Purpose, Application and Authority

(1) Purpose. (a) Purpose of 815 CMR 6.00. The purpose of 815 CMR 6.00 is to provide all State Departments with rules and procedures for conducting Interdepartmental Fiscal Business, including Interdepartmental Service Agreements (ISAs) and Interdepartmental Chargebacks which require a transfer of funds between two Departments. (b) Use of Interdepartmental Fiscal Business. ISAs and chargebacks may only be used to compensate a Seller Department for providing requested commodities and services, not to supplement a Seller Department’s current available funding to pursue its own mission (such as offsetting all or a portion of administrative costs, equipment or for personnel not designated for ISA or chargeback performance). In no event should ISA or chargeback rates exceed the actual costs to the Seller Department for providing the ISA or chargeback commodities and services, unless otherwise specified by law. (c) Role of the Office of the Comptroller. All interdepartmental fiscal transactions are required to be made through the state accounting system as prescribed by the Comptroller. The Office of the Comptroller will interpret 815 CMR 6.00 and take any actions necessary to carry out the purposes of 815 CMR 6.00, including issuing additional policies, procedures and forms to be used by Departments. The Office of the Comptroller’s oversight of Interdepartmental Fiscal Business is limited to review and processing of the fiscal transactions necessary to support an ISA or chargeback, and will not include a review of the underlying business decisions which lead to the submission of an ISA or chargeback. Department’s will be responsible for conducting Interdepartmental Fiscal Business using best value and other good business practices similar to any other contract or Department expenditure, and will be required to certify that the Interdepartmental Fiscal Business complies with all applicable state or federal, general or special laws or regulations. (2) Application. 815 CMR 6.00 applies to all State Departments conducting interdepartmental business with another State Department(s), including agencies, subdivisions, offices, boards, commissions or institutions of the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Branches. (3) Authority. 815 CMR 6.00 is adopted under the authority of M.G.L. c. 7A, §§ 8, 11, and 15 and M.G.L. c. 29, § 29I.