NorTMS External Audit Services

Transport for the North

Published: May 22, 2026

Updated: May 23, 2026

Source: uk_fts

About This Opportunity

This is a consulting contract in the audit and accounting and transport and logistics sectors, with a focus on External Audit. Located in United Kingdom, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums, with an estimated budget of GBP 300,000.

Published through UK FTS - Find a Tender Service, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for consulting in the audit and accounting sector. Consulting assignments are typically evaluated with a strong emphasis on the technical proposal, including the methodology and qualifications of key experts. Shortlisted firms may be invited to submit financial proposals in a second stage. This is an advance notice — the formal tender is expected to be published shortly. Interested parties can use this time to prepare documentation and identify potential partners.

Description

The NorTMS Audit is to undertake audits as required of the Northern Transport Modelling System (NorTMS), a Cube-based VDM with a focus on intercity rail in the North of England. These will be required on a call-off basis when a stable model release is available. After each audit the supplier will be expected to provide an audit report with recommendations for areas requiring improvement. This will be subject to a one+one+one year call-off basis.
TfN requires a supplier who is an expert CUBE model reviewer with competent Python skills as some elements of NorTMS are coded in Python, and who has not worked with NorTMS or related to any TfN framework directly involved in NorTMS, unless the work that was delivered relates to the audit of NorTMS.
The scope of work required for each NorTMS audit underpins the following objectives:
•Provision of a full audit of all NorTMS inputs and outputs with the aim of instilling confidence in NorTMS for its use in modelling works and supporting business cases.
•A review of each version of NorTMS following model updates and improvements prior to implementation on programme.
•To understand the fitness for purpose of NorTMS in its use for assessing schemes for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).
•Production of a comprehensive audit report giving a RAG rating of all the model elements reviewed.
•A final report comprising of a plain English summary of issues identified (for a general audience) and a detailed technical report (for a modelling audience) with potential recommendations for areas requiring improvement, an outline of best practices in CUBE and the application of CUBE as a modelling tool.

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Data provenance

This notice is sourced from UK FTS - Find a Tender Service and was originally published on May 22, 2026. Last refreshed today. Reference: 048097-2026. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by Transport for the North in United Kingdom. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.

What type of contract is this?

This is a Consulting contract in the Audit, Accounting & Risk sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

What is the estimated budget?

The estimated contract value is £300,000 - £300,000. Bidders should ensure their proposals are consistent with this range and account for any local taxes and contract execution costs.

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in United Kingdom. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit UK FTS - Find a Tender Service to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions. Quote reference 048097-2026 when communicating with the contracting authority.