--- title: "Pre-Market Engagement - Provision of Internal Audit Services" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Bedford College" published: "2026-08-19" --- # Pre-Market Engagement - Provision of Internal Audit Services Buyer: Bedford College Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c.json) ## Summary Bedford College is preparing to procure internal audit services for the College and its subsidiaries. The anticipated requirement is a risk-based internal audit service, including annual audit planning, reporting to the Audit Committee and advisory support when required. This is a professional financial governance and assurance service, classified under CPV 79212200 (internal audit services). Delivery is described as taking place across the United Kingdom. The engagement is intended to help the College explain its requirements, obtain feedback on the proposed scope and approach, and shape a future procurement for a high-quality, cost-effective service. Bedford College is the buying organisation and is proceeding under the Procurement Act 2023 and associated regulations. The process is at the planning stage and is currently a preliminary market engagement, not an invitation to tender, request for quotation or call for competition. The buyer expects to conduct the engagement by 2 September 2026 and anticipates a subsequent notice on 2 November 2026. The planned contract period is 11 January to 11 March 2027. The procurement is intended to be below the applicable threshold, and the recorded procurement value is £0 GBP. One planned lot covers the internal audit service. Participation in the engagement will not confer an advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement. The engagement is being used to test and refine the proposed scope and procurement approach before the market process is formed. This will suit internal audit firms and specialist assurance providers able to deliver a risk-based programme across a further-education college and its subsidiary organisations. Relevant providers should be prepared to undertake annual audit planning, produce clear reports for an Audit Committee and provide practical advisory support alongside scheduled audit work. The requirement is likely to favour teams with experience of public-sector governance, audit planning, risk assessment, committee reporting and operating across more than one related legal entity. Smaller businesses and voluntary, community or social enterprises are identified as suitable for the planned lot. Providers can use the engagement to explain how they would deliver a high-quality, cost-effective service and to comment constructively on the proposed scope and approach. ## Notice Bedford College is undertaking a pre-market engagement (PME) exercise ahead of a planned procurement for the provision of internal audit services. The purpose of this engagement is to inform potential providers of the College's requirements, gather market feedback on the proposed scope and approach, and help shape a procurement process that secures a high-quality and cost-effective service. The anticipated scope includes the delivery of a risk-based internal audit service across the College and its subsidiaries, annual audit planning, reporting to the Audit Committee, and advisory support as required. This engagement is for market consultation purposes only and is not an invitation to tender, request for quotation, or call for competition. Participation in this engagement will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement process ### Planning Information The Contracting Authority will conduct the procurement in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the associated regulations, ensuring compliance with the statutory objectives. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078839-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 19 Aug 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 2 Nov 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 11 Jan 2027 - 11 Mar 2027 | | 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 | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | Bedford College | | Locality | BEDFORD | | Postcode area | Milton Keynes | | Postcode | MK42 9AH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLH East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLH24 Bedford | | Local authority | Bedford | | Electoral ward | Cauldwell | | Westminster constituency | Bedford | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79212200 - Internal audit services ## Release History - 19 Aug 2026 at 10:39 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078839-2026 - 12 Aug 2026 at 09:57 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076535-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078839-2026 19th August 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076535-2026 12th August 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## 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-06e20c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e20c.json.