Auditor Choice

10.	Considering auditor independence requirements and your company's specific audit needs, aside from your current auditor of record, how many accounting firms would you have as viable options if you needed to change primary auditors? (Enter your best estimate.)
	number of firms

11.	Do you think the number of accounting firms you can choose a primary auditor of record from is enough?
	1.		Yes
	2.		No - please fill in box below
	3.		Don't know

	IF NO: please explain.

12.	Do you think the level of competition for audit services for your company is sufficient?
	1.		Yes
	2.		No
	3.		Don't know

13.	If you had to choose a new auditor of record, how important would each of the following auditor characteristics be to your decision?
	(Select one answer in each row.)

		Very great importance	Great importance	Moderate importance	Some importance	Little or no importance	Don't know
	a. Audit Fees
	b. Geographic presence
	c. Technical capability with accounting principles and auditing standards
	d. Industry specialization or expertise
	e. Reputation or name recognition
	f. Proximity to the company's headquarters
	g. Ability to handle size and complexity of company operations
	h. Ability to work with management
	i. Responsiveness to client/audit committee questions and needs
	j. Expectations or requirements of shareholders, banks, lenders, or underwriters
	k. Other - please describe below

	IF OTHER, please describe.

14.	Considering your company's specific audit needs, if you had to choose a new primary auditor of record today, are you likely to use an accounting firm from the following categories?
	(Select one answer in each row.)

		Yes	No	No answer
	a. Big 4 firms (PWC, KPMG, E&Y, Deloitte)
	b. 2nd tier firms (Grant Thornton, BDO Seidman, McGladrey & Pullen, Crowe Chizek)
	c. Regional or local firms

15.	IF "NO" IN QUESTION 14 TO 2ND TIER OR REGIONAL OR LOCAL FIRMS: For those categories of accounting firms that you would not consider, how important are the following auditor characteristics in explaining why?
	(Select one answer in each row.)

		Very great importance	Great importance	Moderate importance	Some importance	Little or no importance	Don't know
	a. Audit Fees
	b. Geographic presence
	c. Technical capability with accounting principles and auditing standards
	d. Industry specialization or expertise
	e. Reputation or name recognition
	f. Proximity to the company's headquarters
	g. Ability to handle size and complexity of company operations
	h. Ability to work with management
	i. Responsiveness to client/audit committee questions and needs
	j. Expectations or requirements of shareholders, banks, lenders, or underwriters
	k. Other - please describe below

	IF OTHER, please describe.

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Full Report: GAO-08-163

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