BDO UK partners with MindBridge on audit analytics

BDO UK has entered a strategic partnership with MindBridge following a trial of the company's analytics tools across its audit work.

It is now rolling out the software across its audit practice ahead of the upcoming year-end, extending its use after what both sides described as a successful test phase. The system is designed to help audit teams review general ledger data, identify unusual transactions, and flag areas that may need closer scrutiny.

The move comes as audit firms face rising expectations from regulators and the market over audit quality and consistency. A key focus has been on reducing reliance on manual sampling by using software to examine full data sets.

Under the partnership, BDO UK's teams will be able to analyse 100% of financial data rather than relying on selected samples. The approach is intended to focus more attention on higher-risk areas while leaving more time for professional judgement and estimation.

MindBridge provides audit and financial analysis software that examines transaction data for anomalies and risk indicators. The partnership also reflects wider adoption among firms in the BDO network, including in Norway and South Africa.

BDO UK operates from 17 offices in the UK and employs 8,000 people. It reports UK revenues of GBP £1 billion and focuses on audit, tax, deals, consulting, risk, and outsourcing services for mid-sized businesses.

The wider BDO network has more than 95,000 people across 870 offices in 169 countries and territories, with revenues of USD $11 billion. That scale gives technology choices by national member firms added significance for the broader audit market.

Audit rollout

The software will be added to BDO UK's existing technology environment, known internally as the BDO Advantage. The deployment is part of a broader effort to build a more data-driven audit process.

Emily Howard set out BDO UK's rationale for the partnership.

"We chose to partner with MindBridge because of its strong, proven analytics capabilities," said Emily Howard, Director of Audit Optimisation (Digital), BDO UK. "This partnership will transform how we deliver audits, making them even more data-led and enabling richer insight from large, complex data sets. We're delighted to add this capability to our existing ecosystem of tooling, the BDO Advantage, as we continue to strengthen audit quality and stay at the forefront of the profession's evolution."

BDO UK will use the technology to support audit teams through upcoming reporting cycles. The firm is seeking to apply data analysis more widely in routine audit workflows as larger volumes of financial information become available in digital form.

That shift has become more pronounced as firms look for ways to examine transactions across entire ledgers rather than draw conclusions from smaller samples. In practice, this can mean using software to detect patterns, outliers, and unusual entries before auditors decide which areas require deeper review.

Claire Collins described the partnership as part of a longer-term change in how the firm conducts audits.

"This partnership is a key step in delivering the BDO audit of tomorrow," said Claire Collins, Partner, BDO UK. "We're committed to making our audits more data-driven, more effective, and insight-led. Carefully chosen partnerships like this complement our in-house technology and play an important role in helping us deliver high-quality, targeted audits."

Wider adoption

For MindBridge, the BDO UK agreement adds to a series of relationships with firms in the BDO network. These projects are intended to improve risk identification and consistency across audit work in a more complex reporting environment.

Sarah McGinnity outlined MindBridge's view of BDO UK's direction.

"BDO UK has a clear vision for the future of audit, combining deep professional expertise with advanced technology to strengthen quality and deliver greater value to clients. We're excited to support that vision and help BDO UK accelerate its data-driven audit approach," said Sarah McGinnity, General Manager, Audit & Assurance Solutions, MindBridge.