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Tenderpatch
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The appointment of Internal Auditors

First Garden Cities Homes

Planned

Key facts

Closing date
Not stated by the buyer
Buyer's estimated value
Not stated The buyer's own estimate, not income to you.
Contract period
1 Apr 2027 to 31 Mar 2030
Procedure
Not stated
Notice type
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)

Decision brief

Taken from the buyer's published notice (shown as written, shortened where long). Tenderpatch has not added to or interpreted it. Always read the official documents before bidding.

How bids will be scored
Not stated in the notice.
Conditions of participation (what you must show)
None published in the notice. They may be in the tender documents.
Contract length and extensions
1 Apr 2027 to 31 Mar 2030.
How to submit
Not stated in the notice.
Tender documents
No document links in the notice. Use the official notice link.
New to public tenders? Plain-English guide to this page
Framework
An agreement that sets terms for work the buyer may order later, often from several suppliers. The value shown usually covers the whole agreement, not one job.
Open for bids / closing date
You must submit by the closing date and time, normally through the buyer's own online portal. Late bids are normally refused.
Clarification questions
A deadline for asking the buyer questions about the tender. It is earlier than the closing date.
Conditions of participation
What the buyer asks suppliers to show before they can be considered, such as experience, insurance or accreditations.
Bids are scored on
How the buyer will compare bids, usually a split between price and quality. A 60/40 split in favour of quality means the cheapest bid will not necessarily win.
Lots
A tender can be split into parts. You can often bid for only the lots that suit you.
Area (ITL)
The buyer names an official statistical area for where the work is, not a street address. Check the tender documents for the actual sites.
UK4 and other notice codes
Official codes for the type of notice. A "tender notice" means bids are being invited.

General explanations written by Tenderpatch, not part of this notice.

Description

First Garden Cities Homes (FGCH), a Registered Provider of Social Housing based in Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, intends to appoint a firm to act as its outsourced internal audit function from 1 April 2027. The current contract reaches its natural end on 31/03/2027. The appointed firm will report to FGCH's Audit & Risk Committee and provide independent, objective assurance over governance, risk management and internal control. The services include a risk-based strategic and annual internal audit plan, delivery of the agreed programme of reviews, follow-up of agreed actions through a recommendation tracker, attendance at Audit & Risk Committee meetings as required, support to counter-fraud arrangements, and an annual internal audit opinion timed to inform the Board's annual assurance to the Regulator of Social Housing. The contract will run for three years, with an option to extend once by a further two years. It will be a rate-based engagement: FGCH will appoint a team at a single composite day rate, with the volume of work commissioned annually by the Audit & Risk Committee. Following the regulatory judgement issued to FGCH in 2025, the Committee has set an elevated assurance requirement. The programme will therefore be broader in the next three years than is typical for a Registered Provider of FGCH's size, but it is expected to reduce in years 4 and 5 if an extension is agreed. The Procurement Act 2023 requires that consideration be given to dividing all contracts into lots. This contract will not be divided into lots. Internal audit must produce a single, integrated opinion on FGCH's framework of governance, risk management and control, from one audit provider. FGCH intends to use the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined in s.20 of the Act comprising a written tender stage open to all suppliers, followed by a scored presentation to the selection panel, made up of Audit & Risk Committee members, for the highest-ranked tenderers. There will be no negotiation.