US Seeking Audit Services In Ukraine To Document Spending Of Nearly $15Bln Of Aid - Notice

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2022) The United States is seeking audit and monitoring services to document the outcomes of nearly $15 billion of assistance provided to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia, according to a Request for Information notice published by the US Department of State.

"This Request for Information (RFI) notice is issued as part of market research being conducted by the US Department of State and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs to seek expressions of interest from small businesses capable of providing the services needed for documenting, monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of $14.8 billion in Ukraine Supplemental assistance," the notice said on Wednesday.

The State Department will award a contract to a firm for one base year with an option of a two-year extension and expects it to start this Fall, the notice said.

Such an audit firm will also be obliged to submit quarterly reports to the US Congress, including with respect to any future amounts of assistance approved for Ukraine by US lawmakers, the notice said.

The interested firms must also be able to fulfill their contractual obligations by using methods that can mitigate the substantial risk of corruption in Ukraine, the notice added.

The State Department emphasized that the notice itself is published for information and planning purposes and should not be considered as a Request for Quote/Proposal or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future.

In September, the State Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched a project to audit the humanitarian assistance sent to Ukraine amid Russia's special military operation.

The United States has committed more than $16.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in the country on February 24.