The services we provide and current clients

What services can we provide?

We have experienced specialist staff available to meet all customer internal audit needs in the following areas

Risk Based Audit

These audits examine the functioning of a system’s procedures and internal controls. A risk assessment is carried out considering past audit findings, management concerns, system and staff changes and our analytical review. This ensures that limited audit resources are focused on high risk areas of the system. Testing is also performed to establish compliance with controls and the accuracy of the system’s output.

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General financial advice

We are always available to advise on the interpretation of financial regulations and procedures and their application, or on any problems arising in operational procedures. We can also provide advice to the developers of departmental or corporate systems.

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IT Audit

We have skills within the section to persorm IT audits of computerised systems run by all of our clients. All of the team members are either qualified or study for the IIA qualification in computer auditing (QiCA).We employ staff from a mixture of IT and finance backgrounds covering all aspects of established and emerging technologies. Our clients include further education colleges, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Hampshire Constabulary and all Hampshire County Council departments.

IT auditing requires a good balance of people, technical and general auditing skills. Technical IT knowledge is certainly not the only factor in our jobs and an ability to learn new things and communicate well with people is essential.

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Contract Audit

A number of Capital Contract Audits are undertaken annually by experienced staff who keep abreast of current working practices through their attendance at specialist forums.

Capital Contracts are considered to be "expenditure met against any tangible productive resource with an expected life in excess of 1 year". As you can imagine Hampshire County Council would have a number of these projects underway at any one time.

Contract audits are undertaken as part of the annual audit plan and cover the various stages of the life of the contract namely:

Pre-contract procedures - including project appraisal/approval
Currency of contract
Post contract.

As part of the day to day work we would be responsible for liaising frequently with Architects and Quantity Surveyors as well as administrative staff who maintain the approved list of contractors and who are responsible for processing and making payments to contractors.

Although contract audit appears to be technical and has specific and unique problems, as work is often undertaken by a third party, rules and regulations set locally assist in ensuring that the audit process is not dissimilar in practice to any of the other types of audit completed within Audit Services.

Useful guidance on EU thresholds for tendering can be found by following this link (http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/eu-procurement-thresholds.pdf).

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Fraud and Irregularity

One of the services we provide is the investigation of suspected fraud or financial irregularity. These potential irregularities may come to light as a result of:

findings from planned audit visits
concerns reported by management
employee concerns raised through an organisation’s "whistle blowing policy".

The investigations seek to obtain independent evidence to confirm whether or not an irregularity has occurred and, if possible, to quantify any loss. Depending on the nature of the irregularity this type of investigation may lead to internal disciplinary proceedings and/or referral to the police for further investigation and possible criminal prosecution.

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Our clients

We have an ever increasing list of public sector clients, many of whom are experiencing a move towards a commercial business management environment. Our clients include: