TERMS OF REFERENCE AND SCOPE OF SERVICES
EXTERNAL AUDITOR FOR THE SECONDE TIME
Tender No. 26 / 2021
Bethlehem Municipality (BM) among other partner has received a Grant from the European Union under the umbrella of ENI CBC MED funding for a 30 months project entitled: U-Solve. Accordingly, BM intends to apply part of this grant for the outsourcing and contracting of a highly qualified External Auditor.
Project Brief: U-SOLVE shifts the start-up creation process towards an entrepreneurial sustainable development strategy, which bridges active policy for supporting entrepreneurship with the implementation of sustainable development goals at urban level. The most urgent SDGs challenges in Mediterranean urban communities are forced into an open innovation pipeline that allows coalitions of entrepreneurial agents of change to emerge, creating qualified jobs and economic value, while supporting the transition towards a sustainable model.
Total budget to be audited: 138,633 € that covers the following budget lines:
Scope of work: All project expenditure shall be examined by the auditor, according to the control systems established at national level and to the requirements as laid down in article 32 of the Reg. (EU) 897/2014.
This examination shall be performed on the basis of an agreed-upon procedure which will be undertaken in accordance with:
(a) the International Standard on Related Services 4400 Engagements to perform Agreed-upon Procedures regarding Financial Information as promulgated by International Federation of Accountants (IFAC);
(b) IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, developed and issued by IFAC's International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants.
Main Tasks and Responsibilities:
1. The auditor shall verify whether the costs declared by BM and the revenue of the project are real, accurately recorded and eligible in accordance with the project’s contract and EU procedures.
2. The auditor shall issue the expenditure verification reports, drafted according to the model and instructions provided by the MA. The LB and the beneficiaries will use the template of contract with the auditors provided by the MA.
3. Moreover, a consolidated report, including the results of the verifications carried out by all auditors, shall be drafted by the auditor of the LB. The LB and the partners shall grant the auditors all access rights necessary for the verification under the same conditions than the ones mentioned in Art. 16.4.
4. All expenditures verification reports shall be uploaded to the electronic monitoring system together with each Request for Payment. A copy of the reports shall be submitted to the Control Contact Points, in order to allow them to carry out checks, as the case may be.
5. The auditor shall be available to represent BM team in any financial meetings with LB, other partners and MA whenever requested.
6. The auditor shall work closely with BM’s financial department to ensure all expenditures are declared and recorded in compliance with best practices and EU regulations
Results to be achieved:
1. Follow the expenditure verification procedure set by EU.
2. Report Control check-list template provided by EU.
3. Report individual report template provided by EU.
4. Report consolidated report template provided by EU.
5. Report list of findings template provided by EU.
6. Report suspected fraud template provided by EU.
7. Report of contracts template provided by EU.
8. Report any findings and suggestion needed during the audit work
Required Qualifications:
The auditor shall meet at least one of the following requirements:
(a) be a member of a national accounting or auditing body or institution which in turn is member of IFAC;
(b) be a member of a national accounting or auditing body or institution. Where this organization is not a member of IFAC, the auditor shall commit to undertake the work in accordance with IFAC standards and ethics;
(c) be registered as a statutory auditor in the public register of a public oversight body in a 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;
(d) be registered as a statutory auditor in the public register of a public oversight body in a CBC partner country, provided this register is subject to principles of public oversight as set out in the legislation of the country concerned; specifically:
- Member of Board of Professional Auditing (BOPA).
- Member of Palestinian Association of Certified Public Accountants (PACPA).
- Holding IFAC license
Other qualifications:
Time Frame: 30 months project
Application: Apply by filling annex one “proposal submission form”, you may add any other certificates or documents you may find necessary and related, applicants are required to submit their applications in two closed envelopes to the financial department at BM (One original and One Copy).
The applicant shall seal the original and all copies of the application in envelopes.
The envelopes shall:
(a) be addressed to the (Bethlehem Municipality);
(b) bear the name and address of the applicant; and
(c) provide a warning not to open before the specified time and date defined below in “Application Deadline”.
If the envelope is not sealed and marked as above, the BM will assume no responsibility for the misplacement or premature opening of the application.
Application Deadline: 6/07/2021 at 11:00 am CET
6/07/2021 at 12:00 pm Local Time
ANNEX ONE:
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM
My financial proposal for the service explained in the Term of Reference is as follows:
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Currency |
Amount |
Global price (fees and expenses) |
EUR |
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VAT or other tax on services |
EUR |
Zero |
Total price including taxes |
EUR |
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CANDIDATE OR COMPANY INFORMATION |
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Company legal name |
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Street name and number |
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City |
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Country |
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Phone number |
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Fax |
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website |
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Director (name) |
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GENERAL COMPANY INFORMATION |
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Year of establishment |
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Number of employees; Full time, part time |
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Licensing authority |
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License number |
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Countries with registered office |
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Registration Certificate; please attach |
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Does your company have a Code of Conduct? |
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REFERENCES |
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Name and country of customer |
Type of contract |
Value (EUR) |
Contact name |
Phone/fax and email |
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ORGANISATION AND METHODOLOGY
To be submitted by the candidates, in compliance with the following instructions:
Rationale
Strategy
Timetable of activities
Logical frame
Key experts