Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department of Finance DoF
303 Airport Road West
BELFAST
BT3 9ED
Contact
SSDAdmin.CPDfinance-ni.gov.uk
SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Buyer's address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.1) Name and addresses
Northern Ireland Audit Office NIAO
106 University Street
Belfast
BT7 1EU
SSDAdmin.CPD@finance-ni.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKN - Northern Ireland
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Buyer's address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
ID 4771087 - DoF - NIAO - Provision of External Audit Services
Reference number
4771087
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79212000 - Auditing services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Client is seeking to appoint a Contractor to provide an external audit service for the NIAO. The Contract shall cover the audit of the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 Resource Accounts, with the option of extending annually to cover the 2026-27 and 2027-28 accounts. The Contract will also cover examinations of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the use of resources by NIAO in the same periods where required.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £89,755
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 79212200 - Internal audit services
- 79200000 - Accounting, auditing and fiscal services
- 79210000 - Accounting and auditing services
- 79212300 - Statutory audit services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN - Northern Ireland
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Client is seeking to appoint a Contractor to provide an external audit service for the NIAO. The Contract shall cover the audit of the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 Resource Accounts, with the option of extending annually to cover the 2026-27 and 2027-28 accounts. The Contract will also cover examinations of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the use of resources by NIAO in the same periods where required.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: AC1 Audit Manager Experience / Weighting: 14.4
Quality criterion - Name: AC2 Staff Assigned to Perform the Contract Experience / Weighting: 16
Quality criterion - Name: AC3 Proposed Methodology Financial Audit / Weighting: 16.8
Quality criterion - Name: AC4 Proposed Methodology VFM / Weighting: 3
Quality criterion - Name: AC5 Proposed Contract Management including contingency arrangements / Weighting: 6
Quality criterion - Name: AC6 Social Value / Weighting: 10.2
Cost criterion - Name: Daily Rate / Weighting: 40
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
An initial contract period of 3 years with the option to extend for 2 further 1 year periods.
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2023/S 000-017213
four.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
1
Title
ID 4771087 - DoF - NIAO - Provision of External Audit Services
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 September 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 2
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 2
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
SCC Chartered Accountants
17 College Street, Armagh
Armagh
BT61 9BT
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
Internet address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £89,755
Total value of the contract/lot: £89,755
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The successful Contractor’s performance on this Contract will be managed as per the specification and conditions of contract.. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a. contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified... time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in CPD for. further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be. regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance and this.. Contract may be terminated. A central register of such Notices for supplies and services contracts will be maintained and published on. the CPD website. Any contractor in receipt of a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance will be required to declare this in future tender. submissions for a period of three years from the date of issue of the Notice. It may also result in the contractor being excluded from all. procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland. Procurement Policy.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead; any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended
UK
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
CPD complied with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended).. and incorporated a standstill period (i.e. a minimum of 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award was communicated. to. tenderers that notification provided full information on the award decision. This provided time for the unsuccessful tenderers to. challenge. the award decision before the framework was entered into.