Request for Expressions of Interest (EoI)

Transcription

1 Kingdom of Lesotho LESOTHO INSTITUTE OF ACCOUNTANTS - OPERATIONALISATION OF LESOTHO PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANCY PROGRAMME European Development Fund Poverty Reduction Budget Support Phase II (FED ) Support to the Lesotho Institute of Accountants (FED/2013/ ) Request for Expressions of Interest (EoI) The Institute wishes to recruit resource persons or entities to provide capacity building support for the introduction of the newly established professional accountancy qualifications of the Lesotho Institute of Accountants. Background The Lesotho Institute of Accountants (LIA) was established under the Accountants Act of It is both the membership and regulatory body for all accountants practising in Lesotho, is a full member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and a founding member of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA). Since 2001 the Institute has used the qualifications of the UK Association of Chartered Certified Accountants as the basis for admission to membership at its three levels Technician Accountant, General Accountant and Chartered Accountant. The International Certificate and Diploma qualifications of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy are also now recognised for admission at Technician Accountant and General Accountant levels respectively. In 2009 agreement was reached with the World Bank to fund the development of a new professional qualifications framework for the Institute which would cover the needs of both the public and commercial sectors in Lesotho. The framework was completed and handed over to, and adopted by, the LIA Council in March 2012, and has since been officially entitled the Lesotho Professional Accountancy Programme. The European Development Fund (EDF) has now provided a grant of EUR1.1millions to LIA to support the operationalisation of the Programme, a project which will consist of four main components materials development, capacity building, the development of an IPDS scheme and examinations quality assurance. Teaching for the qualification will be undertaken by LIA s project associate, the Centre for Accounting Studies (CAS) 1. This request for expressions of interest relates only to the capacity building component of the project. The Qualifications Structure A copy of a schematic diagram of the qualification structure is attached and should be read in conjunction with the following narrative. Each stage of the qualification consists of two parts, but the curriculum for the second part of the Technician Accountant stage is completely common with the first part of the General Accountant stage 1 It should be noted that CAS is also a beneficiary of the EDF funding and as such, under EU rules, is barred from bidding on its own account, or in consortium with any external bidder, for any work funded from the grant.

2 (see diagram). A student commencing at the Technician stage and successfully completing all stages at the first attempt would thus take five years to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. However, the Institute is currently developing regulations to permit those already possessing relevant qualifications to enter at more advanced stages of the structure. Throughout the Technician and General Accountant stages the curriculum is common between the public and commercial sectors and contains material which is relevant to both sectors. At the Chartered Accountant stage, students will be streamed according to sector, but there is a substantial amount of common material between the corresponding syllabuses in the two streams, and wherever possible students from the two streams will be taught together. In all there are 24 syllabus modules as follows:- three in part 1 of the Technician Accountant stage, three in the common stage part 2 Technician Accountant, part 1 General Accountant, four in part 2 of the General Accountant stage, five for each stream in the first part of the Chartered Accountant stage and two for each stream in the second part of the Chartered Accountant stage. The detailed content of individual syllabus modules is currently undergoing a final review by the Institute and the full curriculum document (including any revisions following from this review) will be provided to short-listed individuals/entities. The Project The contract between LIA and EDF was signed on 30 May Project implementation is expected to occupy a period of approximately 32 months from the date of signing (though this now looks likely to be extended), and admission to the first stage of the qualification (the Technician Accountant stage) is planned for July The first admissions to the Chartered Accountant stage will follow in January 2015 and to the General Accountant (and part 2 of the Technician) stage in July In addition, the Institute will be undergoing its own internal transformation programme to improve its fitness for purpose as a professional accountancy body in response to the introduction of the new qualifications. This work will also be taking place against a background of a major reform programme in public financial management with funding support from the World Bank, the European Development Fund and the African Development Bank, with technical assistance from the IMF, and the roll-out of professional qualifications for accountants and auditors in the government sector in particular is seen as a key aim of this programme. The Assignment LIA wishes to engage (an) individual(s), a consultancy entity or a consortium, to take responsibility for providing capacity building to support the staff of CAS and LIA in meeting the requirements of the new qualifications structure. It is now more than 10 years since LIA set and assessed its own examinations and the new syllabuses also introduce a range of new materials and assessment methodologies, especially with regard to the public sector aspects of the qualifications. This is also the first time that LIA has managed a project on this scale and support will be needed to ensure that it is able to do so efficiently and effectively. The assignment will require the following activities:- training for LIA examinations staff in all aspects of the management of examinations including examination planning, engagement and briefing of examiners and moderators, drafting papers and marking schemes, assessing scripts and determining results, and quality assurance provision; 2

