Q: How can we outsource and maintain control of the audit process?
A: The state agency staff will retain full and complete control over the assignment, audit review, assessment, legal, and collection components.
Q: Will agents adhere to the confidentiality statutes?
A: Confidentiality law applies to agents as well as staff. Both face criminal punishment for violations. Agents have no more incentive than staff to breach this trust. Moreover, the contract with the state agency requires the firm to adhere to confidentiality statutes, and all of the firm’s employees agree in their employment agreement to adhere to the confidentiality statutes.
Q: Will outsourcing place demands on staff resources?
A: Agents can be efficiently blended into existing work flow patterns with minimal burden provided:
1) Agents are experienced auditors who understand all aspects of the process. Such agents require no "hand holding.”
2) Any increase in audit coverage will place demands on agency staff resources, however selective outsourcing the field audit component may result in effective leveraging of these resources.
Q: How will agents demonstrate competence on our unique law? How can agency staff ensure uniformity, quality, and accuracy in the agents application of our law?
A: The fundamental principles of law are consistent from state to state. An experienced auditor in one state can attain competence with the law, policy, and jurisprudence of another state with far less effort than someone with no experience. Private industry routinely expects its tax specialists to direct compliance in a multi-state environment.
Agents will be provided with routine state training information. Agents may take the standard competency test administered by staff training personnel and will score to the satisfaction of agency staff prior to performing any audits.
Agents may accompany agency staff in the field to provide assistance and to demonstrate competence.
Agency staff will assign one liaison to agents who is accessible and knowledgeable to provide assistance by telephone or other electronic means.
Audit review will be performed by agent's Audit Manager initially. Agency staff audit review will again review and approve or modify the work prior to the assessment process.
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