The A-123 Assurance Kit. One workbook that carries your assessment from objectives to the signed statement, under the March 2026 circular.
OMB rewrote Circular A-123 on March 10, 2026. Most internal control offices will face the FY2026 statement with fewer people than last year and a text that changed the rules on deficiencies, root causes and reporting to the Inspector General. This kit is the working file for that year: fourteen linked sheets and a guide, built from the circular's own text by someone who ran an A-123 program. Pre-orders are open now; files are delivered by e-mail within two business days of payment.
Fourteen sheets that talk to each other, and a guide that explains why
A risk logged with its Section IV.A tag, a control mapped to one of the seventeen principles, a deficiency that changes that principle's conclusion and the component above it, a corrective action plan that cannot close without evidence. That is the logic of the circular, and it is wired into the workbook. Nothing is hosted anywhere: it is an Excel file and a Word document that stay on your network.
- Read Me and Lists (dropdowns that mirror Table 1 and Table 2)
- Risk Register with the fraud, improper payments, information security and significant change tags
- Fraud Risk Module (Attachment 1: types, incentives, opportunities)
- Control Matrix with the cost test, evidence of operation and evidence of outcome
- Test Plan, including demonstration-type tests
- Deficiency Log with the Table 2 severity rules and the two reporting dates (supervisory level and OIG)
- Corrective Action Plans with root cause, indicators, validation and written closure
- Principle Evaluation: seventeen rows, deficiency counts computed from the log, management's conclusion recorded
- Component Assessment: Attachment 2, Tables 3 and 4, with the overall result and the count of material weaknesses to disclose
- Service Organizations: complementary user controls, SLA reviews, performance metrics
- FMFIA Calendar, October to the AFR or PAR, with the circular reference for each step
- Assurance Statement: the three Attachment 3 templates, ready to complete
- 2026 Changes: every change with its section, for the reader who needs the why
- User Guide (Word, nine sections): step by step, a worked example from risk to closure, a severity decision tree, a glossary
Every formula has been recalculated and checked. The example rows follow one grants risk through the whole chain, so you can see the mechanics before you delete them.
Two licenses, both under the micro-purchase threshold
Prices are per license, in U.S. dollars, and stay below the 15,000-dollar micro-purchase threshold so a purchase card can buy them without a competition. Ascend Intelligences LLC is registered in SAM.gov; a W-9 comes with the invoice.
Single organization
One agency, component or bureau. Unlimited users inside it.
- Workbook and user guide, FY2026 edition
- Every update issued when OMB amends the circular or its appendices, through FY2027
- Thirty minutes with the author to walk through the file
Contractor team
One consulting firm, for use on up to five client engagements.
- Everything in the single license
- Permission to deliver the workbook to clients as part of your engagement
- One hour of onboarding for your team
Pre-order prices apply to orders placed before October 15, 2026. If the kit does not fit your assessment, write within thirty days of delivery and the invoice is cancelled or refunded in full.
Reserve your license
You will receive an invoice within one business day. Card, ACH, purchase order and government purchase card are all accepted. Nothing is charged until you pay the invoice.
- Does this need a security authorization?
- No. There is no software to install and no data leaves your network. The kit is an Excel workbook and a Word document; they live wherever your other assessment files live. Nothing is hosted by Ascend Intelligences.
- Is it aligned with the March 2026 circular or with the 2016 one?
- With the March 10, 2026 revision, read in full. The seventeen principles use the 2026 wording of Table 1, severity follows Table 2, deficiencies carry the reporting dates of Section IV.C, and corrective actions follow Section IV.E. Appendices A to D, which remain in effect, are referenced where they apply. The one open question, whether the Appendix A statement is retained, is flagged in the guide for you to settle with your OIG.
- What if OMB changes the text again?
- You get the revised workbook and guide, at no charge, for any amendment through the end of FY2027.
- Can it be adapted to our component's vocabulary?
- Yes. The Lists sheet holds every dropdown, and the guide says which lists mirror the circular and should stay as they are. If you want the kit tailored to your programs, or a training day for the team that will run it, write to me; both are available.
- Who wrote it?
- Madogal Tall, PMP, CISA. I led the internal control over financial systems program at the U.S. Marine Corps under A-123, with a team of ten, and the Oracle financial system migration at the Treasury. More about the experience.
- Is there a free version?
- Yes: a 32-point checklist of what changed in March 2026 and a Quick Check workbook, on the A-123 page. They tell you where you stand. The kit does the year.