Section Acceptance and Continuance of the Assura - Standard on Sustainability Assurance ASSA 5000 General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements - Acceptance and Continuance of the Assurance Engagement

Acceptance and Continuance of the AssuraAcceptance and Continuance of the Assurance Engagement

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Acceptance and Continuance of the Assurance Engagement

The practitioner shall accept or continue the engagement only when:
1. The practitioner has no reason to believe that relevant ethical requirements, including independence, will not be satisfied; (Ref: Para. A58–A64)
2. The practitioner has determined that those persons who are to perform the engagement collectively have the appropriate competence and capabilities, including having sufficient time, to perform the engagement; and
3. The basis upon which the engagement is to be performed has been agreed, by:
  1. Establishing that the preconditions for an assurance engagement are present (see also paragraph 76); and
  2. Confirming that there is a common understanding between the practitioner and the engaging party of the terms of the engagement, including the practitioner’s reporting responsibilities (see also paragraph 85).
If the engaging party imposes a limitation on the scope of the practitioner’s work in the terms of a proposed engagement such that the practitioner believes the limitation will result in the practitioner disclaiming a conclusion on the sustainability information, the practitioner shall not accept such an engagement as an assurance engagement, unless required by law or regulation to do so.
The engagement leader shall determine that the firm’s policies or procedures for the acceptance and continuance of client relationships and assurance engagements have been followed and that conclusions reached in this regard are appropriate in accepting the engagement in accordance with paragraph 26. (Ref: Para. A65–A67)
If the engagement leader obtains information that may have caused the firm to decline the engagement had that information been known by the firm prior to accepting or continuing the client relationship or specific engagement, the engagement leader shall communicate that information promptly to the firm, so that the firm and the engagement leader can take the necessary action.