Financial management

Alternate Titles

• Financial management
• NOAA needs to better document its policies and procedures for providing management and administration services
• Management and administration services

Description

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a bureau within the Department of Commerce (Commerce). To help achieve NOAA's program goals, it relies on management and administration (M&A) services, such as legal support and information technology. In response to the fiscal year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act Conference Report, GAO (1) examined how NOAA's M&A services are funded, (2) assessed the extent to which NOAA's policies and procedures for M&A services conform to applicable standards, and (3) estimated salaries and expenses for NOAA's budget for fiscal year 2009. Among other things, GAO reviewed documents on M&A services and data on M&A costs from NOAA officials for its headquarters; line offices, which are responsible for executing NOAA's programs; and a subset of financial management centers (FMC) within the line offices, which manage specific programs and projects. GAO recommends that NOAA require its headquarters, line offices, and FMCs to document in a manual or handbook their policies and procedures for the M&A services they provide in line with federal cost accounting and internal control standards. NOAA reviewed a draft of this report and concurred with the recommendation."

Subjects