NYSSCPA Endorses National Map Survey

The New York State Society of CPAs has agreed to endorse a joint project of two CPA groups to create a new firm management tool.

The NYSSCPA has joined the Private Companies Practice Session (PCPS)—also referred to as the American Institute of CPAs’ Alliance for CPA Firms—and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) to launch the 2002 PCPS/TSCPA National MAP Survey.

The survey will provide comparative inter-firm data that will help accounting practices benchmark themselves against other firms. The survey’s intent is to help accountants identify the strong areas of their practices while providing them with insight into those areas that are considered challenging.

NYSSCPA endorsement of the project guarantees Society members a discounted price on the survey results.

“The primary beneficiaries will be small- and mid-sized firms that don’t have access to this type of information,” TSCPA Executive Director John Sharbaugh said of the survey. “There are other surveys out there, but generally they apply to large firms. What’s most helpful to small- and mid-sized practices is to know what other firms in your own area are doing in terms of how they run their practices, what they’re paying in starting salaries, and things like that.”

The survey, which is being conducted throughout the month of September on the Internet, will focus on several respondent and professional classifications. The classifications include firm size (by revenue and number or practitioners), geographic location and other categories. In addition, reports will focus on broad topics and will capture issues on the minds of practicing firms. These issues will be reported in a summary classification of respondents, a summary of key performance indicators, and selected firm characteristics and policies, as well as a percentage-income statement, among other items.

Practicing member firms are encouraged to participate by visiting map.pcps.org. The survey takes about an hour to complete online, according to officials.

Following compilation of results and the completion of a survey report, findings will be available in mid-November 2002 to PCPS members, survey respondents and participating state societies. The general public will be able to purchase the results. Free access to all results is a benefit available without charge to all new and current PCPS members.

Members of participating state societies will be able to obtain a preferred pricing structure for survey results, including state and local survey results. In addition, all participating state society organizations will receive the survey results that compare their states’ results with those compiled for the nation.

To find out more about the survey initiative and the PCPS organization, visit www.pcps.org.