Audit of the project financial statements

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

Country: Republic of Uzbekistan

Credit No.: IDA 7787-UZ

Project: Geospatial Infrastructure for Sustainable Territorial Development Project (GISTDP)

Assignment Title: Audit of the Project Financial Statements

Reference No.: GISTDP/C4/LCS/01

1. Background

The Republic of Uzbekistan has received financing from the International Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of the Geospatial Infrastructure for Sustainable Territorial Development Project (GISTDP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds to consulting services for the audit of the Project Financial Statements. The Project is implemented by the Cadastre Agency under the National Committee for Sustainable Development of Urbanization and Housing Market of the Republic of Uzbekistan (“the Client”). Its objective is to improve the availability and accessibility of geospatial data in Uzbekistan through the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, modernization of surveying and mapping infrastructure, enhancement of geospatial information systems, and institutional capacity building.

2. Objective and Duration of the Assignment

The objective of the assignment is to enable an independent auditor to express a professional opinion on the Project Financial Statements, including the Project’s financial position and its income and expenditure for the respective reporting periods, in accordance with the Financing Agreement and the Terms of Reference. The assignment covers the following five reporting periods: No. Reporting period Deadline for submission of the Final Audit Report and Management Letter to the World Bank

1 September 23, 2025 (effectiveness date) to December 31, 2026 30 June 2027

2 Fiscal year ending December 31, 2027 30 June 2028

3 Fiscal year ending December 31, 2028 30 June 2029

4 Fiscal year ending December 31, 2029 30 June 2030

5 January 1, 2030 to October 31, 2030 (application deadline date) December 31, 2030, or another date agreed between the Recipient and the World Bank

The services shall be performed periodically for the respective reporting periods and shall continue through completion of the final audit and submission of the required deliverables.

3. Scope of Services

The audits shall be conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (ISA). The consulting services include, but are not limited to: - Auditing the Project Financial Statements and expressing an independent audit opinion for each reporting period; - Reviewing whether the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the financial reporting framework specified in the Terms of Reference; - Examining the use of IDA financing and Government counterpart funds for compliance with the Financing Agreement and the purposes for which the funds were provided; - Reviewing compliance of project procurement with the applicable provisions of the Financing Agreement and World Bank procurement requirements; - Reviewing accounting records, supporting documentation and internal controls, including relevant records maintained in the 1C accounting system and FundsChain; - Auditing Statements of Expenditure and Interim Unaudited Financial Reports submitted in support of withdrawal applications, including the eligibility of reported expenditures and reconciliation with the underlying accounting records; - Reviewing the operation and reconciliation of the Project’s Designated Accounts; - Verifying project assets and inventory, as required by the Terms of Reference; - Preparing a Management Letter identifying internal control deficiencies, instances of noncompliance, ineligible expenditures and other significant findings, together with recommendations and management responses; and - Following up on the implementation of recommendations from previous audit periods. For each reporting period, the Draft Audit Report and Draft Management Letter shall be submitted within two weeks from notification of commencement of the respective audit. The Final Audit Report and Management Letter shall be submitted within two weeks from approval of the Draft Audit Report, subject to the reporting deadlines specified above. All reports shall be prepared in English, Uzbek and Russian and submitted in the number of copies specified in the Terms of Reference. The detailed Terms of Reference may be obtained from the Client at the address indicated below.

4. Invitation and Eligibility of Audit Firms

The Client now invites eligible audit firms (“Consultants”) to express their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants shall provide information demonstrating their relevant qualifications, experience, and technical and managerial capacity to undertake the assignment. The auditor shall be selected from the six (6) audit firms included in the applicable World Bank – ECA – List of Eligible Audit Firms for Uzbekistan. Inclusion in that list is a mandatory requirement for consideration under this assignment. Interested Consultants shall provide evidence of their inclusion, identifying the firm’s exact legal name and the applicable list entry. Consultants wishing to express interest as a joint venture shall identify the proposed association and its members in their Expression of Interest. Each member shall satisfy the applicable audit-firm eligibility requirement. All joint venture members shall be jointly and severally liable for performance of the entire Contract, if awarded. Participation by sub-consultants is not permitted. Any proposed joint venture shall be identified at the Expression of Interest stage; shortlisted Consultants will not be permitted to form new associations with other shortlisted or non-shortlisted firms at the proposal stage.

5. Information to Be Included in the Expression of Interest

Interested Consultants should submit a signed Expression of Interest containing the following information. A. Consulting Firm Information Information Details

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