| Authority/Reference(s) | |
|---|---|
| Revision Date | October 1, 2020 |
Policy
The Internal Control Structure Questionnaire (ICSQ) is designed to assess whether a contractor has accounting systems and procedures in place to reduce incidents of fiscal errors and/or reduce the opportunity for dishonesty. The ICSQ does this by requiring contractors to respond to questions related to the organization’s policies and systems for collecting, recording, storing, and reporting financial information, as well as, the safeguarding of business assets.
DFPS requires client services contractors to respond to these questions during the procurement phase or by completing an ICSQ prior to contract execution. An ICSQ may not be older than the life of the contract, and not exceed seven years, in order to meet DFPS requirements. Life of the contract includes the initial contract period and any amendments and waivers. Contract staff must review the ICSQ and document the results.
Contract staff must require the contractor to either submit an Internal Control Certification (ICC) to certify the accuracy of a previously submitted ICSQ or complete a new ICSQ every two years. Updated financial information must be included with the ICC or new ICSQ.
Fee for Service contracts are not required to be certified by an ICC; however, contract staff must require an ICC for Fee for Service contracts where an ICSQ will be shared by multiple contracts with the same provider.
An ICSQ is not required for interagency contracts or SSCC contracts. SSCC contracts are required to submit an accounting manual for review and approval by DFPS.