Fiscal Management Sub-Certification

A. Fiscal Management Sub-Certification

Department managers must annually complete the Fiscal Management Sub-Certification.

Below is the Fiscal Management Sub-Certification that the department manager will approve in the PeopleSoft system. PeopleSoft refers to the sub-certification as the SAHARA Annual Certification.

In preparation of the financial statements for fiscal year ending August 31, 20XX, I confirm, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the following are true, accurate and complete:

1. I am responsible for establishing internal controls for the departments and functions under my scope of organizational responsibility. The controls include timely reconciliation of all cost centers and projects to ensure accuracy, validity, and completeness of financial information.
2. My team has reconciled all transactions for each of the months through August 31, 20XX. All transactions were appropriate, allowable and properly recorded. All reconciling items have been adjusted or satisfactorily resolved with the exception of items noted in the “comments” field.
3. As department manager, I reviewed and approved all reconciliations, or delegated such review and approval, for the departmental cost centers and projects through August 31, 20XX. To the best of my knowledge, there are no misstatements or omissions in the department cost centers or projects for which I am responsible.
4. As department manager, I ensured my office maintained adequate segregation of duties. No single employee has responsibility for entering transactions, approving transactions, receiving cash and reconciling cost centers/projects. I understand my responsibilities for establishing and maintaining effective internal controls, and my requirement to report all suspected fraud. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no:
   
   
   1. Fraud involving any employee that has not been appropriately identified and investigated; or
   2. Fraud involving others that could have a significant effect on the financial statements, which has not been appropriately identified and investigated.

B. Sub-Certification Process

The sub-certification process occurs each fiscal year-end. An email is sent to department managers. The notification includes directions for accessing the sub-certification in the SAHARA module of PeopleSoft and the due date for submission. This module is the same system used for the department manager’s monthly financial review approvals.

The department manager then completes and submits one Fiscal Management Sub-Certification electronically for all applicable cost centers/project IDs.

Completion of the sub-certification is monitored. One week before the deadline, a reminder is sent to each department manager who has not completed the sub-certification. A list of these individuals is also sent to the next-higher level administrator.

If the wrong department manager has been assigned or the department manager position is vacant, the Controller’s Office will contact the next-higher level administrator to address all issues related to position vacancies and/or changes in organization. The controller will document the reason(s) for incorrect assignments/vacancies, and the sub-certification will be re-assigned to the next-higher level administrator.

The controller will report all incorrect assignments/vacancies including any corrections, if applicable, to Institutional Compliance and Risk Services for appropriate action.

C. Sub-Certification Results and Actions

The controller will obtain a report summarizing the responses of the sub-certification for analysis, and determine whether an individual may require training, including the type of training necessary to reinforce the requirements and responsibilities specified by UTS142.

In addition to this analysis, department managers may also be recommended for a Quality Assurance Review (QAR).

When a department manager fails to complete the sub-certification, the respective vice president, the chief audit executive, the senior vice president for business affairs and the senior associate vice president for financial affairs are notified.

D. Sub-Certification Training

Financial Affairs provides information about sub-certification requirements at the fiscal year-end workshops held annually.

Related Forms

None at this time.

Revision History