CBP Updating Focused Assessment Program, Will Add Flexibility
CBP is now updating its Focused Assessment (FA) program in order to align it with current government auditing standards, the agency said in its quarterly newsletter for the trade. The agency will also update FA to "allow greater flexibility in designing audit approaches tailored to the unique circumstances of each importer’s environment and relevant risks," it said. The agency "expects to implement the updated program in early fiscal year 2015" and will provide more information over the coming year, it said.
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The updated program will also include a varied "focus of the audit approach depending on the auditor’s expectation of the operating effectiveness of internal control." CBP will also replace the worksheets for evaluating internal control with "general guidelines for assessing internal control," it said. CBP is now updating the Pre-Assessment Survey phase and is working with the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of CBP to gather feedback on planned updates, said CBP. Among topics already being discussed are the need for consistency among audit teams, the need for updates and education on the FA program and how to deal with small and medium-sized importers that have less formal internal controls than bigger companies.