Federal agencies accumulate and report costs in order to perform all of the following EXCEPT...

Federal agencies accumulate and report costs for a number of reasons, including:

Compliance with GPRA (Government Performance and Results Act), which links budgeting to performance

Compliance with the CFO Act, which mandates preparation of auditable financial statements

Compliance with SFFAS No. 4 – Managerial Cost Accounting, which requires cost accumulation for decision-making and performance evaluation

While accurate cost reporting supports audit quality, achieving an unmodified audit opinion is not the primary reason for accumulating costs — it is an outcome, not a purpose.

Relevant References:

FASAB SFFAS No. 4 – Managerial Cost Accounting

CFO Act of 1990

GPRA Modernization Act of 2010

Answer: C. achieve an unmodified audit opinion