Invitation to Bid for Audit Services

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INVITATION TO BID FOR AUDIT SERVICES FOR THE IRISH AID ICSP PROGRAMME GRANT III REDUCING POVERTY AND INEQUALITY IN MALAWI’ PROJECT

Date of Issue: 25th November 2024

1.0 Background

Oxfam is a global movement of people who won’t live with the injustice of poverty. Together we save and rebuild lives. We help people build better lives for themselves. We speak out on the big issues that keep people poor, like inequality, discrimination against women and climate change, and we won’t stop until every person on the planet can live without poverty. In Malawi, Oxfam works to reduce poverty, inequality and suffering amongst the poor and marginalised.

The Reducing Poverty and Inequality Project in Malawi is funded by Irish Aid through Oxfam Ireland. The project seeks to contribute towards reduced inequalities and poverty among Malawian citizens especially women, girls and youth, and it will be implemented over a period of five years in collaboration with local partners. The project targets three districts of Mchinji, Lilongwe Rural and Phalombe. This project falls under the overall Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership (ICSP). The ICSP Programme uses a nexus approach that combines and integrates humanitarian, development, and peace building. The Reducing Poverty and Inequality in Malawi Project builds on another similar project called Programme Grant Il which was implemented from 2017 to 2022 in six districts of Kasungu, Mchinji, Dowa, Balaka, Phalombe, and Dowa.

2.0 Objectives of the project

The project has three outcomes:

  1. Women and youth have the capacity to improve their livelihoods resilience.
  2. Women including young women have increased agency, exercise their rights and shape decisions in all levels of social economic and political spheres.
  3. Households, communities, and institutions have the capacity to anticipate and to respond to climate induced shocks and natural disasters.

The three outcomes are being implemented as follows: Outcome 1 is implemented in Mchinji and Lilongwe Rural districts, and co-locates with outcome 2; Outcome 3 is being implemented in Phalombe district, and co-locates with outcome 2.

3.0 The Assignment

Oxfam would like to apply part of the funds to conduct expenditure verification of the action and invites suitably qualified audit firms to submit sealed expression of interest (EOl) for the project.

Interested bidders must provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to conduct the exercise.

1. Standards and Ethics: The Expenditure Verifier shall undertake this engagement in accordance with:

  • The International Standard on Related Services (‘ISRS”) 4400 Engagements to perform Agreed-upon Procedures regarding Financial Information as promulgated by the IFAC.
    The IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, developed and issued by IFAC’s International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), which establishes fundamental ethical principles for Auditors with regard to integrity, objectivity, independence, professional competence and due care, confidentiality, professional behaviour and technical standards.
  • Although ISRS 4400 provides that independence is not a requirement for agreed-upon procedures engagements, the Coordinator requires that the Expenditure Verifier is independent from the Coordinator and complies with the independence requirements of the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants.

2. Requirements for the Expenditure Verifier: The Expenditure Verifier is expected to meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • The Expenditure Verifier must be a member of a national accounting or auditing body or institution which in turn is a member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
  • The Expenditure Verifier must be a member of a national accounting or auditing body or institution. Although this organisation is not member of the IFAC, the Expenditure Verifier commits to undertake this expenditure verification in accordance with the IFAC standards and ethics set out in the ToRs.
  • The Expenditure Verifier must be registered as a statutory auditor in the public register of a public oversight body in an EU member state in accordance with the principles of public oversight set out in Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (this applies to auditors and audit firms based in an EU member state).
  • The Expenditure Verifier must be registered as a statutory auditor in the public register of a public oversight body in a third country and this register is subject to principles of public oversight as set out in the legislation of the country concerned (this applies to auditors and audit firms based in a third country).

3. The audit exercise will be conducted at the end of each project financial year for the next three years.

4. Eligible interested bidders may obtain further information from the Logistics Department at the address shown in 6 below from 08:00 to 12 Noon and 13:00 to 16:30 Hrs from Monday to Friday except on public holidays.

5. EOI clearly marked “Proposal for Expenditure Verification, The Reducing Poverty and Inequality Project in Malawi” should be delivered to the address below on or before 9th December 2024 at 10:00 Hrs. Late bids will not be accepted.

6. Chairperson
Internal Procurement Committee
Oxfam in Malawi
Green Heritage Building
Area 13, City Centre
P/Bag B33
Lilongwe
Email: procurement@oxfam.org.uk

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