A successful risk management strategy requires a strong internal control environment. The RCM format emphasizes that strong and risk-oriented internal control environments are often optimized with automated/manual controls, depending on the situation.

An RCM provides an overview of different control objectives that organizations should take into consideration and the corresponding controls to safeguard the company against risks which may arise if not checked timely. Once customized to an organization, this document can help the user in assessing each control. The control assessment can then also be summarized to develop an action plan.

This document outlines risks and controls common to the child care aspect of the 11.1.4 Manage Service Contracts process in a risk control matrix (RCM) format.

Sample risks include:

• Adequate research on prospective contracts is not performed.
• Contract commitments that are not in the best interest of the company are made.
• Non-compliance with legal and regulatory issues and subsequent litigation occurs.
• Contract pricing may not be advantageous.
• Contracts are signed without proper review and authorization.
• Delays in establishing contracts occur.

This document can be used as a sample RCM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list of risks and controls. The KnowledgeLeader team will periodically update this RCM with new content. Organizations should select, update and modify the risks and controls included in this document to ensure that it reflects business operations.