Littlejohn Frazer wins humanitarian audit
The EU's Humanitarian Aid Office has, for the first time, put its faith in the private sector, by selecting independent accountants Littlejohn Frazer to audit its books.
The Top 50 firm will be tasked with validating the use of funds under ECHO-financed aid projects implemented by European NGOs – in effect managing a budget of around 500m euros (£321m).
Littlejohn Frazer will audit all of ECHO’s NGO partners on a two-yearly cycle.
The contract will initially run for one year, but could be extended up to a maximum of three further one year periods.
Paul Hopper, partner responsible for the project with Littlejohn Frazer, said:
‘We are delighted to have been awarded, in conjunction with our international network, another of the European Union’s significant subcontracted audit projects. As well as reviewing the way funds are managed, a principal element of our brief is to identify best practice and share it with other recipients of ECHO funding to ensure that the EU’s humanitarian projects are run as smoothly and effectively as possible.’