Which four statements are least appropriate?

There are several hot tips for organizations when going to the market for competitive bid including the following:

a. Make a good business case for the contract.

b. Be clear about the solution being offered by the firms and how they add value to the organization’s strategy.

c. Engage with the firms early on when developing a specification that bidders can work with to encourage a good number of bids.

d. Select people you can work with so look at behavioural issues and whether the bidders are convincing and engender mutual respect.

e. Ensure strict compliance with the legal contract and instigate all contract penalties involved.

f. Do not miss the big picture in contract monitoring – look at outputs, outcomes and pick up real issues.

g. Make sure there are clear demarcations between client and contractor roles and seek to reinforce these distinctions at all times.

h. Ensure all draft reports go to the CAE before sending out to client.

i. Establish KPIs for the supplier and make them sensible and workable.

j. Place a lot of reliance on post-audit customer questionnaires that go directly to the CAE.

k. Keep the focus on inputs such as the cost of each audit and the time allowed.

l. Make sure the coverage is risk based in line with the corporate risk register.

m. Think about access to expertise in areas such as HR, performance management, compliance work, control awareness, E-business and security that can be obtained at favourable rates from the provider.

n. Find out where CSA fits in and whether this can occur before an audit to focus the audit work.

o. Define clear shortlisting criteria covering such considerations as client references, relevant experience, size and structure of firm, technical/professional capacity, professional conduct and so on.

p. Set values in the contract such as: has the right set of objectives that meet corporate priorities, know what customers want and need from the service, be provided at best value for money and with maximum impact, adds value to the organization.
q. Make reference to meeting the requirements of professional standards such as those issued by the IIA, due professional care requirements and quality assurance models.
r. Mention integration of audit process with the organization’s performance initiatives, risk management, E-business, anti-fraud measures, ad hoc demand led work, communicating and consulting with users and regulators and making presentations to the audit committee.
s. Make specific demands such as that the supplier brings an appropriate mix of skills with continuity and stability of staff working on the contract and brings innovations to the service, e.g. CRSA, audit automation and modern data interrogation.
t. Make it clear that only randomly sampled files and working papers are accessible on request by the client.
u. Mention audit approaches (e.g. risk-based systems audits) and criteria for determining testing levels.