Reports in progress

We are conducting an audit of Fraser Health Authority’s framework for monitoring alternative payment contracts with physicians.

Alternative payment contracts are used to fund physician services through means other than the fee-for-service method. To help ensure patients are getting the care and services they need, health authorities (such as Fraser Health) increasingly use alternative payment contracts to secure access to a wide range of physician services. Monitoring the services provided against the contract terms helps determine whether the services were delivered as outlined and helps ensure accountability for public spending.

Our audit will determine whether Fraser Health Authority had a framework to effectively monitor whether physician services were delivered in accordance with alternative payment contract terms, including identifying clear roles and responsibilities, documenting review processes, and reporting results.

We plan to release our audit report in fall 2026.

We are undertaking our fourth annual follow-up report on past performance audit recommendations.

The Office of the Auditor General does performance audits of provincial programs and services to determine whether they’re economical, efficient, and effective. Audit reports generally include recommendations for improvement within the ministries, Crown corporations, school districts, and other entities that we audit. Organizations can choose to accept and implement each recommendation.

Each year, we request and review progress reports from audited organizations that outline whether they have implemented their audit recommendations.

The process provides the Legislative Assembly and its Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts with assurance on the progress reported by organizations. It helps MLAs understand whether organizations are implementing recommendations in a timely manner. It can also help them hold government accountable for improving provincial programs and services.

Our upcoming report has a four-year follow-up period and will include audits published between 2021 and 2024. It will also include three audits from 2019 and 2020, as requested by the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

In all, this year’s report will provide updates on the implementation of 110 recommendations from 23 performance audits.

We plan to release our report in the fall of 2026.

Procurement is the process through which goods and services are bought. In B.C., government organizations are accountable for complying with laws and regulations related to procurement.

There are various inter-provincial and international trade agreements that spell out general obligations for government organizations to meet when procuring goods or services. The province’s Core Policies and Procedures Manual also includes procurement principles that government organizations should follow.

Inadequate procurement policies and practices can undermine trade agreement obligations or the principles of transparency, value for money, or fair, open and non-discriminatory processes. Procurement policies are also essential to reducing the risk of fraud.

In that context, we plan to routinely audit government procurement policies and procedures. We are starting with three audits – to be included in one upcoming report – of the procurement policies of School District 34 (Abbotsford), School District 43 (Coquitlam), and School District 63 (Saanich).

School districts develop their own procurement and contract management policies and practices. They are also expected to follow the spirit and intent of the Core Policies and Procedures Manual.

Procurement policies that support procurement principles (e.g., value for money) help ensure school districts meet their operational and educational objectives.

Our work will determine whether the three school districts in our audit established comprehensive procurement frameworks that follow the spirit and intent of the Core Policies and Procedures Manual.

We plan to release our report in the spring of 2026.