TEN/001 – PROVISION OF EXTERNAL AUDIT SERVICES
TENDER FOR CRAIGOWEN HOUSING ASSOCIATiON LIMITED
BACKGROUND
Craigowen Housing Association Limited “(Craigowen)” wishes to engage a service provider to provide external audit services.
Craigowen is registered with: -
- Registrar of Industrial and Provident Societies:IP 000174
- Department for Communities: R 27
- Charities Commission for Northern Ireland: NIC106082
Craigowen is a specialist housing organisation employing three members of staff, with total income of around £800,000 per annum and expenditure of around £700,000. It was set up to provide accommodation for adults with learning difficulties and their carers. Craigowen has twenty-five properties which were built or acquired by Housing Association Grant and leases a further sixteen properties from Camphill Communities Trust. Properties are located on three Camphill estates; Glencraig in Holywood, Mourne Grange in Kilkeel and Clanabogan in Omagh.
The Association is required to work within the regulatory framework for Northern Ireland Housing Associations which is the responsibility of the Department for Communities (DfC).
Craigowen wishes to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced auditor to provide External Audit Services.
STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS
The contract shall cover the external audit service for the three financial years: 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, 2018-19 and 2019-20.
The contract will be for a period of 36 months, with the possibility of two further optional extensions of 12 months, subject to satisfactory performance.
In addition to the usual auditing requirements the successful provider will be required to provide best practice updates to Craigowen management and stakeholders.
The externalauditor will report to the Finance,Audit and Risk Committee and to the Association’sGeneral Manager. The external auditor will present audit findings to the Board and will also discuss key aspects of the annual financial statements prior to these being approved by the Board.
The scope of the external audit work extends to all operations and records, financial, governance and operational, of the Association.
The successful auditor will be required by Craigowen to provide the following:
External Audit Services
- To audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and ISAs (UK & Ireland). Those standards require compliance with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors.
- Services should be carried out in compliance with United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102, ‘‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland’’ (‘‘FRS 102’’) under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with applicable accounting standards in the United Kingdom and Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting by Registered Social Landlords (updated 2014) and be completed by Juneeach year of the contract.
To prepare a report to the Board of Management to communicate significant findings arising from your audit. This should include an analysis of the financial performance of the Association, discussion of key audit and accounting matters arising, recommendations in respect of the control environment, matters relating to governance and any recommendations arising.
To assist in the final drafting of accounts for the Association. Please note that Craigowen will prepare full statutory accounts, including notes to the accounts, however we may require assistance in more complex/unusual technical matters as and when these arise. Note also that it will be the responsibility of the appointed consultant to provide relevant administrative/typing support to finalise accounts in the required format for publication.
To liaiseand co-ordinate with the Internal Auditors to ensure suitable exchange of information, as appropriate.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Tender assessment
All quotations will be assessed through a two-stageprocess: -
Stage 1 – Selection Criteria
Tendering companies that fail to meet any of the following criteria will not be considered for Stage 2:
Criteria / QualifyEconomic and Financial Standing – Insurances / PASS/FAIL
Professional Accreditations– / PASS/FAIL
Organisational Experience of providing similar contracts / PASS/FAIL
Organisational Chart – illustrating team structure / PASS/FAIL
Selection Criteria Evaluation
In the Selection Stage Tenderers must answer all Selection Criteria Questions and sub sections. These questions and sub sections will be scored Pass or Fail.
Tenderers must pass all Selection Criteria Questions, otherwise their tender will fail and their tender will not be considered any further in the evaluation process.
Only Tenderers who have achieved a full pass rate in all of the Selection Criteria Questions will progress to the Award Criteria Evaluation.
Please see Selection Criteria Marking Scheme below.
SELECTION CRITERIA MARKING SCHEME
Selection Criteria / Questions - Information Requested / Scores AvailableEconomic and Financial Standing / Meet the minimum Financial and Insurance requirements.
Provide details of insurance:(minimum PI cover £1 million) / If no attachment(s)/evidence provided or if not completed – Fail.
Previous Relevant Experience / Demonstrate through at least 2 examples of details of previous experience of providing external audit services tothe voluntary sector or the registered social landlord/housing association sector. The Association is seeking a provider that is fully familiar with the operating environment and regulatory issues we face.
These must have been completed to the employers’ satisfaction within the last 5 years. / Pass or Fail.
If no information provided or if not completed – Fail.
If insufficient experience is demonstrated – Fail.
If sufficient experience is demonstrated – Pass.
Professional Accreditations / Provide details of Professional & Quality Management Accreditations.
