STATE AUDIT OFFICE OF GEORGIA

State Budget and Strategic Analysis Department

The main tasks of the department are to identify systemic problems in public finance management and to provide legislative and executive authorities with appropriate solutions; Coordinate and monitor strategic and operational planning at the State Audit Office, as well as improve business processes; Deepen cooperation with overseas countries and international supreme audit institutions, as well as with donors.

The department carries out its tasks through the following divisions:

The State Budget Analysis Division prepares the reports of the State Audit Office on the state of budget execution and annual reports, as well as the opinion on the draft law on state budget; Investigates the risky areas and the systemic shortcomings in public finance management and issues relevant recommendations; Prepares analytical-research publications; Manages analytical web platform – Budget Monitor.

The Strategic Analysis Division coordinates the annual audit planning of the State Audit Office; Monitors the implementation of the annual audit plan; Analyzes the state of implementation of audit recommendations and systematizes them; Prepares strategic and action plans of the State Audit Office; as well as annual performance report of the State Audit Office to the Parliament of Georgia.

International and Donor Relations Division develops partnerships with international and local partner donor organizations; Establishes a long-term fundraising strategy, conducts fundraising and develops grant proposals; Prepares cooperation agreements, including memoranda and contracts; Prepares publications to share best practices; Coordinates international activities of the organization.

Tsotne Karkashadze

Tsotne Karkashadze

Head of Department

Tsotne Karkashadze has been working at the State Audit Office since 2013.

He is heading the State Budget and Strategic Analysis Department from 2019. In 2018, he was the deputy head of the same department. In 2016-2018, he served as head of the State Budget Analysis Division. In 2013-2016, he worked first as an analyst, then as senior and chief analyst at the same division.

Tsotne Karkashadze is the author of numerous publications on public finance and budgeting. He was also actively involved in the creation of the State Audit Office's innovative web platform - Budget Monitor, launched in March 2017.

Tsotne Karkashadze holds a Master's Degree in Economics from the International School of Economics (ISET) in 2013. Currently, he is a PhD student at Tbilisi State University in Business Administration.

He speaks English and Russian besides native Georgian.