Financial Audit and Risk Verification Services for Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion Project

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion Project Credit No: 7425 -UZ Assignment title: Financial Audit and Zero Risk program verification services Reference No.: UZ-DIP-522303-CS-LCS The Republic of Uzbekistan (hereinafter referred to as the “Borrower”) has applied for financing from the International Development Association (IDA) (hereinafter referred to as the “Bank”) in the form of a “credit” (hereinafter referred to as the “credit”) to cover the costs of the Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion Project. “Administration of Technology Park of Software and IТ” LLC as the Implementing Agency, intends to use part of the funds to pay for consulting services for financial audit. This assignment will consist of two parts:

• Enable the Auditor to express an independent professional opinion on the Project Financial Statements of the Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion Project for each audited financial period, and to assess whether the Project funds have been used, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financing agreements, World Bank fiduciary requirements, and relevant accounting standards.
• Verification of incentive claims submitted under the World Bank–financed portion of the Zero Risk Incentives Program, in accordance with the procedures and eligibility criteria set out in the Output-Based Incentives Operational Manual approved by the World Bank. Such verification is intended to confirm that incentive payments are supported by eligible outputs and adequate documentation prior to payment.

The consulting services are expected to last approximately 3 years. To obtain the Terms of Reference for the assignment, please send your request to the following e-mail address: udip@it-park.uz . “Administration of Technology Park of Software and IТ” LLC now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to express their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants must provide information confirming they have the necessary qualifications and relevant experience to provide the Services. Only qualified firms will be shortlisted. Shortlisting criteria:

• Legal Status and Eligibility
• The firm shall be legally registered and operating as an independent audit firm in accordance with the laws of its country of incorporation.
• The firm shall have been in continuous operation for at least five (5) years prior to the proposal submission deadline.
• The firm shall be eligible to participate in World Bank–financed procurement in accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers and shall not be subject to any sanction or debarment by the World Bank or other international financial institutions.

Th e Consultant must attach a copy of the valid company registration certificate indicating the legal name, address, and contact details.

• Professional Authorization and Standards
• The firm shall be duly licensed or authorized to perform external audits under applicable national legislation.
• The firm shall conduct audits in accordance with International Standards on Auditing.
• The firm shall have experience in preparing audit opinions and reports in compliance with internationally recognized public sector or project-based accounting standards acceptable to the World Bank (e.g. IPSAS Cash Basis).

The Consultant must attach a copy of valid audit license, declaration confirming audits conducted in accordance with ISA.

• Relevant Institutional Experience
• The firm shall demonstrate proven experience in auditing donor-funded or IFI-financed projects, including projects financed by the World Bank and/or other international financial institutions.
• The firm shall have successfully completed at least three (3) audit assignments within the last five (5) years related to project financial statement audits, and/or audits of public sector entities or project implementation units.
• Experience in verification of grants, incentives, reimbursement schemes, or results-based financing mechanisms shall be considered an advantage.

The experience and qualifications of sub-consultants will not be considered in the evaluation of Expressions of Interest. Key experts will not be assessed at the selection stage. The shortlist will include 5 to 8 companies. The attention of interested consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank's Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Fifth Edition, September 2023 (the "Procurement Regulations"), which sets forth the World Bank's conflict of interest policy. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their expertise but must clearly state whether the association is a form of joint venture and/or sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all partners in the joint venture are jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if one is chosen. The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Least Cost-based Selection (LCS) method described in the Procurement Regulations and specifically stated in the Request for Proposals. As part of the expression of interest, the Consultant must include the following information:

• Information about the consulting firm

Date: Country of registration: Consultant name: Acronym: EOI submission is authorized: Position:

• Associations (joint venture or subconsulting )

Consultant Acronym Country of registration Joint Venture (JV) or Sub-Consultant EOI submission is authorized Position Present the rationale and benefits of working in an association (JV or subconsultant) with others, rather than independently performing the task (as needed). Describe the proposed approach to managing and coordinating the association and the role of each firm.

• Management competence
• Describe standard policies, procedures, and practices that your entity has to assure quality interaction with clients and outputs;
• How does your firm/consortium handle complaints regarding the work of experts or the quality of reports submitted on previous and future assignments? What internal controls are in place to handle and resolve complaints?
• How do you ensure the quality of your firm/consortium's work throughout the duration of the assignment.
• Project references

Submit relevant projects demonstrating the firm's expertise and experience (maximum 10 projects). # Project Period Client Country Role on the assignment 1 2 3 4 …

• Summary of the projects listed above

Project name Country/Region start date Completion date Continuous / Intermittent Client Source of funding Description (Please indicate your role and contribution in man-months)

• Eligibility

We, the undersigned, confirm to the best of our knowledge and belief:

• We have reviewed the announcement, including the technical specifications (TS), for this task: (YES/NO);
• Neither the consulting firm, nor its JV member or subconsultant, nor any of its experts prepared the TOR for this activity: (YES/NO);
• We confirm that the references to projects presented within this RFP accurately reflect the experience of the named firm/consortium: (YES/NO);
• If we provide an assignment resulting from our work on the assignment, our firm, the JV member or sub-consultant, and the expert(s) will be disqualified from being shortlisted and participating in the assignment.
• The Lead Firm and the JV Member or Sub-Consultant are NOT currently under sanctions by or against other MDBs. Neither the Consulting Firm nor the JV Member or Sub-Consultant has ever been convicted of an integrity related offense or a crime involving theft, corruption, fraud, conspiracy or coercion.

For further information please contact the address below during business hours: 9:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. Tashkent time. Expressions of interest must be delivered in writing to the address below (in person, by post or by email) by 18:00 (Tashkent time) on February 12, 2026 to the address below. “Administration of Technology Park of Software and IТ” LLC Attention of: Mr. Abdulahad Kuchkarov, General Director Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion project 5th floor, 7/2, Muminov str. 100164, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, udip@it-park.uz, +99871 209 11 99 (1037) Agency: PIU for Uzbekistan Digital Inclusion Project Procurement method: Least Cost Selection Notice type: Request for Expression of Interest Status: Published Value: 75000.0 USD