§ 75.513 Responsibilities.

(a)

(1) Cognizant agency for audit responsibilities. A non-Federal entity expending more than $50 million a year in Federal awards must have a cognizant agency for audit. The designated cognizant agency for audit must be the Federal awarding agency that provides the predominant amount of direct funding to a non-Federal entity unless OMB designates a specific cognizant agency for audit.

(2) To provide for continuity of cognizance, the determination of the predominant amount of direct funding must be based upon direct Federal awards expended in the non-Federal entity's fiscal years ending in 2009, 2014, 2019 and every fifth year thereafter. For example, audit cognizance for periods ending in 2011 through 2015 will be determined based on Federal awards expended in 2009.

(3) Notwithstanding the manner in which audit cognizance is determined, a Federal awarding agency with cognizance for an auditee may reassign cognizance to another Federal awarding agency that provides substantial funding and agrees to be the cognizant agency for audit. Within 30 calendar days after any reassignment, both the old and the new cognizant agency for audit must provide notice of the change to the FAC, the auditee, and, if known, the auditor. The cognizant agency for audit must:

(i) Provide technical audit advice and liaison assistance to auditees and auditors.

(ii) Obtain or conduct quality control reviews on selected audits made by non-Federal auditors, and provide the results to other interested organizations. Cooperate and provide support to the Federal agency designated by OMB to lead a government-wide project to determine the quality of single audits by providing a statistically reliable estimate of the extent that single audits conform to applicable requirements, standards, and procedures; and to make recommendations to address noted audit quality issues, including recommendations for any changes to applicable requirements, standards and procedures indicated by the results of the project. This government-wide audit quality project must be performed once every 6 years beginning in 2018 or at such other interval as determined by OMB, and the results must be public.