DFE - FE Colleges -The Provision of Internal Audit Services for the FE Colleges in NI

{
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-PPON-PYHR-1413-WQYX",
    "name": "South Eastern Regional College"
  },
  "date": "2025-07-03T14:31:29+01:00",
  "id": "037146-2025",
  "initiationType": "tender",
  "language": "en",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-055861",
  "parties": [
    {
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Newtownards",
        "postalCode": "BT23 7EH",
        "region": "UKN09",
        "streetAddress": "Victoria Avenue"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "description": "Public authority - central government",
            "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE"
          },
          {
            "description": "Northern Irish devolved regulations apply",
            "id": "GB-NIR",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS"
          }
        ],
        "url": "https://www.serc.ac.uk/"
      },
      "id": "GB-PPON-PYHR-1413-WQYX",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "PYHR-1413-WQYX",
        "scheme": "GB-PPON"
      },
      "name": "South Eastern Regional College",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ]
    },
    {
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Belfast",
        "postalCode": "BT3 9ED",
        "region": "UKN06",
        "streetAddress": "303 Airport Road West"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk"
      },
      "details": {
        "url": "https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/topics/procurement"
      },
      "id": "GB-PPON-PVWG-8426-YWXV",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "PVWG-8426-YWXV",
        "scheme": "GB-PPON"
      },
      "name": "CPD - Supplies \u0026 Services Division",
      "roleDetails": "Construction and Procurement Delivery \u2013 Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland.",
      "roles": [
        "procuringEntity",
        "processContactPoint"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tag": [
    "tender"
  ],
  "tender": {
    "aboveThreshold": true,
    "awardPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2025-09-01T23:59:59+01:00"
    },
    "contractTerms": {
      "financialTerms": "Contract Value \nThe estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage. Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority. "
    },
    "coveredBy": [
      "GPA"
    ],
    "description": "South Eastern Regional College (SERC) on behalf of the six Regional Colleges in Northern Ireland (\u201cNI Colleges\u201d) wishes to appoint a single Supplier for the provision of Internal Audit Services.\nIn accordance with the Partnership Agreements between the Colleges and the Department of Finance\u2019s (DoF) Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Handbook (NI), all Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland are required to have an internal audit service.  The prime responsibility of the internal audit service is to provide the Governing Bodies, Accounting Officers and College management with assurance on the adequacy and effectiveness of the internal control system of each College.  \nEach College is required to ensure that it has sound systems of financial and other management controls. The principal objective of the internal audit service should be to review, appraise and report on the adequacy, reliability and effectiveness of the systems and controls established by management to ensure\n\u2022\tthe financial business of the College must be conducted in accordance with the arrangements and conditions set out in the Financial Memorandum;\n\u2022\tevery effort must be made to ensure that the College operates within its available funding;\n\u2022\tdue attention must be paid to the efficient and effective management of all the College\u2019s resources and expenditure, capital assets, equipment and staff so that public funds are not put at risk and that value for money and other financial considerations are taken into account in reaching decisions and in their execution;\n\u2022\tthe College must comply with such other relevant guidance/instructions on financial control as are issued by the Department from time to time; and\n\u2022\tthe College should formulate and implement a policy to ensure that its accounting and other procedures contain all reasonable safeguards against fraud and theft.\nSuppliers should refer to the Specification Schedule within eTendersNI for full detail on the deliverables of this contract.  ",
    "documents": [
      {
        "description": "Not published",
        "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
        "id": "conflictOfInterest"
      },
      {
        "datePublished": "2025-07-03T14:31:29+01:00",
        "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "tenderNotice",
        "format": "text/html",
        "id": "037146-2025",
        "noticeType": "UK4",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037146-2025"
      }
    ],
    "enquiryPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2025-08-01T15:00:00+01:00"
    },
    "hasRecurrence": true,
    "id": "ID 5934601",
    "items": [
      {
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "description": "Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security",
            "id": "79000000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          },
          {
            "description": "Accounting, auditing and fiscal services",
            "id": "79200000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          },
          {
            "description": "Accounting and auditing services",
            "id": "79210000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          },
          {
            "description": "Auditing services",
            "id": "79212000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          },
          {
            "description": "Internal audit services",
            "id": "79212200",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          }
        ],
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1"
      }
    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "scheme": "UKPGA",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
    },
    "lots": [
      {
        "awardCriteria": {
          "criteria": [
            {
              "description": "AC1 - Experience of Audit Team\nAC2 - Methodology \u2013 Audit Delivery\nAC3 - Methodology \u2013 Audit Strategy Plan\nAC4 - Contract Management/Continuous Improvement\nAC5 - Social Value \nThe Contracting Authority may during the process refine an award criterion in line with section 24 of the PA 2023. Where this is the case revised tender documentation will be provided to all suppliers clearly indicating any refinements made. ",
              "name": "Qualitative Criteria",
              "numbers": [
                {
                  "number": 70,
                  "weight": "percentageExact"
                }
              ],
              "type": "quality"
            },
            {
              "description": "AC6 - Total Contract Price ",
              "name": "Quantitative Criteria",
              "numbers": [
                {
                  "number": 30,
                  "weight": "percentageExact"
                }
              ],
              "type": "price"
            }
          ]
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
          "endDate": "2028-08-31T23:59:59+01:00",
          "maxExtentDate": "2030-08-31T23:59:59+01:00",
          "startDate": "2025-09-01T00:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "hasRenewal": true,
        "id": "1",
        "renewal": {
          "description": "There is the option to extend for a further two periods of up to twelve months each."
        },
        "selectionCriteria": {
          "criteria": [
            {
              "description": "As per the tender documents.",
              "type": "economic"
            },
            {
              "description": "As per the tender documents.",
              "type": "technical"
            }
          ]
        },
        "status": "active",
        "suitability": {
          "sme": true
        },
        "value": {
          "amount": 525000,
          "amountGross": 630000,
          "currency": "GBP"
        }
      }
    ],
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
    "procurementMethod": "open",
    "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure",
    "recurrence": {
      "dates": [
        {
          "startDate": "2030-05-27T23:59:59+01:00"
        }
      ]
    },
    "riskDetails": "Exclusions\nIf at any time during the procurement, or post award, it comes to the attention of the Contracting Authority (CA) or CPD, by whatever means, that a Supplier has become \u2018excluded\u2019 or \u2018excludable\u2019 as per Sec 57 of the PA 2023, the CA, after compliance with its obligations under the PA 23, reserves the right to exclude said Supplier from the procurement procedure or terminate any contract they have been awarded. \nThe Contracting Authority expressly reserves the rights:\n(I)\tnot to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice;\n(II)\tto make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering Competition;\n(III)\tto award (a) contract(s) in respect of any part(s) of the services covered by this notice; and\n(IV)\tto award contract(s) in stages.",
    "status": "active",
    "submissionMethodDetails": "Tenders must be submitted electronically via the  relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity  on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.\nPaper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.\nThe tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps",
    "submissionTerms": {
      "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
      "languages": [
        "en"
      ]
    },
    "tenderPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2025-08-11T15:00:00+01:00"
    },
    "title": "DFE - FE Colleges -The Provision of Internal Audit Services for the FE Colleges in NI",
    "value": {
      "amount": 525000,
      "amountGross": 630000,
      "currency": "GBP"
    }
  }
}