Internal Controls

About

Under Chapter 647 of the Acts of 1989, the Comptroller is responsible for developing internal control guidelines for Commonwealth departments. As the Comptroller’s business owners of internal controls, the Statewide Risk Management Team reviews and updates these guidelines which assist departments in developing Internal Control Plans based on a comprehensive assessment of risks that could impede the attainment of departments’ goals and objectives. Departments are expected to identify and implement policies and procedures to mitigate risks, especially those related to the prevention of fraud, waste and abuse.

Departments should familiarize themselves with the documentation and tools for best practices provided in the categories below: overall Guidance for Internal Controls, tools to assist in the prevention and detection of Fraud, Waste and Abuse, best practices for departments receiving federal funds, and the Internal Control Questionnaire, a department’s annual certification as to its compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies regarding internal controls.

New for FY2024: Internal Control Certification

Starting in Fiscal Year 2024, the Office of the Comptroller (CTR) will require each department head to certify through an annual Internal Control Certification (ICC).

The Internal Control Certification will require each department head to certify annually that they have a system of written internal controls, and that training and monitoring is actively in place as part of daily operations to achieve the department’s mission, to ensure compliance with CTR’s published guidance, and to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of Commonwealth resources.

Each department’s Internal Control Officer, Single Audit Liaison, Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel should work closely with their senior management team to identify appropriate staff to assist with completion of the required certifications for each of the 15 sections of the ICC. Note that the 15 sections of the ICC match the topic sections listed in PowerDMS. We have also uploaded an “ICC Compliance Checklist” to PowerDMS which enables you to download a listing of all the policies, job aids and training materials that are currently posted on PowerDMS. Departments certify that these materials are included as part of their written internal controls, and training and monitoring are actively in place as part of daily operations.

Departments will have until June 28, 2024 to complete the ICC process.

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