The Department of External Control for Federal Governance, Innovation and Digital Transformation (SecexEstado) and the UK government held an online meeting in December 2023 as part of an international cooperation initiative for exchanging experiences and knowledge about audit and control of public policies through data analysis.

The reason for the meeting was the audit initiative called D-Day, conducted by TCU's Audit Department for Information Technology (AudTI), which was inspired by the British initiative known as the National Fraud Initiative. Both actions consist of major data cross-referencing to identify evidence of irregularities in public policies.

During the meeting, TCU representatives provided an overview of the D-Day works to SecexEstado. British representatives then gave a presentation on the Public Sector Fraud Authority and the National Fraud Initiative.

They detailed the methodology applied, presenting the data collection process, the types of data cross-referencing carried out, the digital infrastructure, and the tools used.

Moreover, the UK professionals explained the ways in which the results of the data cross-referencing are communicated to public managers, the involvement of the private sector in the initiative, the monitoring of the results of the data cross-referencing, and the sharing of information with criminal prosecution institutions.

Representing TCU, auditors from the Audit Department of Methods and Innovation for Control (AudInovação), the SecexEstado Data Center and the Department of International Relations (Serint) took part in the meeting. On the British side, representatives of the Public Sector Fraud Authority, an agency linked to the UK Prime Minister's office, participated.

The Next Steps

The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session. As a next step, a new meeting will be scheduled to discuss more technical aspects of data cross-referencing, such as the use of advanced data analysis techniques to improve the results found.

The British participants also expressed an interest in learning more about the D-Day initiative and requested another meeting for SecexEstado to explore the matter in more detail. Both organizations expect to establish a long-term partnership for mutual assistance.

SecexEstado, following the TCU's strategic objective of enhancing its international presence, is actively investing in this partnership. The team believes that exchanging experiences and knowledge can contribute substantially to the improvement of public policy audit actions and control both in Brazil and the United Kingdom.