Item 4. Controls and Procedures
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Management’s Evaluation of Disclosure Controls
and Procedures
We have established disclosure controls and procedures
as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that
are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and is accumulated
and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely
decisions regarding disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls
and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives,
and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Accordingly,
even effective disclosure controls and procedures can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.
Under the supervision and with the participation of
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls
and procedures as of March 31, 2025. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded
that, as of March 31, 2025, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective because of the material weaknesses in our internal
control over financial reporting described in Item 9A of Part II of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024,
which have not yet been remediated as of March 31, 2025.
Material Weaknesses Remediation Plan and Status
As previously described in Item 9A of our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, we began implementing a remediation plan to address the material weaknesses identified
in the prior year, and our management continues to be actively engaged in the remediation efforts.
As previously disclosed, in 2020, we began a multi-year
implementation of a new ERP system, which will replace our existing core financial systems, and which was completed in 2023. Management
is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures, based upon which, management
focused its allocation of organizational resources to ensure the successful implementation of the new ERP system during 2023, and is continuing
to add additional processes for the design and implementation of effective control activities. Conversely, management noted limited efforts
related to re-designing user access roles and permissions in the legacy ERP system. Based on these considerations, and subject to management’s
ongoing assessment, we do not expect that the previously reported material weaknesses related to ineffective user access controls will
be considered remediated until our new ERP system has been fully utilize to its potential and we have properly set controls in place.
Additionally, to remediate the identified material weaknesses, we are continuing to take the following remediation actions:
●
implement enhancements to company-wide risk assessment processes and to process and control documentation;
●
enhance the Company’s review and sign-off procedures for IT implementations;
●
implement additional review procedures designed to enhance the control owner’s execution of control activities, including entity level controls, through the implementation of improved documentation standards evidencing execution of these controls, oversight, and training;
●
improve control activities and procedures associated with certain accounting areas, including proper segregation of duties and assigning personnel with the appropriate experience as preparers and reviewers over analyses relating to such accounting areas;
●
educate and train control owners regarding internal control processes to mitigate identified risks and maintain adequate documentation to evidence the effective design and operation of such processes;
●
and implement enhanced controls to monitor the effectiveness of the underlying business process controls that are dependent on the data and financial reports generated from the relevant information systems.
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We are also continuing to evaluate additional controls
and procedures that may be required to remediate the identified material weaknesses. We cannot provide assurances that the previously
reported material weaknesses will be considered remediated until the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time and management
has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
As discussed above, in 2020 we began a multi-year
implementation of a new ERP system which fully replaced our legacy financial systems in 2023. The ERP system is designed to accurately
maintain the Company’s financial records, enhance the flow of financial information, improve data management and provide timely
information to our management team. Subsequent to implementation of the new ERP system, we are continuing to change certain processes
and procedures which, in turn, are expected to result in changes to our internal control over financial reporting. As such changes occur,
we will evaluate quarterly whether such changes materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
There were no other changes to our internal control
over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2025 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely
to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
For a description of our material
pending legal proceedings, see Note 7 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q.
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