External Financial Audit and Funding Assurance Services

What the buyer is asking for

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.

What you must already have

Conditions of participation. These are pass or fail, so check them before writing anything.

• economic

  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.

• technical

  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.

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 525 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published122 days ago

   22 May 2026, 14:59 BST
2. Clarification questions byin 53 days

   13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
3. Submission deadlinein 74 days

   4 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
4. Award decision expected byin 116 days

   15 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender

1. Pipeline or early engagement notice28 Mar 2026, 09:21 GMT028792-2026
2. Notice published22 May 2026, 14:59 BST048052-2026