Consultancy services for external audit for the years 2022-2023

Background

GiveDirectly is an International not-for-profit organization incorporated in the USA. GiveDirectly’s mission is to reduce poverty by providing financial assistance directly to the extreme poor and allowing them – not the donor – to choose where they invest. GiveDirectly sends cash directly to people living in extreme poverty, with no strings attached.

GiveDirectly is the first – and largest – nonprofit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest. We believe people living in poverty deserve the dignity to choose for themselves how best to improve their lives – cash enables that choice. GiveDirectly has delivered over $700 million to 1.5 million people across fifteen countries in the last decade. GiveDirectly has successfully delivered cash to recipients in refugee camps, informal urban settlements, and remote villages with limited electricity, scaling our work across eleven countries.

GiveDirectly is funded primarily by donations from private individuals and foundation grants. Donations from individuals, who give through the website or checks in the mail, are distributed to recipient households and include the cost of enrolling and following up with households. Foundation grants may be distributed in a similar manner, or may be designated for a more specific use. Foundation grants also typically fund GiveDirectly’s fundraising activities

GiveDirectly in Nigeria is a program implementation office which was registered and incorporated to operate as a non-government organization on 1st of April 2022 under Registration Number N0 1913560. Income for sustaining country programs is sent from the head office.

Call for Consultancy Service

GiveDirectly invites competent firms to submit their proposals to carry out an external audit for the financial years starting from 1st of April 2022 to Year end 31st December 2023.

The objective of this consultancy

The objective of the external audit is to express an independent professional opinion on the financial statements based on their audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (International Standards on Auditing) and the International Financial Reporting Standards for Small and Medium-Sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs).

Scope of the Audit

The audit will be carried out in accordance with the standards specified above and will include such tests and verification procedures as the auditors consider necessary under the circumstances. In conducting the audit, special attention should be paid to the following:

1. Confirm that the Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with acceptable accounting practice and give a true and fair view of the financial position of the entity as at the end of the financial year;
2. Carry out tests of transactions as are necessary, in order to obtain an understanding of the accounting system, to assess its adequacy as a basis for the preparation of the financial statements and to establish whether adequate records have been maintained as required by the finance manual and policies;
3. Confirm that although responsibility for preventing irregularity and fraud remains with the management team, the audit has been planned so as to have a reasonable expectation of detecting material misstatements in the financial statements;
4. State the extent to which it has relied on the work of the Internal Audit;
5. Confirm that funds have been used in accordance with the applicable rules of the concerned donors, with due attention to economy and efficiency, and that they have only been used for the purposes for which they were intended for and in accordance with the conditions under which the funding was provided; and
6. Confirm that all necessary supporting documents, records and accounts have been kept in respect of all activities. Clear linkages should exist between the books of accounts and the financial statements presented.

The above-defined scope does not in any way restrict the audit procedures or the techniques that the auditor may wish to use in forming an opinion on the Financial Statements being audited. You won’t be required to do any special reporting beyond statutory audits. We can discuss separately if such obligations come up.

Financial Statements

The Financial Statements to be audited, include:

1. A Statement of income and expenditure;
2. A Statement of financial position;
3. A Statement of changes in fund balance;
4. A Statement of cash flows; and
5. The accounting policies adopted and explanatory notes.

Deliverables

The auditor is expected to present an opinion on the Financial Statements prepared by the management team and a management letter.

Auditor’s Qualification and Experience

• The audit will be conducted by a firm of accountants with internationally recognized professional qualifications and knowledge of IFRS for SMEs in particular, and must be a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and/or Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC). Bear in mind this list is not exhaustive.
• The firm must have expertise in the non-for-profit sector and organizations of our size. In addition, the audit team as a whole will have appropriate experience with audits of external aid operations financed by the donors.
• Innovative and technology-oriented firms offering additional added-value to the audit will be particularly appreciated; and
• The auditing firm and auditors should be independent from all aspects of the management or financial interests of the organization.

Eligibility Requirements

• Certificate of incorporation (CAC)
• Trading license
• Tax clearance certificate
• Company profile
• VAT certificate if applicable
• Bank account details and acceptance of a 30-day credit period.

Technical Proposal:

The expression of interest should respond to the TORs clearly and clearly demonstrate:

• a solid understanding and ability to deliver the requirements of the assignment;
• suitability for the assignment (e.g. institutional capacity and expertise including at least three examples of past relevant experience of similar assignments that have been delivered on time and to the satisfaction of the client and CVs of key personnel highlighting previous relevant work and level of seniority);
• Experience in working with donor-funded programs; and
• Outline of the methodology that will be used to execute the assignment.

Financial proposal:

The Financial proposal should include a breakdown of fees and project-related expenses. The auditor’s financial proposal shall therefore include all costs for fee and staff-related expenses inclusive of VAT and any other taxes applicable. The financial proposal should be stated in US Dollars.