Latest update includes:

2012 Statutory Basis Financial Report (SBFR) Posted
The 2012 SBFR has been posted to the CTR Web Portal. The SBFR is prepared by the Office of the Comptroller and reviewed by Independent Certified Public Accountants. This report meets state finance law requirements to present fairly the results of fiscal year activity in the Commonwealth's funds, to compute and certify the balance in the Stabilization Fund, and to disclose and report certain aspects of financial performance as directed by statute.

NASC Internal Control Self- Assessments
The Quality Assurance Bureau (QAB) has added to their Internal Controls page several Internal Control Self-Assessments drafted by the National Association of State Comptrollers (NASC).  The assessments are tools to assist in determining whether the proper controls are in place for various business processes. In addition, QAB added the direct link to the NASC web site where there is additional information on internal controls.

Fringe Benefit, Payroll Tax, Indirect Cost Charges for Accounting Period 4
The fringe benefit, payroll tax and indirect cost chargebacks for Accounting Period 4 (October), FY2013 will be run on Saturday, November 10. All eligible expenditures processed during Accounting Period 4 will be subject to these assessments.

MMARS Saturday Hours
MMARS and LCM will be available Saturday, November 3, 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, November 5.

Upcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

  • Intro to State Finance MMARS Navigation – Tuesday, November 6, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • HR/CMS Fundamentals – Wednesday, November 7, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Encumbrance Management – Thursday, November 8, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Fraud Awareness and Prevention – Friday, November 9, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Executive Conference Room
  • Payment Management – Tuesday, November 13, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • CIW Report Building with MS Access – Wednesday, November 14, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to MMARS Warehouse – Thursday, November 15, 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • LCM Management – Tuesday, November 20, 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 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 2012.

MMARS Hint of the Week - Ready Payments-Duplicate Invoice Number Error
The Document Description Field in the Header section of the RPO must be unique. The first 22 characters of this description plus the Scheduled Payment Date create the Vendor Invoice Number. If this number is not unique, a payment will not be generated. 

The system looks at the Vendor, Document Description and Payment Date. So even if two different departments use the same Vendor, Description and Payment Schedule, only one department's payment will be generated. Departments are instructed to begin the Document Description with the Department Alpha Code and if it's a space lease, add an address; a lease for a copier, add a model number; or a Ready Payment, add the program and location.