External Quality Reviews

As part of its quality assurance arrangements the NAO commissions independent quality assurance reviews of the technical rigour, methodological robustness, quality of argumentation and presentation of evidence in its VFM reports and other publications. Examples of reports are available on our website www.nao.org.uk. The range and variety of types of our outputs is continually evolving. The NAO continues to develop the range of products that it produces in order meet the needs of Parliament, and to make best use of its knowledge. Over the period of the contract, further changes to the style, content and structure of reports may be made and service providers will need to engage with the NAO in order to respond to changes to criteria. The NAO requires the following quality reviews to be carried out: • a total of 20 reviews per year of individual NAO products (number to be shared between the successful suppliers). Reviews of individual NAO products - these reviews generate a written report, commenting against an agreed set of criteria, within four weeks from receipt by you of an electronic version of the NAO draft report. The NAO intends to award two or three contracts for this quality assurance work, the exact allocation of which products to be reviewed will be at the discretion of the NAO. Each contract will consist of product reviews of 6-10 (depending on number of successful suppliers, minimum of 2, maximum of 3 suppliers) published non financial audit products per year, plus or minus 1, within four weeks of receiving each one, using an agreed set of evaluative criteria. In addition each contractor will be expected to complete an overall organisational review every year based on what they have learnt and seen in the NAO’s work. The Contractor will be required to conduct reviews of individual NAO products working to an agreed set of evaluative criteria and to discuss conclusions of the reviews with NAO study teams and senior staff as required.