---
title: "North East Franchising Scheme Assessment Independent Audit"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05d5a0"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d5a0"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d5a0.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d5a0.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "NORTH EAST COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2025-12-04"
---

# North East Franchising Scheme Assessment Independent Audit

Buyer: NORTH EAST COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05d5a0

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## Summary

The North East Combined Authority, located in Newcastle Upon Tyne, is progressing with a tender under the Open procedure for the independent audit of its Bus Franchising Scheme Assessment. The procurement is focusing on auditing services, with the tender ID OPEN20251872, under the CPV classification 79212000. This contract relates to a scheduled independent audit of the Franchising Scheme Assessment, a project initiated with approval from the North East Mayor and Cabinet on 30 July 2024. The audit will analyse the affordability, value for money, and quality of the assessment. Tender submissions must be completed electronically by 16 January 2026, with final awarding expected by 27 February 2026. The contract is anticipated to commence on 4 March 2026 and will last until 4 June 2026, with a budget allocation of £300,000.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in auditing services, particularly those capable of offering high-quality consultancy for public sector audits. As the Authority seeks an auditor to assess its compliance with the Transport Act 2000, organisations experienced in public sector evaluations and SMEs are encouraged to apply. With a 70% emphasis on quality and 30% on price, the evaluation criteria favour businesses that can demonstrate superior performance and due diligence. The open procurement method allows a wide variety of organisations to participate, including VCSEs, thus fostering growth and expansion opportunities in the auditing field. These aspects make it ideal for consultancies looking to bolster their portfolio with a significant public contract within the United Kingdom.

## Notice

This opportunity is to enter into Contract(s) for Service with Provider(s) for an Independent Auditor of the North East Combined Authority's (North East CA) Bus Franchising Scheme Assessment. On 30 July 2024 the North East Mayor Kim McGuiness and Cabinet approved a project to undertake a Franchising Scheme Assessment (FSA) and the Authority is currently preparing an assessment of the proposed bus franchising scheme in accordance with section 123B of the Transport Act 2000 as amended by the Bus Services Act 2017 (the "Act"). The FSA is delivered collaboratively with partners across the region, supported by specialist consultants, with a cabinet decision on whether to proceed to Audit expected in March 2026. As part of meeting the requirements of the Act, if a decision is made to proceed to obtaining a report from an [auditor][independent approved person], the Authority will require a suitably qualified organisation (the "Auditor") to undertake an audit of the Assessment and to provide an opinion in relation to the following areas required by section 123D of the Act: * Whether the information relied on by the Authority in considering the matters referred to in section 123B(3)(d) of the Act (the affordability of the scheme) or section 123B(3)(e) of the Act (the value for money of the proposed scheme) is of sufficient quality; * Whether the analysis of that information in the Assessment is of sufficient quality; and * Whether the Authority had due regard to the Guidance issued under section 123B of the Act in preparing the Assessment. The objective of this project is to deliver an independent audit to the North East CA of the FSA in accordance with relevant requirements of the Act.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079553-2025 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 4 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 16 Jan 2026 |
| Future notice date | 5 Nov 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 4 Mar 2026 - 4 Jun 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £300,000 |
| Lots value | £300,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NORTH EAST COMBINED AUTHORITY |
| Locality | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Post town | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Postcode | NE4 5BZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside |
| Local authority | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Electoral ward | Arthur's Hill |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLC14 Durham, TLC2 Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79212000 - Auditing services

## Release History

- 4 Dec 2025 at 08:34 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079553-2025
- 28 Oct 2025 at 16:40 - PlanningUpdate - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069125-2025
- 28 Oct 2025 at 16:33 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069117-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079553-2025
  4th December 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069125-2025
  28th October 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069117-2025
  28th October 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- www.open-uk.org
  www.open-uk.org Open Reference Number OPEN20251872

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-05d5a0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d5a0.json.