RFP_Review & Assurance Opinion-CDRI Trust fund mechanism design
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Independent Review & Assurance Opinion of the CDRI Trust Fund Mechanism Design
Background
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a global coalition committed to strengthening infrastructure resilience against climate and disaster risks. With 58 member countries and 12 partner organizations, it includes national governments, international bodies, and businesses collaborating to exchange knowledge, drive research, and invest in disaster-resilient infrastructure. Members gain access to global expertise, funding, technical support, research opportunities, innovative solutions, and international best practices.
Headquartered in New Delhi, India, CDRI’s Secretariat holds the status of an International Organization.
CDRI’s mission is, by 2050, to drive US$10 trillion of new and existing infrastructure investments and services to be resilient to natural hazards and climate change through enhanced capacity, informed policy, planning, and management, thereby improving environmental quality, livelihoods, and overall well-being for more than 3 billion people worldwide.
CDRI operates through contributions from multiple stakeholders, including government donors and international development partners. The Coalition delivers part of its mandate through grants issued through its two funds:
- Existing Trust Fund (Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund administered by United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office ), and
- A recently established Trust Fund mechanism (hereafter referred to as CDRI Trust Fund) to be fully managed in-house by the CDRI Secretariat.
Grants are provided to various Implementing Partners (IPs), including UN agencies, governments, NGOs, academic institutions, and other eligible entities.
The CDRI’s Trust Fund mechanism includes the governance, policy framework, risk and grant management processes in place for the establishment and management of the CDRI Trust Fund. The grant management system is governed by the CDRI Grant Policy, CDRI Grants Process Manual, Grant Agreement Templates, Delegation of Authority (Grants Addendum), Project Risk Assessment, Mitigation and Escalation (PRAME), and a suite of templates and tools covering aspects of due diligence, proposal evaluation, monitoring and assurance, award, agreement, and closure.
To assess whether CDRI has effective, accountable, transparent and robust risk-based governance, policy framework and risk and grant management processes in place for the establishment and management of the CDRI Trust Fund, CDRI seeks to commission an independent design and assurance review of the CDRI Trust Fund mechanism, including its grants management systems and internal controls. The CDRI Secretariat is based in New Delhi, India and serves as the operational and administrative arm of the Coalition.
Objectives of the assignment:
The purpose of this assignment is to provide an independent, objective assessment of the adequacy of the design of CDRI's Trust Fund mechanism, including its grant management systems, processes, and controls (including related risk management and internal control mechanisms) and provide an assurance opinion.
The review will:
- Assess whether the governance arrangements, policy and procedural framework of the CDRI Trust Fund (established through the Fund’s Terms of Reference (ToR)), including grant-making processes, are effective, fit for purpose, risk-based, and aligned with international standards and progressive practices relating to Trust Funds and grant management.
- Identify gaps, weaknesses, inefficiencies, or inconsistencies in systems, documentation, governance, and controls to ensure the risks to Trust Fund and grant management and administration are properly mitigated.
- Provide actionable recommendations to strengthen CDRI's Trust Fund mechanism and grant management framework.
Scope of work
The review will cover the CDRI Trust Fund’s governance arrangements, policy and procedural framework as well as the policy, process manual and control design of the grant lifecycle, including governance, planning, selection, due diligence, risk management, award, agreement, funds transfer, monitoring and assurance, asset management, as well as closure.