Different types of audit

There are three different classes of audit that can be performed:

·                   First Party Audit - An audit performed within an organisation by that organisation's own auditing resource. Also referred to as an Internal Audit.

·                   Second Party Audit - An audit of contractors/suppliers undertaken by or on behalf of a purchasing organisation. This may include the audit of organisations or divisions supplying goods or services to others within the same group. Also referred to as a Supplier Audit.

·                   Third Party Audit - An audit of an organisation performed by a body that is independent of the organisation being audited, e.g. Certification Body (Registrar) or Regulatory Body.