--- title: "CARD Financial service - Panel for Forensic Accounting and Audit & Assurance, including post 16 funding audit" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION" published: "2025-01-31" --- # CARD Financial service - Panel for Forensic Accounting and Audit & Assurance, including post 16 funding audit Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83.json) ## Summary 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. ## Notice 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. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4c9437f7-6e87-4708-aff3-e5ecf4b3e900 | | 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 | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 31 Jan 2025 | | Submission deadline | 3 Mar 2025 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 7 Apr 2025 - 31 Mar 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION | | Locality | SHEFFIELD | | Post town | Sheffield | | Postcode | S1 2FJ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE3 South Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE32 Sheffield | | Local authority | Sheffield | | Electoral ward | City | | Westminster constituency | Sheffield Central | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79212100 - Financial auditing services ## Release History - 31 Jan 2025 at 15:17 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4c9437f7-6e87-4708-aff3-e5ecf4b3e900 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4c9437f7-6e87-4708-aff3-e5ecf4b3e900 31st January 2025 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://education.app.jaggaer.com/esop/toolkit/opportunity/ns/59406/detail.si?isOnModification=false&_ncp=1738333660163.1663483-2 Register to Project_9240 in Jaggaer to take part in the opportunity ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73c27d66-bbeb-48af-b5ef-491e5320ec83.json.