Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops Program, Specialty Crops Inspection Division

This PATCH represents official guidance. This PATCH is scheduled to be incorporated into the 

document listed above. After incorporation into the document listed above this PATCH will 

become obsolete. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

PATCH #056 Alternate Field Office Review Desk Audit Procedures (July 13, 2020)

SCI Division Management Series

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PATCH # 056

DOCUMENT: Federal Field Office and Federal-State Cooperative Market Field Office 

Review, September 2017

REMARKS: Alternate desk audit procedures to be implemented when the Associate Director 

of Inspection Operations determines extra ordinary circumstances exist that prevent completion 

of required on-site review and would continue until such time as the Associate Director 

determines on-site reviews can resume.

BACKGROUND: This guidance addresses challenges with conducting onsite field office 

review activities during extra ordinary circumstances such as pandemics and public health 

emergencies when travel and close personal contact are restricted. These alternate desk audit 

procedures provide flexibilities so that required annual field office review activities can continue 

to ensure SCI’s policies, regulations, procedures and instructions for grading, certification, and 

overall administration of its programs are implemented and working as intended. 

Federal Area Field Office Alternate Desk Audit (ADA) Procedures

Responsibilities 

A. Reviewer responsibilities

1. Provide OIC, SAS, or IIC with sufficient advance notice that the field office 

review will be conducted under the ADA procedures. Additional planning will be 

required for audit research, document reviews, and office staff phone or virtual 

meeting interviews.

2. Prepare and submit the Alternate Desk Audit (ADA) Worksheet (Appendix IV) to 

the OIC outlining the requested documentation and dates to be reviewed for each 

category. This worksheet will be completed and submitted in advance to allow 

sufficient time for the field office to prepare and provide requested documents, 

images and applicable attestation reports.
This PATCH represents official guidance. This PATCH is scheduled to be incorporated into the 

document listed on the first page. After incorporation into the document listed above this 

PATCH will become obsolete.

PATCH #056 Alternate Field Office Review Desk Audit Procedures (July 13, 2020)

SCI Division Management Series

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3. Prepare and submit the Field Office Desk Audit Requirement Compliance Review 

Results Attestation Report(s) (Appendix V) to the OIC. Attestation reports will 

be needed for any Review question(s) that cannot be answered remotely. The 

attester will be a person not directly involved in the process or activity relating to 

the Review question. For example; required office postings cannot be reviewed 

remotely, an attestation report will be completed and signed by an employee who 

is not responsible for maintaining the office postings, attesting that the postings 

meet the stated requirements.

4. After interviews are conducted and the review of relevant documentation 

submitted is completed, identify and document findings as outlined in the 

Responsibilities section of this manual under Field Office Reviewer, Federal, 

letter C.

5. After interviews are conducted and the review of relevant documentation 

submitted is completed, Identify and document the findings and categorize into 

(1) positive findings, (2) non- conformances, and (3) observations. 

• Custodial Activities pertaining to USDA Contracts for Area Office 

reviews will be evaluated separately by HQ Inspection Operations. The 

USDA Contracts related questions on the Federal Field Office Review 

report will be completed by the HQ Inspection Operations reviewer at the 

time of this review. 

• Determine if there are non-conformances of a serious nature which need to 

be immediately elevated to the attention of the RBC or Associate Director 

of Inspection Operations and, if so, notify same. 

• Document the non-conformances that affect the ability of SCI to achieve 

its stated quality objectives. 

6. Conduct a telephone or virtual meeting conference exit briefing of all findings 

with the OIC, SAS, or IIC as deemed appropriate by the reviewer. 

7. Refer to the current policies for completing the Federal Field Office Review and 

complete the SC-398 Field Office Review report normally.
This PATCH represents official guidance. This PATCH is scheduled to be incorporated into the 

document listed on the first page. After incorporation into the document listed above this 

PATCH will become obsolete.

PATCH #056 Alternate Field Office Review Desk Audit Procedures (July 13, 2020)

SCI Division Management Series

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B. Field Office Responsibilities

1. Coordinate with the reviewer to determine a sufficient timeframe necessary for 

gathering requested documentation, determining points of contact, completing 

documentation reviews and attestation reports. 

2. The OIC, SAS, or IIC are responsible for completing the Alternate Desk Audit 

(ADA) Worksheet (Appendix IV) and providing all the requested information and 

documentation. 

Required information and documentation are as follows:

• Identify responsible field office staff point of contact for interviews 

• Provide the specific documents for those date ranges requested by the 

reviewer for evaluation of compliance with the requirements

• Provide completed applicable attestation report(s) 

• Provide applicant contact information for customer feedback

3. Submit proposed corrective actions for all non-conformities within 15 business

days of receipt of the review report.

4. Initiate all approved corrective and/or preventive actions.
This PATCH represents official guidance. This PATCH is scheduled to be incorporated into the 

document listed on the first page. After incorporation into the document listed above this 

PATCH will become obsolete.

PATCH #056 Alternate Field Office Review Desk Audit Procedures (July 13, 2020)

SCI Division Management Series

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APPENDIX IV – ALTERNATE DESK AUDIT (ADA) WORKSHEET

Electronic version of Alternate Desk Audit (ADA) Worksheet
This PATCH represents official guidance. This PATCH is scheduled to be incorporated into the 

document listed on the first page. After incorporation into the document listed above this 

PATCH will become obsolete.

PATCH #056 Alternate Field Office Review Desk Audit Procedures (July 13, 2020)

SCI Division Management Series

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APPENDIX V – FIELD OFFICE DESK AUDIT REQUIREMENT COMPLIANCE REVIEW 

RESULTS ATTESTATION REPORT

Electronic version of Field Office Desk Audit Requirement Compliance Review Results 

Attestation Report