Who audits Washington’s auditor? Latest external peer review finds SAO’s quality controls system, audit procedures meet professional standards

The Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) has passed its external peer review, a rigorous independent examination of the Office's quality control system and audit work conducted every three years.

“We strive for our audits of every government in Washington to be constructive and help them improve their operations. And this rigorous examination of our own work does that for us,” State Auditor Pat McCarthy said. “We are pleased to have met the high standards of this national group.”

Pictured left to right: Ted Waller (FL), Karen Stacken (MN), Vance Pulley (OH), Katina Holmberg (AK), Scott Owens (GA), Pat McCarthy, Michael Holcomb (HHS OIG), Megan Green (IL), and Alex Billstrom (IN). These auditors from outside Washington state led the 2025 peer review of the Office of the Washington State Auditor.

The National State Auditors Association (NSAA) performs the reviews in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards. Peer review team members included auditors from Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The team spent almost two weeks at SAO's Olympia offices, analyzing agency policies, practices and staff qualifications, and performing a detailed review of 21 financial, federal and performance audits and attestation engagements. These audits represented a cross section of the work SAO does under professional auditing standards.

During a peer review, an audit organization can either pass, pass with deficiencies, or fail. SAO has passed all its peer reviews.

During a meeting to present the results to SAO management, Scott Owens, a Director at the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts and a peer review leader, remarked on how well-organized and transparent SAO’s audit work was.

“I’ve done 25 of these and by far, this was the best one I’ve done,” Owens said. “It’s a testament to your quality control process and to the people doing the work. You have a lot to be proud of.”

Find the most recent peer review here: 2025 NSAA External Peer Review of the Office of the Washington State Auditor (PDF)

Previous peer reviews can be found on our Who Audits the Auditor webpage.