Forvis Mazars, LLP, ranked among the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the United States, is expanding its Public Sector Advisory Services practice by launching a new line of Government Outsourced Accounting Services (GOAS) for clients.
These services are designed to help state and local governments bridge the growing gap created by a shortage of public sector finance professionals across the country.
Leading the new service line is Karen Kurtin. She brings more than 17 years of public sector experience to the role, including 11 years providing audit services to government entities and six years managing all aspects of finance for a Texas municipality. Kurtin directs a team backed by the depth of Forvis Mazars’ existing outsourced accounting offerings and a public sector industry practice that already serves hundreds of client entities nationwide.
“Our team is well-positioned to provide support for state and local governments at a time when outside resources are more needed than ever,” Kurtin said. “We bring both auditor and finance director perspectives to the table, and act as thought partners to help strengthen clients’ finance departments.”
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has noted that demand for state and local public finance workers is far outstripping the supply and straining talent pipelines. The sector has tens of thousands fewer workers today than it did five years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 50,000 of those remaining workers are now at retirement age, and approximately one-third of all current state and local finance officers will be at retirement age within 10 years.
“Reduced capacities, overwork, and burnout are common among public sector finance departments today,” said Shauna Woody-Coussens, national practice leader for Public Sector Advisory Services at Forvis Mazars. “We understand the challenges our clients are facing and know how to navigate them in ways that can help identify opportunities for success amid these headwinds.”
Services Focus on Year-End Tasks
Forvis Mazars’ GOAS offerings are designed to assist organizations with year-end tasks, so they can focus on daily finance functions and serving constituents. They include:
- Year-end closing entries including leases, capital assets, debt, pensions, subscription-based IT arrangements, and other post-employment benefits
- Internal controls reviews
- Bank reconciliations
- Schedule of expenditures of federal awards (SEFA) drafts
- Annual comprehensive financial report preparation using The Reporting Solution
- Popular annual financial report preparation
- Audit readiness and auditor interface
The Forvis Mazars GOAS team can also help state and local governments meet audit and Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) issuance timelines and take on special projects such as annual financial report creation, internal control review, and budgeting assistance.
