5 Free Tools to Use During Performance Audits
In the world of performance audits the right tools can make the difference between chasing ghosts and finding real evidence of waste, inefficiency or fraud. The good news is that many powerful resources are free, open and ready for use by savvy auditors. Below are five free tools that auditors can start using today to enhance their work, dig deeper and document findings in a defensible way.
Oversight.gov The Program Integrity Alliance GovQuery
Oversight.gov had long been a valuable repository of reports from inspectors general at the Federal, State, and Local levels but it shuttered on October 1, 2025, along with the defunding of CIGIE. The Program Integrity Alliance had the foresight to download all of the reports that had been on Oversight.gov. Their GovQuery tool also allows you to search GAO reports and recommendations going back to 2010. Auditors can use the tool to look for similar reports related to their objectives which can be helpful in identifying potential criteria or concerns that might be discovered during the audit.
2. Google Maps Street View
Yes, the tool you use for driving can also be helpful at work. Sometimes the best evidence is hiding in plain sight. I once investigated a business owner that had received a cease-and-desist order and had been fined for providing unlicensed services. Using Google Street View, I discovered that the same business was operating less than a mile away under a slightly different name. The Street View image showed the storefront proudly advertising the same unlicensed services. That single screenshot became a powerful piece of corroborating evidence. For auditors, Street View can confirm whether facilities exist, if projects are completed, or if grant funds appear to have been used as intended.
3. Wayback Machine (Web Archive)
The internet forgets nothing, and the Wayback Machine is proof. This free tool captures snapshots of websites over time, allowing you to see what a page looked like months or even years ago. It is especially useful when a grantee or agency quietly removes or edits public information. You might find that a program page boasting success metrics last year now no longer exists, or that a contract listing has disappeared. By comparing versions, auditors can identify changes, omissions, or inconsistencies that support audit observations.
4. “Redacted” Documents
Not a tool exactly, but something worth knowing. On several occasions I have received documents that were marked as redacted but instead of properly removing text, the preparer had simply bolded or blacked it out. When I copied and pasted the text into another document, the “redacted” content was fully visible. This happens more often than you might think. Whenever you receive a redacted document, test whether the text is truly hidden. You might uncover information that sheds light on procurement decisions, communications, or policy discussions that were never meant to be visible.
5. Any AI Tool
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the most valuable assistants an auditor can have. AI can help auditors brainstorm interview questions, reword audit objectives, or summarize lengthy regulations into plain language. It can even generate draft audit objective statements or identify potential causes and effects when you are developing findings. The key is to use it as a thinking partner, not a decision maker. Always verify what it gives you, but do not underestimate its ability to save time and spark ideas during planning, fieldwork, or report drafting.