Minnesota State audit office seeks three-year extension of CliftonLarsonAllen contract; audit committee approves charters and 2026 audit plan

The Audit Committee of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees discussed extending the system’s external-auditor contract with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) and approved updates to the committee and internal audit charters and the fiscal year 2026 audit plan.

Chief Audit Officer Amy Jorgensen told trustees CLA performs the system’s financial statement audits and federal single-audit work, including audits of financial aid. “Their current contract is executed on 04/20/2023 and remains in effect until 06/30/2026,” Jorgensen said. She asked the committee for guidance on extending the CLA contract through 06/30/2029, noting that without an extension the system would need to start a competitive RFP as early as the summer (Amy Jorgensen, chief audit officer).

Why it matters: trustees and staff said having an external auditor is mandatory for statutory compliance and that an extension would lock in a price and provide transition certainty. Jorgensen and committee members also warned that the audit office is already stretched and that choices about audit staffing and contractor hours affect how much internal follow-up and investigations the office can do.

Committee action and approvals: trustees voted to approve an updated audit committee charter and an updated internal…