[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 11]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1773.39]

[Page 989-991]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
    CHAPTER XVII--RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1773--POLICY ON AUDITS OF RUS BORROWERS--Table of Contents
 
       Subpart E--RUS Required Audit Procedures and Documentation
 
Sec. 1773.39  Utility plant and accumulated depreciation.

    (a) General. The audit of these accounts must include tests of 
additions, replacements, retirements, and changes. Based upon the CPA's 
determination of materiality, an appropriate sample of transactions must 
be selected for testing. The CPA's workpapers must document that he/she:
    (1) Examined direct labor and material transactions to determine 
whether the borrower's accounting records reflect a complete 
accumulation of costs;
    (2) Examined indirect costs and overhead charges to determine if 
they conform to the Uniform System of Accounts;
    (3) Reviewed the costs of completed construction and retirement 
projects to determine if they were cleared promptly from the work in 
progress accounts to the classified plant in service accounts and the 
related depreciation reserves;
    (4) Examined direct purchases of special equipment and general 
plant;

[[Page 990]]

    (5) Determined the degree of accuracy and control of costing 
retirements, including tests of salvage and removal costs;
    (6) Reviewed the borrower's work order procedures; and
    (7) Reviewed depreciation rates for adequate support, compared them 
to RUS guidelines, and determined if they are in compliance.
    (b) Construction work in progress. (1) The workpapers must include a 
summary of open work orders reconciled to the general ledger. The CPA 
must note on the summary any unusual or nontypical projects.
    (2) Based upon the CPA's determination of materiality, an 
appropriate sample of work orders must be selected for testing. The 
CPA's workpapers must document that he/she:
    (i) Reviewed equipment purchases charged to work orders, including 
payments and receiving reports;
    (ii) Reviewed contracts showing the scope of the work, the nature of 
the contract, the contract amount, and scheduled payments and reviewed 
supporting documents to determine that all services contracted for were 
in fact rendered;
    (iii) Reviewed time cards and pay rates for several employees who 
allocate their time to work orders;
    (iv) Reviewed the nature of material and supplies issued to the 
project, traced amounts and quantities to supporting documents, and 
reviewed the reasonableness of clearing rates for assignment of stores 
expense to the work order;
    (v) Reviewed the accuracy of the computation of overheads applied to 
the work order; and
    (vi) Reviewed other costs charged to the work order for support and 
propriety.
    (3) Based upon the CPA's determination of materiality, an 
appropriate sample of completed contracts must be selected for testing. 
The CPA's workpapers must document that he/she:
    (i) Scheduled payments to contractors and traced to verify payments 
and supporting invoices;
    (ii) Traced contract costs to final closeout documents, to the 
general ledger, and to the continuing property records; and
    (iii) Verified the costs of owner furnished materials, if 
applicable.
    (4) The CPA must review the borrower's procedures for unitization 
and classification of work order and contract costs. Based upon the 
CPA's determination of materiality, an appropriate sample of 
transactions must be selected for testing. The CPA's workpapers must 
document that he/she:
    (i) Reviewed the tabulation of record units for construction from 
the work order staking sheets to the tabulation of record units, to the 
unitization sheets, and to the continuing property records;
    (ii) Reviewed the procedures for unitizing and distributing costs of 
completed construction to the plant accounts;
    (iii) Verified that standard costs were being used;
    (iv) Evaluated the basis for development of standard costs; and
    (v) Determined that costs of completed construction were cleared 
promptly from work in progress accounts.
    (c) Continuing property records. Based upon the CPA's determination 
of materiality, an appropriate sample of transactions must be selected 
for testing. The CPA's workpapers must document that he/she:
    (1) Determined whether the subsidiary plant records agree with the 
controlling general ledger plant accounts;
    (2) Noted differences in the workpapers; and
    (3) Commented, in the management letter, on any discrepancies.
    (d) Retirement work-in-progress. Based upon the CPA's determination 
of materiality, an appropriate sample of transactions must be selected 
for testing. The CPA's workpapers must document that he/she:
    (1) Determined that plant retirements are currently and 
systematically recorded and priced on the basis of the continuing 
property records, and determined that costs of removal have been 
properly accounted for;

[[Page 991]]

    (2) Explained the method used in computing the cost of units of 
plant retired if continuing property records have not been established 
and determined whether costs appeared reasonable; and
    (3) Determined the manner in which net losses due to retirements 
were accounted for and traced clearing entries to the depreciation 
reserve, the plant accounts, and the continuing property records.
    (e) Provision for accumulated depreciation. The CPA's workpapers 
must include an analysis of transactions. Based upon the CPA's 
determination of materiality, an appropriate sample of transactions must 
be selected for testing. The CPA's workpapers must document that he/she:
    (1) Verified the depreciation accruals for the period, including the 
depreciation base;
    (2) Reviewed the basis of the depreciation rates, any change in 
rates and the reason therefor, and, if appropriate, determined whether 
the rates are in compliance with RUS requirements or with the 
requirements of the state regulatory body having jurisdiction over the 
borrower's depreciation rates;
    (3) Reviewed salvage and removal costs; and
    (4) Searched for unrecorded retirements.
    (f) Other reserves. The CPA's workpapers must include an account 
analysis for all other material plant reserves, such as the reserve for 
the amortization of plant acquisition adjustments. Based upon the CPA's 
determination of materiality, an appropriate sample of transactions must 
be selected for testing. The CPA's workpapers must document that 
appropriate tests of transactions were performed.
    (g) Narrative. The CPA must prepare and include in the workpapers a 
comprehensive narrative on the scope of work performed, observations 
made, and conclusions reached. Specific matters covered in this 
narrative must include:
    (1) The nature of construction and other additions;
    (2) The control over, and the accuracy of pricing retirements;
    (3) The accuracy of distributing costs to classified utility plant 
accounts;
    (4) An evaluation of the method of:
    (i) Capitalizing the direct loadings on labor and material costs;
    (ii) Distributing transportation costs and other expense clearing 
accounts; and
    (iii) Capitalizing overhead costs;
    (5) The tests of depreciation;
    (6) A review of agreements such as those relating to acquisitions, 
property sales, and leases which affect the plant accounts; and
    (7) Notations, if applicable, of RUS approval of property sales and 
the propriety of the disposition of the proceeds.