Start a conversation ↗

Description

Third-Party Audit: Preparing the Assignment, Conducting Interviews and Reporting

Verifying on site at a supplier or partner what self-declarations never reveal

  • 1 day — 7 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

The assessment questionnaire has come back fully completed and everything appears to be in order. Yet signals keep arriving from the field: undeclared layers of subcontracting, production conditions far removed from stated commitments, an intermediary whose actual role remains unclear. The on-site audit is then decided in haste, with no clearly defined scope.

This one-day programme equips experienced auditors to operate at a third party's premises. It addresses what changes outside your own organisation: the contractual basis of the right to audit, a negotiated scope, evidence gathering with restricted access, interviews conducted without any reporting line, and a report that leads to a monitored action plan.

Learning objectives

  • Verify the contractual basis of the right to audit before launching the assignment
  • Define the scope and work programme on the basis of identified risks
  • Gather audit evidence in a documentary environment you do not control
  • Conduct interviews with counterparts over whom you have no authority
  • Write a report whose findings trigger a monitored action plan

What makes this programme different

Audit clauses from real contracts are analysed to assess what they genuinely permit
Interviews are role-played with a counterpart who filters information
Reporting is practised in the situation where the third party disputes the findings

Programme

1Framing and Preparing the Assignment

Knowing what you are looking for and what you may require

  • Analysis of the audit clause and the limits it sets
  • Prioritising risks attached to the third party and selecting the scope
  • Building the work programme and the tests to be performed
  • Advance document requests and logistical preparation of the visit

2Conducting the On-Site Visit

Obtaining audit evidence in a constrained environment

  • Opening meeting and keeping control of the visit agenda
  • Interview techniques and cross-checking of statements
  • Physical observation of flows and facilities
  • Collecting documents and handling refusals to disclose
  • Detecting weak signals of undeclared subcontracting

3Reporting and Follow-Up

Turning findings into effective corrective action

  • Wording findings and grading their level of criticality
  • Closing meeting and managing the right of reply
  • Report structure and the link between finding, root cause and recommendation
  • The third party's action plan and arrangements for subsequent verification

Who is it for

Internal auditors as well as procurement compliance officers and buyers responsible for supplier assessment.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the stages of an internal audit assignment and with evidence-gathering techniques.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.