Financial services tenders in the UK: audit, insurance, banking and advice

Short answer: UK public buyers regularly tender for audit, accountancy, insurance, banking and financial advice. At the time of writing (9 November 2026), DealAtlas had 21 live, open UK financial services opportunities with a closing date still ahead: 9 in audit and accountancy, 8 in insurance and broking, 1 in banking and payment services, and 3 in financial advisory work. Most close within weeks, so the firms that win are the ones who see them early.

Create a free DealAtlas account to see these previews in one place and filter them by value band, region and closing date.

This guide shows what's being bought, the value bands and regions involved, the checks buyers expect you to pass, and how to find this work on DealAtlas.

What's being bought right now

These are sanitised examples from live DealAtlas previews. Each one shows only the type of work, the value band and the closing month.

Values

Across the 21 open financial services opportunities:

13 of the 21 sit between £100k and £1m, which is within reach of a regional accountancy practice or a specialist broker. The three opportunities worth £5m or more were all insurance.

Regions

Nationwide opportunities lead with 4. North East England and Scotland have 3 each; East Midlands, East of England and London have 2 each; and Wales has 1. Another 4 list no region, and 2 of those are for cover delivered outside the UK, so don't filter out "no region" too early.

Closing dates

Of the 21, 17 close in November 2026 and 4 in December 2026. Short windows are normal for this work, so check often.

Audit and accountancy tenders

This was the biggest group at the time of writing: 9 open opportunities, made up of 7 for audit (external and internal), 1 for accountancy services and 1 for payroll management. Values ran from £100k–£250k up to £1m–£5m, and the work was spread across nationwide, North East England, Scotland, East Midlands and East of England.

Public bodies of every kind need external and internal audit, and many re-tender it every few years. If you run an audit or accountancy practice, this is the most regular financial services work in the public market.

Insurance and broking tenders

At the time of writing there were 8 open insurance opportunities: 7 for insurance cover and 1 for insurance broking. This is where the biggest contracts sat, with two at £10m+ and one at £5m–£10m. Public buyers tender property, liability and wider insurance programmes, and sometimes appoint a broker to run the market for them.

Banking and payment services tenders

There was 1 open banking and payment services opportunity at the time of writing, with an undisclosed value. Banking, merchant and payment services come up less often than audit or insurance, so a saved search is the practical way to catch them.

Financial advisory and actuarial tenders

There were 3 open financial advisory opportunities at the time of writing, covering lead financial advice, specialist valuation work and pensions advice. None were purely actuarial, but actuarial and pensions skills are often part of this kind of advisory work.

Start free on DealAtlas to see every financial services preview as it's published. Lifetime deal: £250 one-time (VAT included). Limited places. See Pro

Who this is for

• Audit and accountancy firms: external audit, internal audit, accountancy and payroll contracts.
• Insurers and insurance brokers: insurance programmes and broking appointments.
• Banks and payment providers: banking, merchant and payment services.
• Financial advisers and actuaries: lead financial advice, valuation and pensions advisory work.

Fit and eligibility checks before you bid

Read each opportunity's requirements before you commit time. These checks come up again and again in financial services tenders:

1. FCA authorisation. Insurance broking, banking, payment services, credit and investment advice are regulated activities. Expect to show you hold the right FCA permissions for the work, not just for your firm in general.
2. Audit registration. Where an audit is statutory, the buyer will expect a firm registered to carry out statutory audit work, and named responsible individuals.
3. Professional indemnity insurance. Buyers usually set a minimum level of PI cover. Check it against your current policy early, because raising cover takes time.
4. Frameworks. Some opportunities are run as frameworks rather than single contracts. Getting onto a framework can open the door to later call-off work, so treat it as a long-term investment.
5. Independence and conflicts. Audit and advisory work often asks you to confirm you have no conflicts with the buyer or its other advisers.
6. Experience and references. Expect to show similar work for comparable organisations, ideally in the public sector.

How to find financial services tenders on DealAtlas

Step 1: start in the right place

Audit and accountancy work sits under Professional Services. Insurance, banking and advisory previews are labelled "Financial and insurance services", so you'll find them by browsing live opportunities.

Step 2: set your value band

Pick the bands you can deliver and insure for. Don't skip "Undisclosed": 3 of the 21 open opportunities had no published value.

Step 3: sort by closing date

Most of this work closes within the month. Start with whatever closes soonest that you can still answer properly.

Step 4: filter by region

Filter to the area you serve, then add nationwide opportunities and ones with no region listed.

For general bid advice, read how to win council contracts. For the wider market, see how to find public sector tenders, council tenders UK and UK tender search.

Free preview or Pro

The free preview shows the type of work, value band, closing window and region where one is listed. Pro adds the buyer, the source, contacts and documents, plus saved searches and alerts, so you can decide quickly whether to bid.

Browse live opportunities or start free on DealAtlas, then upgrade to Pro when an opportunity is worth pursuing. Lifetime deal: £250 one-time (VAT included). Limited places.

FAQ

Where can I find financial services tenders in the UK?

On DealAtlas. It brings UK financial services opportunities together in one place, and you can filter them by value band, region and closing date. Audit and accountancy work also appears under Professional Services.

What financial services do public buyers buy?

Mostly audit and accountancy, insurance and insurance broking, banking and payment services, and financial advice. At the time of writing, audit and accountancy was the largest group, with 9 of the 21 open opportunities.

Do I need FCA authorisation to bid?

For regulated work such as insurance broking, banking, payment services or investment advice, yes: buyers will expect the right FCA permissions. Audit and accountancy work instead depends on professional registration, especially for statutory audit.

How much professional indemnity insurance do I need?

It depends on the contract. Each buyer sets its own minimum, so check the requirement in the tender documents before you bid.

Are financial services tenders suitable for small firms?

Often, yes. At the time of writing, 5 of the 21 open opportunities sat in the £100k–£250k band, which suits a smaller practice or specialist broker.

What does DealAtlas Pro add?

The buyer, the source, contacts and documents, plus saved searches and alerts. Lifetime deal: £250 one-time (VAT included). Limited places. See Pro