PSAA has today launched a major procurement of audit services for local government bodies. The aim is to enable independent auditor appointments to all of the local bodies that opt in to PSAA’s national scheme for the five-year period spanning audits of the financial years 2023/2024 to 2027/2028. The procurement is designed to encourage and support the development of a more sustainable market for local government audit services.
Interested suppliers are invited to submit a completed selection questionnaire by noon on 18 March 2022. Shortlisted potential suppliers will be invited to submit tenders by noon on 11 July 2022. Contract award is expected during August 2022 to enable auditor appointments to bodies by 31 December 2022.
PSAA is also inviting audit suppliers to join its dynamic purchasing system (DPS), which will be a new option to procure audit services for opted-in bodies during the next contract period. It will ensure suppliers have more frequent opportunities to enter the market or to expand their portfolios, increasing available capacity and choice. Interested suppliers can apply to join the DPS using the same completed selection questionnaire as in their response to the main procurement.
Both opportunities have been published on Contracts Finder and the FindATender service (find out more on our procurement update page).
Over 200 eligible bodies have already decided to opt into PSAA’s scheme, with a further 95 signalling their intention to do so. PSAA’s is confident that a high proportion of eligible bodies will again opt to join its scheme (98% opted in for the appointing period spanning 2018/19 to 2022/23). The deadline for eligible bodies to accept the opt-in invitation is 11 March 2022.
Steve Freer, PSAA Chair said:
Given the well documented challenges facing local audit, this is a critically important procurement. For PSAA it represents the conclusion of a year’s intensive work. We have consulted widely and listened carefully to the views and ideas of local bodies, the market and partners in the local audit system. Our focus throughout has been to try to develop the best possible procurement approach which will meet the sector’s needs and be attractive to both new and existing suppliers. As well as enabling auditor appointments to local bodies throughout the country, we hope that the procurement will help to stabilise the local audit system and place it on a more sustainable footing going forward.”