Quality Control Review of the Independent Auditor’s Report on DOT’s Compliance with the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act

What We Looked At The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act) requires the establishment of governmentwide data standards for financial data. These standards are intended to make it easier for taxpayers and policy makers to review and track Federal spending activity with accessible, consistent, reliable and searchable data. The act also requires inspectors general to assess the completeness, accuracy, timeliness and quality of the data submitted by agencies and their implementation and use of the data standards. We contracted with the independent public accounting firm KPMG LLP to audit the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) compliance with the DATA Act during the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. KPMG’s audit objectives were to assess (1) the completeness, accuracy, timeliness, and quality of DOT’s first-quarter fiscal year 2021 financial and award data submitted for publication on USASpending.gov and (2) the Department’s implementation and use of the governmentwide financial data standards established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Treasury. We conducted a quality control review (QCR) of KPMG’s independent auditor’s report.   What We Found Our QCR disclosed no instances in which KPMG did not comply, in all material respects, with U.S. generally accepted Government auditing standards.   Recommendations DOT concurs with KPMG’s four recommendations.