Final consultation process

Final consultation process

Final consultation process

We share the report we intend to publish with reviewees in a final consultation process, to allow us to take account of their comments.
Reporting
Ref: 88.200

Principles

We share a draft of the review report approved by the chamber with reviewee(s), in a final consultation process. The final consultation process follows the approval of the draft review report by the chamber. It is separate from, and does not replace clearing on the basis of the draft report, which is completed before the draft report is prepared for independent quality review and reading by the chamber. The final consultation process is analogous to, but simpler than, the adversarial procedure followed for special reports. The nature of reviews, and the fact they are based on publicly available information, and do not involve any new evaluative assessments or recommendations, should mean that at the end of the process there is little need for comment by the reviewees. But instead of publishing reviewees’ comments separately from the report, we aim as far as possible to take account of these comments within the body of the text when finalising the report.

Instructions

  • Once the chamber has approved the draft review report, and following the emergency brake period, the DQC sends it in Word format to DG BUDG when the Commission is the reviewee. The audit team sends it to other reviewees.
  • Unless the reviewee(s) agree that it is not necessary, a final consultation process is started by the DQC and DG BUDG (when the Commission is the reviewee), or other reviewee, working to a two-week deadline for receipt of comments, with the possibility to extend this to up to four weeks where necessary.
  • The reviewee(s) react in the form of drafting suggestions and comments on the draft report.
  • The reporting member decides which of those suggestions and comments to reflect in the draft review report, and how to do so. A final consultation meeting with the reviewee(s) can be held, if the reporting member decides that this would be helpful. In any case, the reviewee(s) should receive feedback on our response to their comments.
  • Circulate the draft review report as a CH ‘after final consultation’ (AFC), accompanied by an explanation of how the reviewee comments were taken account of, and, if necessary, the reasons for not accepting them.
  • Following the receipt of comments from chamber members and the AQCC member, the chamber approves the CH AFC and the DQC sends it to the Commission (or other reviewee(s)) for information before it is published.
Last Modified: 14/07/2023 13:54   Tags: