Case Study

Enforcing Compliance to Protect Donor-Funded Technology Spend

Executive Summary

  • Forensic, audit-led engagement validating donor-funded technology spend
  • Tariff compliance, billing accuracy, and credit entitlement reviewed across legacy services
  • Findings supported by invoice-level, tariff-level, and contract-level evidence
  • Credits and recoveries validated only after carrier application
  • Engagement established a defensible audit framework suitable for regulatory and board review


The Challenge

The organization relied on legacy telecommunications services governed by complex state and federal tariffs. As a steward of donor funds, it had a fiduciary obligation to ensure technology spend was accurate, compliant, and fully defensible. Over time, discrepancies emerged between governing tariffs, contracted terms, and actual billing. Service outages and disruptions also occurred without corresponding credits being applied.

Because the organization operated in the public interest:

  • Billing errors could not be treated as routine commercial disputes
  • All findings required clear documentation and defensibility
  • Regulatory escalation carried reputational and governance risk
 

The organization required an audit-grade review grounded in evidence and compliance standards, not informal negotiation.

The DBC Audit Approach

Dev-Byrne & Company conducted a forensic Technology Expense Audit focused on tariff compliance, billing accuracy, and credit entitlement. The engagement was designed to meet the standards expected by:

  • Finance leadership
  • External auditors
  • Boards and oversight bodies

Forensic Review and Validation

DBC performed a detailed audit that included:

  • Multi-year invoice analysis across all applicable carriers
  • Validation of billed rates against governing tariffs and service agreements
  • Identification of billing errors, misapplied rates, and uncredited service outages
  • Calculation of recoverable amounts using tariff-compliant methodologies
 

All findings were supported by detailed workpapers suitable for executive, audit, and regulatory review.

Claims Substantiation and Audit Support

DBC supported the audit through:

  • Preparation of formal audit findings and substantiation packages
  • Coordination with carrier audit and billing teams
  • Validation of credits and settlement terms once applied
  • Documentation suitable for regulatory or third-party audit review


Where escalation was required, DBC ensured the audit record was complete, factual, and defensible.

The Outcome

  • Recovery of significant credits related to overbilling and service disruptions
  • Validation that donor-funded technology spend was governed accurately
  • Establishment of a repeatable audit framework for future reviews
  • Improved confidence among finance leadership, auditors, and oversight bodies
 

Most importantly, the organization fulfilled its fiduciary responsibility to protect donor funds.

What Changed

Technology expense oversight shifted from passive acceptance to disciplined audit governance. The organization gained clarity into how tariffs, credits, and billing mechanics affected its spend and established a higher standard for vendor accountability.

Why it Worked

  • Audit-led, evidence-based methodology
  • Deep understanding of tariff and regulatory requirements
  • Conservative, defensible claims modeling
  • Clear documentation aligned to non-profit governance standards

DBC ensured findings could withstand scrutiny from carriers, auditors, regulators, and oversight bodies.

Client Snapshot

Industry: Non-Profit

Organization Type: National non-profit organization

Technology Environment: Legacy wireline, Voice services

Regulatory Context: State and federal tariffs, service credits, and outage compensation

Engagement Type: Technology Expense Audit

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Considering Your Approach

Organizations managing complex technology environments often benefit from a disciplined review of inventory accuracy, contract alignment, execution ownership, and sourcing decisions. A structured discussion can help determine whether audit, consulting, or sourcing support is appropriate for your environment. 

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