Next steps
The PSAA Board has carefully considered the outcome of the consultations on its plans to develop the national scheme for local auditor appointments from April 2023 and agreed to move forward with many of the proposals in the light of the largely positive response.
In those areas where consultation feedback suggested that PSAA needs to revisit its proposed approach work is progressing to explore ways in which to evolve the proposals. PSAA will complete this work by mid-September 2021, and the outcomes will be set out in the prospectus for the national scheme from April 2023 and/or the procurement strategy. Both of these documents will be published on the PSAA website in late September 2021 and referenced in the formal opt-in invitation to be issued to all eligible bodies around the same time.
Given the potential for change over the next six months in relation to both audit-related and procurement regulations, the detail of the procurement strategy will be kept under review to retain flexibility to evolve in response to external factors. In early 2022 PSAA intends to initiate a procurement for the delivery of audit services from April 2023.
Following the positive response to the webinars held to support the consultation process, PSAA will be holding a series of free single-topic webinars during the Autumn/Winter. They will provide an opportunity for eligible bodies to ask questions about the preparations for the second appointing period including the opt-in process and auditor appointment process, as well as seeking to increase awareness of PSAA’s role and remit and understanding of key aspects of our work.
We will continue to work closely with MHCLG and the other bodies represented at the Local Audit Liaison Committee to respond to the challenges of a fragile system, and work with other local audit stakeholders to help design and implement a system for local audit which is more stable, more resilient, and more sustainable.