Cambridge Auditing Department

The Cambridge Auditing Department, part of the city’s Finance Department, is the office of the City Auditor. It provides independent oversight of Cambridge’s finances and operations and checks that city programs are carried out legally, efficiently and effectively. The office acts as a barrier to fraud and misuse of city resources, and it supplies financial information to the City Council, the City Manager, city departments, other levels of government and residents.

Each year the department publishes the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, along with the federal Single Audit report, and an archive of past reports going back more than a decade is available online. It also assists the City Council in its review of the proposed city budget. Vendors who have not been paid for supplies sent to a city department can contact the office for help tracking down the payment.

What to Know

• The report formerly called the CAFR was renamed the ACFR in fiscal year 2021 under GASB guidance.
• The investment community is among the audiences for the department’s financial information.
• Unpaid vendors should be ready to identify the department that placed the order.