Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR)
In response to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010, a congressional mandate for the Department of Defense (DoD) to be audit ready by FY2017, the Air Force environmental program tasked our team to assist them in identifying potential audit weaknesses. This expansive effort included tracking every Air Force dollar spent on environmental restoration and ensuring that documentation is present to support the expenditure. Additionally, under this task, the team worked to quantify all current Air Force Environmental Liabilities, including real property, military equipment and weapon systems, and environmental restoration costs, along with testing “completeness” by establishing environmental baseline restoration site inventories. We also conducted a pilot study in which we worked to reconcile environmental assets with the data found within the real property records, Automated Civil Engineer System (ACES).
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) Environmental Liability Audit Readiness Assertion support tasks included the implementation of audit readiness tools, documentation and techniques, and the use of technology that will enable successful records management and reflect AFCEC/CZR and AFCEC/CZT’s commitment to improving the environmental liability accountability and financial management practices that are essential for successful audit preparation. It also included developing audit readiness assertion documentation, identifying requirements (procedures, key control objectives, and key supporting documents) that are required for audit, and preparing the organization accordingly through on-site and remote inspection and assessment, corrective action remediation, reporting and training. Furthermore, SMS provided AFCEC support personnel with relevant education and Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) expertise.
Our team provided a full range of Financial Assistance Services (FAS) and deliverables in support of Audit Readiness Assertion effort in line with FIAR guidance and the AFCEC restoration mission. Services and deliverables included three FAS categories: management and professional services; studies, analyses, and evaluations; and engineering and technical expertise. The FAS supports all programs with disciplines consistent with AFCEC/CZR and AFCEC/CZT roles and responsibilities. We provided programming, planning, and organizational support including the processes that apply to the implementation of the restoration Environmental Liability Audit Readiness Assertion Package Requirements.