Country: Republic of Uzbekistan

Project: Expansion and modernization of public-school infrastructure

Consulting services: Financial auditing services of project accounts

Mode of Financing: AIIB Grant

Agreement No. S0881A

1. The Republic of Uzbekistan has received a Grant from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank toward Expansion and modernization of public-school infrastructure in the Republic of Uzbekistan and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consultant services. The services include Audit of Annual Project’s Financial Statement (APFS) and preparing its report covering all funds received and disbursed under the Project. The auditor is expected to provide a professional opinion on whether the APFS present a true and fair view of the financial position of the Project and whether the expenditures were incurred in accordance with the Grant Agreement and AIIB’s DIRECTIVE on Procurement Instructions for Recipients January 2016 (Revised November 2022 and June 2024) under AIIB Grant.       

2. The APFS shall be prepared by the consulting company in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), or other accounting standards compatible with IASB’s, and give a true and fair view of the financial position of the Project from 2024 through 2028 (inclusive completion of the Grant project) fiscal years and of the resources and expenditures for the fiscal year then ending. Primary audit reports shall be delivered by the consulting company in English, with an optional certified translation into Russian or Uzbek language at the request of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.

3. The detailed Terms of Reference (ToR) for the assignment are attached to this request for expressions of interest.

4. The Ministry of Preschool and School Education (MoPSE) now invites eligible consulting companies to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants who has experience of auditing, specifically preparing audit report for projects funded by Multi-Development Banks must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.).

5. The shortlisting criteria are:

Eligibility Compliance

- the Consultant must comply with AIIB eligibility rules;

       - the Consultant must be established or incorporated in Republic of Uzbekistan;

- the Consultant must not be subject to any restrictions, sanctions, or debarment by AIIB or any other major international financing institution;

- the Consultant must be free from any conflict of interest that could give rise to a competitive advantage.

Qualifications of the auditor

- the auditor should have a minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience in financial audit services: list at least five (5) completed projects for financial audit services provided in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), or other accounting standards compatible with IASB’s, (either in private or in public sector) within the period of the last eight (8) years (evidenced by completion certificates or client references)- 5 projects over the last 8 years;

- the auditor must have technical and managerial capability of the firm and staff, number of full-time professional staffs required as per ToR;

- three (3) successfully completed (evidenced by completion certificates or client references) projects in Uzbekistan funded by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) within the last five (5) years, specifically preparation of audit reports. Completed (evidenced by completion certificates or client references) projects in Uzbekistan funded by AIIB completed within the last five (5) years will be considered as an advantage - 3 projects over the last 5 years;

- the audit firm should be experienced in applying ISA/IFRS standards and must employ adequate staff with appropriate professional qualifications and suitable experience of ISA/IFRS standards, including experience in auditing the financial accounts of Projects funded by the International Community of comparable size and complexity to this Project;

- the firm shall be registered entity under jurisdiction of the country and possess appropriate valid professional licenses to practice in the country.

6. Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

7. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

8. A consultant will be selected in accordance with the Least Cost Selection (LCS) method through shortlisting from domestic consultancy firms as set out in the Procurement Guidelines.

9. For the purposes of shortlisting, only the qualifications and experience of the lead firm and joint venture partners will be considered. The experience of sub-consultants will not be evaluated at this stage.

10. A consultant will be selected in accordance with the Least Cost Selection (LCS) method through shortlisting from domestic consultancy firms as set out in the Procurement Guidelines.

11, Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours from 09:00 to 17:00 hours (local time).

Expressions of interest in English or Russian (in case of discrepancies between the English and the Russian version, the English text shall prevail) must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by 17:00 (Tashkent time) March 10^th, 2026. Electronic submissions must be in PDF format and include scanned or digital signatures. EoIs received after the submission deadline shall be rejected and shall not be evaluated.

The Ministry of Preschool and School Education (MoPSE), Project Implementation Unit, 2A Navoiy street, Shayhontohur district, Tashkent (postal code 100011).

Attention: Bahodir Turayev, Project Coordinator

Tel: (+998 99) 837 71 15.   E-mail: B.Turayev@uzedu.uz

 

 

Consultants are requested to include the following documentation as per the checklist below:

No.	Document	Purpose / Notes
1	Cover Letter One (1) page.	Brief letter expressing interest, referencing project title and financing number (S0881A), and introducing the firm.
2	Firm’s Profile / Company Brochure No more than two (2) pages.	Description of the firm, services offered, current organizational structure, country of incorporation.
3	Evidence of Eligibility	Certificate of incorporation or registration proving establishment in Republic of Uzbekistan.
4	Self-Declaration of No Conflict of Interest and No Sanctions	Signed statement confirming compliance with AIIB Guidelines; not under sanction or conflict of interest.
5	General Experience with the IFRS or other accounting standards compatible with IASB’s	List at least five (5) completed projects (either in private or in public sector), in the last eight (8) years:  - Name of project; - Location; - Client; - Duration and year; - Scope of work; - Contract value. Please list no less than five (5), no more than seven (7) completed projects, where the financial audit services were provided in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), or other accounting standards compatible with IASB’s.
6	Organizational Capacity Statement	Explanation of staff capacity and resources for managing long-duration and multi-site assignments; outline approach to mobilizing key experts. No more than six (6) CVs with prove or employment with the firm, no more than two (2) pages outlining the approach to MDB financed projects.
7	Relevant Specific Experience with MDB-funded projects in Uzbekistan	List at least three (3) similar assignments, funded by MDB completed in the last five (5) years: - Name of project; - Location; - Client; - Duration and year; - Scope of work; - Contract value. MDB funded projects are advantageous, though not mandatory. Please list no less than three (3) and no more than five (5) completed projects.
8	Completion Certificates or Client References One (1) completion certificate/client reference per one (1) project.	Supporting documents for each project listed under item 5 and 7 to validate claims of successful completion. Projects unsupported by the certificates or references will not be taken under evaluation.
9	Description of JV or Association (if applicable) One (1) page.	Clarify type of association (JV or sub-consultancy); include signed MoU or draft agreement; indicate which firm will act as lead.
10	Contact Information of Authorized Representative One (1) page.	Name, title, email, phone number, and official address of person authorized to communicate on behalf of the firm.
11	Declaration of Intent to Participate in Full Proposal One (1) page.	Letter confirming firm’s intent to submit a full proposal if shortlisted.