GUC Receives Three Awards for Financial Reports

The Government Finance Officers' Association (GFOA) has presented Greenville Utilities Commission three awards related to how it communicates financial information. GUC has won two of the awards before, while it is the first time for the third award.

GUC won the Distinguished Budget Presentation for the first time. To win the award, the budget document had to go through the scrutiny of three independent reviewers. It had to substantially conform to 90 points of challenging criteria which incorporate guidelines from the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting. This document is an in-depth reporting of GUC's budget and is designed for those who understand the complexities of running four separate utility services.

At the end of a fiscal year, organizations prepare a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) — a look back at the previous fiscal year. This is the eighth consecutive year GUC has earned a Certificate of Excellence for its CAFR. To do so, it also had to pass three independent reviews and meet criteria on a 48-page check list.

The Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) is a document designed to make an organization's CAFR easier to understand by those who do not have a finance or accounting background. GUC's PAFR was evaluated by four independent judges in five categories: reader appeal, understandability, distribution methods, creativity and notable achievements, and overall quality. This is the second year in a row GUC has won the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting for its PAFR.

GUC's Finance staff was recognized for all three accomplishments at the July 20, 2017 meeting of the GUC Board of Commissioners.

Purchasing Award

For the sixth year in a row, the purchasing section of GUC's Finance Department received the Sustained Professional Purchasing Award, presented by the Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing (CAGP). GUC is one of 15 member agencies in the Carolinas to receive the award. The accolade reflects that GUC conducts business in a professional and ethical manner.

Cleve Haddock, Procurement Coordinator, was instrumental in helping the department obtain this recognition. GUC met a set of complex criteria throughout the award year (2016). CAGP recognized GUC for the use of technology, minority outreach, staff certification, customer training, vendor training, and the use of recycled products.

Cleve accepted the award during the CAGP's Spring Conference Banquet held in Hickory, NC. Cleve presently serves as Vice Chair for the CAGP.

CAGP is a professional non-profit organization devoted to improvements in governmental purchasing, the exchange of ideas, promoting procurements rules and procedures, professional development and purchasing certification through its affiliation with the UNC School of Government.

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