AKADEMIYA2063 is a pan-African non-profit research organization with headquarters in Kigali, Rwanda, and a regional office in Dakar, Senegal. Inspired by the ambitions of the African Union's Agenda 2063 and grounded in the recognition of the central importance of strong knowledge and evidence-based systems, the vision of AKADEMIYA2063 is an Africa with the expertise we need for the Africa we want. This expertise must be responsive to the continent's needs for data and analysis to ensure high-quality policy design and execution. Inclusive, evidence-informed policymaking is key to meeting the continent's development aspirations, creating wealth, and improving livelihoods. AKADEMIYA2063's overall mission is to create, across Africa and led from its headquarters in Rwanda, state-of-the-art technical capacities to support the efforts by the Member States of the African Union to achieve the key goals of Agenda 2063 of transforming national economies to boost economic growth and prosperity. Following from its vision and mission, the main goal of AKADEMIYA2063 is to help meet Africa's needs at the continental, regional, and national levels in terms of data, analytics, and mutual learning for the effective implementation of Agenda 2063 and the realization of its outcomes by a critical mass of countries. AKADEMIYA2063 strives to meet its goals through programs organized under five strategic areas—policy innovation, knowledge systems, capacity creation and deployment, operational support, data management, digital products, and technology—as well as innovative partnerships and outreach activities. For more information, visit www.akademiya2063.org.

2. Invitation
   1. AKADEMIYA2063 seeks to hire a reputable and experienced auditing firm to conduct External Audit Services for the fiscal year, which spans from January 1^st to December 31^st.
   2. AKADEMIYA2063 has been audited by EY Rwanda since its inception in 2020. In line with the best practices, the Board of Trustees has requested the rotation of the external audit firm. Details of the assignment and expected deliverables are provided in Annex 1 – Terms of Reference
   3. Proposals must be submitted to AKADEMIYA2063 by July 21, 2025, at 17:30 East African time, via email to procurement.rw@akademiya2063.org .
   4. The Request for Proposal is not and shall not be considered an offer by AKADEMIYA2063.
   5. This Request for Proposal (RFP) includes the following annexes:

Annex 1: Terms of Reference

Annex 2: Letter of submission

1. 6. The terms and conditions outlined in this RFP, along with its annexes, will constitute integral components of any resulting contract, provided that AKADEMIYA2063 accepts your proposal. Any such contract will necessitate adherence to all factual statements and representations made in the proposal, with potential modifications subject to negotiation by AKADEMIYA2063.
   7. AKADEMIYA2063 reserves the right, at its discretion, to partially or completely cancel the requirement. It also retains the authority to accept or reject any proposal, annul the selection process, and reject all proposals at any time before selection, without incurring liability to proposers/firms.
   8. Offerors may withdraw their proposal after submission, provided that written notice of withdrawal is received by AKADEMIYA2063 before the submission deadline. No proposal may be modified after the submission deadline. Furthermore, no proposal may be withdrawn between the submission deadline and the expiration of the proposal validity period.
   9. All proposals shall remain valid and open for acceptance for 90 calendar days after the submission deadline. Proposals with shorter validity periods may be rejected. In exceptional circumstances, AKADEMIYA2063 may request the proposer's consent to extend the validity period, with all communications in writing.
   10. From the release of this solicitation onwards, all communications concerning this RFP must be exclusively directed to the Director of Finance & Administration via email at procurement.rw@akademiya2063.org . Offerors are prohibited from communicating with any other AKADEMIYA2063 personnel regarding this RF

3. Request for clarification of RFP documents

If you have any questions or need clarification regarding the solicitation documents, please email your queries to procurement.rw@akademiya2063.org by July 16, 2025. Please ensure the subject line of your email includes the reference number and title of the RFP (e.g., RFP 2025/004–Provision of External Audit Services for the AKADEMIYA2063). AKADEMIYA2063 will provide written responses to all clarification requests. Responses containing information relevant to all bidders will be posted on the AKADEMIYA2063 website and/or communicated via email without identifying the source of the inquiry.

4. Amendments to RFP documents
   1. AKADEMIYA2063 reserves the right to modify the RFP documents by amendment prior to the proposal submission deadline, at its discretion or in response to clarifications requested by prospective offerors. All amendments will be published on AKADEMIYA2063’s website and/or communicated via email.
   2. AKADEMIYA2063 may, at its sole discretion, extend the deadline for proposal submission to allow prospective bidders reasonable time to incorporate the amendment into their proposals.

