The audit
How an ALC engagement runs.
Every engagement follows the same sequence, governed in writing from the first step. No audit is ever proposed before a scoping assessment has established that one is genuinely indicated.
The sequence
From application to report
Application
A short application, reviewed against ALC’s suitability criteria. You receive a response within five working days.
Scoping assessment
Where suitability is indicated, ALC conducts the scoping assessment at your institution, in person, at no cost. It is a structured conversation across a small number of roles, contained to a single visit.
Scope Recommendation Note
A one-page note carrying ALC’s honest verdict: audit indicated, or not indicated. The note is yours either way, and it is written to be useful either way.
Proposal and engagement letter
Where an audit is indicated, you receive a fully defined proposal. The engagement letter governs scope, evidence requirements, confidentiality, data rights, and timeline before anything begins, so there are no surprise asks mid-engagement.
The twelve-week audit
Evidence is gathered from three sources and triangulated: structured consultation with your student-athletes, your institution’s documentation, and a system review of how decisions are made in practice. No finding rests on a single account. The engagement is led throughout by the named lead auditor.
Report and readout
A full written report, structured to the ISAE 3000 assurance model, delivered to leadership and structured for audit committee use. Every standard is rated on the defined maturity scale, and every rating is traceable to its evidence. The findings are presented in person.
What you receive
A report your governing body can rely on.
- An independent rating of your environment against all five dimensions of the Dual Career Sustainability Standards, with every rating evidenced.
- Findings structured for audit committee use, written to be acted on rather than filed.
- A defined maturity read on each standard, from Absent to Embedded, so strengths are demonstrated and gaps are precisely located.
- A named, accountable auditor on the report, with methodology aligned to the Global Internal Audit Standards.
The report is yours. ALC does not publish institutional findings and names no client without written consent secured after completion.
Beyond the first audit
The audit cycle
The full audit anchors a four-year cycle. Thematic and cycle audits sit between full reviews, examining specific dimensions or tracking movement on prior findings, so assurance becomes a rhythm rather than a one-off exercise.