Official UK procurement notice
Northern Ireland Audit Office - Financial Audit Services
Authority: Northern Ireland Audit Office (Public body)
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNorthern Ireland Audit Office is tendering for Suppliers to provide external financial audit services to the Authority.
CPV: Accounting and auditing services
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value (£1,980,000 together) · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Health ServicesAwardedRenewalPublished value£852,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #2Health ServicesAwardedRenewalPublished value£559,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #3Central GovernmentAwardedRenewalPublished value£363,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #4Central GovernmentAwardedRenewalPublished value£206,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published award criteria (3)
- Price
- Quality
- Social Value
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 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- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 17 Dec 2025, 16:40 GMT
- Last source update
- 23 Jun 2026, 09:30 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 15 May 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-027311- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f852Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 24 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 10 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
17 Dec 2025 → 1 Nov 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published307 days ago17 Dec 2025, 16:40 GMT
- Market engagement283 days ago9 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
The NIAO would like to invite potential suppliers to submit any questions they may have on the process to ([email protected] ). Once 9th January 2026 has passed, the NIAO will collate all questions and answers to them and post this information on its website. All questions and their answers will be anonymised and no commercially sensitive information will be shared. The NIAO will not respond specifically to the individual/firm which posted the question. The NIAO will publish its response to queries as soon as possible and hopes to do this by 16th January 2026.
The NIAO would also like to seek views from suppliers on the content and structure of the suggested lots attached to this notice. At this stage in the process the NIAO has not decided on the content or structure of the lots or on the number of lots. Any views on the lots should be submitted to the email address above and by the deadline above for consideration.
Following certification of central government accounts, the accounts need to be laid in the Assembly. They need to be laid before the Assembly summer recess. For the 2026-27 year, whilst dates are not confirmed yet, it is likely to be 2nd July. This applies to all options set out here.
Option 1: Possible Audit Lots and Number of accounts per body
Lot 1
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust - 3 accounts (main Trust account, Patients' and residents' Money account and Charitable Trust account)
Northern Ireland Statistics Agency - 1 account
NI Environment Agency - 1 account
Lot 2
Business Services Organisation - 1 account
General Consumer Council - 1 account
Labour Relations Agency - 1 account
Lot 3
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust - 3 accounts (main Trust account, Patients' and residents' Money account and Charitable Trust account)
Health and Safety Executive NI - 1 account
NI Screen - 1 account
_
Option 2 : Possible Audit Lots and Number of accounts per body
Lot 1
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust - 3 accounts (main Trust account, Patients' and residents' Money account and Charitable Trust account)
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust - 3 accounts (main Trust account, Patients' and residents' Money account and Charitable Trust account)
Business Services Organisation - 1 account
Lot 2
General Consumer Council - 1 account
Labour Relations Agency - 1 account
Health and Safety Executive NI - 1 account
NI Screen - 1 account
Northern Ireland Statistics Agency - 1 account
NI Environment Agency - 1 account
_
Option 3: Possible Audit Lots and Number of accounts per body
Lot 1
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust - 3 accounts (main Trust account, Patients' and residents' Money account and Charitable Trust account)
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust - 3 accounts (main Trust account, Patients' and residents' Money account and Charitable Trust account)
Business Services Organisation - 1 account
Lot 2
General Consumer Council - 1 account
Northern Ireland Statistics Agency - 1 account
Labour Relations Agency - 1 account
Lot 3
Health and Safety Executive NI - 1 account
NI Screen - 1 account
NI Environment Agency - 1 account
- Tender notice published209 days ago25 Mar 2026, 13:05 GMT
- Clarification questions by193 days ago10 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline179 days ago24 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST
- Award decision expected by157 days ago15 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent155 days ago18 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends144 days ago28 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published119 days ago23 Jun 2026, 09:30 BST
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 12 days1 Nov 2026
Notice history
10 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 Dec 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published17 Dec 2025, 16:40 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published25 Mar 2026, 13:05 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £1,980,00025 Mar 2026, 13:05 GMTwas £1,982,000
- Status changed to active25 Mar 2026, 13:05 GMT
- Procurement method changed25 Mar 2026, 13:05 GMT
- Deadline published: 24 Apr 2026, 17:00 BST25 Mar 2026, 13:05 GMT
- Contract award notice published18 May 2026, 12:12 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete18 May 2026, 12:12 BST
- Contract signature expected5 Jun 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published23 Jun 2026, 09:30 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-12: 1 release · 17 Dec 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots2 awards | |||
| Sumer Accountants NI Ltd1 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2029 · up to 31 Oct 2031Extensions: 3 + 1 + 1 | £1,240,000 | 18 May 2026 | Awarded |
| AAB GROUP ACCOUNTANTS LIMITEDSME1 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2029 · up to 31 Oct 2031Extensions: 3 + 1 + 1 | £488,500 | 18 May 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Sumer Accountants NI Ltd
- Signed
- 16 Jun 2026
- Value
- £1,240,000
- Period
- 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2029 · up to 31 Oct 2031 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 3 + 1 + 1
Contract 2 · AAB GROUP ACCOUNTANTS LIMITEDSME
- Signed
- 16 Jun 2026
- Value
- £488,500
- Period
- 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Oct 2029 · up to 31 Oct 2031 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 3 + 1 + 1
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Health Services | 3final-stage tenders | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Health Services | 3final-stage tenders | 3 | 0 | — |
| 3 · Central Government | 5final-stage tenders | 4 | 0 | — |
| 4 · Central Government | 5final-stage tenders | 4 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice- AAB Group Accountants LtdAwarded supplier
- Sumer Accountants NI LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender