Statutory Audit Services, Tax and VAT Advice.

Descriptions

Thirteen Group (the Group) was created from the merger of Tees Valley based organisations Fabrick Housing Group and Vela Group. The Group owns and manages more than 32 000 homes from an area spanning North Tyneside to York, making it the largest registered housing provider in the North East, and in the top 25 nationally. It is also one of the ten largest employers in the North East. Former companies Fabrick and Vela merged to become new parent company Thirteen. Their partner landlords, Erimus Housing and Tees Valley Housing, formerly in Fabrick and Housing Hartlepool and Tristar Homes, formerly in Vela, remain separate successful organisations in their own right but are part of the larger group.The Group is seeking to appoint a company to provide the following statutory audit services, tax and VAT advice for all companies within the Group: — To audit the annual financial statements of the Group and its subsidiary companies. The audit must be carried out in accordance with applicable auditing standards, legislation and best practice; — To issue draft audit findings and a draft management letter for presentation to the Audit and Risk Committee each year. The letter should report on significant weaknesses in accounting and / or internal control systems and review the Board's statement on internal financial controls; — To confirm that the statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accountancy Practice; — To provide an auditors' opinion on each of the Group companies' financial statements; — To provide senior level representation (partner) at Audit and Risk Committee meetings (minimum two per annum); — To provide annual independent report regarding compliance with loan covenants; — To provide annual service charge reporting requirements; — To prepare all Group and subsidiary annual tax computations and returns and to submit all relevant corporation tax returns to HMRC which includes uploading all iXBRL returns (costed separately). Currently returns are only produced for Thirteen, Portico, Partnering Plus, Optimus, Tristar and Housing Hartlepool; — The company may be required to provide additional ad hoc services such as VAT and tax advice on an annual fee basis. The contract will start on 1.4.2015 commencing with the auditing of accounts prepared for the financial year ending 31.3.2015. This is the first year that consolidated accounts will be produced for Thirteen Group. Access to information and the Group's staff will be provided prior to 1st April to allow the successful company to carry out preparatory work for the first year end audit. The contract is for a period of 5 years with an option to extend for 2 further years, subject to satisfactory performance and at the sole discretion of the Group.