The engagement letter is a legally binding document and the purpose of the engagement letter is to: Specify the parties of the audit engagement. Define the scope of the audit, including the in-scope services and systems. Specify the timeline of the audit and related deliverables.
The content of an engagement letter often includes important details such as the scope of services to be provided, fees or billing arrangements, confidentiality clauses, dispute resolution mechanisms, and any other relevant terms agreed upon by both parties.
For an engagement letter to be binding, there must be agreement to the terms on both sides. The engagement letter is drafted and, in most cases, signed by the firm, therefore there is clear evidence of the agreement of the contents of the letter on the firm's side.
The service provider typically prepares the Letter of Engagement, be it a law firm, accounting agency, consultancy, or any professional offering services.
The appointing authority shall issue Audit Engagement Letter along with a copy of the resolution, if any, passed by the appointing authority and Auditor shall provide acceptance letter to the appointing authority.
It should be included within the SOW. Engagement Letter: This is the actual contract, and once signed by both parties, will be the legal document governing the project moving forward. Both the SOW and Scope of Work need to be spelled out in the Engagement Letter.
Engagement letters set the terms of the agreement between two parties and include details such as the scope, fees, and responsibilities, among others. Some of the benefits of engagement letters are that they are legally binding documents, they reduce misunderstandings, and they set clear expectations.
Your designated audit firm will prepare the specific terms of engagement using the appropriate AICPA-issued engagement letter template. It should be noted that there are many terms for audit engagements that are deemed required by the AICPA and therefore unable to be negotiated.
1. ​ We are pleased to accept the instruction to act as auditor for your company and are writing to confirm the terms of our appointment. 2. ​ The purpose of this letter, together with the attached terms and conditions, is to set out our terms for carrying out the work and to clarify our respective responsibilities.