Audit of the project financial statements — Geospatial Infrastructure for Sustainable Territorial Development

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 Date of submission Full legal name of the firm Acronym or trading name, if applicable Country of incorporation Year of establishment Registration number Registered address Contact person and position Telephone and email Name and position of the person authorizing the EOI submission Reference to inclusion in the World Bank – ECA – List of Eligible Audit Firms Provide a company profile and relevant registration and professional authorization documents, as applicable. B. Joint Venture Information, if Applicable Firm Country of incorporation Lead member or other member Proposed responsibilities Describe the rationale for the proposed joint venture, the contribution of each member, and the proposed management and coordination arrangements. Provide the firm information and eligibility evidence requested above for each member. C. Technical Competence Describe the firm’s relevant experience in financial statement audits, particularly audits conducted in accordance with ISA and audits of projects financed by the World Bank or other international financial institutions. The information should demonstrate experience relevant to the assignment, including project financial reporting, expenditure eligibility, Designated Accounts, withdrawal applications, internal controls, and preparation of audit opinions and Management Letters. Experience shall be attributed to the legal entity that performed the services. Where an assignment was undertaken through a joint venture or another association, identify the firm’s actual role and the services it performed. D. Management and Quality Assurance Capacity Describe: - The firm’s organizational structure and capacity to manage periodic audits over the assignment period; - Its procedures for maintaining auditor independence, identifying conflicts of interest, and safeguarding confidential information; - Its audit quality management, supervision and internal review arrangements; - Its procedures for addressing client complaints concerning professional performance or report quality; and - Its capacity to deliver reports in English, Uzbek and Russian within the required deadlines. - Information on relevant professional affiliations or quality certifications may be included, where applicable. E. Relevant Assignment References Provide a summary of relevant completed and ongoing assignments using the following format: No. Assignment title Client Country Implementation period Financing institution Firm’s role 1 2 3 … Relevant supporting evidence, such as contract extracts, completion certificates or client references, should be provided. F. Eligibility and Independence Declaration The Expression of Interest shall include a declaration signed by an authorized representative confirming that: - The firm has reviewed this notice and the Terms of Reference; - The firm is included in the applicable World Bank – ECA – List of Eligible Audit Firms; - The information and assignment references submitted accurately reflect the firm’s qualifications and experience; - The firm is not subject to any sanction or restriction rendering it ineligible for this assignment under the applicable World Bank Procurement Regulations; - The firm is independent of the Client and the entities and activities to be audited, and has disclosed any actual or potential conflict of interest relevant to the assignment; and - The signatory is duly authorized to submit the Expression of Interest on behalf of the firm. For a joint venture, the declaration shall cover each member. 6. Shortlisting Criteria Subject to compliance with the eligibility requirements in Section 4, Expressions of Interest will be assessed against the following firm-level criteria: - Relevant experience in providing financial statement audit services in accordance with ISA; - Relevant experience in auditing projects financed by the World Bank or other international financial institutions; - Technical capacity relevant to the audit scope, including examination of project expenditure, financial reporting, Designated Accounts and internal controls; and - Managerial and organizational capacity, including audit quality management arrangements and capacity to undertake the periodic audits and reporting requirements throughout the assignment. Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage. Their qualifications and experience will be assessed during evaluation of the technical proposals in accordance with the Request for Proposals. No Financial Proposal is required at the Expression of Interest stage. 7. Selection Method and Conflict of Interest A Consultant will be selected using the Least-Cost Selection (LCS) method in accordance with the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”). The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17 of the Procurement Regulations, which set out the World Bank’s requirements concerning conflicts of interest. The selected auditor shall maintain the professional independence required for the assignment throughout performance of the Services. 8. Submission of Expressions of Interest Expressions of Interest shall be submitted in writing, in English or Russian, to the address below by email, by 17:00, Tashkent time (UTC+5), on 22 October 2026 . The submission shall clearly indicate: “Expression of Interest – GISTDP/C4/LCS/01 – Audit of the Project Financial Statements.” 9. Further Information and Contact Details Further information, including the detailed Terms of Reference and the applicable list of eligible audit firms, may be obtained from the Client during office hours, from 09:00 to 18:00, Tashkent time (UTC+5). Cadastre Agency under the National Committee for Sustainable Development of Urbanization and Housing Market of the Republic of Uzbekistan Geospatial Infrastructure for Sustainable Territorial Development Project – Project Implementation Unit Attention: Mr. Mirsaid Sodikov, PIU Director Address: 6-V, Chuponota Street, Chilanzar District, Tashkent, 100097, Republic of Uzbekistan Email: gistdp@kadastr.uz