GAO Green Book Compliance Academy
Implement the 2025 GAO Green Book with Practical, Defensible Internal Controls
The GAO Green Book Compliance Academy is an intensive three-day, live webinar providing 18 CPE credits. The program focuses on the practical implementation of the 2025 Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government.
The 2025 Green Book supersedes the 2014 edition and applies beginning with fiscal year 2026. It modernizes federal internal control guidance to address fraud, improper payments, information security, emerging technologies, significant organizational and program changes, preventive controls, documentation, and management accountability.
This academy goes beyond a general review of the Green Book. Attendees learn how to convert the standards into an internal control program that management can document, operate, evaluate, defend, and continuously improve.
Why Attend the GAO Green Book Compliance Academy?
Government organizations do not comply with the Green Book merely by maintaining policies, completing an annual checklist, or relying on auditors to identify control weaknesses.
An effective internal control system must be:
- Properly designed.
- Implemented throughout the organization.
- Operating as intended.
- Supported by reliable evidence.
- Evaluated against organizational objectives and risks.
- Monitored for emerging risks and significant changes.
- Corrected when deficiencies are identified.
- Continuously improved.
Participants will examine how management can establish accountability, define objectives, assess risks, design preventive and detective controls, evaluate deficiencies, document conclusions, and support an overall assessment of internal control effectiveness.
Major Changes in the 2025 GAO Green Book
The five components and 17 principles remain intact. However, the 2025 revision significantly expands the supporting attributes, implementation guidance, documentation expectations, and examples.
Fraud and Improper Payments
Management must explicitly identify, analyze, and respond to fraud risks and risks of improper payments.
Participants will examine how to incorporate fraud risk into the organization’s risk-assessment process, identify vulnerable programs and transactions, design preventive and detective controls, address management override and collusion, monitor fraud indicators, and document management’s conclusions.
Fraud prevention should be integrated into program operations rather than treated solely as an after-the-fact audit responsibility.
Information Security and Technology Risk
The revised Green Book strengthens management’s responsibility for information-security and technology risks.
The webinar addresses cybersecurity governance, access controls, system changes, data integrity, cloud computing, third-party technology providers, backup and recovery, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and coordination among program management, information technology, cybersecurity, compliance, risk management, and audit functions.
Significant Organizational and Program Changes
Management should establish and document a process for identifying, analyzing, and responding to risks created by significant change.
Examples include new programs, regulatory changes, reorganizations, leadership or staffing changes, system implementations, outsourcing, new vendors, funding changes, emergency programs, and emerging technologies.
Expanded Documentation
Management must maintain documentation supporting the design, implementation, operation, and evaluation of the internal control system.
Documentation should demonstrate how management:
- Establishes objectives.
- Identifies and assesses risks.
- Assigns control responsibilities.
- Designs and implements controls.
- Verifies that controls are performed.
- Evaluates control effectiveness.
- Identifies and assesses deficiencies.
- Develops corrective-action plans.
- Monitors remediation.
- Supports its overall conclusion.
The course addresses the difference between having a control and having sufficient evidence that the control was properly designed, implemented, and performed.
Preventive Control Activities
The 2025 Green Book places increased emphasis on preventive controls where practical.
Examples include segregation of duties, system access restrictions, required approvals, automated validation rules, vendor due diligence, contract review, budgetary controls, training requirements, configuration controls, and prepayment verification.
Detective controls remain necessary, but management should not rely exclusively on controls that identify problems only after they occur.
Management Accountability
Internal control is management’s responsibility at every organizational level. Auditors assess management’s controls; they do not own or operate the internal control system.
The webinar addresses the responsibilities of oversight bodies, executives, program managers, financial managers, information-technology personnel, compliance functions, business-process owners, control owners, employees, and auditors.
Practical Tools and Implementation Techniques
The academy incorporates practical concepts attendees can adapt to their organizations, including:
- Objective-risk-control-assessment linkage.
- Green Book control mapping.
- Risk-and-control matrices.
- Control inventories.
- Entity-level and business-process control assessments.
- Control self-assessments.
- Management subcertifications.
- Fraud and improper-payment risk assessments.
- Information-technology risk assessments.
- Third-party risk assessments.
- Significant-change assessments.
- Internal control maturity models.
- Control-deficiency aggregation.
- Root-cause analysis.
- Corrective-action tracking.
- Remediation and retesting.
- Continuous monitoring and data analytics.
- Management reporting and oversight dashboards.
Take Control of Green Book Implementation
The 2025 Green Book is not merely an audit reference. It is management’s framework for designing, implementing, operating, monitoring, and evaluating an effective internal control system.
Reserve your spot today and strengthen your organization’s compliance, accountability, and operational effectiveness.
Details on Event Presentation
Offered on Tuesday-Thursday once every eight weeks in three six hour sessions for 18 CPE credits.
The sessions will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central Time Zone.
There will be a lunch break from 12:00 noon to 12:30 p.m. each day.
We can schedule private events on your timetable for two or more attendees.
NASBA Program Disclosure
Program Level of Understanding: Basic
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Delivery Format: Seminar (Group Internet Based)
NASBA Field(s) of Study: Auditing, Information Technology
CPE Credits: 18, based on 50 minutes of instruction per hour
CPE Event Highlights
Benefits to Your Organization
After attending, participants will be better prepared to:
- Establish clear ownership of internal controls.
