External Financial Audit and Funding Assurance Services

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    "date": "2026-05-22T14:59:44+01:00",
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                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028792-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-03-28T09:21:18Z",
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                "documentType": "plannedProcurementNotice",
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    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-11444362",
            "name": "National Oceanography Centre",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "11444362"
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            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "National Oceanography Centre",
                "locality": "Southampton",
                "postalCode": "SO14 3ZH",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKJ32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "George-Oliver Matthews",
                "email": "tenders@noc.ac.uk",
                "telephone": "+447718937503"
            },
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                "url": "https://noc.ac.uk/",
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    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-COH-11444362",
        "name": "National Oceanography Centre"
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    "tender": {
        "id": "2026PRNOC-1083",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "External Financial Audit and Funding Assurance Services",
        "description": "The National Oceanography Centre intends to procure external financial audit and funding assurance services to support its statutory, regulatory, and funder assurance obligations. The requirement is expected to include the external audit of the National Oceanography Centre's annual financial statements, together with assurance and certification services in relation to externally funded programmes, grants, and research activities. Services may also include associated reporting, attendance at governance or audit committee meetings, and the provision of audit opinions and assurance reports in accordance with applicable accounting, audit, and regulatory standards. The procurement may additionally include related statutory or regulatory support activities that are commonly delivered as part of an external audit engagement, such as assistance with financial filings to external regulators and funders, and support in relation to audit planning, risk assessment, and control-based audit approaches. This notice is published to provide early visibility of the National Oceanography Centre's intention to procure these services. It does not constitute a call for competition.",
        "status": "planned",
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                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79211200",
                        "description": "Compilation of financial statements services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79212100",
                        "description": "Financial auditing services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79212200",
                        "description": "Internal audit services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79212300",
                        "description": "Statutory audit services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79212500",
                        "description": "Accounting review services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79221000",
                        "description": "Tax consultancy services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79222000",
                        "description": "Tax-return preparation services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKJ32",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKJ32",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
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                "relatedLot": "1"
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        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure",
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "submissionMethodDetails": "The National Oceanography Centre intends to conduct the procurement electronically. Suppliers must be registered on the e-tendering platform at: https://www.mytenders.co.uk Interested suppliers should ensure that they are fully registered on both the e-tendering platform and the Central Digital Platform (CDP) in advance of the tender being published. Once registered, suppliers who wish to be notified of the tender launch should email tenders@noc.ac.uk confirming their interest. Suppliers who have expressed interest in this way will be notified when the tender is launched. Further instructions for submitting tenders will be provided in the procurement documents at the point of tender launch.",
        "submissionTerms": {
            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
            "languages": [
                "en"
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        },
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-12-04T12:00:00Z"
        },
        "enquiryPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-11-13T12:00:00Z"
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        "awardPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2027-01-15T23:59:59Z"
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                "id": "1",
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                "selectionCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "economic",
                            "description": "The National Oceanography Centre intends to apply proportionate legal and financial capacity conditions of participation that are appropriate to the nature, scale and risk of the external financial audit and funding assurance services. Conditions of participation may include requirements for bidders to confirm that they are legally constituted, professionally competent, and appropriately authorised to deliver external audit and assurance services in accordance with applicable professional, regulatory and ethical standards. Bidders may be required to demonstrate financial standing and organisational capacity through proportionate means, such as declarations or summary financial information. The National Oceanography Centre does not intend to require the submission of audited accounts as a condition of participation. The National Oceanography Centre does not intend to require bidders to hold or evidence specific levels of insurance prior to contract award. Any insurance requirements will be confirmed prior to contract commencement and set out in the procurement documents. The final legal and financial capacity conditions will be specified in the procurement documents and applied in a manner consistent with the Procurement Act 2023."
