Joint report on parallel audit of Procurement of public building and corruption prevention

Report ID: 41

In January 2011, the Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic (Czech SAI - NKÚ) and the Bundesrechnungshof of Germany (German SAI - BRH) agreed to conduct parallel audits both of the EU-wide awarding of building contracts and of corruption prevention.

The audit focused on the application of EU procurement law as transposed into national law and corruption prevention of contracts for building construction and road construction and/or transport infrastructure. The audit also covered contract awards below the EU thresholds with a view to corruption prevention.

The working groups of the two SAIs compared the legal frameworks and administrative regulations in the Czech Republic and in Germany and the results of their parallel audits which they conducted specifically in the fields of building construction and road construction.

The two SAIs´ audit findings are summarised in the joint report.

SOURCE: https://www.nku.cz/en/publications-ocuments/other-publications/procurement-of-public-building-and-corruption-prevention---joint-report-on-parallel-audit-nku-and-brh-id6067/

Parallel Audit on railway construction Zalalovo Bajansenye - Hodo Murska Sobota

Report ID: 189

The Hungarian-Slovenian railway link - between the Hungarian Zalalövő and the Slovenian Muraszombat (Murska Sobota) - was built between 1999 and 2001 as part of the V. European transit corridor.

Since the two countries adopted an agreement on co-operation when planning and realising the investment, in 2001 the Supreme Audit institutions of Slovenia and Hungary decided to carry out a parallel audit of the investment.

Both supreme audit institutions reviewed apart from regularity of planning the investment public procurement process and financing the investment, also the ecological aspect of railway construction and other impacts of the investment.

The joint report presents the activities referred to railway construction undertaken by both countries and it will show some comparable audit results (data on railway construction costs and the answer to the question: which country was more cost efficient), and present an assessment of effectiveness of the investment referred to achievement of planned objectives.

Source: https://docplayer.hu/10411470-Audit-report-on-railway-construction-zalalovo-bajansenye-hodos-murska-sobota.html

The AFROSAI 2017/18 Coordinated Audit on Corruption as a driver of Illicit Financial Flows

Report ID: 234

In 2017, members of the AFROSAI from South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Tanzania, Kenya, Niger, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia undertook a coordinated audit, focusing on corruption as a driver of Illicit Financial Flows, especially on Asset Declaration and Public Procurement Systems which was completed in April 2018. 

On the topic of Asset Declaration Systems, the audit revealed that:

• Systems have been put in place in all but one country, but they differ substantially.
• There is a need to revisit the regulatory frameworks.
• The sanction regime needs to be strengthened and fully applied.
• In most countries, the verification of declarations needs to be urgently improved.
• Public accessibility of declarations needs to be reconsidered.

On the topic of Asset Declaration Systems, the audit revealed that:

• Systems have been put in place in all countries with regulatory frameworks that provide for transparency.
• Public procurement systems need to deliver on competitiveness and efficiency.
• Conflicts of interest in public procurement need to be better managed.
• Inclusion of procurement officials in asset declaration regimes is essential.
• Corruption reporting mechanisms need to be made fully operational.
• Oversight over procurement, including follow up and sanctions, must be strengthened.
• Capacity for implementation of procurement laws and regulations is weak.

The overall conclusion of the AFROSAI 2017/18 Coordinated Audit on Corruption as a driver of Illicit Financial Flows:

• The Governments audited have made substantial progress in putting the asset declaration and procurement systems required by AUCPCC and UNCAC in place. It is now imperative to improve their operations.
• As an overarching finding, it is imperative to strengthen the controls of these systems, whether it is the verification of asset declarations, the procurement audits by oversight bodies or the control of declarations of conflict of interest in procurement. These controls combined with adequate sanction regimes must be put in place to prevent impunity.
• Supreme Audit Institutions are essential actors in providing recommendations for improving these and other public finance systems. Their role in national governance systems should therefore be strengthened.

Strengthening Procurement Audit Practices & Compliance in the Caribbean - Compendium Report of Collaborative Procurement Audits Undertaken in Select Caribbean Countries

Report ID: 279

With the joint support of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), CAROSAI launched an initiative for collaborative audits on procurement. The SAIs of  Bahamas, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados, Montserrat, St Kitts, Curacao and Belize conducted the collaborative audit in their respective countries. The audits were conducted simultaneously as part of a knowledge-sharing approach in reviewing procurement activities. The purpose of these audits was to assess the general adequacy of procurement practices across the region.

The report aims to share audit methodologies and approaches as well as  to serve as a tool for knowledge-sharing and a baseline for procurement audit in the Caribbean providing insights on government’s engagement and compliance with procurement rules and recommendations for enhanced procurement practices.

Source: carosai.org/strengthening-procurement-audit-practices-compliance-in-the-caribbean-compendium-report-of-collaborative-procurement-audits-undertaken-in-select-caribbean-countries/

Report on the Coordinated Audit carried out by NKÚ and BRH on VAT under the mini one-stop shop scheme

Report ID: 283

For many years already, the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of the Czech Republic  and the Federal Republic of Germany have successfully cooperated in the field of VAT and have also carried out two coordinated audits.

The two SAIs decided to address the topic of e-commerce and VAT for the first time,
 taking up current economic developments and carried out a cooperative audit.

The audit subject was the taxation of digital services supplied by EU companies to private
consumers in the European Union. The audit covered the period from 1 January 2015 to 30 June 2017.

The audit objective was to study
• how the tax authorities of the two countries have complied with their EU obligation to
implement MOSS;
• emerging difficulties in implementation; and
• the extent to which the MOSS system is suitable for ensuring VAT revenue collection.
Both SAIs summarised their findings in national reports and jointly drafted the jpint report on that basis.

SOURCE: https://www.nku.cz/assets/publications-documents/other-publications/joint-report-vat-under-moss-scheme-2019-en.pdf