External Audit Services

The Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency (IUCMA), a National Public Entity listed under Schedule 3A of the Public Finance Management Act, is inviting bids from qualified registered auditors to provide external audit services for a 36-month period. The appointment is required to enable the IUCMA to submit audited Annual Financial Statements within three months of its financial year-end, as required under the PFMA. The appointment is governed by the Public Audit Act, 2004 (Act No. 25 of 2004) and its regulations, and is annually renewable for a period not exceeding three years from the date of first appointment, subject to the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) concurrence and re-appointment processes. The successful service provider must be an auditor in private practice registered with the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA), and must maintain total independence from the Agency throughout the engagement.

The scope of work includes planning, execution, and reporting of the external audit, with a detailed audit methodology required as part of the bid. Key personnel must include a Partner/Director who is a CA(SA) and Registered Auditor with at least 15 years of relevant public-sector external audit experience for maximum scoring, a Senior Manager and Manager who are CA(SA)s with public-sector audit experience, and an Assistant Manager holding a CTA or BCom qualification. Bidders must also provide at least eight positive, contactable client references from external audits performed on behalf of the AGSA. The technical evaluation is scored out of 100 points, with a minimum threshold of 80 points required to progress to price and specific goals evaluation. Bids are evaluated on an 80/20 preference point system (price and specific goals).

The engagement offers a stable, multi-year contract for an established audit practice, with services delivered primarily from the IUCMA offices in Mbombela and, where necessary, Piet Retief. Pricing must be inclusive of VAT where applicable and must cover all assignment activities, with no separate disbursements permitted. Bidders must be registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD), be tax compliant with SARS, and comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act. The successful bidder will be required to sign a Service Level Agreement with the IUCMA, and may not subcontract or assign the audit to third parties, nor undertake financial consultancy work that would compromise audit independence.