, Corporate Accounting, to correct the discrepancy for allowed methods of payment for contributions in TVA Standard Programs and Processes (SPP) 13.092, Miscellaneous Vouchers, and TVA‑SPP-36.001, Corporate Contributions.