Application expense verification audit
Independent assurance on whether proposed farm expenditure is supported, eligible, correctly quantified and reasonable for the production plan.
Request a written scope
Who this audit is for
The engagement suits grant administrators, development financiers, agricultural trusts and applicants preparing for an independent funding review. It is most useful when the budget includes several suppliers, capital equipment, infrastructure or biological assets and the approver needs more than a document-presence check.
What we test
We map each budget line to its quotation or cost basis. Quantities are compared with hectares, herd size, production cycle, installation dimensions and the narrative in the business plan. Supplier details, quotation dates, VAT treatment, arithmetic and stated payment terms are checked. Where a programme has an eligible-cost schedule, each item is traced to that rule.
The work includes:
- reconciliation of the application total to its detailed budget;
- quotation validity, comparability and supplier-detail checks;
- reasonableness testing using current market evidence where available;
- duplicate, contingent, unrelated and unsupported cost identification;
- review of own-contribution and VAT assumptions;
- an exceptions schedule showing value, evidence gap and suggested resolution; and
- a signed report stating scope, procedures, limitations and conclusions.
What is outside the scope
This is not a valuation, engineering design, legal due diligence or guarantee that the farming venture will succeed. We do not certify agronomic yields, select suppliers, renegotiate prices or approve funding. Specialist inspections and travel beyond eThekwini are quoted separately when the records indicate they are necessary.
How the engagement runs
1. Scope and records
You provide the application, detailed budget, production plan, quotations, funding criteria and intended decision date. We confirm independence, identify the sampled population and issue an engagement letter.
2. Evidence testing
An auditor traces costs, checks calculations and raises one consolidated evidence request. Short calls with the applicant or fund manager are used to clarify—not replace—documents.
3. Exceptions and response
Factual findings are shared for comment. New evidence is tested and the schedule is updated; unsupported explanations remain clearly marked.
4. Final report
The final pack includes an executive conclusion, adjusted cost summary, detailed exceptions and recommendations for approval conditions or further specialist work.
Preparation
Number quotation pages, use consistent budget descriptions and indicate whether figures include VAT. Do not alter supplier documents to fit the application. If a quotation has changed, retain both versions and explain the reason.