ISO 9001 Quality Management or equivalent / Pass or Fail.
If no information provided or if not completed – Fail.
If insufficient experience is demonstrated – Fail.
If sufficient experience is demonstrated – Pass.
Audit Team / Provide details of your proposed project team.
Outlining individual roles, experience & qualifications
Organisational chart detailing overall organisational structure, team structure for this contract and communication process should also be provided.
A chart may be used to illustrate the structure / Pass or Fail.
If no information provided or if not completed – Fail.
If insufficient experience is demonstrated – Fail.
If sufficient experience is demonstrated – Pass.
Declarations and Form of Tender / Confirmation of Declarations and Confirmations required in Form of Tender section / Pass or Fail.
Stage 2 – Award Criteria
CRITERIA / WEIGHTING- Audit methodology & Reporting Approach
- Qualifications and Experience of named Lead Auditor
- Understanding of the social housing sector
- ANNUAL AUDIT FEE
Total / 1000
QUESTION 1 – AUDIT METHODOLOGY & REPORTING APPROACH
Craigowen wishes to gain a full understanding of your approach and methodology of this contract to provide the external audit services in full as described. To that end tenderers should provide details of their approach to enable successful completion of this contract. Areas to consider should include:
•Preparation requirements, including timelines;
•Determining the risk areas;
•Analysing the processes and assessing controls;
•Mandays requirement by grade;
•Content and frequency of update/progress reports to Craigowen Housing Association;
•Form of reporting;
•Conclusion to the process.
Your response to this question should not exceed 750 words
QUESTION 2 – QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF NAMED LEAD AUDITOR
It is Craigowen’s belief that the staff deployed by the successful tenderer on this contract will play a key role in delivery, therefore tenderers should name a lead auditor for delivery of external audit services for the Association.
-Please outline the qualifications and experience in external audit provision in a social housing, or not for profit environment of the named lead auditor.
-Provide two examples of specific projects and the challenges they presented to demonstrate the skills of the lead auditor.
-Any examples cited should include a title and description of the role and responsibilities of the person relying on it and the name and address of the client.
Your response to this question should not exceed 750 words
QUESTION 3 – UNDERSTANDING OF THE SECTOR
Craigowen believes that the sector within which it operates provides unique challenges in terms of audit provision. Tenderers should provide details of their understanding of this sector. Areas to consider should include but not be limited to:
•Demonstrates an understanding and knowledge of the requirements of theSocial Housing sector;
•Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced by specialist Housing Associations in the current environment;
•Demonstrates understanding of the role of our funders, Regulators and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland;
Your response to this question should not exceed 750 words
Scoring Criteria for Quality Submissions
Each of the above ‘Quality’ questions will be evaluated using the following scoring indicators: -
Indicator / Grade / ScoreExcellent response which inspires an extremely high level of confidence that the Services will be delivered in an excellent way that will be highly responsive to the needs of CHA / Excellent / 5
Very good response which still inspires confidence that the Services will be delivered in a very good way that will be responsive to the needs ofCHA / Very Good / 4
Good response which still inspires confidence that the Services will be delivered in a way that is reasonably responsive to the needs ofCHA / Good / 3
Limited response which inspires limited confidence that the Services will be delivered in a way that is responsive to the needs ofCHA / Limited / 2
Poor response which inspires very little confidence that the Services will be delivered in a way that is responsive to the needs ofCHA / Poor / 1
Unacceptable response which inspires no confidence that the Services will be delivered in a way that is responsive to the needs ofCHA / Unacceptable / 0
The response to each question will be scored out of 5 raw marks. The raw mark will then be divided by 5 and multiplied by the corresponding weighting to provide a weighted score for each question response.
The weighted scores for each of the three Award Stage Criteria will then be added together to provide an overall weighted score for Quality for each Tenderer.
Cost Score Information
The weighting for the cost is 300 marks the following formula applied.
Award Criteria – COST (300 Marks)
The following formula will be used to evaluate Cost.
1.Lowest cost tendered will be awarded the maximum score available [%].
2. To calculate cost scores for the remaining tender offers, the following formula will be applied. The lowest tendered price divided by the tenderers price multiplied by [%].
3. Where a zero cost or “no cost” offer is made this offer will be assigned a nominal penny value for assessment purposes only.
If it is considered necessary by the selection panel, tenderers will be invited for interview. Interviews will be an opportunity for the assessment panel to clarify elements of the tender response and not an opportunity to present new information.
Craigowen reserves the right to seek references from clients for whom you have worked in a similar capacity. Please provide contact details for suitable referees.