Gavi Alliance- Request For Proposal (RFP) For Program Audit Services

DEADLINE: 11TH MARCH, 2022
GAVI ALLIANCE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
SUPPORT TO PROGRAM AUDIT
001-2022-GAVI-RFP

INTRODUCTION
Gavi Alliance (“Gavi”), invites qualified bidders (herein after called “Bidder” or “Bidders”) to submit offers, consisting of a technical and a financial offer, together with any supporting documents (herein after called the “Proposal” or “Proposals”) for the provision of the requirements defined in this RFP document.  In order to prepare a responsive Proposal, Bidders must carefully review and understand the contents of this covering letter, parts 1-6 of this RFP and the following key dates:

The proposed timeline set out above indicates the process Gavi intends to follow. If there are any changes to this time plan, Gavi will notify all Bidders of this in writing.

Background
Gavi Mission
To save children’s lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to immunisation in poor countries.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private sector partners. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 developing countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org .

Gavi Project
Audit and Investigations (A&I) is an independent function designed to assist the management and stakeholders of Gavi in accomplishing its objectives. For more information, please visit the Gavi website: https://www.gavi.org/about/governance/audit-and-investigations/

Programme Audit, as a unit within A&I, conducts audits of programmes in-country to assess whether Gavi support, including cash, vaccines and related supplies, has been used as intended to provide value-for-money. The audit takes into account both financial and programmatic aspects.

In order to support its core team in Geneva, the Programme Audit unit seeks the services of professional services firms to conduct programme audits in selected countries.

The Programme Audit unit’s work focuses on auditing public institutions and parastatals, who work in the health and immunisation sector. A broad financial and performance audit approach is followed, and the scope of work focuses on reviewing the books and records of the specific public entities who manage Gavi’s funds. Engagements are executed in a developing country context which may involve some hardship, and requires frequent travel to validate programmatic activities, assets and transactions at a sub-national level and may include visits to health clinics and primary health care facilities.

Scope of Work
The requirement involves the following key activities:

(i) The primary objective of a Programme Audit is to ensure that funds are spent in accordance with the terms and conditions agreed with Gavi and that resources are being used for intended purposes.

(ii) A Programme Audit may cover governance and oversight mechanisms, programme management, data management, vaccine supply management, income received, expenditures incurred, assets management and procurement activities conducted at national and sub-national levels for a period to be defined. However, access to records prepared before the defined period may be required to confirm the carry forward and status of balances and assets during the period under review. These activities are to be undertaken in accordance with the below standards:

• Selected firms will be engaged on an assignment basis through a services agreement to support the work of the Gavi programme audit team. Selected firms may be required to work with another firm based on the required expertise and in such cases, a lead firm will be identified on each engagement.
• Selected firms shall work as part of the Gavi Team.
• Selected firms shall perform the specific tasks that ensue from the ToRs for this mission.
• Selected firms shall use risk-based Audit Procedures and conduct its work using all relevant audit techniques, including interviews with stakeholders, analytical review of data and documentation maintained in physical and electronic formats.
• Selected firms shall compare documents against observations in the field and validate the accuracy of records and reports submitted by the Country in vaccine and supply chain management, including management of the cold chain equipment.
• Selected firms shall regularly coordinate and communicate with the Gavi Team on the progress of its work. Company shall share all sensitive information safely and without delay with the Gavi Designees.
• Selected firms shall submit its reporting outputs, in electronic form, as appropriate.
• According to the instructions agreed with the Gavi Designees, Selected firms shall summarise its work in a comprehensive tabular analysis; and provide a comprehensive report in Microsoft Word and Excel format.
• Selected firms shall ensure that all work submitted to Gavi has gone through the appropriate quality review process.
• Selected firms shall abide by the delivery dates.

(ii) Each firm should at minimum submit the following profiles:

(iii) The profile of each personnel should have the following minimum qualifications:

• Be a proficient English speaker. In addition, the following additional languages are highly desirable: Portuguese, Arabic, Russian (Profiles should indicate which languages are applicable for each team member);
• Under-graduate or higher degree in a relevant field;
• Professionally recognised accounting qualifications and or relevant qualifications from an internationally recognised institution e.g., CPA, ACCA.
• Experience in an international public or private organisation/company with a strong presence or stakes in developing countries in the area of programme, data, vaccine supply chain and financial management, audit and other reviews.
• Sound, high level analytical and policy/procedures development skills; negotiation and conflict management experience;
• Proven experience and capacity to carry out the audit and report in the identified language including capacity to prepare a final report in English.
• High standards of personal conduct and integrity equally as a team member and individually;
• The ability to communicate effectively with officials of Government Ministries and development partner organisations in respective countries.

Deliverables
(i) The selected firm will be expected to deliver to the relevant Gavi audit team the following:

• Detailed risk matrix including reasons for risk ratings
• Detailed narrative audit report;
• PowerPoint presentations with a summary of findings for each assignment (to be completed on the Gavi provided template);
• Detailed working papers referenced to risk matrix and to the detailed narrative report;
• All relevant supporting documents including pictorial evidence gathered;
• Follow-up responses received from auditees to help finalise audit reports.

(ii) Each issue raised will indicate the severity of the issue or risk rating as in accordance to the following 3-point scale: High – Medium – Low.

(a) Present recommendations (which have been discussed with the MOH/EPI) which are practicable and address the issues, including proposed deadlines for completion and prioritisation of how soon the recommendation should be implemented, using the following 3-point scale: Critical – Essential – Desirable.

(b) Report on any expenditure deemed ineligible or questionable and quantify these expenditures.

(c) Identify matters/issues for follow up by the concerned ministries and advise if it is recommended for Gavi to conduct further follow up of any material or significant items or control weaknesses.

Key Dates
The following key dates apply:

Dates relevant to this RFP are indicated on page 3. Relevant dates for each assignment will be agreed with the selected firms and indicated in the services agreements.

Duration of the Work
The duration of this RFP will cover countries selected for audit for a five-year period starting April 2022. The countries identified will be shared with selected providers on an annual basis. Refer to list of Gavi eligible countries on http://www.gavi.org/country/.

Gavi is looking to identify a pool of firms with the appropriate competencies. It is not expected that a bidder will necessarily be capable or willing to conduct assignments in each and/or all of the countries listed or identified. Firms with experience working in South Asia and Southeast Asia are encouraged to apply. For each engagement Gavi will engage specific firms/consultants selected from the pool based on their capability, availability and continuing performance.

Location of the Work
The scope of shall be performed as stated in the services agreements. Refer to list of Gavi eligible countries on http://www.gavi.org/country/.

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