SAS70 Audits |SCOPE, SCOPE, SCOPE |Yes, it’s that Important!!!!!!

SAS70 audits are every where these days, and as such, there is good and bad information flowing around.  I’m often asked how much does a SAS70 Type I or SAS70 Type II audit cost or how long does it take to complete a SAS70 audit or what does a SAS70 audit cover. Okay, let’s stop right there. If you want those questions answered in a truthful and practical manner, then you need to correctly scope the audit. That’s right, you need to sit down and find out why is the audit being required from your organization, what type of SAS70 audit are they looking to get from us (a SAS70 Type I audit or a SAS70 Type II audit), along with other essential points that will need to be covered.

My recommendation?  Find an experienced CPA firm that specializes in SAS70 audits and bounce these questions off of them. Any good CPA firm working with the SAS70 auditing standard will be able to give you a wealth of information regarding the scope of the audit. Buyer beware, make sure you speak to at least three (3) different CPA firms that SPECIALIZE in SAS70 audits before moving forward with the audit and the scope of the audit itself.  And remember, once you have the audit scope down, make sure to obtain a “FIXED FEE” for the entire audit, that is, a fee that includes all out of pocket, travel, and misc. expenses for the engagement. Don’t settle for an hourly fee on the audit.