Supreme audit institutions (SAIs) are a key part of the institutional framework of democratic States and play a central role in supporting good public governance. The role of SAIs has assumed greater significance in today’s uncertain times, in which governments must play a critical role in promoting sustainable economic development and social well being.

This OECD Public Governance Review was prepared by the Public Sector Integrity Division of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate.

External control institutions are increasingly required to provide answers to the rapid changes in the scenario of the international crisis, with an impact on the way governments stand before systemic international crises. Not only should the regulation performed by public institutions be carried out in a stable and credible environment to attract investment, but also the very responsibility of governments has been subjected to international scrutiny – not only directly, as is the case of supranational bodies, but also indirectly, through assessment of risk of many different shades of investors.

This chapter provides an overview of consolidated year-end government reporting in Brazil, benchmarking it against international standards and experiences in 12 countries. The overview presents i) the content, reporting boundaries and accounting basis of Brazil’s consolidated year-end government report – the Accounts of the President of the Republic (Contas do Presidente da República, or CPR); and ii) the general process for the preparation, external audit and legislative scrutiny of the CPR. The analysis contained in this chapter is framed by the OECD “Best Practices for Budget Transparency”, International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions “Lima Declaration of Guidelines on Auditing Precepts” (ISSAI 1) and “Mexico Declaration on the Independence of Supreme Audit Institutions” (ISSAI 10), as well as the World Bank Institute’s framework on public accounts committees.

This chapter analyses the objectives and reporting on Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Contas da União, or TCU) audit of the consolidated year-end government report: the Accounts of the President of the Republic (Contas do Presidente da República, or CPR). The chapter addresses: i) the objectives of the audit of the CPR and the legal basis underpinning this TCU control and oversight process; ii) the extent that audit reporting clearly and concisely presents information on the audit objectives and main findings (i.e. opinion, qualifications and recommendations); and iii) the extent to which the audit report clearly substantiates the main findings using information on the tests conducted and the audit evidence identified. The analysis is framed by International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions, specifically the “Basic Principles of Government Auditing” (ISSAI 100) and “Reporting Standards on Government Auditing” (ISSAI 400).

This chapter analyses the planning and implementation of Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Contas da União, or TCU) audit of the consolidated year-end government report: the Accounts of the President of the Republic (Contas do Presidente da República, or CPR). The chapter addresses: i) the responsibility for oversight and co-ordination of audit planning and implementation; ii) the general process and timetable for audit planning and implementation; iii) the practices that exist to ensure high-quality audit work, conducted in an efficient and effective manner; and iv) the policies that exist to ensure that audit work is conducted in accordance with professional and ethical standards. The analysis is framed by the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI), specifically the “Field Standards in Government Auditing” (ISSAI 300) and “General Standards in Government Auditing and Standards with Ethical Significance” (ISSAI 200).

This chapter analyses the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts’ (Tribunal de Contas da União, or TCU) actions to communicate its main findings on and assess the impact of its audit of the consolidated year-end government report: the Accounts of the President of the Republic (Contas do Presidente da República, or CPR). The chapter addresses i) the strategy to communicate the main findings (i.e. audit opinion, qualifications and recommendations) to target audiences; ii) the instruments used to communicate these findings – and, more broadly, to encourage discussion on government accountability; and iii) the systems and indicators used to assess the impact of communications activities and the audit more generally. The analysis in this chapter is framed by the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions’ (ISSAI) “Principles of Transparency and Accountability” (ISSAI 20).