Audit Tendering in the UK: A Review of Stakeholders' Views: Audit Tendering in the UK

This study reports the results of a content analysis of the comment letters sent to the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in response to its consultation document on the 2012 revisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code, concerning the proposal for mandatory audit tendering. The results indicate a general support for the FRC's proposals with a number of key concerns related to audit quality, auditor independence and audit cost. There is also clear conflicts of interest among some stakeholder groups such as audit firms and companies on one side and institutional investors on the other. There is evidence of conflicts of interest between Big 4 and non-Big 4 audit firms. Implications for future consultations and legislation are also discussed.