In addition to the Yellow Book, which group's external audit standards can the GAO reference?

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the supreme audit institution (SAI) for the United States. As such, it is a key member of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the global professional organization for SAIs. The GAO develops its Government Auditing Standards (commonly known as the "Yellow Book") to be consistent with the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs) issued by INTOSAI. This alignment ensures that U.S. government auditing practices conform to the fundamental principles and best practices recognized internationally for public-sector auditing. The Foreword of the 2018 Yellow Book explicitly states this consistency.

A. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board: The PCAOB establishes auditing standards for publicly traded companies in the U.S., not for government entities.

B. International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board: The IAASB issues International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), which are primarily designed for private sector audits, not the specific context of government auditing by SAIs.

D. AICPA: While the Yellow Book incorporates by reference certain standards from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for financial audits, INTOSAI provides the overarching international framework for government auditing with which the GAO aligns as the U.S. SAI.

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1. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2018). Government Auditing Standards: 2018 Revision (GAO-18-568G). Foreword, page i. "These standards are consistent with the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) framework. Specifically, this revision of Government Auditing Standards is consistent with ISSAI 100, Fundamental Principles of Public-Sector Auditing."

2. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (n.d.). International Relations. GAO.gov. Retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/about/what-gao-does/international-relations. "GAO is a member of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), an umbrella organization for the external government audit community."

3. International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions. (2019). ISSAI 100: Fundamental Principles of Public-Sector Auditing. Section 10. "ISSAI 100 defines the fundamental principles for the auditing of public-sector entities... It constitutes the foundational standard for the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs)."