We audited four agreements between the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to determine whether: (1) the costs claimed by the Seminole Nation were allowable under applicable Federal laws and regulations, allocable to the contract, reasonable, and accurately supported by the Nation’s records; and (2) the BIA oversaw the agreements in accordance with applicable Federal laws and regulations and BIA guidelines. During our audit, we tested $1,688,387 in interim costs claimed by the Seminole Nation from October 1, 2016, through June 30, 2018.
We found the Seminole Nation underreported expenditures on its financial status reports, did not appropriately calculate indirect costs, and did not submit all required financial status and program reports to the BIA. We question $1.23 million in costs due to unreported expenditures and indirect costs that were misapplied. In addition, while the BIA oversaw the agreements in accordance with applicable Federal laws and regulations, it can improve its review of financial status reports.
We make five recommendations to help the Seminole Nation improve its financial accountability and to help the BIA improve oversight for tribal agreements. In response to our draft report, the BIA concurred with all five recommendations with minor clarifications. Based on this response, we consider the recommendations resolved but not implemented.