The Government Finance Officers’ Association (GFOA) has presented Greenville Utilities with three awards related to how the Finance Department communicates financial information. 

For the fourth year, GUC won the Distinguished Budget Presentation. To win the award for fiscal year 2020, 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 eleventh consecutive year GUC has earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its CAFR. To do so, it also had to pass three independent reviewers and substantially conform to the program’s strenuous criteria, which go well beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles. The purpose of the program is to encourage and assist governments in preparing financial reports of the highest quality for the benefit of its citizens and other parties with a vital interest in the organization’s finances. 

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 finance or accounting backgrounds. GUC’s fiscal year 2020 PAFR was evaluated by four independent judges in five categories: reader appeal, understandability, distribution methods, creativity, and overall quality. This is the fifth year in a row GUC has won the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting for its PAFR. 

For the tenth year in a row, the purchasing section of GUC's Finance Department received the Sustained Professional Purchasing Award (SPPA), presented by the Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing (CAGP). GUC is one of 14 member agencies throughout North Carolina and South Carolina to receive this designation for fiscal year 2020. 

To earn the award, GUC had to demonstrate its ability to meet the complex criteria and high standards for utilization of technology, minority outreach, staff certification, customer training, vendor training, and the use of recycled products.  

GUC's Procurement Manager Cleve Haddock, who is also a Certified Licensed Governmental Purchasing Officer (CLGPO), is instrumental each year in assisting the department in obtaining this recognition. Cleve accepted the award during the CAGP's Spring Conference held virtually in March.  

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. Earning this award reflects GUC's commitment to conducting business in both a professional and ethical manner. 

Congratulations to the Finance Department on these outstanding awards! These accomplishments reflect the professionalism and commitment of all the divisions in the Finance Department. It also reflects a high degree of dedication and leadership on the part of our Board of Commissioners.