Request for Tender - Internal Audit for The Wheel

About Us

The Wheel is Ireland’s national association of charities, community and voluntary organisations, and social enterprises. We are a representative voice and a supportive resource that offers advice, training, influence, and advocacy for the sector.  Rotha (trading as The Wheel) is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It employs 30 people and has an annual turnover of nearly €2.8m

Context

Following a review of The Wheel’s process for declaring compliance with the Charities Governance Code, the board identified a need to ensure that we are adhering to the organisational policies in place that we use as a basis for compliance not just with the Governance Code, but also for our internal financial controls and funder requirements.

An Internal Audit was requested by the board to ensure compliance, and that following this a framework be put in place to enable this work to be completed annually and internally.

Assignment   

The Wheel is inviting interested parties to submit proposals to review the overall effectiveness of how its structures and processes adhere to organisational policies and funder requirements, and to deliver a framework to allow for subsequent audits be completed internally. 

We expect the Internal Audit to assess the following core requirements over a 2 to 3 year period:

1. The Wheel’s compliance with the Charities Governance Code.
2. Compliance with our own internal policies, and assessment of any policies yet to be developed.
3. Review of our internal financial controls.
4. Compliance with funder requirements.

Deliverables and outputs   

1. An audit of the organisation’s compliance with the Charities Governance Code and the underlying policies 
2. A review of our suite of policies, together with an assessment of whether there are any notable omissions 
3. An audit of our compliance with the requirements of our funders
4. A report outlining findings of the audit process
5. A framework that will allow completion of future audits internally. 

Anticipated Timeframe

• June 2023 - Appointment of successful supplier
• June – August 2023 - Internal Audit Process, Year 1
• August 2023 - Initial draft report to Management
• September 2023 - Report to Subgroup & Board with Findings

The contractors should also note the following date and times for board and subcommittee meetings they may be required to attend to discuss approach and findings

• 12 September 2023 – 8.30am – 10.30am
• 26 September 2023 – 3pm – 5pm 

Qualification and Requirements   

Consultants that wish to submit a proposal shall meet the following minimum criteria:   

1. Proven track record in conducting Internal Audits for organisations in the nonprofit sector and of similar size to The Wheel.   
2. A strong understanding of the various frameworks and standards that apply across the nonprofit sector, in particular the Charities Governance Code 

The following criteria will be used in assessing of consultants to shortlist for interview.  

• Qualifications – 15%
• Approach – 30%
• Experience – 30%
• Price – 25%

  Proposal    

Those wishing to be considered should submit a brief proposal that includes the below

•  Justification of why they are a suitable consultant for the work,
• A brief methodology on how the work will be conducted
• Work and time plan including the scheduling of main activities and time inputs required
• Two referees

  The financial proposal shall be in Euro and include the fee rate excluding VAT plus any expenses to be reimbursed by The Wheel 

  Proposal should not exceed €15,000 excluding VAT, including expenses.  

The information provided shall also incorporate:   

• Company profile
• Declaration of existing relationships with any staff or board members, or potential conflicts of interest

Proposals or queries should be submitted to the below by close of business on Tuesday 20th June 2023

Jon McBride, Compliance & Metrics Officer

jon@wheel.ie