Corporate report

Government Internal Audit Agency Vision 2026

Published 25 May 2023

GIAA VISION 2026

Elevating our IMPACT across government

• The risk and control framework for government is clear and effective.

We support Accounting Officers to deliver government outcomes more effectively and spend public money wisely, enhancing public trust. There is a clear risk control framework for government, embraced by departments as the basis of good governance and by us as the “golden thread” through our work for them. We help our customers recognise that good controls are simply not enough and that healthy cultures and behaviours are essential for a strong control environment. We support our customers to improve their first and second lines of assurance, allowing us to focus on areas of greater strategic value.

• Our customers reap the benefits of our unique cross-government position.

“Better insights, better outcomes” is our mission and our cross-government work brings this mission to life. We make our insights personal to each customer, so that they can learn from each other. We are a knowledge broker, we share good practice, stimulate conversations and embed continuous improvement like never before. Our data analytics make change happen.

• We advocate and influence.

We are vocal advocates for the internal audit and counter fraud professions, ensuring our value and impact is better understood by government, ministers and legislators. We influence the status of the internal audit and counter fraud professions. - We are one government internal audit. We have become truly pan-government, with all government departments and many central government entities harnessing the benefits of our offer. We are able to offer “better insights, better outcomes” like never before, whatever the area of interest, always respecting confidentiality and trust.

Empowering our PEOPLE to thrive, develop and deliver

• We are a strong, diverse and inclusive community.

We are proud advocates for the GIAA. We live by our values. We have a culture where people thrive and where everyone knows they can be themselves. We value each other, we listen and are listened to, we trust each other and we collaborate. We are able to contribute to the ways we work. We are supported to develop and grow as professionals and to be resilient, enabling us to do our best for our customers and each other. We celebrate our successes and support our colleagues.

• We empower our people to develop along clear career pathways.

We are eager to try new things and enhance professional best practice. We thrive because we continuously improve the ways we learn and develop. We are self-motivated. We are supported to move to new roles in and outside the GIAA. We recognise and enjoy the opportunities to move swiftly and easily between our teams and also wider government drawing on the experience and benefits this brings for us and the Agency.

• Our strong brand and great employee offer attract and retain the best people.

We know that working for the GIAA is a great career move. We are excited and inspired by the opportunities for working in a cross-government Agency. We recognise we are small but make a huge impact. We find new ways to broaden our diversity and skills. We make sure that the experience of people who join, work and develop their careers with us is personal, supportive, motivating and inspiring. We are a ‘must do’ step for each senior government leader’s development so we can support them to have a stronger understanding of good governance, risk management and effective internal controls for their own departments.

• We keep ahead in the skills we need for the future.

We have plans in place for our future capability and capacity. We have prized apprenticeship schemes and we grow tomorrow’s leaders. Our organisational design evolves as we become pan-government, bringing even more depth of customer knowledge and breadth of opportunity.

Excelling in QUALITY and professionalism

• Our consistent high quality enhances customer trust.

Our work is consistently of the highest quality, giving customers great confidence and trust in our judgements and opinions. Our leaders are welcomed at the highest levels of government. Our support and advice is embraced, sought out and valued by our customers as integral to their success. Our practices have evolved in line with new international standards, endorsed through our External Quality Assessment in 2025.

• Our methods are modern, our advice timely, our products succinct and accessible.

Our assessments and advice are welcomed and acted on as we go, with delivery more evenly spread through the year. We provide information that is easy to digest in a busy world. We harness modern technologies, enhancing its impact and tailoring our suite of products to meet the needs of our customers. Our annual audit reports and opinions have been refined in line with the Golden Thread control framework, prompting deeper action and showing year on year progression.

• Our services are integrated, comprehensive and bespoke for our customers.

Our internal audit, counter fraud, fraud investigation and advisory services are integrated and recognised as leading the profession. Our expertise in new specialist areas is appreciated and valued. We do not sit sit still and continue to evolve to maximise emerging business opportunities.

• We are thought-leaders in internal audit and counter fraud.

Our quality and professionalism is award-winning. Through our influence professional practice more generally has evolved and relevant qualifications are more accessible, appropriate to the needs of modern organisations and attractive as a career choice.

Inspired by INNOVATION

• We develop and adopt the latest technologies across all our work.

We are curious, we try new things and learn by doing. Our innovative approach means we elevate our impact providing advice and insight in the moment and as work proceeds.

• We are all engaged in innovation.

We seek and exploit new ways to work more effectively or more efficiently. We all have a part to play in improving our systems, our processes and our ways of working. Our exciting work now includes ‘virtual workers’ or robots, releasing our people from repetitive processes to concentrate on higher value work.

• We network, collaborate and partner with purpose.

We have strong and productive relationships with our partners, including the National Audit Office, government functions, the Institute of Internal Auditors, accounting bodies and suppliers. We learn from other sectors too, building ways to collaborate to accelerate our innovation development.

• We are innovation leaders in our field.

We share our knowledge through speaking engagements. Our thought leadership helps attract talent and grant funding to invest in our future.

Sustained on FIRM FOUNDATIONS

• We do the basics well all the time.

Firm foundations underpin everything we do. Getting the basics right matters to us all, so we can realise our greater ambitions.

• We are an exemplar of good governance, risk management and internal control.

We manage our own environmental and social impact and other corporate risks effectively, increasing our resilience. We apply the government risk control framework to ourselves, improving our own risk management and controls. Our annual report and accounts are repeatedly cited as best practice.

• We have a robust financial position with a business development mindset.

Our clear financial and fee strategies fund delivering today and developing for tomorrow. We are focused on efficient ways of working and business development to keep our offer to government attractive and competitive. We absorb new customers smoothly.

• Our processes and systems are lean, intuitive and secure.

We strive for continuous improvement across our corporate and enabling functions to drive productivity and value. Our processes and systems are easy to use, adopted by everyone, supported by clear guidance and training.

• Our offices are modern, smart and green, reflecting the value we place on our people.

Our office spaces are equipped for collaborative ways of working. We support flexible office locations, balancing the needs our customers and our people.