Find a TenderAwarded
Published 26 Jan 2026, 15:17 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

External Audit Services · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: SRUC

ServicesOpen procedureSME suitable
Published estimate£450,000exc. VAT14.5% above published estimate
Submissions closed 17 Mar 2026awarded 5 May 2026
Awarded to RSM UK Audit LLP

What is being bought

Published requirement description

SRUC is a distinctive tertiary education institution with a national mission to support Scotland’s rural economy and address global challenges in food, nutrition , and environmental sustainability. Operating across education, research, and consultancy, SRUC plays a unique role at the intersection of academic excellence, applied research, and industry engagement.

SRUC seek to appoint a service provider to deliver external audit services to SRUC which will include:

  1. Provide an opinion on the financial statements of the SRUC group of companies, in line with Company Law, Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS102), The Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, Regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) and the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) relating to Higher Education Institutions;
  2. Provide an opinion, where required, to be included in the independent auditor’s report to the SRUC Board regarding SRUC’s various funding streams and their use (including, but not limited to funds received from the Scottish Government, and the Scottish Funding Council). The wording of this opinion must meet any requirements of Financial Memoranda or contracts;
  3. Provide reports (including the auditor’s report to those charged with governance and management letter) to senior management and the SRUC Audit and Risk Committee. This requirement includes attendance and presentation of reports and findings at Committee meetings.
  • Recurrence: Every 3 to 5 years

CPV: Accounting and auditing services · Auditing services · Financial auditing services · Statutory audit services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Full details can be found in Schedule 2 of the Invitation to Tender documentAwardedRenewal
Delivery: Scotland · SRUC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG
Extensions: The contract will commence on or around 13 April 2026 for a period of 36 months, with the possibility of two extensions of 12 months by mutual agreement, unless the contract is terminated earlier, in accordance with the provisions of the Terms and Conditions of Contract as noted in Schedule 9 of this tender.Variant bids: not allowed

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
Quality: 80%Price: 20%
Published sub-criteria (8)
  • 1. Organisational Experience and Contract Management: 10%
  • 2. Contract Proposal: 20%
  • 3. Supplier Delivery Team: 10%
  • 4. Independence, Ethics, and Regulatory Compliance: 10%
  • 5. Added value, Sector insights, and Continuous Improvement: 10%
  • 6. Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity: 5%
  • 7. Short List Interview: 15%
  • price: 20%
Published award criteria (8)
  • 1. Organisational Experience and Contract Management: 10
  • 2. Contract Proposal: 20
  • 3. Supplier Delivery Team: 10
  • 4. Independence, Ethics, and Regulatory Compliance: 10
  • 5. Added value, Sector insights, and Continuous Improvement: 10
  • 6. Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity: 5
  • 7. Short List Interview: 15
  • Price: 20
Conditions of participation1
  • Suitability

    Each Tenderer must complete and submit along with their tender the Single Procurement Document (Scotland) (SPD). The SPD sets Minimum Standards that suppliers must achieve. Within each submitted SPD response, Tenderers should note the following selection criteria:

    That their insurance cover meets the following levels:

    • Employer’s Compulsory Liability Insurance (GBP 10 million)
    • Professional Indemnity Insurance (GBP 5 million)
    • Public Liability Insurance (GBP 10 million)

    SPD submissions will be evaluated on a pass / fail basis. Only those suppliers that have passed the SPD will have their tender submission evaluated.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Yes · Every 3 to 5 years
First published
26 Jan 2026, 15:17 GMT
Last source update
5 May 2026, 09:08 BST
Award evaluation window
17 Mar 2026 – …
Authority reference
27301
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-040805
Classification (CPV)
Accounting and auditing servicesAuditing servicesFinancial auditing servicesStatutory audit services
Delivery area
Scotland (UKM75)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060ecb Find a Tender
Contract terms
Electronic trading
e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment

Publisher note: (SC Ref:831018)

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: Public Contracts Scotland · Who buys & how to bid on PCS
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free single registration for Scotland; PCS-Tender (Jaggaer) for full bidding
Submission deadline
17 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages
en
Participation fee
document
Bid validity
270 days from the deadline
Bids opened
17 Mar 2026, 12:30 GMT
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

16 Feb 2026 → 5 May 2026 · 4 dates
  1. Next notice expected248 days ago
    16 Feb 2026
  2. Submission deadline219 days ago
    17 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
  3. Bids opened219 days ago
    17 Mar 2026, 12:30 GMT
  4. Notice published170 days ago
    5 May 2026, 09:08 BST

Notice history

4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 12 Feb 2026
  1. Status changed to active
    12 Feb 2026, 15:16 GMT
  2. Procurement method changed
    12 Feb 2026, 15:16 GMT
  3. Deadline published: 17 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
    12 Feb 2026, 15:16 GMT
  4. Status changed to complete
    5 May 2026, 09:08 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £515,1751 contract exc. VAT
Bids received 42 from SMEs
Contracts signed 1latest 5 May 2026
Awarded toValueDateStatus
RSM UK Audit LLP£515,175 †—Awarded

Contracts

  • Contract 040805-2026-27301-1 · RSM UK Audit LLP

    Signed
    5 May 2026
    Value
    £515,175
    Status
    active

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
4bids · 4 electronic2——

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

SRUC

Contracting authorityHigher Education, Further Education, Research and ConsultancyHigher Education, Further Education, Research and Consultancy Peter Wilson Building , Kings Buildings West Mains Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 3JGContact email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • The Sheriff CourtReview body Edinburgh

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • RSM UK Audit LLPAwarded supplier 6th Floor, 25 Farringdon Street, London, UK, EC4A 4ABContact phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Economic and financial selection criteriatenderEconomic and financial selection criteria
  • Technical selection criteriatenderTechnical selection criteria