5. Submission of proposals

5.1 Proposals should be submitted via email procurement.rw@akademiya2063.org following the guidelines below:

• Two separate files (technical and financial bids) should be attached to the email.
• The Technical file should contain the technical proposal and be named: RFP 2025/004 – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL - (name of proposer)
• Please ensure the technical proposal does not include any financial information to avoid disqualification.
• The Financial file should contain the financial proposal and be named:RFP 2025/004 – FINANCIAL PROPOSAL - (name of proposer)
• The subject line of the email should be:RFP 2025/004 – Provision of External Audit Services for the AKADEMIYA2063(name of proposer)

5.2 The Financial Proposal MUST be submitted in a password-protected format. Upon meeting the qualifying technical score, the authorized procurement officer will contact bidders to provide the password for opening the Financial Proposal. Bidders must refrain from sending the password until requested by the procurement officer. Financial Proposals submitted without password protection may be rejected due to non-compliance.

5.3 All prospective bidders are requested to return the completed submission letter with their proposal.

6. Late proposals

Any proposals received by AKADEMIYA2063 after the deadline for submission stated above may be rejected.

7. Corrupt, Fraudulent, Coercive, Collusive and other Prohibited Practices.

AKADEMIYA2063 requires that all AKADEMIYA2063 staff, proposers/bidders, suppliers, service providers and any other person or entity involved in AKADEMIYA2063-related activities observe the highest standard of ethics during the procurement and execution of all contracts. AKADEMIYA2063 may reject any proposal put forward by proposers, or where applicable, terminate their contract, if it is determined that they have engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, coercive, collusive or other prohibited practices.

8. Conflicts of Interest

In their proposal, bidders must (i) confirm that, based on their current best knowledge, there are no real or potential conflicts of interest involved in rendering Services for AKADEMIYA2063, and (ii) set out their policy on dealing with conflicts of interest should these arise.

9. Confidentiality

Information relating to the evaluation of proposals and recommendations concerning selection of Firms will not be disclosed to Firms that submitted proposals.

ANNEX I: TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. Objective

The objective of this RFP is to invite suitable firms to submit proposals for the provision of external audit services for the AKADEMIYA2063.

2. Scope of Work

The selected facilitator will provide:

2.1 Audit Report

• The auditors’ opinion on the financial statements
• The presentation of all statutory reports, including the statement of comprehensive income,

the statement of financial position, the statement of fund balances, the statement of cash flows, and any other relevant statements/disclosures for the financial period covered by the audit exercise.

2.2 Management Letter

In addition to the audit report, the auditors will prepare a “management letter” in which they will:

• Give comments and observations on the accounting records, procedures, systems, and controls that were examined during the course of the audit, and a detailed report on their effectiveness.
• Identify specific deficiencies and areas of weakness in systems and controls and make recommendations for improvement.
• Report on the implementation status of recommendations pertaining to previous period audit reports;
• Communicate matters that have come to their attention during the audit, which might have a significant impact on the implementation and sustainability of the organization’s mandate; and
• Bring to the AKADEMIYA2063 Board Audit Committee’s attention any other matters that the auditors consider pertinent.

2.3 The Scope of Activity

• The Audit shall be conducted in conformity with generally accepted common international auditing standards (IAS) and, subject to any special direction of the Board Audit Committee
• AKADEMIYA2063 is a duly registered company in Rwanda and a registered Charity in the USA. Primarily, the audit shall be conducted in conformity with the international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and in very rare occassions, support for our US GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) may be requested.
• The External Auditor shall be completely independent and solely responsible for the conduct of the audit.
• The Board Audit Committee may request the External Auditor to perform certain specific examinations and issue reports on the results.
• This assignment will commence starting with the accounts of 1^st January 2025 to 31^st December 2025. Annual renewal of engagement will be determined by the board of trustees.

3. Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested firms are requested to submit a proposal that includes the following:

Technical Proposal

a)Company Profile and accreditations

• Background of your organization.
• Current company registration documents/certificate of incorporation
• Relevant experience in providing external audit services
• Testimonials or references from previous clients (at least five).

b)Proposed methodology and approach.

• Conformity with the specified objectives and scope of work.
• Proposed audit methodology for the assignment

c)Logistics and Support.

