Washington State Auditor's Office

What Washington State Auditor's Office does

The Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) is a constitutional government agency established in 1889 and headquartered in Olympia, Washington, that conducts independent external audits of Washington State and local government entities. With 394 employees led by elected State Auditor Pat McCarthy, the office oversees accountability for $199 billion in public funds and completed 1,495 audits with 581 in progress in 2026. Its core product suite spans audit reports (financial, performance, IT, use-of-deadly-force, energy compliance), the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) portal for financial data access, and the BARS (Budgeting and Accounting Reporting System) GAAP and Cash Manuals that establish accounting standards for Washington's local governments.

The office's technology platform is built around a web portal (portal.sao.wa.gov) delivering the FIT financial analysis tool, BARS filing systems, a public records request system, and a help desk. Beyond core auditing, SAO operates the Center for Government Innovation, which provides Lean process improvement services, teambuilding workshops, #BeCyberSmart cybersecurity awareness, and the #Gov101 training program, alongside an extensive Resource Library covering accounting, procurement, and payroll guidance. Citizen-facing channels include a whistleblower program, fraud hotline, and public reporting mechanisms.

SAO is funded entirely through Washington State appropriations rather than commercial revenue; it provides services as a statutory mandate, not via market transactions. Its go-to-market is direct engagement with assigned audit teams, supplemented by training workshops and online portals, with marketing limited to public-facing website content, social media, email newsletters, and the Aud Pod podcast. The office holds no patents, has no parent company, conducts no M&A, and has no private investors, operating as part of the executive branch of Washington State government under the authority of the elected State Auditor.

Name

Washington State Auditor's Office

Legal name

Office of the Washington State Auditor

Website

https://sao.wa.gov

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Office of the Washington State Auditor is a constitutional government agency that conducts independent financial, performance, and IT audits of Washington State and local government entities, overseeing $199 billion in public funds with 394 staff and statutory authority to set accounting standards for local governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Audit Services

NAICS

Public Finance Activities (92113), Public Finance Activities (921130), Other General Government Support (92119), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Accounting & Financial Reporting (BPAIAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Risk, Controls & Audit (Public Sector) (BPAIAEAH), Audit, Compliance Monitoring & Investigations (BPAIADAE)

Keywords

• Government audit services
• Financial statement audits
• Local government auditing
• Performance auditing
• Public accountability reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: The Washington State Auditor's Office is a government agency funded through state appropriations and public tax revenues. Services are provided to government entities as a constitutional/statutory mandate rather than through commercial transactions.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Washington State Auditor's Office is a constitutionally mandated state agency that performs independent external audits of Washington State and local government entities. It conducts financial statement audits, performance audits, IT audits, use of deadly force investigations, police training and certification audits, and energy compliance examinations. The office also maintains the BARS (Budgeting and Accounting Reporting System) manuals and templates that local governments use to file required annual financial reports.

Product overview

The Office of the Washington State Auditor provides a comprehensive portfolio of audit, reporting, and government improvement services. The core offerings include various audit report types (performance audits, IT audits, use of deadly force investigations), the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) for financial data access, and the BARS (Budgeting and Accounting Reporting System) suite comprising GAAP and Cash Manuals with standardized reporting templates. Beyond traditional auditing, SAO operates The Center for Government Innovation offering Lean Services, Teambuilding Workshops, and the #Gov101 training program to help government entities improve operations. The office maintains citizen-facing programs including the Citizen Hotline, Whistleblower Program, and Fraud Program for reporting concerns. The Resource Library provides extensive guidance on accounting, procurement, payroll, and compliance topics. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem supporting transparent, accountable government in Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit Reports Comprehensive audit reports covering state government, local government, IT audits, performance audits, use of deadly force investigations, police training and certification audits, and energy compliance examinations for Washington State public entities.
• Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) A web-based portal enabling users to access and analyze financial data from audited government entities across Washington State.
• BARS GAAP Manual Comprehensive budgeting and accounting reporting system manual for Washington State governments reporting under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• BARS Cash Manual Comprehensive budgeting and accounting reporting system manual for Washington State governments reporting on a cash basis.
• BARS Reporting Templates Standardized templates for Washington State local governments to file required annual reports in accordance with BARS standards.
• Center for Government Innovation A government improvement initiative providing resources, training, and advisory services to help Washington State government entities enhance their operations.
• Lean Services Process improvement methodology services helping Washington State government agencies streamline operations and eliminate waste.
• Teambuilding and Leadership Workshops Leadership development and team-building workshop programs for Washington State local government employees.
• #BeCyberSmart Program Cybersecurity awareness and education initiative providing resources to help Washington State government entities improve their cyber posture.
• #Gov101 Training Program Government fundamentals training program providing foundational knowledge for Washington State government employees.
• Citizen Hotline and Whistleblower Program Public hotline and confidential reporting mechanisms allowing citizens and government employees to report concerns, fraud, waste, abuse, or improper activities in Washington State government operations.
• Public Records Request System Online system for submitting and tracking public records requests for Washington State Auditor's Office documents and records.

Quantifiable outcome

• Audited $199 billion in public funds with 1,495 audits completed and 581 in progress

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Illinois Auditor General: Direct peer providing independent auditing of Illinois state government agencies and programs. Comparable in statutory authority, audit service portfolio, and constitutional/legal mandate.
• Texas State Auditor's Office: Direct peer as another state-level constitutional audit office conducting financial and performance audits of state and local government entities. Highly comparable mandate, structure, and service portfolio.
• California State Auditor: Direct peer providing independent audit and oversight of California state and local government. Comparable in constitutional mandate and breadth of audit services including financial, performance, and IT audits.
• Oregon Secretary of State - Audits Division: Direct peer as Oregon's state-level audit function for state and local government. Comparable geographic proximity in Pacific Northwest and overlapping local government audit responsibilities.
• Florida Office of the Auditor General: Direct peer providing constitutional audit oversight of Florida state government, state universities, and other entities. Comparable mandate, service types, and constitutional authority framework.
• Ohio Auditor of State: Direct peer as Ohio's elected state auditor performing financial and performance audits across state and local government. Comparable in elected leadership, statutory mandate, and audit portfolio.
• Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General: Direct peer elected statewide office conducting audits of Pennsylvania state agencies and schools. Comparable in elected leadership structure, audit scope, and accountability mandate.
• New York State Comptroller: Direct peer performing statewide government auditing and accountability functions in New York. Comparable in scope, statutory authority, and oversight of public funds across state and local government entities.

Others

• National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers (NASACT): Adjacent industry organization representing state-level financial officers including auditors. Comparable through shared professional community, government accounting standards (BARS-equivalents), and audit methodologies, though it is an association rather than an audit office.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO): Broad incumbent at federal level performing audits of federal agencies and programs. Comparable core function (government auditing, accountability, performance review) but operates federally rather than at state level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WaStateAuditor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/wastateauditor
• Facebookfacebook.com/WAStateAuditorsOffice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-state-auditor-s-office
• Instagraminstagram.com/wastateauditor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington State Auditor's Office