Government

Transform your government entity with a team of advisors who know and understand your challenges.
In these complex times, it’s become increasingly difficult to operate efficiently and productively. If you are still operating the way it’s always been done, transformation is long overdue. No matter what size or type of government entity, there are certainly areas that need improvement.

When you have a team of government accounting advisors working on your behalf, you will be able to make better decisions. You will be more equipped to collaborate more effectively within your organization, as well as engage more with your constituents. Having direct access to the right advisors, tools and resources will give you an invaluable advantage. Be sure not to delay the transformation process any longer.

When you work with an Eide Bailly advisor, you can keep your focus on improving operations.
The challenges in the government sector are diverse and unique. Accounting and finance decisions have added weight because you are not only handling public money, but doing so with incredible scrutiny. Balancing the day-to-day needs of this responsibility with the necessity of finding time to do big-picture thinking and strategizing can be difficult.

You don’t have to carry this burden alone. Advisory services can relieve the stress of critical government functions that you either don’t want to do or don't have the deep expertise on staff to complete successfully. Our advisory services include:

• Audit Readiness Services
• Board Advisory & Education Services
• Bookkeeping & Payroll
• Business Clerk and Manager Services
• Finance Director Services
• Financial Statement Preparation
• "On-Call" Resources and Availability
• Accounting Coach/Training

Maximize your resources.
In addition to a comprehensive array of advisory services, we can help guide you through other common challenges that government agencies face:  

• Agreed-Upon Procedures – Receive all entitled revenues
• Arbitrage - Eliminate arbitrage confusion
• Audit & Assurance - Add value with an audit/review
• Cybersecurity - Safeguard your reputation
• Data Analytics - Become "business intelligent"
• Data Warehousing - Take control of data chaos
• Financial Services - Plan for the future
• Fraud & Forensic Advisory - Uncover the facts or prevent fraud from occurring
• Internal & Performance Audit - Reduce risk and improve operational performance
• Performance Audit - Get unparalleled results, tailored to your needs
• State and Local Government Consulting - Anticipate change in government
• Technology Consulting - Transform the way you do business

Agreed-Upon Procedures - Positioning you to receive all entitled revenues. It's important that your government receives its full share of revenues from sources outside traditional taxes and service fees. Special revenues can include lease agreements, franchise taxes and utility billings.  

Determining the accuracy of the procedures being performed by outside vendors can help ensure that you are receiving the revenue you are owed. In addition, evaluation of your internal controls helps identify the effectiveness of processes you have in place.

We have helped government agencies collect missed revenue and understand the importance of efficient internal controls. Our professionals are nationally recognized leaders in the government industry who will take the time to learn your unique circumstances.

Arbitrage – Save money and stay in compliance by understanding arbitrage.

Government entities issue debt financing to fund necessary infrastructure projects and must seek IRS-required arbitrage. Arbitrage requirements can be complex, so you need a solid understanding of the requirements to avoid IRS penalties.

It is important to understand the complexities of arbitrage and provide the necessary calculations during the following:

• Debt finance planning
• Construction period
• Post-construction
• Required five-year calculation

By making the necessary arbitrage calculations, you can stay in compliance with IRS regulations. We have experience providing arbitrage calculations for state and local entities with debt balances ranging from thousands to millions of dollars. We can provide you with the peace of mind that your arbitrage calculation will be handled properly and in a timely manner.

Internal Audit - Reduce risk and improve operational performance. When your government agency strategically evaluates and manages risk by conducting an internal audit, it often results in:

• Decreased worry
• Effective business and operational controls
• Improved compliance monitoring
• Improved strategic planning
• New business opportunities

An internal audit is a vital component of governance and strategic risk management. It provides an additional element to risk assessment across your organization, facilitates improved processes and controls, addresses regulatory or other compliance issues, and ensures processes are efficient through the COSO framework.

Our internal audit professionals bring strong process, procedure, internal control and risk management experience to your organization. We bridge these skills with specialized insight related to risk and compliance and specific industry knowledge, to help your organization reduce risk and improve operational efficiency.

Performance Audit - Gain unparalleled results, tailored to your needs.

Performance audits are complex in scope and nature, and unique to the programs they are examining. Engaging the right team is critical to creating objectives that will help you improve program performance and operations, reduce costs, facilitate decision-making and contribute to public accountability.

When you work with Eide Bailly, you’ll get an experienced team who concentrates on performance audit engagements. You’ll get results tailored to your needs and objectives, from professionals who understand your unique situation. Our approach is different than many others. We utilize a wealth of performance audit methodologies to profile and assess the performance of your programs and operations. In addition, we believe frequent communication is the key to delivering the best results, on-time and within budget. We communicate proactively and constructively regarding the status of the project and any noted issues, problems, or concerns. We want to ensure you receive value‐driven results.

State and Local Government Consulting - Understanding standards and risks results in effective governing. State and local governments are continually evolving due to:

• New GASB standards
• Budgetary constraints
• Fiscal sustainability pressures
• Technology and transparency
• The ‘silver tsunami’

Your state, county, municipality or public agency can navigate these complex times with the help of an experienced government advisor. Through training, internal audit, forensics, internal controls analysis and testing, GASB implementation consulting, audit finding resolution, GFOA review, performance analysis and other specialized engagements, your organization can stay on top of changes.  

Eide Bailly's professionals play an active role in developing and applying governmental accounting standards. We're at GASB board meetings and serve on the GASB’s task forces, taking our clients' concerns directly to decision makers.  We serve on the AICPA State and Local Government Expert Panel and chair national boards that comment on proposed standards. Eide Bailly understands your government because we've served as preparers, auditors and nationally recognized thought leaders for decades.

What inspires you, inspires us. Get help from a team of professionals who will take the time to understand your unique government agency and its goals. We aspire to become a valued extension of your team.