About the Subcommittee on Peer Reviews
The Subcommittee on Peer Reviews (further Subcommittee, also previously known as Subcommittee 3: Promote best practices and quality assurance through voluntary peer reviews) was created under the scope of the INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee at its inaugural meeting in London, 13 – 14 March, 2006.
Objectives of Peer Review Enhancement within INTOSAI Community
Within the INTOSAI community, the enhancement of peer review processes is driven by a multifaceted approach, consisting of several key elements:
- To assess and document existing peer review arrangements in the INTOSAI community.
- To foster an environment where such voluntary reviews are seen as beneficial to both the SAI undertaking the review and the SAI choosing to undergo it and establish global and regional mechanisms for initiating peer reviews.
- To update the CBC Guidelines on Peer Reviews and the developed checklist based on the experience of SAIs and provide further good practices on how to undertake voluntary peer reviews.
- To disseminate the results of peer reviews, as appropriate and as agreed to by participating SAIs.
Evolution and Impact of Peer Review Leadership in INTOSAI
The Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (SAO SR) is the Subcommittee Chair since November 2012. It´s predecessor, SAI of Germany, chaired the Subcommittee in 2005 – 2012. It´s biggest achievement was to present the first INTOSAI guidance on peer reviews at the XX INCOSAI in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010.
The role and importance of Peer Review as one of the foremost capacity building tools was underlined in the first INTOSAI Strategic plan 2010 – 2016 and that position was maintained in the INTOSAI Strategic plan 2017 – 2022 in its Crosscutting Priority 1. – Advocating for and supporting the independence of SAIs that stated: “INTOSAI also will continue to encourage SAIs to undergo periodic peer reviews that provide vital external validations of an SAI’s quality assurance processes.”
The importance of the peer review in the area of performance assessment and ongoing improvement for the INTOSAI community is also underlined in the 2023 – 2025 Operational Plan for Goal 2: Capacity development within the Strategic plan 2023 – 2028.
One of the Subcommittee´s goals, to revise the ISSAI 5600 Peer Review Guide and its Annex and present them before the INTOSAI community, was fulfilled at the XXII INCOSAI in Abu Dhabi when the ISSAI 5600 was adopted by the XXII INTOSAI Congress. The ISSAI 5600 along with other INTOSAI standards underwent a makeover and was renamed as GUID 1900 – Peer Review Guidelines.
A call for Peer Review Experts
Please join our Short list of experts. This short list will be a live document where expert partners may be added as needed or requested.
These experts will support other INTOSAI members as they carry out peer review, in the area, they deem to have most experience in and give them professional advice. Experts will also help us prepare Peer Review training and sharing best practices.
To let us know your interest in becoming an expert on peer review please contact us at peerreview@nku.gov.sk
You may also let us know by, if you have not already done so, completing our Global Flyer Survey 2023 via this link: https://www.nku.gov.sk/web/sao/global-flyer-survey-on-peer-reviews-2023 and please send the filled out survey to: surveyPR2023@nku.gov.sk, as instructed.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to those who have taken the time and participated in the Survey.
What benefits does being an expert on peer review bring you?
Exchange knowledge and experience with other participants
Get ideas for
continuous improvement
Be a leader in building and developing capacities for SAIs
Getting ready for a Peer review
Please find answers to outstanding questions from the webinar right here: Answers to questions Seminar Getting Ready for a Peer Review
And find the video from the webinar here:
To find Peer Review Materials (Peer Review Reports, Memorandums of Understanding, etc.) please click here
Role of the Subcommittee
The Sub-Committee assesses and documents existing peer review arrangements and disseminate peer review results within the INTOSAI community
The peer review documentation administered by Sub-Committee Chair comprises of papers on peer reviews (Memoranda of Understanding, final reports, executive summaries, etc.; for all documentation available, see the CBC website and Document Library). Such documentation can serve as a pool for drawing on best practice case studies also included in GUID 1900 Peer review guidelines. The documents are published on the Capacity Building Committee website after permission of the involved SAIs.
To manage and develop the documents, Sub-Committee carries out regular global email survey in a form of a questionnaire addressed to all INTOSAI. Using the questionnaire, Subcommittee also collects information on individual peer review projects, e.g. regarding focus, timeframe, number of staff involved, working days, key recommendations and changes based on these recommendations.
The survey participants take a peer review as an opportunity to:
- confirm good work done by the reviewed SAI;
- uncover gaps in the reviewed SAI activities;
- source and get ideas for continuous improvement in the given SAI audit activities and help to build the SAIs as modern institutions;
- benefit participants in form of information, knowledge and experience exchange.
The Subcommittee´s mission
Foster an environment where voluntary peer reviews are seen as beneficial
In order to promote voluntary peer reviews and general knowledge about them among the INTOSAI community and wider public, several initiatives are conducted by the Subcommittee:
- publishing articles in the INTOSAI Journal of Government Auditing, EUROSAI web page and other electronic media;
- giving presentations and report on peer review topics at varied fora organised by individual INTOSAI regional working groups and other national and international entities.
In 2017 and the years to follow [in the line of the INTOSAI Strategic plan 2017 – 2022, Strategic objectives for Goal 2 (Capacity Development) and Goal 3 (Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Services) and Crosscutting priority 3 (Ensuring effective development and coordination among standards-setting, capacity development, and knowledge sharing to support SAIs and improve their performance and effectiveness)] the Subcommittee conducts a global survey among INTOSAI members.