“HELIOS –enHancingthEsociaL Inclusion Of neetS”. The project total budget is € 2.791.437,46€ and it is financed for an amount of € 2.512.293,72 (90%) by the European Union (ENI CBC MED 2014-2020 Programme) through the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument. HELIOS project aims to help tackle social exclusion and poverty amongst vulnerable groups by identifying the sector with greatest potential for growth and by providing marketable skills to NEETs to meet those sector needs through training activities and cross-border traineeships in companies. ARCES Association leads the consortium composed by the following partners: Fisheries and Blue Growth District (Italy), Action Against Hunger (Spain), Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (Greece), Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fishery (Tunisia), University College of Applied Sciences Planning and External Relations Affairs (Palestine) and The National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (Jordan). The HELIOS partners believe that the “NEET phenomenon” can be tackled and reduced through the implementation of concrete actions, such as training, coaching, tutoring and sharing of best practices between partners in two of the most relevant sectors of the Euro Mediterranean economy (i.e. Blue and Circular economy) which can generate hundreds of thousands of jobs for young people and women in the Mediterranean countries. The project implementation period is 36 months (starting date 1/09/2019 – ending date 1/09/2022).

1. SCOPE

This invitation to tender to reputable firms or individuals, hereon referred to as the tenderers, to apply for the external auditor in charge of expenditure verification. The tenders must include the profile and financial offer. All prices in the offer must be tax exempted.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES

The tasks of the Auditor appointed by the UCAS are detailed below:

1. To verify that goods and services have been delivered and the works have been performed.
2. To verify that the expenditure declared by the UCAS relates to the eligible period or previous ones and it has been paid.
3. To verify the compliance with applicable rules (including eligibility rules), also including procurement and visibility requirements.
4. To check the related documents and accounting on avoidance of possible double funding.
5. To verify the adequacy of supporting documents.
6. To check the registration of the expenditure in the accounting records of the beneficiary and that the expenditure is determined according to the accounting standards and the usual cost accounting practices applicable to the project partner UCAS.
7. To notify irregularities and suspicion of fraud or corruption, as the case may be. If an Auditor identifies potential fraud or corruption, it will inform directly to legal representative of UCAS.
8. The number of expenditure verification reports is (10) reports at maximum.
9. The number of expected accounting entries is at most (250) entry.

Expenditure incurred by UCAS can be claimed within the project only after the respective independent Auditor verify it. The Auditor will check the documents in order to verify the original supporting documents, the procurement procedures, the outputs of the project, the evidence of services, works, equipment, goods co-financed through the project, the adequacy of the accounting system. A list of project outputs will be produced and signed by the Auditor as attachment to the EVR. The expenditure verifications shall be carried out according to the Format (Model) and checklist agreed with the MA and their outcome will be the Expenditure Verification Report (EVR) that will be attached to each payment request following the initial pre-financing. The Report on expenditure and revenue verification shall describe the purpose, the agreed-upon procedures and the factual findings of the engagement in sufficient detail to enable the Lead Beneficiary and the Managing Authority (MA) to understand the nature and extent of the procedures performed by the Auditor and the factual findings reported by the Auditor. It is compulsory for the Auditor to use the Model Report for the expenditure and revenue verification which will be submitted by project partner UCAS to the Auditor after the signature of the Contract between the two parties. A copy of the project reports and the EVRs shall be also submitted to the concerned Control Contact Point (CCP), in order to allow it to carry out checks, as the case may be. The EVR could also be made available by the Auditor in a specific section of the Monitoring and Information System (MIS). Should the MA, the Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) or the CCP have any doubt concerning the findings indicated in the expenditure and revenue verification report, the Auditor will receive a request for clarification via the Lead Beneficiary, which will be answered within the deadline indicated by the Lead Beneficiary. The Auditor shall submit the ad hoc report directly to the MA in case of fraud.

3. REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications

1. The appointed Auditor must be registered, for no less than three years, in the Palestinian Association of Certified Public Accountants according to the requirements set by the ENI Implementing Rules (art. 32) and in compliance with the national requirements.
2. A Master’s Degree in Accounting and/or Audit
3. CPA is a plus

Professionalism The appointed auditor should have:

1. At least 5 years of Auditing experience
2. At least 5 years of proven experience in working with academia/research institutions in middle income countries.
3. At least 2 years of experience with international organizations and internationally funded projects.
4. All verification procedures should be done according to international accounting standards.

Independence The appointed Auditor must not be involved with the UCAS who confers the assignment in any direct participation or of its family members, current or referred to the previous three-year period, to the administrative, control and general management bodies of the beneficiary/company that confers the mandate or its parent company.

4. KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROGRAMME LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of English.

DURATION AND ASSIGNMENT The assignment has a duration of 36 months, starting from 01/09/2019 till 31/08/2022 with possibility of extension.

6. PRESENTATION OF TENDERS AND SELECTION PROCEDURES
7. The application form must be drawn up according to the model attached (Attachment A), dated and signed by the candidate.
8. The tenders must be sent by email to the following addresses:

Mr. Hatem Sultan (UCAS Project Coordinator) – hsultan@ucas.edu.ps Mr. Mohammed Al-Abadla (Financial manager)– malabadla@ucas.edu.ps

1. The deadline for submitting tenders is May 26^th, 2020 at 3pm (Palestine Local time).
2. Any tender received after this deadline will not be considered.

Attachment A-Application Form