✓Tender information last checkedLast checked 19 Oct 2026, 19:31.
Opportunity overview
Avanti Schools Trust (the Trust) invites offers from suitably qualified audit firms for the provision of external audit, regularity assurance and related statutory reporting services. The Trust is a successful multi-academy trust with 12 schools across London, Leicester and other locations outside London. It is a company limited by guarantee, an exempt charity and is accountable to the Department for Education (DfE) through its funding agreement.
The Trust requires an audit provider with deep academy sector expertise, strong technical audit quality, robust independence arrangements and a practical understanding of the financial, regulatory and governance environment in which multi-academy trusts operate.
The procurement will be conducted as a competitive tendering procedure using the open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024. Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to the tender notice and associated procurement documents, subject to the conditions of participation and other requirements stated in those documents.
The Trust expects bidders to comply with the Procurement Act 2023, the Procurement Regulations 2024, the published procurement documents, applicable audit legislation, Companies Act requirements, Charity SORP, Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Academies Accounts Direction, the Academy Trust Handbook 2026 and relevant Financial Reporting Council standards.
Classification
CPV79200000 — Accounting, auditing and fiscal services
Lots
Lot 1£290k
Documents and notices
Planned procurement notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
Published notice details
Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.
Submissions will be evaluated on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender. Evaluation will be based on:
Quality:
• Academy sector and team experience
• Trust accounts, audit and regularity
• Team and resourcing
• Subsidiaries and tax
• Quality and independence
60% Quality and 40% Price will used for ranking and direct award
Numbers
Entry 1
Number
100
Weight
percentageExact
Selection criteria
Criteria
Criterion 1
Type
economic
Description
As per standard questions
Criterion 2
Type
technical
Description
Require provider with deep academy sector expertise, strong technical audit quality, robust independence arrangements and a practical understanding of the financial, regulatory and governance environment in which multi-academy trusts operate
Suitability
Sme
Yes
Contract period
Starts
5 Apr 2027, 00:00
Ends
31 Mar 2030, 23:59
Max Extent Date
31 Mar 2032, 23:59
Renewal
Description
The contract will run for three academic years, from the year ending 31 August 2027, with an option to extend for up to two further years
1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.
1 VERSION
1
098703-2026Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender ·
PROCURAAXIS ANALYSIS
ProcuraAxis Analysis
Our approved analysis of the opportunity appears below the official tender information.
ANALYSIS PREVIEW
Opportunity intelligence at a glance
Early-stage/planned procurement by Avanti Schools Trust for external audit, regularity assurance and related statutory reporting services. The Trust expects to run an open procedure; this notice does not mean bidding is currently open.
Who this may suit
Best suited to suitably qualified audit firms with academy-sector expertise, strong technical audit quality, robust independence arrangements, and understanding of multi-academy trust financial, regulatory and governance requirements.
ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.
Early-stage/planned procurement by Avanti Schools Trust for external audit, regularity assurance and related statutory reporting services. The Trust expects to run an open procedure; this notice does not mean bidding is currently open.
Who this may suit
Best suited to suitably qualified audit firms with academy-sector expertise, strong technical audit quality, robust independence arrangements, and understanding of multi-academy trust financial, regulatory and governance requirements.
Key deliverables
External audit
Regularity assurance
Related statutory reporting services
SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS
9 criteria identified
Supplier type
99% confidence
Suitably qualified audit firm
View supporting evidence
"invites offers from suitably qualified audit firms"
Academy-sector expertise
98% confidence
Deep academy sector expertise
View supporting evidence
"requires an audit provider with deep academy sector expertise"
Audit quality
97% confidence
Strong technical audit quality
View supporting evidence
"strong technical audit quality"
Independence
97% confidence
Robust independence arrangements
View supporting evidence
"robust independence arrangements"
Sector understanding
97% confidence
Practical understanding of multi-academy trust financial, regulatory and governance environment
View supporting evidence
"a practical understanding of the financial, regulatory and governance environment in which multi-academy trusts operate"
Compliance expectations
96% confidence
Expected compliance with applicable audit and reporting frameworks listed in the notice
View supporting evidence
"The Trust expects bidders to comply with... applicable audit legislation, Companies Act requirements, Charity SORP, Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Academies Accounts Direction, the Academy Trust Handbook 2026 and relevant Financial Reporting Council standards."
Conditions of participation
98% confidence
Unknown; to be stated in the tender notice and associated procurement documents.
View supporting evidence
"subject to the conditions of participation and other requirements stated in those documents"
SME suitability
99% confidence
Unknown
View supporting evidence
suitable_for_sme is null
VCSE suitability
99% confidence
Unknown
View supporting evidence
suitable_for_vcse is null
COMMERCIAL AND DELIVERY
Contract intelligence
Commercial
Estimated value
94% confidence
Up to GBP 290,000
View supporting evidence
value_max: 290000 GBP; Lot 1 value_amount: 290000 GBP
Contract term
99% confidence
Unknown
View supporting evidence
contract_start_at and contract_end_at are null
Delivery
Delivery geography
90% confidence
United Kingdom, London region (UKI)
View supporting evidence
Delivery location: region "UKI", country "United Kingdom"
Trust context
97% confidence
The Trust has 12 schools across London, Leicester and other locations outside London.
View supporting evidence
"a successful multi-academy trust with 12 schools across London, Leicester and other locations outside London"
Service commencement
99% confidence
Unknown
View supporting evidence
contract_start_at is null
PROCEDURE
How to respond
Opportunity status
99% confidence
Upcoming / planned procurement; bidding is not stated to be open.
procurement_method: "open"; "using the open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024"
Submission deadline
99% confidence
2026-12-11T15:00:00Z
View supporting evidence
submission_deadline: "2026-12-11T15:00:00Z"
Lot structure
99% confidence
One planned lot is supplied, but it has no title or description.
View supporting evidence
Lot 1 has title: null and description: null; status: "planned"
RISKS AND UNKNOWNS
Points requiring attention
Early-stage scope and participation detail
99% confidence
Tender documents, conditions of participation, final scope, contract timetable and commercial terms are not supplied; these remain unknown at this planned-procurement stage.
View supporting evidence
stage: "planning"; "conditions of participation and other requirements stated in those documents"; contract dates are null
Lot detail limitation
99% confidence
The supplied planned lot has no title or description, so no lot-specific scope can be identified.
View supporting evidence
Lot 1 title: null; description: null
Submission timing context
96% confidence
A submission deadline is published, but the opportunity is labelled upcoming/planned and the notice says tendering follows a tender notice and associated documents. Suppliers should verify the live tender notice before relying on submission arrangements.
View supporting evidence
display_status: "upcoming"; source_status: "planned"; "submit a tender in response to the tender notice and associated procurement documents"; submission_deadline: "2026-12-11T15:00:00Z"
ProcuraAxis analysis supplements, but does not replace, the original notice and tender documents. Always verify eligibility, deadlines and commercial terms with the issuing authority.
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