About

Purpose

The Quadrennial Audit Amendment requires 13 Principal Agencies have an audit conducted covering the preceding four fiscal years at least once every 4-year term of the Mayor and City Council.  The Audits must include both a financial and a performance audit.

What are the 13 Principal Agencies?

The 13 Principal Agencies are:

- Department of Finance
- Department of Law
- Department of Public Works
- Fire Department
- Police Department
- Department of Housing and Community Development		 - Baltimore Development Corporation
- Department of Recreation and Parks
- Department of Transportation
- Department of General Services		 - Department of Planning
- Department of Human Resources
- Mayor’s Office of Information Technology

Who conducts the Audits?

The Audits are conducted by the City Department of Audits or an auditing firm that has been selected through the City’s public procurement process.

The Department of Finance is responsible for the contract management of the Quadrennial Audits process.

How will Quadrennial Audit results be made public?

The Department of Finance will provide the final audit report to the Board of Estimates, with copies provided to the Mayor, President of the City Council, Comptroller and all members of the City Council. Quarterly updates on audit progress, as well as each final report will be posted online.

Background Information

Quadrennial Audits Overview January 2015

A General Overview of the Audit Process

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  1. Research and Information Gathering: Agency staff are interviewed; documents and data are requested by the auditors.
  2. Entrance Conference: Audit team and agency management discuss the process and offer input.
  3. Preliminary Audit Survey: Audit team surveys organizational and program information.
  4. Fieldwork Phase: The longest phase; is information gathering by the onsite audit team.
  5. Preliminary Audit Findings: Audit team and agency officials discuss audit findings and conclusions.
  6. Exit Conference: Audit team and agency management discuss a draft of findings and recommendations. Agency management has an opportunity to clarify audit report issues.
  7. Response to Findings: Agencies provide a response to findings and may offer corrective action plans.
  8. Reporting: As required by law, the final audit results are provided to the Board of Estimates, with copies to the Mayor, President of the City Council, Comptroller, and members of the City Council. The public will be able to view these reports online.