1. About SNV

SNV is a global development partner rooted in the African and Asian countries where we operate. With 60 years of experience and a team of approximately 1,600 people, it is our mission to strengthen capacities and catalyze partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems to enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all.

2. Background and Objectives of the Assignment

The Youth Entrepreneurship in Agriculture in Rwanda (YEA-R) program is a five-year initiative funded by MasterCard Foundation and implemented by SNV, aimed at creating dignified and equitable employment opportunities for 40,000 young women, men, and persons with disabilities. The program works through a network of Rwandan partner organizations responsible for implementing key program activities.

As part of its sustainability strategy, the YEA-R program places strong emphasis on capacity strengthening and progressive transfer of responsibilities to local partners. This includes enhancing partners’ systems in financial management, internal controls, compliance, and program implementation. As partners take on increased responsibilities and manage larger funding allocations, it becomes critical to ensure that adequate systems and controls are in place to safeguard resources and deliver results effectively.

SNV has previously conducted partner capacity assessments using a combination of:

• Policy and procedural document reviews
• Partner self-assessments
• On-site consultations and key informant interviews

These assessments identified gaps and varying levels of capacity across partners, particularly in:

• Financial management practices
• Internal control systems
• Compliance with donor and program requirements
• Program implementation monitoring and reporting

In this context, SNV seeks to engage an independent audit firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of three YEA-R program partners, focusing on financial management, internal controls, and program implementation from January 2025 to April 2026.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide SNV with an objective assessment of partners’ systems and performance, identify risks and gaps, and propose actionable recommendations to strengthen accountability, compliance, and effectiveness in program delivery.

3. Goal and Objectives of the Assignment

The overall goal of this assignment is to conduct an independent audit of YEA-R program partners to assess:

• The adequacy and effectiveness of financial management systems
• The robustness of internal control mechanisms
• The level of compliance with donor requirements and SNV policies

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the audit are to:

1. Express an opinion on whether the partners' financial statements present fairly, in all materials respects, the financial position of the partners’, in accordance with IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) and the terms of the agreements.
2. Evaluate and obtain a sufficient understanding of the partners’ internal control systems, assess control risk, risk management, fraud prevention measures and identify reportable conditions, including material weaknesses.
3. Perform tests to determine whether the partners complied, in all material aspects, with agreement terms and applicable donor regulations. All material instances of non-compliance and all illegal acts that occurred or are likely to have occurred must be identified.

4. Scope of Work

The audit firm will conduct a comprehensive audit covering the following areas outlined below, that are not all-inclusive or restrictive in nature, and do not relieve the auditor from exercising due professional care and judgement. Any limitations in the scope of work must be communicated as soon as possible to SNV

Pre-Audit Document Review

Following is a list of documents applicable to MCF/SNV YEA-R program. The auditor must review the applicable documents considered necessary to perform the audit: 

• The agreement between MCF and SNV. 
• The sub-agreements between SNV and other partners, as applicable. 
• The sub-agreements between SNV’s partners and other sub-partners, as applicable.
• Contracts and subcontracts with third parties, if any. 
• The budgets, implementation letters, and written procedures approved by MCF
• MCF guidelines
• All program financial and progress reports; charts of accounts, organizational charts; accounting systems descriptions; procurement policies and procedures; and receipt, warehousing, and distribution procedures for materials, as necessary to successfully complete the required work. 
• Any previous audits, financial reviews, etc., that directly relate to the objectives of the audit.

Financial Statements

• The audit must examine the financial statements of the partners including the budgeted amounts by category and major items; the revenues received from SNV for the period covered by the audit; the costs reported by the partners as incurred during that period. The revenues received from SNV less the costs incurred, after considering any reconciling items, must reconcile with the balance of cash-on-hand or in bank accounts. 
• The audit must also evaluate program implementation actions and accomplishments to determine whether specific costs incurred are reasonable under the agreement terms and applicable regulations, and to identify areas where fraud and illegal acts have occurred or are likely to have occurred because of inadequate internal control. 

Internal Controls Assessment

1. The audit must review and evaluate the partners’ internal controls related to the YEA-R program to obtain a sufficient understanding of the design of relevant control policies and procedures and whether those policies and procedures have been placed in operation. 
2. The major internal control components to be studied and evaluated include, but are not limited to, the controls related to each revenue and expense account in the financial statements. 

Compliance with agreement terms and applicable regulations

• The audit firm will assess compliance with agreement terms and all applicable laws and regulations related to the YEA-R program, including identifying key provisions that could materially impact the financial statements if not adhered to. 
• The firm will coordinate with SNV and exercise due professional care in identifying potential fraud or illegal acts, while assessing risks of noncompliance and designing and performing audit procedures to detect errors, fraud, and violations without interfering with any investigations. 
• The firm will prepare comprehensive, well-structured audit documentation covering identified compliance requirements, risk assessments, audit procedures performed, and results of testing, ensuring all conclusions are clearly supported and cross-referenced to detailed evidence.

Other Audit Responsibilities 

1. Hold entrance and exit conferences with the partners. SNV must be notified of these conferences in order that SNV representatives may attend, if deemed necessary.
2. During the planning stages of the audit, communicate information to the auditee (partners) regarding the nature and extent of planned testing and reporting on compliance with laws and regulations and internal controls over financial reporting. This communication should be in the form of an engagement letter. 
3. Institute quality control procedures to ensure that sufficient appropriate evidence is obtained through inspection, observation, inquiries, and confirmations to afford a reasonable basis for an opinion regarding the agreement(s) under audit. 

5. Deliverables

The audit firm will deliver:

 1. Engagement letter

2. Entrance and exit conference

• Detailed audit plan 
• Methodology and tools 
• Work schedule 
• Presentation of Findings to debrief to SNV YEA-R team and relevant stakeholders

3. Draft Audit Report 

• Key findings per partner 
• Identified risks and gaps 
• Preliminary recommendations 

4. Final Audit Report 

• Individual and consolidated findings across partners 
• Detailed recommendations 

5. Management letter

5. Required Qualifications of the Firm

• This assignment is limited to local firms.
• Compliance with legal requirements of registration and taxation.
• Proven experience in financial and program audits, preferably in development programs, and audit reporting under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
• Strong knowledge of donor-funded project compliance requirements. Knowledge and experience with MasterCard Foundation compliance requirements is an added value.
• Demonstrated capacity, capability, and experience required to undertake the audit within required timelines. 
• Experience in auditing NGOs or international development organizations.
• Professional certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CIA) is required 

Applications should be submitted to rwandaprocurement@snv.org no later than May 11, 2026.

4. Evaluation criteria and submission

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

6. . Key compliance issues 

Bidder must comply with SNV’s environmental and Social Safeguarding policies and procedures as well as take into consideration donor-specific requirements. 

6. Data Protection assurance 

SNV will not retain Personal Data for longer than is allowed by law or is necessary for the Purposes.

 If unsuccessful on this occasion to secure a contract with SNV, SNV will retain Personal Data for required period for the purpose of any future internal or external audit. 

7. Disclaimer 

• SNV reserves the right to alter the schedule of tender and contract awarding. 
• SNV reserves the right to cancel this tendering process at any time and not to award any contract. 
• SNV reserves the right not to enter or award a contract because of this Request for Proposals. 
• SNV does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any offer. 
• SNV shall not be liable in respect of any costs incurred by the Bidder in the preparation of the offer nor any associated work effort, including the production of presentation materials, brochures, product specifications, or manuals for evaluation.