Provision of a new Technical Advisory Service

The service will respond to queries raised by auditors working on particularly complex local audit cases, ie this includes providing external audits to local bodies including local authorities, local drainage boards, national park authorities, waste authorities, etc.

The specialist technical advisory service to local auditors will respond to a wide range of difficult or complex audit queries such as - but not limited to:

• advice to assist auditors on how to respond to electors' objections
• assistance with such issues as how and when to produce a public interest report or a statutory recommendation
• advice on performance audit issues (for VfM arrangements). Additional information: The contract being sought will oversee the start-up of a separate, standalone but central Technical Advisory Service to bolster the capability of auditors, by providing a mechanism for guaranteeing and supplementing the level of skills across the sector market, as well as quality assuring the response to individual cases.

It will be particularly useful for new or challenger firms, where these firms do not have a developed public sector technical service. We are seeking proposals from tenderers that can demonstrate the necessary expertise to:

• source personnel with the expertise and experience to answer queries raised with the Advisory Service
• act as a central contact point for the Advisory Service, coordinating and allocating queries from a range of audit firms and distributing them to appointed personnel
• establish an agile, digital systems along with the necessary protocols and administration to record, manage, monitor and store queries, and enable the smooth interface with clients
• ensure expert information or advice is provided in a timely fashion;
• represent the sector, co-ordinate views and offer leadership as well as steering the sector in dealings with outside stakeholders, including Government;
• oversee and implement the roll out of the training qualification to top up the credentials of auditors along with widening the pool of Key Audit Partners. This will involve initially setting up the digital platforms to allow the courses to be delivered to candidates. The tenderer will also need to successfully negotiate with the sector ongoing support and funding of the service, which is envisaged to be charged to the candidates who apply to go on the courses