Tender

CARD Financial service - Panel for Forensic Accounting and Audit & Assurance, including post 16 funding audit

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

31 Jan 2025 at 15:17

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is initiating a public procurement process titled "CARD Financial service - Panel for Forensic Accounting and Audit & Assurance, including post 16 funding audit" in the Financial auditing services industry category. This procurement covers varied geographical locations, including British Overseas Territories, Channel Islands, Europe, Isle of Man, Rest of the World, and the United Kingdom. The procurement is currently at the Tender stage, with key dates including the tender period ending on 3rd March 2025, and the contract period running from 8th April 2025 to 31st March 2028. The procurement method is an open procedure, which is below the threshold, making it accessible for smaller organisations.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses, particularly SMEs and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), to expand their services within the public sector. The procurement is divided into three lots, each targeting different aspects of financial auditing and assurance: post-16 funding audits, combined pre- and post-16 assurance reviews, and forensic accounting services. Businesses with expertise in auditing, particularly those familiar with funding rules for various education programmes, forensic accounting, and investigation support services, would be well-suited to compete. Successful bidders will benefit from long-term contracts and the potential to build a strong portfolio within the education sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

CARD Financial service - Panel for Forensic Accounting and Audit & Assurance, including post 16 funding audit

Notice Description

This is a BAU procurement for audit capacity to support our annual assurance programme and Investigation support. We need 3 different "lots". Lot 1 to cover the annual programme of outsourced post-16 funding assurance reviews (post-16 funding audits). We will seek a panel of up to 5 audit firms to deliver this for us, with outputs being an audit report using the DFE/ESFA assurance tests and an audit opinion from the firms. These require detailed knowledge and experience of post-16 funding rules applicable to funding paid for adult skills,16-19 study packages or apprenticeships training. Lot 2 to cover the combined post-16 and pre-16 general assurance reviews and frameworks support. We will seek up to 10 firms to work with across both the pre-16 and post-16 sector. For this lot before we allocate work to firm(s) we will select the firm most able to deliver the services required through a mini-competition / rota to secure best value and to ensure the specific sector skills and expertise is demonstrated. Lot 3 to provide suitable firms capable of delivering forensic accounting and investigation support services nationally. We will seek up to 10 suppliers who will be awarded work on a rota basis. The output for this work will be an evidence-based findings report which can be shared with the provider in scope.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4c9437f7-6e87-4708-aff3-e5ecf4b3e900
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure (below threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79212100 - Financial auditing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jan 20251 years ago
Submission Deadline
3 Mar 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
7 Apr 2025 - 31 Mar 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SHEFFIELD
Postcode
S1 2FJ
Post Town
Sheffield
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE3 South Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE32 Sheffield
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Sheffield
Electoral Ward
City
Westminster Constituency
Sheffield Central

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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