What is Waste? Stakeholders Call for GAGAS Clarity from GAO

Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll agree that I can relate anything in life to an episode of M*A*S*H. One of my favorites was an episode early in Season 3 in which Harry Morgan, prior to returning to play…
Read more ›Research Organizations Blast DOE’s Onerous Award Requirements

Several organizations representing research universities expressed frustration with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) onerous requirements placed on federal awards to research institutions. Earlier this month, the Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Council on…
Read more ›Sneak Preview: Auditors Making Internal Control Testing Errors

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Single Audit Information Service.) Even though audit industry standards and provisions in the Office of Management and Budget’s uniform guidance require firms conducting single audits to perform procedures to obtain…
Read more ›Governors Express Support for Early Childhood Education

While Congress has its hands full determining what to do with health care concerns and other issues making the headlines, the nation’s governors recently stressed that there is another topic that is just as important and desperately needs attention —…
Read more ›Sneak Preview: Comments Requested on CDER Library Definitions

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) Officials overseeing the Common Data Elements Repository (CDER) Library are asking grant recipient stakeholders to suggest potential common definitions for thousands of data elements within the…
Read more ›OMB Controller Alert Provides Few Details About Disbanding of COFAR

Upon learning about the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) memorandum to disband the Council of Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR) last month, two questions have been on our minds — why did this happen and what are the next steps…
Read more ›Sneak Preview: Guidance Recommended for IGs Reporting on IPERA

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Single Audit Information Service.) The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) said it would be willing to work with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)…
Read more ›AICPA Project Finds Better Audits Come with Experience

Practice makes perfect. That expression can apply to many topics ranging from playing the piano to swinging a golf club. A recent sampling project also shows that it can apply to single audits as well.
Read more ›Sneak Preview: Federal Debarment, Suspension Numbers Decline

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) A growing trend by federal awarding agencies toward using administrative agreements and other alternative methods to address recipient responsibility is effecting the overall number of suspensions…
Read more ›AICPA, CIMA Launch Global Association as Nonprofit Conference Starts

Some organizational acronyms pretty much don’t need too much thought. In the food industry, most of us are familiar with IHOP and KFC. In the federal government, you typically don’t have to tell someone the full name of agencies such…
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