RICHMOND, Virginia –
The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Internal Review Office (IRO) in Richmond, Virginia oversees all audits, maintains accountability, and manages information flow regarding external and internal audits.
Their mission is, through implementation of process excellence and strategic engagement, to improve the effectiveness and efficiencies of local programs and operations which contribute to the warfighting customers of DLA.
The IRO solidifies processes and continuous accountability by emphasizing the importance of following procedures established in the DLA memorandum which states that all audit announcements will come through the IRO’s external audit liaison mailbox and then routed from the IRO to the commander, deputy commander, and chief of staff for situational awareness and to ensure leadership is provided non-partisan, professional capability to monitor risks and to evaluate real-time operations and controls.
DLA Aviation’s Command Support Directorate’s Lorraine Jenkins, manager, I R O, reminds employees to refer to the guidelines in the DLA Aviation commander’s recent External/Internal Audit Procedures Memorandum January 2016 for procedures to follow if an auditor calls for information.
Jenkins said it is important for employees to follow the processes in place to ensure that the evidential matter will be appropriately documented, encrypted, secured, and responded to in an accurate and timely manner.
Many times, DoD auditors from other agencies contact DLA employees directly Jenkins said there is a protocol to follow when contacted by auditors. “If an auditor contacts an employee directly, the employee should take their name, the organization they are from, phone number, email information and send it immediately to the IRO external audit liaison mailbox so they can set up a time for the interview,” she said. “This will also prevent disruption of the daily workflow and will ensure the correct subject matter expert is available to answer any questions or provide any documents requested by the auditors.”
Jenkins said the memorandum also states that directorate stakeholders respond timely to the IRO as requested, to all emails, meeting invitations, teleconferences, and requests for points of contacts to make sure that audit workflow stays on track. Stakeholders should also prepare responses as required and forward findings, results, and documentations by email to the IRO.
The memorandum further states, DLA Aviation recognizes the impact of maintaining effective internal audit functions and places emphasis on enhancing governance transparency and effective internal controls.
By following the DLA objectives of developing a disciplined approach in maintaining transparency and by following the processes in place, which help to perform more efficiently and effectively, we will continue to sustain auditability while staying on focus in serving our most important customer, the warfighter.