§7503. Relation to other audit requirements

(a) An audit conducted in accordance with this chapter shall be in lieu of any financial audit of Federal awards which a non-Federal entity is required to undergo under any other Federal law or regulation. To the extent that such audit provides a Federal agency with the information it requires to carry out its responsibilities under Federal law or regulation, a Federal agency shall rely upon and use that information.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a Federal agency may conduct or arrange for additional audits which are necessary to carry out its responsibilities under Federal law or regulation. The provisions of this chapter do not authorize any non-Federal entity (or subrecipient thereof) to constrain, in any manner, such agency from carrying out or arranging for such additional audits, except that the Federal agency shall plan such audits to not be duplicative of other audits of Federal awards.

(c) The provisions of this chapter do not limit the authority of Federal agencies to conduct, or arrange for the conduct of, audits and evaluations of Federal awards, nor limit the authority of any Federal agency Inspector General or other Federal official.

(d) Subsection (a) shall apply to a non-Federal entity which undergoes an audit in accordance with this chapter even though it is not required by section 7502(a) to have such an audit.

(e) A Federal agency that provides Federal awards and conducts or arranges for audits of non-Federal entities receiving such awards that are in addition to the audits of non-Federal entities conducted pursuant to this chapter shall, consistent with other applicable law, arrange for funding the full cost of such additional audits. Any such additional audits shall be coordinated with the Federal agency determined under criteria issued under section 7504 to preclude duplication of the audits conducted pursuant to this chapter or other additional audits.

(f) Upon request by a Federal agency or the Comptroller General, any independent auditor conducting an audit pursuant to this chapter shall make the auditor's working papers available to the Federal agency or the Comptroller General as part of a quality review, to resolve audit findings, or to carry out oversight responsibilities consistent with the purposes of this chapter. Such access to auditor's working papers shall include the right to obtain copies.

(Added Pub. L. 98–502, §2(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2332 ; amended Pub. L. 103–272, §4(f)(1)(X), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1363 ; Pub. L. 104–156, §2, July 5, 1996, 110 Stat. 1401 .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996-Pub. L. 104–156 reenacted section catchline without change and amended text generally, substituting present provisions for similar provisions relating to other audit requirements, including compliance and evaluation audits of individual Federal assistance programs, audits by State and local governmental entities, and provisions requiring Federal agencies to arrange for funding cost of conducting audits that are in addition to audits required by this chapter.

1994-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–272 substituted "extent" for "extend" in second sentence.