Spent 6 months auditing a county courthouse complex and came up empty-handed. Three buildings, 15 years of bills, everything checked out perfectly. DTE Energy had applied all the right rates, taxes were correct, demand billing was accurate. It happens sometimes but still frustrating to put in all that work for zero recovery. Client was understanding at least - they appreciated the due diligence even without findings.
County courthouse - found nothing after 6 months
Harriet, that's the nature of this business sometimes. Government accounts are often cleaner because they get more scrutiny from multiple departments. At least you can document that their systems are working properly - that has value too. Did you find any opportunities for rate optimization or just confirm everything was already optimal?
Kenneth, even the rates were optimal. They had someone review their classification about 5 years ago and made appropriate changes then. Sometimes you just find a well-managed account. The county facilities director said he'd refer me to other departments though, so hopefully it leads to future work even without a direct recovery here.