Skip to content

ACCA Strategic Professional · Advanced Audit and Assurance (International) · Developments in sustainability assurance

Meridian Logistics engages a firm for reasonable assurance on its sustainability report. The firm's practitioner's expert, engaged to evaluate water-usage estimation models, belongs to the firm's own network. Management also uses a separate management's expert to compile its Scope 3 data. Which statement best reflects ISSA 5000 requirements?

The practitioner must evaluate competence, capabilities and objectivity of both experts and consider whether their work is appropriate evidence. Network membership does not make an expert automatically objective, and disclosure of involvement does not substitute for evaluation.

  1. AThe practitioner may rely on either expert's work without evaluation, because experts are by definition competent and objective
  2. BThe practitioner must evaluate the competence, capabilities and objectivity of the practitioner's expert, and for management's expert, evaluate their competence, capabilities and objectivity and the appropriateness of their work as evidenceCorrect
  3. CEvaluation is required only for management's expert, since an expert in the same network is automatically objective
  4. DNo evaluation is needed for either expert if the report discloses their involvement in full

Explanation

ISSA 5000 requires evaluating the competence, capabilities and objectivity of experts used, and the appropriateness of their work as evidence, including for management's expert. Network membership does not remove the need to evaluate. Disclosure alone does not replace evaluation, and reliance is not automatic.

Did you get it right without looking?

One question tells you little. A timed set on Developments in sustainability assurance shows your real accuracy, how long you take and where you lose marks.

Practise Developments in sustainability assuranceFree diagnostic mock

More Developments in sustainability assurance questions