• Details of required materials, venue setup, or any logistical support needed.

d)Detailed work plan, including deliverables timing.

• Comprehensive work plan that meets the assignment's requirements

e)Proposed organization and staffing, including their CVs for the assignment

• Qualifications and competence of key professional staff separately, particularly a Team Leader/Audit Partner.

Details of any additional audit-related service proposals to be extended as value-added offerings

Financial Proposal

The Financial Proposal must include a detailed cost breakdown and adhere to the following requirements:

1. Cost Breakdown:
   1. Professional fees, material costs, travel expenses, any additional charges, and a proposed payment schedule.
   2. Separate figures for each functional grouping or category, including fees and cost-reimbursable expenses.
   3. Total professional fees based on the time allocated for the assignment.
   4. Any estimates for cost-reimbursable expenses must be listed separately and capped.
2. Taxes:
   1. The financial proposal must be tax-inclusive.
   2. If the financial proposal is silent on taxes, AKADEMIYA2063 will consider it tax-inclusive.
3. Validity:
   1. The financial proposal must remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date of bid closure.
4. Submission:
   1. The financial proposal must be submitted as a separate attachment from the technical proposal.
5. Comprehensive Costing:
   1. Bidders must provide a complete financial costing for the entire assignment.

4. Criteria for Selection

Technical Proposal

Technical proposals that score at least 75 points out of 100 will qualify for the financial proposal review.

Financial Proposal

The maximum number of points (100) will be allotted to the lowest price proposal among those firms that obtained the threshold points of 75 in the technical component.

P = M (L/C)

Where:

P = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

M = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

L = price of the lowest financial proposal

C = price of the proposal being evaluated

Weighted Total Score = (75% of Technical Proposal) + (25% of Financial Proposal)

5. Acceptance of Submissions

All proposers are expected to adhere to the requirements for submitting a proposal. Any proposals that fail to comply will be disqualified from further consideration as part of this evaluation.

6.  Award

The Award will be made to the responsive proposer who achieves the highest combined technical and financial score, following the negotiation of an acceptable contract. AKADEMIYA2063 reserves the right to conduct negotiations with the Proposer regarding the contents of their offer. The award will be in effect only after acceptance by the selected proposer of the terms and conditions and the technical requirements.

• AKADEMIYA2063 reserves the right to award the contract to the organization whose proposal is deemed to be in the best interest of and most advantageous to AKADEMIYA2063.
• AKADEMIYA2063 will not award a contract to any bidder where there is an indication of a lack of business integrity.
• The firm with the winning proposal will be notified in writing. Those who were not selected may or may not be notified, at the sole discretion of AKADEMIYA2063.
• AKADEMIYA2063 reserves the right to conduct negotiations with the selected firm regarding the content of their offer.

7. Final Guidelines

• Questions and/or clarifications may be submitted to procurement.rw@akademiya2063.org by July 16, 2025.
• The proposals shall be submitted to procurement.rw@akademiya2063.orgby July 21, 2025.
• Validity of the proposal shall be for a period of 90 days from the date of bid closure (July 21, 2025).
• Financial proposal shall be sent as a separate attachment.

8. Additional Information

The audit assignment will take place at AKADEMIYA2063 Headquarters, located at Kicukiro Niboye KK 341 St 22, Kigali - Rwanda.

ANNEX II: SUBMISSION LETTER

To: [Name and address of Client]

Dear Sir/Madam:

We, the undersigned, hereby offer to provide consulting services for [Insert title of assignment] in accordance with your Request for Proposal dated [Insert Date] and our Proposal. Enclosed are our Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal.

If submitting as an association, we are doing so in collaboration with the following consultants/facilitators:

- [List full name and address of each associated Consultant/Facilitator]

We affirm that all information and statements provided in this Proposal are accurate and acknowledge that any misrepresentation may result in disqualification.

Should negotiations occur during the Proposal validity period, we commit to negotiating based on the proposed staff, methodology, and approach outlined herein. Our Proposal is binding and subject to adjustments arising from Contract negotiations.

Upon acceptance of our Proposal, we undertake to promptly commence the consulting services as outlined in the assignment.

Please be advised that you are under no obligation to accept any Proposal received.

Yours sincerely,

Authorized Signature [Full Name and Initials]: ____________________

Name and Title of Signatory: ____________________

Name of Firm: ____________________

Address: ____________________