Compare cybersecurity audit quotes in Cardiff
Cardiff's economy is anchored by public sector, financial services, and a growing technology sector. Welsh Government contracts, NHS Wales supply chain requirements, and financial services firms operating under FCA oversight all create distinct security audit requirements. Businesses supplying Welsh Government or NHS Wales increasingly face Cyber Essentials Plus requirements as a contract condition. Cardiff has a limited number of CREST-accredited security firms based locally - buyers should brief firms across Wales, the South West of England, and UK-wide, particularly for penetration testing requirements where individual tester accreditation matters as much as the firm's location.
If you are looking for the best security firms in Cardiff, the most reliable shortlist is one built around your own requirements and tested with a structured brief - not a generic ranked list. RFXapp helps you find and collect quotes from the right suppliers, and analyse them so you can compare what they actually offer, not just the headline price.
What to consider before you go to market
Getting comparable quotes starts with a well-scoped brief. These are the things most businesses overlook until they're already in the process.
Audit type: penetration test vs vulnerability assessment vs Cyber Essentials Plus
These are distinct services that are often conflated. A vulnerability assessment is an automated scan identifying known weaknesses. A penetration test uses human testers who actively exploit vulnerabilities to determine what a real attacker could access. Cyber Essentials Plus involves independent verification and is required for Welsh Government, UK Government, and NHS Wales contracts. Cardiff businesses need to be clear which requirement their contract specifies - the Welsh Government applies UK Government procurement rules including Cyber Essentials, and a penetration test does not substitute for Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
CREST and CHECK accreditation
For penetration testing, CREST accreditation is the UK industry standard. CHECK accreditation is required for UK and Welsh Government system tests. Cardiff has very few locally based CREST-accredited penetration testing firms - restrict your search to accredited firms across Wales, the South West, and UK-wide rather than local IT support businesses that add security testing to their service list. Verify firm and individual accreditation directly on the CREST website before engaging.
Scope definition: what is in and what is out
A penetration test can cover external infrastructure, internal network, web applications, cloud environments, or any combination. Cardiff businesses supplying Welsh Government or NHS Wales need to ensure the scope covers the systems that process or store public sector data - typically cloud platforms and any externally accessible application. An external-only test of a corporate website does not satisfy a public sector supplier assurance requirement if the contracted data platform and cloud environment are not in scope.
Report quality: Welsh Government and NHS Wales supplier assurance
For Cardiff businesses with Welsh Government or NHS Wales supply chain requirements, the report format and content need to satisfy the public sector client's assurance process. Ask prospective firms whether their standard report format is accepted for Welsh Government or NHS Wales supplier assurance submissions, and ask to see a redacted example report. A report that does not meet the client's requirements means repeating the exercise - a significant cost and delay against a contract renewal deadline.
Remediation support: included or separate
Finding vulnerabilities is only half the job. Acting on them is the other half. Some security firms include a remediation consultation in the audit price; others treat it as a separate engagement. For Cardiff businesses with public sector contract renewal dates, the timeline between findings and remediation is fixed. Establish upfront whether remediation support is included and at what rate, so the full cost and timeline is known before the test begins.
Retest policy for critical findings
After a penetration test, your team fixes the vulnerabilities identified. A retest confirms the fixes are effective. For Cardiff businesses with Welsh Government or NHS Wales assurance requirements, a completed retest may be required before the audit is accepted as satisfying the supplier qualification. Pre-agree retest terms before the initial test starts.
Hidden costs and oversights that catch Cardiff businesses out
These are the items that make two cybersecurity audit quotes look comparable on paper but leave your real attack surface untested or your public sector compliance unmet.
Scope that excludes cloud assets used to process public sector data
Cardiff technology firms and professional services businesses supplying Welsh Government or NHS Wales typically use cloud platforms (Microsoft 365, Azure, and cloud-hosted applications) to process and store public sector data. Standard pentest scopes often exclude cloud environments. A test that misses these assets does not satisfy a public sector supplier assurance requirement if those platforms are where the contracted data processing actually happens. Check every proposal explicitly states whether cloud environments are in scope.
