Dear Sir/Madam,
The Gender Development Association (GDA) is pleased to invite qualified and independent audit firms to submit proposals for the provision of external audit services for the programme Together for People and Planet (ToPP) October 2025 – December 2028, implemented in partnership with WWF-Laos and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) .
Background
Background of GDA
Gender Development Association (GDA) is a leading Gender Rights Non-Profit Association, working throughout Lao PDR since 1991. GDA works to empower particular women, gender diversity, and disabled people to achieve gender equity through joint action, knowledge sharing and ending gender-based violence and discrimination.
ToPP program – Core support background
The Together for People & Planet (ToPP) Program is a WWF‑Laos sub‑program (2025–2028) that aims to strengthen the capacity of Lao Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and expand civic space, enabling CSOs to lead rights‑based, sustainable environmental and climate governance.
GDA has received core support to strengthen its institutional capacity, governance and operational systems. This support enables GDA to sustainably deliver high-quality Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) programs and services in line with its strategic objectives. Core support is essential for positioning GDA as a strong, trusted, and sustainable partner within the ToPP program.
The support focuses on priority areas identified in GDA’s Strategic Plan and Operational Work Plan, including human resources and leadership, governance and systems, financial management and sustainability, and program capacity strengthening.
WWF Sweden’s Standard Terms of Reference for Annual Audit of Core Support
Introduction
The Implementing Partner (hereinafter IP) ” wishes to engage the services of an audit firm to carry out the audit of the programme Together for People & Planet (hereinafter ToPP), as stipulated in the Agreement between the Implementing partner and WWF-Laos (hereinafter WWF). The audit shall be carried out in accordance with international audit standards (ISA) issued by IAASB. An agreed-upon procedures engagement shall also be carried out according to International Standards on Related Services (ISRS) 4400 (Revised).
The audit and the agreed-upon procedures assignment shall be carried out by an external, independent and qualified auditor.
I. Objectives and scope of the audit
The objective is to audit the financial report for the reporting period (see below) as submitted to WWF and to express an audit opinion according to ISA, applying ISA 700, on whether the financial report for the ToPP programme is in accordance with the implementing partner’s accounting records and the financial reporting requirements set out in the agreement, including annexes, between WWF and the IP.
The Auditor must write a report according to ISA 700 or National Standards on Auditing, which must express an opinion whether the submitted annual financial report is in accordance with the following:
- Organisation’s accounting records;
- The organisation’s total revenue, including a breakdown of revenue per funder;
- A comparison between the actual activity costs for the current and previous reporting periods, including a breakdown of costs per funder;
- Information on interest and/or unutilised funds;
- A list of any amounts that have been forwarded to other parties; and
- The IP’s Accumulative budget report.
Points of clarification:
- The financial report for the period must be signed by management of the Implementing partner and must be attached to the report.
- The audit report must state which ISA has been followed.
Reporting Period
If the IP has the same fiscal year as the ToPP programme, the reporting period is July – June.
If the IP has calendar year as its fiscal year, the reporting period is January – December.
This report shall also be audited and an agreed upon procedures in accordance with ISRS 4400 shall be executed, similar to what applies to the Cooperation partners that have a closing date as of 31 December.
II. Additional Assignment; According to agreed upon procedures ISRS 4400 (Revised), review the following areas in accordance with the Terms of Reference below
Mandatory procedures that must be included:
- Observe and inspect whether the financial report provides information regarding:
a). Disclosure of exchange gains/losses.
Points of clarification:
- The auditor must check and confirm in writing any exchange rate gains or losses, if applicable, in their report.
- In addition, the auditor must check and confirm in writing the method used for currency conversion and ensure that the conversion rate applied to the income is added in the Pink table in the R3 reporting template and that the correct weighted average exchange rate for the period is used for the incurred costs.
- NB! Any remaining balance from previous years' reports must be included in the calculation of the exchange rate (Actual Weighted Average) for the year under review. Any negative balance, however, shall not be included when calculating the exchange rate is calculated for the year.
b). Check and verify that the organisation pays taxes and social contributions on time. The sample must contain at least two months (if paid monthly). If the payments are done at other intervals, the auditor must check with the WWF Donor on the number of checks that need to be done.
c). Compliance regarding Non-eligible costs
Follow up on compliance with the regulations in the WWF Core support agreement regarding non-eligible costs.
