PSC Steering Committee Meeting Focuses on IFPP Updates and Improvements

On October 19, 2021, the INTOSAI Professional Standards Committee (PSC) held its 18th annual Steering Committee meeting. Minister Bruno Dantas of Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), the Chair of PSC, welcomed participants to the virtual event, which focused on work related to the INTOSAI Framework of Professional Pronouncements (IFPP).

The meeting featured a number of updates on PSC initiatives:

• Paula Hebling of TCU reported that PSC had prepared the text for Goal 1, professional standards, for the new INTOSAI strategic plan, and that the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) would migrate Arabic documents to issai.org soon.
• Vincent Feller of the French Cour des comptes reported on new guidance for INTOSAI P50 (principles of jurisdictional activities of SAIs).
• Jan van Schalkwyk, of SAI South Africa and the INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee (CBC), announced the exposure period for ISSAI 150 (auditor competence) and related guidance.
• Geoffrey Simpson of the European Court of Auditors, which is PSC’s Vice Chair, reported that ISSAI 140 (quality control of SAIs) would be revised.

The PSC Chair proposed changing the body’s terms of reference to make the Chair and Vice Chair of the INTOSAI Policy, Finance, and Administration Committee (PFAC), as well as the SAIs of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Forum for INTOSAI Professional Pronouncements (FIPP), members of the PSC Steering Committee. The CBC proposed that the CBC Vice Chair also be made a member. PSC members will vote on these suggested changes.

Radek Majer of the European Court of Auditors shared the preliminary results of a survey PSC conducted on how the IFPP is used and could be improved. Among the survey’s findings was that nearly half of the 127 respondents apply the standards directly in their SAIs, and that the majority of respondents believe the standards should be elective rather than mandatory.

A key topic explored by the survey was how to improve the accessibility of the IFPP. Most respondents reported that they were able to access the standards in either their own language or a language they could work in. However, respondents were in favor of improving navigation on the IFPP website and presenting the material in a more flexible manner.

The meeting wrapped up with breakout discussions organized around results of the IFPP survey. A report on the survey’s findings will be issued next year.

PSC is planning two meetings for 2022: one in June, hopefully to take place in person, and one in virtual format in October.