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "technical",
                            "description": "The National Oceanography Centre intends to apply proportionate technical ability conditions of participation that are appropriate to the nature, complexity and regulatory requirements of external financial audit and funding assurance services. Conditions of participation may include requirements for bidders to demonstrate relevant technical experience in delivering external financial audit and grant or programme assurance services to public sector, publicly funded, or comparable organisations. Where reference is made to specific professional qualifications, standards, frameworks or regulatory requirements, the National Oceanography Centre will accept equivalent qualifications, standards or frameworks that demonstrate an equivalent level of technical competence, professional assurance and regulatory compliance. Bidders may be required to demonstrate experience through proportionate evidence such as descriptions of relevant contracts, summaries of similar services delivered, and confirmation of access to suitably qualified and experienced personnel. The final technical ability conditions of participation will be set out in the procurement documents and applied in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023."
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "economic",
                            "description": "The National Oceanography Centre intends to apply proportionate legal and financial capacity conditions of participation that are appropriate to the nature, scale and risk of the external financial audit and funding assurance services. Conditions of participation may include requirements for bidders to confirm that they are legally constituted, professionally competent, and appropriately authorised to deliver external audit and assurance services in accordance with applicable professional, regulatory and ethical standards. Bidders may be required to demonstrate financial standing and organisational capacity through proportionate means, such as declarations or summary financial information. The National Oceanography Centre does not intend to require the submission of audited accounts as a condition of participation. The National Oceanography Centre does not intend to require bidders to hold or evidence specific levels of insurance prior to contract award. Any insurance requirements will be confirmed prior to contract commencement and set out in the procurement documents. The final legal and financial capacity conditions will be specified in the procurement documents and applied in a manner consistent with the Procurement Act 2023."
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "technical",
                            "description": "The National Oceanography Centre intends to apply proportionate technical ability conditions of participation that are appropriate to the nature, complexity and regulatory requirements of external financial audit and funding assurance services. Conditions of participation may include requirements for bidders to demonstrate relevant technical experience in delivering external financial audit and grant or programme assurance services to public sector, publicly funded, or comparable organisations. Where reference is made to specific professional qualifications, standards, frameworks or regulatory requirements, the National Oceanography Centre will accept equivalent qualifications, standards or frameworks that demonstrate an equivalent level of technical competence, professional assurance and regulatory compliance. Bidders may be required to demonstrate experience through proportionate evidence such as descriptions of relevant contracts, summaries of similar services delivered, and confirmation of access to suitably qualified and experienced personnel. The final technical ability conditions of participation will be set out in the procurement documents and applied in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023."
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2027-02-01T00:00:00Z",
                    "endDate": "2031-01-31T23:59:59Z",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2032-01-31T23:59:59Z"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "renewal": {
                    "description": "The National Oceanography Centre may include extensions within the proposed contract to provide flexibility over the duration of services. Options may include the ability to extend the contract term beyond the initial period, for example by one or more extension periods, to ensure continuity of statutory audit and assurance services across financial years."
                },
                "hasOptions": true,
                "options": {
                    "description": "The National Oceanography Centre may include options within the proposed contract to provide flexibility over scope, duration and delivery of services. Optional services that can be called off where required, such as additional grant or programme assurance work, ad hoc assurance reporting for new or amended funding streams, or related statutory or regulatory support that is ancillary to the external financial audit and funding assurance services. Any options would be exercised where there is an ongoing or emerging organisational, regulatory or funder requirement, where continuity of audit knowledge is required, or where it represents value for money and operational efficiency for the National Oceanography Centre."
                }
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-11-01T23:59:59Z"
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        "hasRecurrence": true,
        "recurrence": {
            "dates": [
                {
                    "startDate": "2031-01-01T23:59:59Z"
                },
                {
                    "startDate": "2030-11-01T23:59:59Z"
                }
            ]
        },
        "amendments": [
            {
                "id": "048052-2026",
                "description": "This notice updates the previously communicated timetable for procurement 2026PRNOC-1083. The contracting authority has revised its intended commencement date for the tender, which is now planned for November 2026. This change has been made to align the procurement approach with forthcoming updates to the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), expected to apply from 2027. Aligning the timing ensures that the specification, evaluation, and resulting contract appropriately reflect the evolving financial reporting and audit framework. No other material changes are made at this stage. Further details will be issued in line with the revised timetable Or subsequent notices."
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en"
}