Firms that classify all findings as high severity to inflate remediation scope
Severity inflation is a common tactic. Cardiff businesses under Welsh Government or NHS Wales contract pressure, where compliance deadlines create urgency, are a typical target. A report where every finding is "Critical" or "High" is almost certainly miscalibrated - it should include Low and Informational findings alongside any genuine critical issues. Ask each firm how they calibrate severity and review a redacted previous report before selecting.
No retest included: paying full day rate against a public sector submission deadline
A penetration test without pre-agreed retest terms means your team fixes the vulnerability but only confirms the fix worked by commissioning another engagement at full rate. For Cardiff businesses with fixed public sector submission dates, an unplanned retest cost and scheduling delay can put the contract at risk. Negotiate a defined retest scope and timeline before signing the initial engagement.
Questions that separate good security firms from great ones
Asking is only half the job. Below each question is what a good answer sounds like, and what should give you pause. Questions marked * are mainly relevant for larger or more complex engagements - for a straightforward Cyber Essentials certification or single-scope assessment you can skip those.
Good answer: They name the specific tester, confirm their CREST certification level, and offer documentation.
Red flag: "Our team is CREST-accredited" without identifying the individual.
Good answer: A specific answer naming which cloud platforms are in scope and clear identification of any out-of-scope items.
Red flag: "We cover your infrastructure" without specifying cloud or public sector-facing systems.
Good answer: They provide a sample confirming the format is accepted for Welsh Government or NHS Wales supplier assurance purposes.
Red flag: "We can't share client reports due to confidentiality." A properly redacted sample removes all identifying information.
Good answer: They confirm whether remediation review sessions are included or provide a pre-agreed fixed rate.
Red flag: "We'll scope remediation once we've seen the findings."
Good answer: A specific pre-agreed retest policy with defined scope and timeline.
Red flag: "We'll discuss retest pricing after the report is delivered."
Good answer: A clear explanation referencing CVSS, OWASP, or NCSC guidance, with acknowledgement that not every engagement produces critical findings.
Red flag: A vague answer without methodology reference, or any implication that every engagement produces critical findings.
Where you have more negotiating room than you think
Security firms have more flexibility on price and terms than they lead with. These are the levers that actually work once you have competing quotes in front of you.
Bundle Cyber Essentials Plus with a penetration test
Cardiff businesses supplying Welsh Government or NHS Wales often need both Cyber Essentials Plus (for the contract requirement) and a penetration test (for supplier assurance). Commissioning both from the same firm produces a 10-20% combined discount and reduces the overhead of managing two separate engagements against two separate deadlines.
Annual contract for quarterly vulnerability scanning plus an annual pentest
Public sector supply chain requirements are annual. An annual contract - quarterly automated vulnerability scanning plus one full pentest per year - fits naturally into this cycle and changes the firm's pricing calculus. It also removes the annual scramble to find and schedule a firm before a contract renewal deadline.
Phase the test: external and cloud first, internal second
A phased approach lets you assess the firm's work quality before providing internal network access. For Cardiff businesses new to penetration testing, this is a sensible way to manage the relationship. Ask each firm to quote Phase 1 and Phase 2 separately.
Pre-agree the retest scope and price before the initial test
Pre-agreed retest terms remove the leverage asymmetry that occurs once you have findings and a public sector deadline approaching. They allow you to commit to a verified completion timeline before testing begins.
Competitive quotes from two CREST-accredited firms
Cardiff has a very small local market of accredited security firms, but the UK-wide accredited market is large. Running a structured RFQ with two or three accredited firms - including Bristol, London, and UK-wide firms delivering remotely - produces real competitive tension even in a smaller local market.
Timing: security firms have quieter periods in summer and over Christmas
Testing during quiet periods - July to September and the Christmas-New Year period - often produces better tester availability and sometimes a pricing concession. For Cardiff businesses without a hard public sector deadline tied to a specific calendar date, timing flexibility is worth considering.
From "I need a cybersecurity audit" to signed off and compliant
Describe what you need
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Compare quotes side by side
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Negotiate and appoint
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