Latest update includes:

Commonwealth Actuarial Valuations Report Posted
The 2012 Commonwealth Actuarial Valuations Report (OPEB) has been posted to the Commonwealth Actuarial Valuations page of the CTR Web Portal. This report presents the January 1, 2012 Actuarial Valuation results for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the retiree benefits (health and life insurance) that are provided through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC).

FY2013-12: Contract Reduction Plan Recommendations 
CTR Memo FY2013-12 has been posted to the CTR Web Portal. Due to announced 9C reductions to Fiscal Year 2013 budgetary accounts, most departments are evaluating the impact and considering adjustments to previously executed contracts.  This memo provides departments with the procedures for suspending, amending or terminating contract actions that will be necessary to stay within your authorized spending limits. Departments may not request or accept performance or otherwise incur obligation in excess of department appropriations and allotments (M.G.L. c. 29, §26 and §27).

MMARS Saturday Hours
MMARS and LCM will be available Saturday, December 15, from 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. The Help Desk will not be staffed and any Saturday Help Desk calls will be returned on Monday, December 17.

Purge of Rejected Documents over 75 Days Old
Rejected documents in the system accumulate in the document catalog and are removed in a regularly scheduled monthly purge of documents over 75 days old. The next purge will be on December 17 and will delete rejected documents entered before October 1. If you have documents entered before September 1 that you would like to save, please place them on "hold".

To place a document on "hold":

  • Locate the document in the Document Catalog.
  • Check the checkbox to the left of the document (in the Document Catalog).
  • Click "Action Menu", select "Scheduling Actions", select "Mark Document" and choose "Hold".

Weekly Fraud Awareness and Prevention Fact – Average Life of a Fraud
Fraud schemes last an average of 24 months. 91 percent of perpetrators do not stop at one single fraudulent transaction. A local police chief in a recent newspaper article on fraud said embezzling can become addictive to some. "They start with one and once they get away with it, they continue doing it until it mushrooms". 

Please visit the Fraud Prevention section of our Internal Controls Page for a link to the Toolkit for Departments to Combat Fraud, Waste and Abuse and the Combat Fraud, Waste and Abuse Brochure. 

If you have any questions regarding this or previous Fraud Awareness and Prevention Facts, please contact the Comptroller Help Desk at 617-973-2468 or via email Comptroller.Info@State.MA.US. To report Fraud, Waste, or Abuse contact one of the Commonwealth’s Whistleblower Hotlines.

Upcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

  • Webcast Interdepartmental  Chargeback – Friday, December 14, 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M., Online Training
  • Risk Management – Friday, December 14, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Conference Room B
  • Intermediate MMARS Warehouse – Monday, December 17, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Recurring Payments for Beginners – Tuesday, December 18, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to State Finance MMARS Navigation – Thursday, January 3, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab

Register for these sessions via the Comptroller's Training and Meeting Schedule which lists classes scheduled for three months and Payroll User Groups through December 2013.

MMARS Hint of the Week – Board Award Field
The completion of the Board Award field in the header/reference section of the CT, PC and RPO transactions is required by joint Comptroller and OSD policy. This applies to all vendor-specific and open-order encumbrances, as well as to encumbrances under and over a department’s delegation amount.   

Departments must enter the request for response (RFR) number in the Board Award field or, if applicable, one of the procurement exceptions as follows. (This field must not be left blank.) 

 INP    for Incidental Purchase
 LEG Exempt  for Legislative Exemption
 Emergency      for Emergency Contract
 Collective  for Collective Purchase, or
 Interim  for Interim Contract
  

In the absence of an RFR number or procurement exception, a department-assigned contract tracking number or descriptive text should be entered in the field.  The field is 15 characters in length. If the RFR number is more than 15 characters in length, it may be truncated.