The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) and INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) facilitated a regional workshop on implementing SAI Performance Measurement Framework (SAI PMF) in the Pacific SAIs, which commenced since February 2016. The workshop completes the first phase of this regional initiative. Thirteen auditors including three heads of SAIs, from seven SAIs namely Cook Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu participated in this one week workshop that was held from 7 – 11 November, 2016 at the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel, Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

Since February 2016, these SAIs were engaged in assessing their performance using the SAI PMF, a global framework that enables SAIs to assess their performance against International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs) and other established international good practices for external public auditing. While New Zealand and PNG conducted self-assessments, the other five SAIs were reviewed by their peers. The workshop focused on analysing the results of these assessments with specific guidance on compiling the SAI performance report.

The assessment results have identified areas where the SAIs require further improvements, the resources that would be needed to conduct audits effectively and fulfil their mandated responsibilities and highlighted the enabling factors for and constraints to effective performance. These results should assist auditors in maintaining high standard of audit deliverables and the SAIs as being a credible institutions that government and the public can rely on for independent assurance and advice on the effective utilisation of public resources.

Measuring performance is crucial to ensuring that an organisation such as the Supreme Audit Institution, who plays a vital role in strengthening good governance and accountability in the public sector, is carrying out its responsibilities effectively with professionalism and has the ability to respond to stakeholders’ expectations as well as emerging issues that impact the lives of citizens at large.

In delivering his keynote address, His Excellency Mr Andrew Ford, Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, expressed his hope for the workshop participants that “.. you are motivated to tackle any challenges identified and continue to innovate ways to ensure you remain relevant to the ever changing expectations of your stakeholders but also keep up with the rapid changes in technology which can impact the way you conduct audits”.

Camilla Fredriksen from the IDI confirms that the experiences from this first programme will be key input into further implementation of support to the use of SAI PMF and the results from SAI PMF assessments. The SAI PMF framework offers a holistic approach to measuring SAI Performance. To ensure the relevance of the tool, it was important to gain experience on its applicability across regions. The implementation of the PASAI programme shows that a regional coordinated approach to SAI PMF has helped create a network of assessors that can support each other through the implementation. This has allowed for a deeper understanding of own and others operation for the participants, and in turn this has led to identification of strengths and challenges across the SAIs in the region,

SAI PMF is aligned with one of PASAI’s strategic goals, to develop SAI’s performance measurement framework to assist with improving the delivery of SAI’s audit responsibilities. The second phase of this project will commence in January 2017 with performance assessment of five more SAIs in the northern Pacific. The workshop was facilitated by Mr Horacio Vieira, SAI PMF Advisor, Ms Camilla Fredriksen, Advisor from IDI, Ms Claire Kelly, PASAI Consultant, Mrs Sinaroseta Palamo-Iosefo, PASAI Director Practice Development and supported by Ms Chrissie Murray from Audit NZ.

This project is supported by Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, INTOSAI Donor Secretariat (IDS) in IDI and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.