An internal audit may also be defined as a 'First Party' conformity assessment audit. (as compared with an external or independent party auditing your system). An internal audit or First Party Audit is necessary to ensure you are 'conformity ready' if you choose to progress to Second or Third Party (external) auditing.
In First Party Auditing, someone from within your organisation will review your event sustainability management system. The person who takes on the auditing role should have adequate experience and competency to be able to identify and understand event sustainability issues. This is important so they can interpret the implementation of the management system considering the context of the organisation, external and internal issues, all framed against the organisation’s sustainable development principles.
For self-assessment claims to be credible, the organisation should ensure these claims are supported by the existence of a robust, internally transparent, and well-documented system. Consider how you will ‘prove’ your conformity if your claims are questioned by internal or external stakeholders.
Steps to Internal Auditing? Click through