PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will provide assistance in the department's assessment of internal controls over financial reporting.
"Effective internal control is the key to accountability" said Andrew Maner, the department's Chief Financial Officer. "The DHS Financial Accountability Act imposes profound challenges to us--DHS is the first cabinet department required to have an audit of its internal controls over financial reporting. We look forward to working with the Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and the Inspector General's Office to demonstrate our commitment to the Act, and to be a leader in our controls implementation that sets an example for other agencies to follow."
Initial efforts began last year that included establishing responsibilities over internal controls across DHS, a series of pilot projects to document control and correct weaknesses, and the completion of the U.S. Government Accountability Office's Internal Control Management and Evaluation Tool across the Department.
The president's fiscal year 2007 budget request includes a total of $35.5 million to support department-wide financial management improvements, including $19 million to continue improving financial management systems through eMerge2 and $16.5 million to remediate financial management weaknesses and undertake an audit of internal controls over financial reporting.