3 training, on a phased basis, for LIA examiners and moderators on requirements for setting, assessing and quality assuring examinations at the various stages of the rollout of the new scheme; opportunities for LIA and CAS staff to engage with more experienced examining and teaching entities to gain insight and information about various aspects of examinations and teaching; assistance, to be arranged through LIA and CAS, for partner organisations (primarily the National University of Lesotho and the Lesotho Council on Higher Education) in meeting curriculum reform and accreditation requirements; specific training for LIA and CAS staff on techniques for drafting and using case study based teaching and learning materials, and for drafting and assessing case-study based examinations and examination practice materials (for this element of the component the successful contractor(s) will be expected to work closely with the contractor(s) appointed to deliver the materials development component); wider aspects of training for LIA staff and Council members in particular in areas such as project management, monitoring and evaluation, team building and change management. Resources Required LIA is seeking expressions of interest from individuals and/or entities with experience of operating examinations and/or providing a range of training and development services within the fields of teaching and examinations to support the introduction of the new qualifications framework. Evidence will also be required of the individual s/entity s capacity to organise appropriate and relevant site visits to organisations outside Lesotho for LIA and CAS staff (all travel arrangements will be made and funded by LIA). Such resources are likely to be individual experts, other professional bodies, universities/higher technical institutions, private tuition providers or consultancy entities with a track record in this type of work. Experience in Lesotho and/or other parts of sub-saharan Africa would also be a distinct advantage. The successful contractor(s) will be expected to provide evidence of having delivered such training in the context of both public and commercial sector accounting, audit and related disciplines. The Institute will be happy to receive expressions of interest either from individuals, consultancy entities or consortia, and will particularly welcome responses from entities in other developing countries and/or consortia constructed on a north-south or south-south basis. It should be noted, however, that LIA reserves the right ultimately to appoint more than one contractor to undertake this work and to manage the capacity building programme on a call-down basis from contractors according to background and experience. LIA is therefore willing to receive EoIs from individuals/entities/consortia that wish to be considered only for certain aspects of the capacity building programme. All short-listed bidders will be informed of the basis on which definitive proposals are to be constructed at the time these are requested. Information Required In response to this invitation, eligible individuals/entities/consortia are asked to express their interest in carrying out this assignment and to provide the following information:- details of the individual(s) or entity(s) to be involved in delivering the outputs including a brief history, legal standing and status and current roles and responsibilities; details of experience in undertaking work of the type set out above, including summarised descriptions of similar assignments carried out within the last ten years; an indication of the areas listed in the Assignment section above for which they would wish to be considered; 3

4 initial ideas on how they might propose to carry out the assignment, including brief details of the backgrounds and experience of the main personnel likely to be deployed on the work and including the proposed management arrangements; where a consortium approach is proposed, an indication of the nature of the association being adopted and of which entity will be taking the lead in contracting and communications; any other matters which the individual or entity believes are relevant to his/her/its candidacy for this work. Where an individual or single entity is making the expression of interest, the document must not exceed 15 pages (including appendices). In the case of a consortium a maximum of 20 pages (including appendices) is permissible. The document must specify clearly the name and contact details of the person who will be dealing with this matter. Next Steps Expression of Interest documents must be received at the office of the Institute (see below) by no later than midday local time on Friday 4 October A copy of the EoI document must be sent electronically (see below) with an additional six hard copies reaching the Institute by this time/date. LIA will evaluate all expressions of interest received. The criteria for this evaluation will be: - the track record of the individual/entity/consortium in delivering capacity building in the areas described in respect of the accountancy profession (weighting 40%); the extent of the individual/entity/consortium s experience of delivering such outputs in a developing country context (25%); evidence of the individual/entity/consortium s ability to cater for the needs of both public and private sectors (15%); the outline methodology proposed (20%). Based on this evaluation, LIA will make a short list of a minimum of four individuals/entities/consortia in accordance with the guidance and procedures laid down by the European Development Fund. Full details of the activities required from potential contractors will be provided, and these entities will be invited to make a substantive proposal for carrying out the work. Invitations to bid are expected to be issued by late October 2013 with a provisional closing date for submissions in mid December Contract negotiations (if needed) and award will follow in January 2014 with work expected to start in February LIA contact details are as follows. Contact person: Mrs Mamoorosi Raditapole, Chief Executive Officer Physical address (for deliveries only): Accountants House, 5, Orpen Road, Old Europa, Maseru 100, Lesotho Postal address: PO Box 1256, Maseru 100, Lesotho Phone: Fax: mamoorosi.raditapole@lia.org.ls or ceo@lia.org.ls 4

5 Lesotho Institute of Accountants Qualifications Framework Structure as of July