- Align controls with mission and program objectives.
- Identify risks before they become failures.
- Strengthen fraud and improper-payment prevention.
- Improve cybersecurity and technology controls.
- Respond to organizational and program changes.
- Produce reliable evidence that controls are operating.
- Identify and remediate deficiencies.
- Monitor corrective actions.
- Improve accountability for federal awards and public resources.
- Prepare for internal audits, external audits, Inspector General reviews, and management assurance reporting.
- Build a sustainable culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Learning Objectives
What You Will Learn
Upon completion of the academy, participants should be able to:
- Explain the purpose and structure of the 2025 GAO Green Book.
- Describe the relationship between COSO and the Green Book.
- Apply the five components and 17 principles.
- Use Green Book attributes when designing and evaluating controls.
- Define responsibilities for management, oversight bodies, control owners, and auditors.
- Link objectives to risks, control objectives, and control activities.
- Assess operational, reporting, compliance, fraud, improper-payment, technology, and change-related risks.
- Design preventive and detective controls.
- Develop risk-and-control matrices and control inventories.
- Evaluate control design, implementation, and operation.
- Test whether controls are operating as intended.
- Evaluate and aggregate internal control deficiencies.
- Perform root-cause analysis.
- Develop corrective-action and remediation plans.
- Document control performance and management conclusions.
- Evaluate whether the five components are present, functioning, and operating together.
- Support management’s overall assessment of internal control effectiveness.
- Develop a sustainable Green Book compliance program.
Key Issues on the Agenda
Course Coverage
The program addresses:
Internal Control Foundations
- Why organizations need internal control.
- Common internal control myths.
- Internal control as part of operations.
- Management’s responsibility for internal control.
- The auditor’s assurance and advisory responsibilities.
- Coordination among operations, compliance, risk management, technology, legal, and audit functions.
Components, Principles, and Attributes
- The five components of internal control.
- The 17 principles.
- The role of attributes.
- Professional judgment.
- Documentation requirements.
- The relationship among objectives, risks, controls, and assessments.
Risk Assessment and Control Activities
- Defining measurable objectives.
- Establishing risk tolerances.
- Identifying and assessing significant risks.
- Fraud and improper-payment risks.
- Information-security risks.
- Significant-change assessments.
- Preventive and detective controls.
- Manual and automated controls.
- Segregation of duties.
- Approvals, reconciliations, verifications, and supervisory reviews.
- Technology general controls.
- Evidence of control performance.
Information, Communication, and Monitoring
- Relevant and reliable information.
- Data quality and integrity.
- Internal and external communication.
- Whistleblower and escalation channels.
- Ongoing monitoring.
- Separate evaluations.
- Control self-assessments.
- Data analytics and exception reporting.
- Corrective-action plans.
- Remediation and retesting.
Management’s Evaluation of Internal Control
Participants will examine:
- Design effectiveness.
- Implementation effectiveness.
- Operating effectiveness.
- Missing or inadequately designed controls.
- Controls that were not properly implemented.
- Controls that did not operate consistently.
- The magnitude, likelihood, and nature of deficiencies.
- Aggregation of related deficiencies.
- Root causes and compensating controls.
- Management’s overall conclusion.
Summary of the Subject Matter
This CPE event "GAO Green Book Compliance Academy" is a comprehensive exploration of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Green Book, focusing on its significance in establishing and maintaining effective internal control in the federal government.
Attendees can expect an in-depth analysis of the principles laid out in the Green Book, with a specific emphasis on compliance requirements and best practices tailored to government entities.
This educational initiative seeks to equip participants with a profound understanding of the Green Book's framework, emphasizing its role in enhancing accountability, transparency, and efficiency within governmental operations. By delving into the intricacies of internal control standards, the event aims to empower attendees with actionable insights to navigate the complex landscape of governmental compliance and risk management.
The academy will address critical topics such as risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, monitoring activities, and the integration of the Green Book principles into organizational practices. Through this, it endeavors to foster a genuine connection with attendees by providing transparent, insightful content that resonates with the unique needs of governmental compliance professionals.
Authoritative Sources
After attending the CPE event focused on GAO Green Book Compliance Academy, it's crucial to further expand your knowledge by exploring authoritative sources in this domain. Here are relevant sources along with their web links:
- Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government The GAO "Green Book"—Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government 2025—provides the framework for establishing and maintaining an effective internal control system. Internal control is a process designed to help an entity achieve its objectives.
- Government Accountability Office (GAO) - Green Book: Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government
- The GAO Green Book presents standards for internal control in the federal government, offering comprehensive guidance on the design, implementation, and evaluation of internal control systems. Exploring this resource can provide a deeper understanding of internal control standards and their application in the federal context.
- The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) - Resources for Internal Control and Compliance
- The IIA offers a wealth of resources related to internal control and compliance, including articles, research papers, and insights into best practices. Engaging with these resources can further augment your understanding of internal control principles as outlined in the GAO Green Book.
- U.S. Government Publishing Office - Federal Regulations and Guidelines
- The U.S. Government Publishing Office provides access to federal regulations and guidelines, serving as a valuable reference for professionals seeking to delve into the regulatory framework that aligns with the principles articulated in the GAO Green Book.
By leveraging these authoritative sources, attendees can enhance their knowledge and expertise in compliance and internal control standards as delineated in the GAO Green Book, thereby fostering a more comprehensive grasp of the subject matter.