Tender for External Audit

Type of Contract: Consultancy Contract

Duty Station: Gaziantep, Türkiye

Auditing Period: February 2022 – January 2024

Organizational Context

Caritas Czech Republic (CCR) is a non-governmental organization working in the field of development and humanitarian assistance in developing countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe. In response to the armed conflict in Syria, Caritas Czech Republic contributed to alleviating suffering of conflict-affected population through the delivery of several humanitarian interventions in cooperation with local partners NW Syria. CCR decided to focus the efforts on NW Syria and start the registration process of the organization in Turkey to facilitate cross-border operations. CCR’s registration was approved by the Turkish authorities in December 2022. The time bound (2 years) approval gave CCR the right to work in the whole country.

Violet Organization is Syrian non-profit organization, began its official work in late 2013 in partnership with international organizations, and the first educational project started in the displaced camps in northern Syria to support two schools with a budget of 30 thousand dollars targeting about 462 students. With the beginning of the Syrian movement and later the deterioration of the humanitarian situation at the end of 2011, many ambitious young men and women began working spontaneously and voluntarily to meet the essential needs and try to improve the tragic reality in Syria, which continued to deteriorate at all levels.

Project Background

Project Title Empowering Civil Society in Northwest Syria

Total Project Budget 512,495 EURO

Project Timeline February 2022 – January 2024

Summary

Since the start of the crisis over 10 years ago, Syrian civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) have been a strong stakeholder in the community landscape and have been providing much needed lifesaving assistance. Nevertheless, many CSOs were established as short-term reactionary responses to the context rather than to pursue a sustainable long-term vision. The main Objective is to contribute to the sustainable and equitable development of communities in Syria through building the capacity of civil society actors in as reliable partners in local development processes, capable of proposing innovative ideas and approaches which address community challenges and promote sustainable and positive change in a participative manner.

Audit Objectives

The purpose of the in-depth audit is to provide CCR with a sound basis for its accountability, transparency, and accuracy in the financial disclosure towards the funding agency European Commission EC. The tasks of this recruitment relate to:

An annual audit, with a detailed examination of all the supporting documents for the period of February 2022 – January 2024.

The auditor will visit implementing partner’s office in Gaziantep Türkiye, and review the project’s administrative and financial documents, receipts lists, records of transactions, and relevant project documents in order to come up with a professional, independent opinion on the financial accounting of the project from February 2022 – January 2024.

Additionally, the audit shall give recommendations on strengths, weaknesses, and required improvement in the project-related financial and human resources management systems. In addition to supporting the project quality assurance measures implemented by CCR partners and contribute to the decision-making process with regard to the project management and monitoring of finances by CCR and CCR partners.

Scope of the Audit

The audit shall focus on the following:

• A financial report detailing how money was spent on the project, organized by different budget categories.
• Ensuring receipts and supporting documents for every project expense.
• Checking if funds are used appropriately according to the project objectives.
• Evaluating how efficiently and cost-effectively funds were utilized.
• Comparing budgeted and actual costs in the currency in which the expenditure was incurred.
• Using project equipment and assets economically.
• Compliance with the legal framework of the project, including agreements, contracts, and donor requirements.
• Adhering to CCR implementing partner, Violet, policies for procurement, financial administration, human resources management, and travel.

Expected Deliverables

The auditor is expected to produce an audit report and management letter, which will comprise the following (Audit documents can be issued in English):

• Providing an overview of the audit’s scope and mandate, along with a list of documents serving as evidence for the audit.
• Offering an opinion on whether the financial statements (including the breakdown for each audited year) align with the project’s financial reporting framework and donor requirements.
• Offering recommendations for addressing identified shortcomings and, if relevant, commenting on the progress made in response to audit observations and recommendations from previous years.
• Supplying a verified, signed, and stamped list of all receipts for project costs.

Terms of assignment, Communication and Procedures

The selected auditor will be sub-contracted by CCR to produce the deliverables specified above.

The maximum price to be paid for the delivery is 3000 USD.

The agreed-upon price will cover the auditor´s remuneration, all costs incurred by the auditor related to the assignment, and all taxes and fees required by law. The price will be final and cannot be increased under any circumstances. CCR will provide the auditor with all information and documents it has at its disposal needed to conduct the evaluation.

Required Qualifications:

Caritas Czech Republic – Syria office is seeking an independent external auditor.

• At least 5 years of experience in conducting external independent audits of projects/ programs in Syria.
• Experience in conducting external audits for projects funded by the European Commission.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and comfortable working across cultures.
• Excellent analytical, oral, and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and to meet the evaluation deadlines.

Selection criteria for the evaluation of the submitted proposals:

• Proposed methodology: 40 %
• Financial proposal: 30 %
• Interview performance: 20 %
• Number of years of relevant experience: 10 %