Self-assessment
PFMA Self-Assessment (Public Finance Management)
11 yes/no questions for national and provincial departments and public entities: the accounting officer or authority, budget control, financial statements, audit, supply chain and irregular spending, and reporting. You get a score for each area and a list of gaps with what to do about each one.
1. Accountability
The Act applies to national and provincial departments, constitutional institutions and public entities. Answer Not applicable in sections that apply only to departments if you are a public entity, and the reverse.
1. Does your department or constitutional institution have an accounting officer (the head of department or chief executive), and does your public entity have an accounting authority (normally its board)?
(PFMA ss 36, 49)
2. Does the accounting officer or authority understand the general financial responsibilities that go with the role, including effective, efficient, economical and transparent use of resources?
(PFMA ss 38, 50, 51)
3. Do you have a chief financial officer who is accountable to the accounting officer, and delegations of financial powers in writing?
(Treasury Regulations Part 2)
2. Budget and spending control
1. Do you commit the institution to expenditure only within the money appropriated or approved, and never commit it to liabilities that have no funds?
A department's accounting officer may not commit it to a liability for which money has not been appropriated. (PFMA s38(1))
2. Do you have effective systems of financial and risk management and internal control, including internal audit and, where required, an audit committee?
(PFMA ss 38, 51, 76, 77)
3. Do you prevent, detect and report unauthorised, irregular, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and take action against those responsible?
(PFMA s38, Treasury Regulations)
4. Do you follow a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective supply chain management system?
(PFMA s38(1)(a)(iii))
3. Reporting and audit
1. Do you prepare monthly and quarterly reports on revenue, spending and performance and submit them to the relevant treasury?
(PFMA ss 40, 54, 55)
2. Do you submit annual financial statements to the Auditor-General within the time the Act sets (commonly reported as two months after year-end for departments), and produce an annual report?
(PFMA s40, s55)
3. Do you act on audit findings and keep a plan to fix repeated findings?
(PFMA, Auditor-General)
4. Do accounting officers and authorities understand that wilful or grossly negligent breach of key duties is an offence?
Section 86 provides for a fine or imprisonment of up to five years for wilful or grossly negligent failure to comply with sections 38, 39 or 40. (PFMA s86)
Sources
Turn these gaps into tracked tasks
Assign owners and due dates, keep the evidence, and show your progress to clients and auditors.