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This fee is based on anticipated cooperation from your personnel and the assumption that unexpected circumstances <br />will not be encountered during the audit. If significant additional time is necessary, we will discuss it with you and <br />arrive at a new fee estimate before we incur the additional costs. Any modification to the fee shall be in writing and <br />signed by both parties. You agree to pay all costs of collection (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that we may <br />incur in connection with the collection of unpaid invoices. <br />The nature and scope of our audit procedures have changed from the prior year engagement as a result of an <br />auditing standard that has been recently issued by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified <br />Public Accountants (the "AICPA"). Specifically, the AICPA has issued Statement on Auditing Standards ("SAS") No. <br />99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, which is effective for this fiscal year. We have assessed <br />the impact of this auditing standard on the nature, timing and extent of our planned audit procedures and have <br />included our estimates of the additional time and expense for us to complete the new required procedures in our fee <br />estimate. <br />LIMITATIONS OF THE AUDITING PROCESS <br />Our audit will include procedures designed to obtain reasonable, rather than absolute, assurance of detecting <br />misstatements due to errors or fraud that are material to the basic financial statements. As you are aware, however, <br />there are inherent limitations in the auditing process. For example, audits are based on the concept of selective <br />testing of the data being examined and are, therefore, subject to the limitation that material misstatements due to <br />errors or fraud, if they exist, may not be detected. Also, an audit is not designed to detect error or fraud that is <br />immaterial to the basic financial statements. <br />As required by the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular A-133 and the State Single Audit <br />Implementation Act, our audit will include tests of transactions related to major federal and State award programs for <br />compliance with applicable laws and regulations and the provisions of contracts and grant agreements. Because an <br />audit is designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute assurance and because we will not perform a detailed <br />examination of all transactions, there is a risk that material errors, fraud, other illegal acts, or noncompliance may <br />exist and not be detected by us. In addition, an audit is not designed to detect immaterial errors, fraud, or other illegal <br />acts or illegal acts that do not have a direct effect on the basic financial statements or to major programs. <br />It should be recognized that our audit generally provides no assurance that illegal acts will be detected, and only <br />reasonable assurance that illegal acts having a direct and material effect on the determination of financial statement <br />amounts will be detected. However, we will inform you with respect to material errors and fraud, or illegal acts that <br />come to our attention during the course of our audit. We will include such matters in the reports as required for a <br />Single Audit. <br />If, for any reason, we are unable to complete the audit, or are unable to form or have not formed an opinion on the <br />basic financial statements, we may decline to express an opinion or decline to issue a report as a result of the <br />engagement. <br />RESPONSIBILITIES AS TO INTERNAL CONTROLS <br />As a part of our audit, we will consider the entity's internal control structure, as required by auditing standards <br />generally accepted in the United States of America and GovernmentAuditing Standards, sufficient to plan the audit <br />and to determine the nature, timing, and extent of auditing procedures necessary for expressing our opinion <br />concerning the basic financial statements. You recognize that the basic financial statements and the establishment <br />and maintenance of an effective internal control over financial reporting are the responsibility of management. You <br />also recognize that management is responsible for identifying and ensuring that the entity complies with the laws and <br />regulations applicable to its activities. Appropriate supervisory review procedures are necessary to provide reasonable <br />assurance that adopted policies and prescribed procedures are adhered to and to identify errors, fraud, or illegal acts. <br />An audit is not designed to provide assurance on internal control. As part of our consideration of the entity's internal <br />control structure, however, we will inform you of reportable conditions and other matters that come to our attention <br />that represent significant deficiencies in the design or operation of the internal control structure, if any, as required by <br />OMB Circular A-133 and the State Single Audit Implementation Act. <br />As required by OMB Circular A-133 and the State Single Audit Implementation Act, we will perform tests of controls to <br />evaluate the effectiveness of the design and operation of controls that we consider relevant to preventing or detecting <br />material noncompliance with compliance requirements, applicable to each major federal and State award program. <br />