About Us The Office of Internal Audit (OIA) was established to conduct all audits required by the Department of Administration. Its authority is given under Rhode Island General Law Chapter 35-7.1 which allows OIA: To conduct audits of any state department, state agency, or private entity that is a recipient of state funding, or state grants, as deemed necessary or expedient by the Office of Internal Audit. Audits may be made relative to financial affairs, or the economy and efficiency of management of each department and agency. The Office of Internal Audit shall determine which such audits shall be performed in accordance with a risk based evaluation. To conduct investigations, or management advisory and consulting services upon request of the Governor or the General Assembly. The Office of Internal Audit performs the auditing function for the Executive Branch of State Government and falls under the Department of Administration. OIA reports functionally to the Internal Audit Advisory Group (Group) and administratively to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OIA provides the Governor and the Director of OMB with an independent appraisal and evaluation of the effectiveness of financial and operational controls through objective analyses, evaluations, and recommendations on operations, systems, and contracted services of state government. The OIA also has a designated Fraud Detection & Prevention (FDP) unit which was created during the Fiscal Year 2016 legislative session with the intent to address beneficiary fraud at an enterprise level. Additionally, the OIA is sometimes asked to conduct fraud awareness and ethics training to state employees, forensic audits, state vendor and contractor audits, accounting assistance, investigative reviews, enterprise risk assessment, and more. Types of Audits The primary activities of the Office of Internal Audit (OIA) can be classified as internal auditing and management advisory services. Comments and recommendations included in audit reports provide a basis for sound business decisions, improved operations, and identifying cost saving areas. Operational/Performance – examines the use of the State's resources to evaluate whether those resources are being used in the most efficient and effective way to fulfill the applicable agency's mission and objectives. It may include elements of both a financial and a compliance audit. Financial – addresses questions regarding internal controls, accounting and the propriety of financial transactions. It provides a critical analysis of an agency's financial records and documentations and also provides an objective view of the true financial integrity of an agency. Compliance – determines compliance with established laws, regulations, contract provisions, grant agreements, policies and procedures of the State and/or applicable agency, the federal government, and other regulatory agencies. An example of a compliance audit would be a federal award review where the internal auditor(s) looks for compliance with grant agreements and/or the applicable federal government regulation(s). Information Technology – examines the management controls within an Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. An IT audit evaluates system processing controls, data security, physical security, systems development procedures, contingency planning, and systems requirements. Additional Responsibilities Cash Counts Enterprise Risk Assessment Fraud Complaint Reviews Internal Control Review Management Advisory and Consulting Services Special Projects & Requests