The AICPA launched the Governmental Audit Quality Center on September 27, 2004. The Center, which is now accepting member applications, is a firm-based, voluntary membership center designed to promote the importance of quality governmental audits and the value of such audits to purchasers of governmental audit services.

Governmental audits include a wide variety of audit or attestation engagements, including audits of federal, state and local governments; not-for-profit organizations, such as colleges and universities, hospitals and charitable organizations; and certain for-profit entities, such as housing projects and colleges and universities, which participate in government programs or receive governmental financial assistance.

The mission of the Center is to:

• Raise awareness about the importance of governmental audits,
• Serve as a comprehensive resource provider on governmental audits for member firms,
• Create a community of firms that demonstrates a commitment to governmental audit quality,
• Provide Center members with an online forum tool for sharing best practices as well as discussions on audit, accounting and regulatory issues,
• List member firms to enable purchasers of governmental audit services to identify firms that are members and
• Provide information about the Center’s activities to other governmental audit stakeholders.

“State and local governments, not-for-profit organizations, and certain for-profit organizations receive billions of dollars in governmental financial assistance each year and, as a result, are subject to a myriad of unique and complex audit requirements. CPA firms that join the Governmental Audit Quality Center demonstrate their commitment to employing the highest quality audit practices when performing these governmental audits,” AICPA Past Chairman S. Scott Voynich said. “In addition to gaining access to best practices, guidelines, and tools focused around quality governmental audits, members demonstrate their commitment to audit quality by agreeing to and meeting specific Center membership requirements,” he added.

“The Center is intended to make a direct statement to members of our profession about the importance of their audit performance,” said Susan Coffey, AICPA vice president, Audit Quality and Professional Ethics. “The Center will give members the tools they need to adhere to a high standard of quality. It will also be a place where firms dedicated to quality governmental audits will share best practices, learn about emerging issues and take steps to enhance quality in their practices.”

The three new Audit Quality Centers, which were approved by the AICPA’s Governing Council in Fall 2003, focus on audits performed in three areas of critical importance to the public interest – public company audits, employee benefit plan audits and governmental audits.

The Center for Public Company Audit Firms was established in January 2004 and offers enhanced resources to firms that audit publicly traded companies.

It was followed in March 2004 by the launch of the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center for CPA firms performing employee benefit plan audits.

Top