Latest update includes:

Audit Policies Updated
The “Auditor Independence” and the “Protocols for Audits, Audit Follow-up Department-Initiated Audit Activity” policies have been updated and posted to the Audit Policies page CTR Web Portal.

The Audit Protocol Policy has an expanded definition of Audit Entities and department notification requirements for both external and department-initiated audits and reviews.  Both of the audit policies have been updated with Comptroller contact information.

Delegation of MMARS/Contract and Transaction Processing Authority and Quality Assurance Policy
The “Delegation of MMARS Authority” policy has been updated and posted to the Contracts Policies page of the CTR Web Portal. This policy is jointly issued by the Office of the Comptroller (CTR) and the Operational Services Division (OSD), and was updated to clarify language for P-Card references as well as minor wording changes.

Periodic Allotment
ANF will process the final periodic allotment for FY2012 on or around May 14, bringing total allotted cash in most appropriated accounts to 100 percent of the obligation ceiling.

Close FY2012/Open FY2013 News

Fiscal Year 2012 Encumbrances
Executive departments must conclude FY2012 encumbering activity against budgeted fund accounts that total $25,000 or more by Friday, May 11, 2012. Please review details in the ANF memo. Beginning Saturday May 12, executive departments are required to seek ANF approval for encumbering activity in budgetary accounts totaling $25,000 or more. CT, RPO, GAE, and PC transactions will go to workflow if the actual amount in the Header section of the encumbrance is greater than or equal to 25K. The 25K threshold rule will apply regardless of whether the Department is increasing the encumbrance transaction by $10 or $25,000. Please refer to the chart on page 41 of the Close/Open Instructions for guidance.

Close/Open Presentation Posted
The Close/Open Presentation has been posted to the Close and Open Information page of the CTR Web Portal.

Close/Open Shrewsbury Meeting
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.
Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center, 222 Maple Ave., Shrewsbury (UMASS Worcester), Massachusetts
Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center Directions
This meeting will be webcast for those who cannot attend in person. Register now.

Close/Open for Beginners
If the Close/Open procedures are new to you, please register for one of the Close/Open for Beginners trainings:

    • Tuesday, May 22           1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
    • Tuesday, May 29           9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
    • Tuesday, June 5                       1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.

All Close/Open for Beginner training sessions will be held in the Executive Conference Room on the 9th Floor of One Ashburton Place, Boston. Register for these sessions via the Comptroller's Training/Meeting Schedule. If you have any questions please contact the Comptroller Help Desk 617-973-2468 or via email comptroller.info@state.ma.us

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 May 15 and will delete rejected documents entered before March 1. If you have documents entered before March 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".

MMARS Saturday Hours
MMARS and LCM will be available Saturday, May 12 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, May 14.

Upcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

  • Intermediate MMARS Warehouse – Tuesday, May 15, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Close/Open Meeting – Wednesday, May 16, 9:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Hoagland Pincus Conference Center, Shrewsbury
  • Webcast Close/Open Meeting – Wednesday, May 16, 9:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Online Training
  • Encumbrance Management – Thursday, May 17, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Payment Management – Thursday, May 17, 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Accounts Receivable – Tuesday, May 22, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Close/Open for Beginners – Tuesday, May 22, 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • LCM Management – Wednesday, May 23, 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Fraud Awareness and Prevention – Friday, May 25, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Executive Conference Room
  • Close/Open for Beginners – Tuesday, May 29, 9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. One Ashburton Place Boston 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to LCM Warehouse – Wednesday, May 30, 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 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 - Referencing the Statewide Master Agreement Number
All departments encumbering against statewide contracts MUST reference the statewide MA number on the MMARS encumbrance transaction. This allows the Operational Services Division (OSD) to track and report on encumbrance and payment activity from statewide contracts. It provides OSD with substantive information when negotiating statewide contracts.

Departments should review their internal guidance and procedures to assure that this step is properly completed in MMARS. OSD's and CTR's Quality Assurance teams will monitor department encumbrance and payment transactions to ensure compliance with this policy.

Board Award
When you reference a statewide MA on an encumbrance, do not fill in the encumbrance Board Award field. This field will automatically default to the Board Award of the MA being referenced. If no number is inferred, contact OSD at 617-720-3300 and request an update to this field on the MA.

Commodity Code
When you reference a statewide MA on an encumbrance, the commodity code field will automatically default to the commodity code of the MA commodity line being referenced. The commodity code must not be changed under any circumstance.

Referencing a Statewide Master Agreement (MA) Beyond the MA End Date
Several of OSD's Statewide MAs have supporting procurement language that allows departments to enter into an agreement with a vendor that extends beyond the defined statewide MA Expiration Date. CT, RPO, and PC encumbrance transactions may reference an MA if the "Service From" and/or "Service To" dates on the encumbrance are later than the MA Expiration date as long as the following two criteria are met: 1) the initial encumbrance start date falls within the MA dates of service; and, 2) the MA has supporting language that allows such an arrangement.

The encumbrance transaction will reject when submitted in MMARS due to one or both of the following error messages: "Service From Date not within the referenced Dates of Service. (A2891)" or "Service To Date is not within the referenced Dates of Service (A2892)". These error messages will require an override by CTR for the CT and RPO and by OSD for the PC transaction. For PC overrides, contact Elaine LaMonica at OSD and for CT and RPO overrides contact your CTR Contract Liaisons. NOTE: The request for an override must come from an authorized Department signatory via an email.

The following statement must be entered in the MMARS encumbrance transaction Document Comments field: "(Insert Department Name or 3 digit designation) certifies that the encumbrance's initial start date falls within the MA dates of service and the MA being referenced allows an encumbrance end date that goes beyond the MA expiration date". By inserting this specific document comment, a department is certifying that they are using the MA properly and in accordance with its terms. Documents without this statement will not be processed to a Final phase in MMARS.

NOTE: This document comment must be inserted each time the encumbrance is modified. It is not sufficient to refer to a comment that was inserted on a previous version.