National broadcaster RTÉ has put up for grabs its estimated €990,000 external audit service over the next three years.
The audit work is to include an audit of the annual earnings earned by the top 10 highest-paid RTÉ presenters.
On June 22, 2023, RTÉ revealed the "secret" Ryan Tubridy payments prompting events that led to his departure from the station in August 2023 and multiple investigations into weak governance.
The payments surfaced during external auditors Deloitte's 2022 audit. Deloitte has been RTÉ's external auditors since 2018.
In October, Government confirmed that RTÉ is to move under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG).
The move was one of a series of recommendations, contained in the Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) report on governance and culture in RTÉ, that was commissioned by Minister for Media, Catherine Martin in the wake of the payments controversies at the broadcaster.
The new tender states that RTÉ will be required to submit annual accounts to the C&AG for each RTÉ Group entity and the RTÉ Group for audit by them and the successful tenderer should factor in appropriate time for liaising with C&AG for financial years commencing in 2025.
As part of the work specification, the RTÉ tender states that the financial statements should be audited by the external auditor and approved no later than June 30 each year and audit milestones will be agreed as part of the audit planning process each year.
It states that the successful independent external auditor will be required to engage with and work in conjunction with the C&AG on certain areas of audit focus.
The tender states that "the objective of the audit service is to ensure that the members of the RTÉ Board or, where applicable, the Directors receive adequate, independent, professional assurance that the annual financial statements are free from material misstatements, whether caused by error or fraud".
The auditors will also be required to communicate with the RTÉ Audit and Risk Committee in respect of the audit and of any significant matters that the external auditor believes requires their attention and to monitor and report to the Committee on progress regarding the implementation of agreed audit recommendations and make recommendations for improvements in process efficiency.
The external auditors will also be required to carry an audit of the statutory spend of the RTÉ Independent Productions Unit in respect of television and radio productions commissioned from third-party television and radio producers.
RTÉ has also issued a tender from tax advisory firms to provide tax compliance and advisory advice to RTÉ and its subsidiaries.
It states that the €600,000 value of the three year long contract is an estimated value and may vary. KPMG operates the current contract.
The 2023 RTÉ annual report shows that under the heading of auditors' remuneration, RTÉ paid out €244,000 - €161,000 for audit of the financial statements and €83,000 for "other assurance services".
The closing date for submission of both tenders is January 16, 2025 and RTÉ expects to award the contracts by February 19.
A spokesman for RTÉ said today: "Both tenders relate to the appointment of suppliers of essential advisory services required by RTÉ, one to perform its annual statutory audit and the other to be its tax advisers."
He said that "the incumbents are Deloitte and KPMG, for external audit and tax respectively."
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