Non-eligible costs for WWF Core support are real estate, properties, mortgages, and housing equipment considered investments in the property. Core Support Funds cannot be invested. If a Cooperation partner budgets for such a purchase, they have to explain in the budget how it can be guaranteed that the Core support
from WWF is not used to finance the purchase in any way. In the budget follow-up, it then needs to be shown how the financing has actually been carried out.
d). Procurement of goods and services
Follow up on compliance with the “CSO-partners Procurement provisions” (as attached to the Core Support Agreement), regarding three procurements (if applicable).
III. The reporting
The reporting must be signed by the responsible auditor (not just the audit firm and should include the title of the responsible auditor.
Reporting from the ISA Engagement
The auditor's report should include an independent auditor’s report in the format outlined in ISA 700, where the auditor’s opinion should be clearly stated. The financial report that was subject to the audit must be attached to the audit report.
The reporting should also include a Management Letter describing all findings and weaknesses identified during the audit process. The auditor should provide recommendations based on the observations and identified weaknesses. These recommendations should be prioritized and classified by risk. Actions taken by the organization to address previously reported weaknesses should be presented in the Management Letter. If no findings or recommendations were made in previous audits, this should be clearly stated in the audit reporting.
If the auditor determines that no findings or weaknesses have been identified that warrant a Management Letter, this should be clearly stated in the auditor’s report.
Reporting from the ISRS 4400 (Revised) Engagement
The supplementary engagement on agreed-upon procedures under ISRS 4400 (Revised), as outlined in section II, should be reported separately in the ‘Report on Agreed-Upon Procedures’. The tasks performed should be described, and findings should be reported in accordance with the requirements set out in ISRS 4400 (Revised).
Points of clarification:
- The recommendations from the auditor must be presented in order of priority and must include a risk classification, grading the Findings as either High, Medium, or Low.
- The auditor must issue a Management letter even if there are no recommendations/findings from the audit.
- The Implementing partner is required to submit a signed Management Response to the Auditor's Management Letter, regardless of whether the Management Letter contains any Findings or not.
- In the event of any Findings, the Management Response must address, clarify, and provide an action plan outlining the steps to implement the recommendations and the person designated to ensure that the implementation takes place
Instead of a separate Management Response, the Implementing partner may add their response/s directly to the Management Letter. If this is done, the Implementing partner must sign the Management Letter together with the auditor.
IV. Audit Timeline and Reporting Deadlines
Please note that, while the detailed TOR is provided in Attachment 6, the audit timeline and reporting deadlines shall follow the provisions of the Agreement between GDA and WWF. The expected submission deadlines for audit reports are as follows:
- Audit for 2025 (October – December 2025): Submission by 31 May 2026
- Audit for 2026 (January – December 2026): Submission by 30 April 2027
- Audit for 2027 (January – December 2027): Submission by 30 April 2028
- Audit for 2028 (January – December 2028): Submission by 30 March 2029
V. Qualifications and Experience
The audit shall be carried out by an appropriately qualified and experienced auditor. The auditor must be registered with the Lao Chamber of Professional Accountants and Auditors (LCPAA) or another recognized professional regulatory body for auditors in Lao PDR.
The audit team, collectively, should possess the following qualifications and competencies:
· Demonstrated experience in auditing Lao Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), development projects, and programs funded by national and/or international institutions and donors
· Strong knowledge of relevant laws, regulations, and procedures in Lao PDR, including taxation, social security, labor regulations, accounting systems, and procurement
· Excellent proficiency in both Lao and English
VI. Submission Requirements for Audit Proposals
Interested audit firms are invited to submit both technical and financial proposals. Proposals should include the following documents:
1. Company Profile and Business Registration – A brief overview of the firm and a valid business registration certificate.
2. Audit License and Certifications – Copies of relevant audit licenses and professional certifications.
3. Experience – Demonstrated experience in auditing donor-funded projects or similar programs.
4. Proposed Audit Methodology and Work Plan – A detailed description of the audit approach, methodology, and timeline.
5. Financial Proposal – Detailed audit fees and associated costs.
6. CVs of Key Audit Personnel – Qualifications and experience of staff who will conduct the audit.
Contract Modality
The assignment will be contracted on a one-year basis, with the possibility of annual renewal based on satisfactory performance and approval by WWF-Laos.
Submission Deadline
Please submit your proposal no later than 22 April 2026
Submission Method
Proposals should be submitted via email as below:
Email: Phouvanhse@gmail.com
CC: Kham13_lao3@hotmail.com, Sumaly93@gmail.com
GDA reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal and is not bound to award the contract to the lowest bidder.
