Financial Statement Audit Report: DOE-OIG-20-27

February 14, 2020

Western Federal Power System’s Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Statement Audit

To fulfill the Office of Inspector General’s audit responsibilities, we contracted with the independent public accounting firm of KPMG LLP to conduct the audit, subject to our review.  KPMG LLP is responsible for expressing an opinion on the Western Federal Power System’s financial statements and reporting on applicable internal controls and compliance with laws and regulations.  The Office of Inspector General monitored audit progress and reviewed the audit report and related documentation.  This review disclosed no instances where KPMG LLP did not comply, in all material respects, with generally accepted government auditing standards.  The Office of Inspector General did not express an independent opinion on the Western Federal Power System’s financial statements.

KPMG LLP concluded that the combined financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position of the Western Federal Power System as of September 30, 2019, and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flow for the years then ended, in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles.  As part of this review, the auditors also considered the Western Federal Power System’s internal control over financial reporting and tested for compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements that could have a direct and material effect on the determination of financial statement amounts. 

The audit revealed one deficiency in the Western Federal Power System’s internal controls over financial reporting that was considered to be a significant deficiency.  During testing over the Bureau of Reclamation’s power trial balance (dataload), multiple instances were identified where underlying schedules, roll-forwards, and adjustments were inaccurate or unsupported.  Given the conditions identified, the Bureau of Reclamation’s roll forwards and adjustments to the dataload were not reliable.  While improvements were made over the process in fiscal year 2019, misstatements may continue to exist in the Bureau of Reclamation’s dataload after the Western Area Power Administration’s review, impacting the balances reported in the combined financial statements and the accuracy of cost recovery planning.

The results of the auditors’ review of the Western Federal Power System’s compliance with provisions of laws and regulations disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported herein under Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. 

Topic: Management & Administration