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The Interdepartmental Service Agreement (ISA) is the contract that documents the business agreement (joint venture) between two Commonwealth departments within any branch of state government.

The ISA must comply with funding language in any appropriation act (General Appropriations Act, interim budget, or supplemental budget) funding the ISA, as well as all applicable general and special state or federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.

Effective Tuesday, September 5, 2023, the Office of the Comptroller has released a new Interdepartmental Service Agreement (ISA) Policy and Form.  

Policy

The updated policy is available at this PowerDMS link and publicly at MAComptroller.org/Policies. Major changes to the policy include: 

Form 

The updated form is available at macomptroller.org/forms. Department users may complete the form electronically using a fillable PDF or Word document and submitting the fully executed ISA along with the Encumbrance Transmittal Form to [email protected].  

After December 1, 2023, please make no further use of previous versions of the ISA Form. CTR will not accept any new or amended ISAs using the previous version of the ISA form after December 1, 2023.  

Major changes to the ISA form include: 

DOWNLOAD THE FORM [FILLABLE PDF]

DOWNLOAD THE FORM [WORD DOC]

Instructions for Processing ISAs in MMARS

ISA Process for Budget Capital Trust Fund

Actions performed prior to beginning Step One

  • Department has been approved as a Buyer Department
  • Buyer department has established ISA with Seller Department

Step One

  • Buyer department prepare BGCN or BGCS, validates, and submits to a PEND status
  • BGCN enters workflow to CTR Contracts Unit

Step Two

  • CTR Contracts Unit reviews ISA packages for compliance

Step Three

  • CTR Contracts Unit will process BGCS or BGCN to FINAL status

Step Four

  • Buyer Department verifies table (BQ, etc.) information is correct

Step Five

  • Buyer Department notifies Seller Department of all appropriate codes to allow tracking of funding

ISA Process for Federally Funded Grants

Actions Performed Prior to Beginning Step One

  • Department has established a New grant
  • Department has been approved as a Buyer Department
  • Buyer department has established ISA with Seller Department

Step One

  • Buyer Department prepares BGCN, validates, and submits to PEND status
  • BGCN enters workflow to CTR Contracts Unit
  • Buyer department prepares BGRG and validates to REJECT status
  • Buyer department prepares request for setting up a Federal Grant (ISA) Form and submits copy of ISA to CTR Contracts Unit

Step Two

  • CTR Contracts Unit reviews contract and forwards a copy to CTR Accounts
  • Receivable Unit inclusive of the Request for Setting up a Federal Grant (ISA) Form
  • Accounts Receivable Unit updates the revenue source table and enters BGRN document to link the processes the BGRG to FINAL status, then prepares Table Set Up:
    • Major Program
    • Program
    • Program Period
    • CMIA
    • Funding Profile
    • Funding Line
    • Grant Funding Profile Inference

Step Three

  • Contract will process BGCN to final status inclusive of linking to the proper Revenue Source Code

Step Four

  • Buyer Department verifies table information is correct

Step Five

  • Buyer Department notifies Seller Department of all appropriate codes to allow tracking the Grant

Electronic Submission of Contracts, Amendments, and Interdepartmental Service Agreements

Departments are now able to submit condensed packages for New Contracts, Amendments, and Interdepartmental Service Agreements electronically through email to the CTR Contracts Unit. This process does not negate applicable state finance law or applicable regulations and policies but offers a streamlined method to facilitate the review and retention of submissions and eliminates mailing or hand deliveries of paper documents.

Instructions for electronic submission

Category F transactions should be a condensed ISA package sent to [email protected]. Each ISA submission should include a complete CTR Contract Transmittal Form and only one ISA package per email. Acceptable attachment formats are PDF, Word, and Excel. Other formats and images or cloud files like Google Docs should first be converted to a PDF before submitting to CTR.

Email instructions: Send to [email protected].

  1. CTR Transmittal Form – One submission per form

  2. Email Subject should be the MMARS Document ID#

  3. Fully Executed ISA

  4. Only send Attachment C if funding is from a Federal Grant

  5. Do not send ISA instructions (see pages 6, 7, and 8)

  6. No MMARS Screen Prints

Resources

ISA Policy
VIEW ON POWERDMS
ISA Instructions
VIEW ON POWERDMS
ISA Terms and Conditions
VIEW ON POWERDMS
Electronic Signatures

A resource for departments to use electronic signatures for document processing and submission. [MAGNet or VPN required].

VISIT ON CTR INTRANET
Job Aid: Goods and Services, Grants, Subsidies, and Interdepartmental Business

Quick reference guide.

VIEW ON POWERDMS
815 CMR 6.00

This regulation governs interdepartmental fiscal business including Interdepartmental Service Agreements (ISAs).

VIEW ON MASS.GOV

Related Content

Expenditure Classification Handbook

Includes object code descriptions, instructions, and regulations regarding encumbering and expenditure of all funds

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Contract Forms

Forms required for contract submission and execution

VIEW PAGE

PowerDMS

Job Aids and Policies

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