Follow-Up on Recommendations from Report No. 15-07, Audit of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i

Hawaii Auditor’s Report No. 18-10, September 2018

What we found in 2015

In Report No. 15-07, Audit of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i, we found that RCUH acted primarily as a provider of services to UH, which constituted $9 out of every $10 in RCUH business in FY2014.

We also found that RCUH’s executive director and board took a cautious business approach that ignored plans to pursue more non-UH projects.

We further found that RCUH allowed state agencies to circumvent contract requirements, secure services without proof of governor approvals, and forgo required evaluations of $4.3 million in projects. We also found that the corporation lacked clear policies and procedures for the review and acceptance of direct projects, and the department in charge of administering those projects lacked staff to ensure adequate project vetting and monitoring. We further found that written policies and procedures could improve RCUH’s oversight of intramural and revolving account projects.

What we found this year

Our follow-up on the implementation of recommendations made in Report No. 15-07, conducted between February and August 2018, included interviews with selected personnel, examining relevant documents and records, and evaluating whether RCUH’s actions appeared to fulfill our recommendations. We found that RCUH has implemented all eleven recommendations. …

Link: Report No. 15-07

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