Purchasing & payments
Trace vendor setup, purchase approvals, invoice processing, payment release, bank access, and segregation of duties to identify where errors or unauthorized activity could pass unnoticed.
For management, owners, and governance leaders
See where controls are working — and where risk is accumulating.
Find the control gaps behind recurring errors, slow reconciliations, unclear approvals, and concentrated access — then give management a practical order of operations for addressing them.
When small gaps become operating problems
Recurring exceptions are often a signal, not the whole problem.
A duplicate payment, unexplained journal entry, delayed reconciliation, or approval override may look isolated. When the same issue returns, it can point to unclear ownership, incompatible access, missing review, or a process that no longer fits the company’s size.
A focused review helps management see how the work actually moves, where the process can break down, and which improvements deserve attention first.
Signs a process deserves a closer look
- The same correction or exception appears each month.
- One person can initiate, approve, and complete a sensitive transaction.
- Approval limits exist, but system access or practice does not follow them.
- Reconciliations or reviews are late, inconsistent, or undocumented.
- Process knowledge is concentrated with one employee.
- Known issues have no clear owner or completion date.
Three practical places to start
Begin with the process creating the most uncertainty.
The first review can focus on one recurring concern. Additional work can follow only where management sees value.
Revenue & billing
Follow customer setup, pricing and contract inputs, billing, credits, collections, and accounting handoffs to find gaps that can delay cash or weaken reporting.
Access & financial close
Review system roles, journal-entry access, reconciliations, review evidence, and close ownership to identify concentrated authority and weak points in financial reporting.
From recurring concern to prioritized action
Give management a clear view of what matters first.
The result is a concise set of observations tied to the process reviewed, their potential business effect, and a practical management action view.
- 1
Frame the business question
Identify the recurring concern, people involved, timing, intended audience, and decisions the review should inform.
- 2
Trace how the work happens
Walk through the process, review relevant access and approvals, and examine the records or transactions needed to understand where breakdowns may occur.
- 3
Rank the observations
Separate isolated exceptions from broader process weaknesses and organize observations by potential impact, urgency, and the effort needed to respond.
- 4
Build the management action view
Present practical recommendations with proposed owners, sequencing, and follow-up points so management can decide what to address and when.
When informal controls stop scaling
Purchasing and payments have outgrown informal approvals.
A focused review can trace the request-to-pay process, examine vendor changes and selected payments, compare system access with approval authority, and show management where the most important gaps sit. The deliverable is a prioritized set of observations and practical actions rather than a long list of generic control rules.
Clear service boundaries
Start by defining whether the need is controls consulting or Internal Audit.
A focused management question may be addressed through nonattest controls consulting. Formal or co-sourced Internal Audit is separately scoped for management or a designated governance group, with the reporting line, applicable criteria or standards, responsibilities, and objectivity safeguards documented before work begins. Neither mode produces an external financial-statement audit, review, compilation, or other attest report. Management remains responsible for its processes, controls, decisions, and corrective actions.
Before we begin
Can we begin with one process instead of a full annual program?
Yes. A recurring exception, access concern, or process that no longer scales can be a practical starting point. Any later reviews can be considered separately by management or the designated governance group.
Will the review disrupt day-to-day work?
A focused review is organized around the people, records, system access, and transactions needed to understand the process without creating an unnecessary burden. We identify information needs early, coordinate timing with management, and keep requests tied to the business question.
Will you work with our existing internal-audit or finance team?
Yes. We can work alongside an existing internal-audit, finance, compliance, or governance-led team to add capacity for a particular process or review plan. Roles, communication, and reporting expectations are established before work begins.
Show management what deserves attention first.
Share the exception, access concern, or process that no longer scales. We’ll discuss a focused review designed to produce practical answers and a clear order of action.
Discuss Your Risk Priorities