IDI/CAROSAI’s regional SAI PMF facilitation programme comes to a successful close.

The year-long IDI/CAROSAI SAI PMF facilitation programme launched on 7 May 2020 has been successfully completed, and closed officially  on 7 July 2021 with a virtual meeting.

With a group of SAIs from the CAROSAI region all conducting SAI PMF assessments at the same time, the participating SAIs – namely Aruba, Belize, Dominica and St Lucia – were able to share their experiences and learn from each other as peers.

The SAI PMF assessments were conducted as self-assessments. IDI provided continuous remote support to the entire assessment process by allocating a mentor to each assessment team. This mode of delivering the facilitated programme resulted in high quality performance reports, as evidenced by the findings of the independent reviewers.

The dedication to the assessment demonstrated by SAI leadership and the assessment teams was exemplary. This combination of three factors – continuous remote mentorship by IDI, SAI leadership support and the commitment of the assessment teams- were the key drivers for the successful completion of the regional facilitation programme.

The Heads of SAI are delighted to have the final independently reviewed SAI PMF reports. They have expressed their commitment to putting measures in place within their SAIs, to further strengthen areas where performance is good and close the gaps in the areas that need to be improved.

If your region would like to conduct a similar facilitation programme, please contact the IDI’s SAI PMF Team.

The INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) will be conducting an eLearning SAI PMF Review workshop from 15 to 26 January 2021.

The review workshop which will be attended by sixteen participants, is a follow up on the progress of the SAI PMF assessments currently being conducted by four SAIs  participating in the IDI/CAROSAI SAI PMF facilitation programme. After the SAI PMF basic training course conducted in May 2020, the assessment teams proceeded to the field work and reporting stages of the assessment process. The field work focused on collecting evidence while the reporting stage focused on drafting some selected chapters of the SAI PMF report. The IDI provided remote support to the assessment teams throughout these stages. An external resource person and two managers from the IDI will be facilitating this workshop.

The review workshop is intended to provide an opportunity to the assessment teams to write, revise and correct as appropriate, the completed draft sections of the SAI PMF. In addition, the assessment teams will be required to identify the key strengths and weaknesses in SAI performance and to conduct a root cause analysis, establishing the interlinkages between the different aspects of SAI performance. The ultimate objective of the workshop is to finalise the full draft SAI PMF reports and have them ready for an independent review by the IDI.

It is anticipated the final SAI PMF reports which include an independent review statement issued by the IDI, will be ready by 31 May 2021.

Demonstrating its resilience during COVID 19, the IDI is conducting a SAI PMF basic training course virtually from 7 to 11 December 2020.

Facilitated by IDI staff and two external experts, 35 participants from all over the world will learn about the basics of applying the SAI PMF methodology during the five days intensive course.

This course was designed to be attended by all interested parties: donor agencies, SAIs, consultants, individuals as well as other organisations interested in the work done by SAIs. The objective of targeting this training to all interested parties, including SAI staff, stems from the recognition of the key role various organisations and individuals play in strengthening the capacity of audit institutions. It is therefore envisaged that this training will provide the participants with the knowledge that puts them in a better position to advocate and support the use of SAI PMF for measuring the performance of SAIs. By measuring their performance, SAIs can establish whether their practices match the requirements of international standards for strong and effective SAIs that add value to the lives of citizens.

Why is an independent review of an SAI Performance Measurement Framework Report crucial?

An independent review of an is a crucial step of the SAI PMF process in order to enhance the objectivity and credibility of an SAI-PR. The independent review provides an assurance that the SAI PMF methodology was correctly adhered to in the process of carrying out the assessment. It is strongly recommended that SAIs doing an SAI PMF assessment submit their draft report to the IDI for an independent review.

The Independent Review Workshop is a 3-day course that takes a practical approach covering various issues that need to be considered when carrying out an independent review of an SAI PMF Performance Report (SAI-PR). The objective of the workshop is to develop further SAI PMF expertise in the INTOSAI Community and increase the pool of experts that can conduct independent reviews on behalf of IDI. Participants for the workshop comprise representatives of SAIs of Brazil and Indonesia; of the PASAI Secretariat; SAI experts from the UK and Canada; as well as selected IDI staff.

IDI is currently rolling out at a global level the Initiative Strategy, Performance Measurement and Reporting (SPMR) with funding from the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). SPMR aims at supporting SAIs in achieving greater performance through dedicated support for all steps of the strategic management cycle. The first step in this initiative is to conduct an SAI PMF assessment and we are therefore expecting a large number of draft SAI PRs to be sent to IDI for independent review end of 2019 and beginning of 2020.

For more information on the SAI PMF programme click here.