The seven members of the Southern Ute Internal Audit Department have been conducting almost 50 audit projects annually since 2019 – that’s about 350 audit projects so far – the engagements extend across the Permanent Fund, Growth Fund plus its various entities, Southern Ute Shared Services, Sky Ute Casino Resort, and other committees and boards. Sometimes the question arises; “Internal Audit is busy auditing all of us, but who audits them?” The answer is the Association of Local Government Auditors – who completed its audit of our department on Thursday, Aug. 27.
The Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) is the preeminent organization representing local government auditors in the United States. Its audits of Internal Audit departments are known as peer reviews. Government auditors are the most knowledgeable of the proper processes and technical requirements to the Institute of Internal Auditors Global Standards which are quite rigorous. These auditors are the peers of the Internal Audit Department here at the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
ALGA is the largest single provider of peer reviews for internal audit departments in the country. One of the peer review team members conducting the Internal Audit Department is Martin Petherbridge, who is the Chairman of the ALGA Peer Review Division. The peer review team conducted interviews of management and staff members as well as reviewed and/or conducted tests of our department’s:
- Written policies and procedures
- Internal monitoring procedures
- Engagement documents, reports, and working papers
- Documents relating to independence, training, and development of auditing staff
The ALGA report states:
“Based upon the results of our review, it is our opinion that the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Internal Audit Department’s internal quality control system was adequately designed and operating effectively to provide reasonable assurance of conformance with the Institute of Internal Auditors Global Standards for engagements during the period of Sunday, June 1, 2025 – Sunday, May 31.”
The Internal Audit Department was pleased that no letter of comments for improvements was issued by ALGA, nor were any audit findings or deficiencies encountered during the review. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is the first Native American tribe to have a peer review by ALGA and have its report is posted on the ALGA website.
The Internal Audit Director, William Weaver and he Deputy Director, Wayne Brown remarked that this achievement is the result of consistent dedication by the Internal Audit staff to maintain excellent processes, which began in 2019 under former Director, Brian Bex. The other key ingredients have been the cooperation, support, and interest in our services by management of SUIT entities, departments, and the Southern Ute Tribal Council.
Internal Audit provides assurance and insight to Southern Ute Tribal Council, among other management personnel, that is designed to improve the effectiveness of risk management, governance, and control processes of the Tribal organization. This is accomplished by financial, operational, compliance audits, and risk assessments. Information technology audits are conducted on cybersecurity defenses, data protection, and management of important systems.
Internal Audit conducts advisory services to assist management in achieving departmental or entity objectives and to help provide foresight into the future. These services are increasingly requested by management or Southern Ute Tribal Council.
Internal Audit has expanded its use of data analytics significantly in the last two years. These computer analyses allow for scrutiny of vast amounts of data for possible errors, nonadherence to policies, and other matters efficiently. The internal auditors also utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its audits and advisory services. Data analytics and AI have proven to be useful as engagements are significantly more diversified and complex than earlier years.
For more information, contact the Southern Ute Internal Audit Department: Director, William Weaver 970-563-2142, Deputy Director, Wayne Brown 970-563-2239.