Kristen Smith 
ClearInfo has launched its Quick Start Audit Ready Applications Program to help the Department of Defense and other federal agencies address documentation issues identified in defense financial audits. Available on Amazon Web Services GovCloud (U.S.) and Amazon Marketplace through Carahsoft, the program provides a structured approach to digitization, artificial intelligence-based analytics and financial data integration, Carahsoft said Tuesday.
Why Was the Quick Start Developed?
The Quick Start ARAP is designed to strengthen documentation practices, system controls and financial process transparency in line with the DOD’s Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness mandate.
According to the DOD Office of Inspector General’s 2024 Financial Audit Report, all identified material weaknesses preventing a clean audit opinion were linked to inadequate supporting documentation. To address this issue, ClearInfo’s 90- to 120-day Quick Start program allows participating agencies to prototype the company’s Audit Ready Applications Platform.
At the end of the program, participating agencies will have one business process designed to maintain supporting documentation; will have undergone training on how to deploy and administer the Audit Ready Applications framework; and will have a customized enterprise blueprint and road map to resolve documentation-related weaknesses department-wide.
How Will It Improve DOD Financial Operations?
“A major financial audit challenge faced by the Department of Defense is the inability to connect and align structured and unstructured data,” said Ray Chance, chief technology officer at ClearInfo. He noted that the Quick Start program eliminates financial content silos and links transactional data with supporting documents. The approach, he added, enhances financial efficiency, asset accountability, and documentation quality to achieve “a positive, clean and unmodified audit outcome.”
The program is available through Carahsoft’s Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement V contracts, the Information Technology Enterprise Solutions – Software 2 contract or directly via the Amazon Marketplace.
“Carahsoft recognizes the growing need for DoD agencies to meet the statutory deadline, issued by the Secretary on 16 June 2025 outlining specific year-by-year actions across the Department — including the elimination of key material weaknesses by 31 December 2026,” said Ryon Williams, audit readiness vertical manager at Carahsoft.
