Last month, President Biden warned that Russian cyberattacks on American companies were coming, and he urged them to harden their defenses. In separate news earlier this month, the FBI reported that local governments—and the critical services they offer—are becoming attractive targets for cyber criminals.
Spring has sprung, and it's time to start cleaning up your financial records from years' past! Why not tackle the messy buildup in your vendor master file? This database file containing information about your government's vendors needs a periodic scrubbing.
Piggybacking is the ability to use another government's bid award without going through your own competitive process. It can be complicated, which is why we have updated our guide—Piggybacking under Washington State Law—to address your most common questions and alert you to changes in our guidance.
Before you go to the grocery store, do you make a list to ensure you purchase everything you need?
We're firing up our #Gov101 series again! This time, we're featuring public utility districts, also known as PUDs.
For the next few weeks, we'll tell you all about these special purpose districts: how they're governed, how they get and spend public dollars, and how you can participate at your local PUD.
Our first video covers the types of services Washington's 28 PUDs provide to their communities and their governing structure.
We're excited to see you in person at this year's annual WASBO conference. Since we last saw you—virtually in 2021—we've updated some of your favorite resources, like the school's financial statement review and preparation checklist, and made some changes to our piggybacking best practices guide. We've also launched new guides and checklists for payroll and accounts payable that you won't want to miss. And with the influx of federal money to school districts, we've created a new tool to help with your federal grant programs. Stop by our booth to learn more about these resources!
Imagine you are planning an expensive Hawaiian vacation—your first in two years. One of the first things you check is whether any of the costs are refundable if something were to prevent you from going. When you learn you could lose your deposit if you pull out of the trip, you plan to buy trip insurance just to be safe. In other words, you've identified a risk and found a way to mitigate it.
Do you have cash handling responsibilities in your organization? A new online, on-demand training from the Center for Government Innovation will help you design good internal controls and understand common cash receipting fraud schemes. You'll also learn how to develop cash handling best practices and the steps you should take if your organization experiences or suspects fraud.
Published: March 31, 2022
Before hiring a contractor to work on your home, it's wise to make sure they are licensed, bonded and insured. It helps to protect you if the contractor doesn't complete work properly, if there are any damages, or if workers are injured while at your home. For governments, it's not just wise—it's required by law.
Published: March 16, 2022
It's not uncommon for a government to have multiple bank or investment accounts with different staff or departments reconciling them. That's okay, but keep in mind there can be risks when different people are involved with reconciling several accounts.