Review Disbursement Vouchers for Unusual Trends and Exceptions
A useful audit procedure for identifying potential audit risks involves scanning data files
for unusual transactions and account balances. For example, scanning accounts payable
for excessively large balances may indicate abnormal dependency on a particular supplier.
However, a high number of vendors with small balances may indicate the need to
consolidate business activity. Various corporate surveys have estimated the cost of processing
a purchase order at between $50 and $125. Restricting the number of vendors
with whom the organization does business can reduce this expense.