Accounting, auditing and fiscal services

Tender description

EOECPH is seeking experienced, proven, innovative and agile providers to deliver multi-speciality audit services relevant to publicly funded bodies including but not limited to NHS. This will include supply of external audit, internal audit, counter fraud services, internal audit and counter fraud services, workforce audit services, VAT audit services, local security management specialists, and business/consultancy audit and financial services to compliment and support all other lots on the framework. This framework is for the benefit of publicly funded (wholly or partially funded) service delivery arenas, such as but not limited to (including combinations and variations) of: core public services (central and sub-central authorities); patient/user-centric service development; NHS delivered health services; other delivered health services; social services; local government services; local authority services; health and social care services, who are, or become customers of EoECPH or Alliances. External audit’s objectives are to review and report on: (a) the financial aspects of the audited body’s corporate governance arrangements, as they relate to: (i) the legality of transactions that might have significant financial consequences; (ii) the financial standing of the audited body; (iii) systems of internal financial control; (iv) standards of financial conduct, and (v) the prevention and detection of fraud and corruption; (b) the audited body’s financial statements; and (c) aspects of the audited body’s arrangements to manage its performance, as they relate to economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources. The provider will be expected to provide a full internal audit service, undertaking systems-based audits where feasible. The main responsibility of that service will be to provide the board (through its Audit Committee) with assessments of the effectiveness of the contracting authority’s system of internal control which can be relied on by external auditors for their annual governance statement. The internal auditors will report to the director of finance and performance but will also have direct access to the Audit Committee. It is recognised that an effective control system reduces the likelihood that errors or irregularities will occur and remain undetected; however, it does not eliminate that possibility. It is also recognised that the provider’s work does not guarantee that errors or irregularities will not occur and may not detect errors or irregularities which do occur. All Publicly funded contracting bodies require high quality counter fraud services, which meet the service delivery and reporting requirements specifically relevant to their organisation, ensuring that the publicly funded entity as contracting authority, obtains value for money whilst providing its core role and responsibilities. The provider will be expected to take on any additional duties during the contract period arising from legislative changes and directives relating to counter fraud, subject to the agreement as to the impact of new requirements on the agreed counter fraud plan, and will ensure the necessary levels of professional independence and objectivity. Provision of combined internal audit and counter fraud services will not be directly evaluated. A tenderer’s scores for Lot 2 and Lot 3 will be combined to calculate the tenderers Lot 4 score. Providers whose bid submission is suitable for award in their own right for Lot 2 and Lot 3 will be considered for Lot 4, where so identified by the bidder as part of their submission. The workforce audit lot will comprise of service delivery requirements, including but not limited to the following areas: — temporary and permanent clinical staffing, — temporary, fixed term and permanent staffing including non-clinical, temporary and fixed-term staff, — staff bank suppliers including both technology and practical delivery and flexible resource pool – staff bank, — international recruitment staffing programmes including international healthcare professionals recruitment and associated services, — NHS workforce focussed technology solutions, — NHS workforce focussed Consultancy solutions. The scope and extent of the audit requirements will be defined by the contracting authority. Audits may include but are not limited to the following areas of staffing supplier operations or company credentials: — financial stability including for bidders of new framework agreements, — operational or any other business functions as required e.g. framework compliance checks, — mandatory assessment, either annual or as specified by the contracting authority, — reviewing operations against compliance with NHS pre-employment checks and employers employment checks https://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/recruit/employment-checks and https://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/recruit/streamlining-programme/nhs-to-nhs-staff-transfers/streamlining-recruitment/pre-employment-checks or as detailed by the contracting authority, — reactionary assessments as a result of information learnt or accusations made Provisionally and in consideration of the requirements specified above, the remit of the work can be categorised as, but is not limited, the following: — pre or post award audit, — rolling/periodic/scheduled audit, — ad-hoc/reactionary audit. The role of the LSMS is to implement at a local level, the national policy for security management, and to work proactively and reactively with the NHS contracting authorities accessing these services. Providers will be required to assist with the development and implementation of services as well as assisting trusts review their security strategies to ensure that staff and patients along with trust and personal assets are protected as far as is reasonably practicable, allowing the trust to focus on providing and delivering high quality healthcare. The provider will be responsible for: — providing security management and or assurance services, — assisting the organisation in reviewing and addressing security risks, — ensuring there are effective policies and procedures in place in terms of physical and procedural security, — enabling a safe and secure environment where staff and visitors are as safe as is reasonably practicable, — for NHS organisations enabling a safe and secure environment where staff, patients and visitors so that the highest standards of clinical care can be made available to service users, — developing appropriate training to support security standards, — provide advice and guidance through working in close partnership with Trust stakeholders and external organisations such as the Police, Crown Prosecution Services (CPS), auditors/other professional bodies and trade unions, — enabling and promoting a pro-security culture within the organisation, — monitoring and investigating violence and security incidents, — ensuring the organisation is taking appropriate and proportional action in respect to incidents, and — to actively work to reduce incidents of violence and aggression in the organisation through proactive work streams such as physical, technical and procedural controls to provide a balanced and appropriate security approach that meets the needs and circumstances of any service/locality. Lot 8 is a locked lot and will not be evaluated; it is intended that inclusion to this lot will only be available to those providers awarded to the framework. Consultancy audit services can either supplement the lot or lots a provider has been awarded to, complimenting services detailed against the lot, or alternatively they can be stand alone to provide independent review and scrutiny for governance requirements applicable to the wider audit environment, or services and advice which ties back to the wider requirements of the Trust. Consultancy services requirements may change during the life of the framework; from changes in requirements from legislation, or individual Trust needs, staff turnover and organisational transition, etc. The types of consultancy services available under Lot 8 could be but are not restricted to the following types of services: — business/service reviews, — due diligence reviews, — standard training and development, — CCG board evaluation and development, — governance for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), — 'Critical Friend' support, — IT health checks, managing risks and securing value, — information governance in practice, — data analysis, computer assisted auditing techniques (CAATs), — bribery act and counter fraud training, — conflict resolution and security management, — charitable funds training and development, — clinical commissioning groups board and evaluation, — financial recovery and tracking, — facilitation workshops for boards, — training on the role of audit committees for non executive directors, — support in developing governance arrangements, — ‘Deep Dive’ financial account checks this could be a review on invoicing to ensure appropriate payments have been made e.g. HMRC, supplier invoicing, etc. — cyber security assessments and testing on systems.