AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

NIGERIA COUNTRY DEPARTMENT

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

“MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE INCLUSIVE BASIC SERVICE DELIVERY AND

LIVELIHOOD EMPOWERMENT AND INTEGRATED PROGRAM”

Brief description of the Assignment : The African Development Bank is recruiting an experienced Individual Consultant to support the Bank in undertaking the Mid-Term Review (MTR) and producing the associated deliverables such as the Mid-Term Review Report (MTRR) and the Aide Memoire.

Department issuing the request : RDNG

Place of assignment : Abuja, Nigeria

Duration of the assignment : 2.0 months

Tentative Date of commencement : 15 October 2021

Deadline for applications : 24 September 2021

Applications or requests for clarification are to be submitted by email to recruit_rdng@afdb.org with copy to Mr. John SIFUMA (j.sifuma@afdb.org) and Mrs. Rosemond OFFEI-AWUKU (r.offei-Awuku@afdb.org).

DETAILED TERMS OF REFERENCE ;

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND :

The Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment and Integrated Program (IBSDLEIP) for the Northeast States was approved on 14 December 2016 for an ADB loan of USD 150 million, ADF loan of UA 71.77 million; RWSSI TF grant of Euro 5 million (UA 3.98 million) and Government contribution of UA 6.5million. The loan agreements were signed on 31 January 2017. The program became effective on 09 July 2018 and the first disbursement made on 23 July 2018, with a closing date of 31 December 2023 following a 2 years extension.

The development goal of the Programme is to contribute to reducing poverty and vulnerability in Nigeria in the context of the Northeast emergency transition, recovery, and peacebuilding framework. The specific objective is to improve the quality of life by increasing access of the poor and vulnerable to basic social services in water, sanitation, hygiene, health, and education; livelihood opportunities; food security and strengthened safety net systems in affected states in the Northeast.

In accordance with the program appraisal report, a Mid-Term Review (MTR) must be 1 carried out to evaluate the continued performance of the Program towards meeting its Development Objectives and to assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of the programme design including its implementation and procurement arrangements. The Mid Term Review (MTR) of the program will be conducted in November 2021 with the objective to carry out an in-depth review of the programme. Specifically, it will evaluate the program’s performance towards meeting its Development Objectives and the Key Performance Indicators established by its Results Measurement Framework, and (ii) identify major constraints impeding smooth project implementation and associated risks, and formulate recommendations for removing the bottlenecks and accelerating the pace of the implementation. In so doing, the MTR will consider the lessons learnt from previous implementation and the on-going activities including recent developments in the North East in terms of experience of managing works contracts and implementation strategy.

The MTRR is essentially a briefing document for the Mid Term Review Mission and will be presented during the MTR Mission involving all program stakeholders. The MTR Mission will include selected site visits that highlight progress as well as challenges and which in turn support/justify the recommendations set out in the MTTR. Issues raised in the MTRR will be discussed in-depth using focus groups during the MTR Mission. The MTRR will be updated during the MTR mission.

The MTR Mission Team (Bank, FGN and States) will review the MTRR in conjunction with previous Aide-Memoires and Progress Reports. The MTR Mission will work with FGN to analyze the progress of IBSDLEIP and agree on future steps to be taken to ensure its success. These agreements will be recorded in the MTR Aide-Memoire.

THE HIRING DEPARTMENT :

The African Development Bank Country Department in Nigeria (RDNG) has been established to strengthen dialogue between the Bank and the Government, development partners, the private sector, and the civil society, in the design of its development policy and programs, as well as on implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Nigeria’s development strategy.

RDNG also seeks to assist the operational functions of the Bank Group in the launching and follow-up of projects and programs in Nigeria with the view of enhancing portfolio quality. The MTR for IBSDLEIP seeks to improve the performance of the program and RDNG will work with FGN to analyze the progress and agree on future steps to be taken to ensure its success.

SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE CONSULTANCY ASSIGNMENT :

Under the overall guidance of the Director General, RDNG, Country Operations Manager and the Task Manager, the consultant will assist in conducting the Mid Term Review and prepare the MTRR of the IBSDLEIP, as well as any additional tasks which may be required.

MAIN TASKS/ACTIVITIES :

1. Specific Objectives :

The MTRR should focus on providing an evidenced based assessment of the following aspects :

• Progress to date with regard to the implementation and disbursement schedules ;
• Achievement of the objectives and outputs indicator targets by component as per program design summary ;
• Major factors affecting implementation and outcome and discuss actions for improvement ;
• The need for restructuring of IBSDLEIP components ;
• Review of legal, financial, procurement and environmental and social safeguards issues.

2. Scope of Work :

The scope of the MTR will include, but may not be limited to the following :

1. Review the project concept and design including program duration, budget, activities and implementation modality; provide recommendations for improvement where required ;
2. Review of IBSDLEIP objectives in the PAR and an assessment of program impact and current achievement of objectives based on Key Performance Indicators (Log-Frame) ;
3. Review of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework and activities (data collection, analysis, information sharing, MIS plus reliability and quality of current project monitoring and reporting arrangements) at the level of the PIUs, and propose remedial measures if required ;
4. Review all ongoing component-wise activities and their implementation status, including progress achieved to date compared to the original schedule; assess the quality of project results ;
5. Assess the sustainability of project outputs / results achieved to date, under all components ;
6. Review of procurement and disbursement progress and determining outstanding procurement issues and the status of the procurement plan ;
7. Review and quantify additional activities or procedures, which may be within the objectives and scope of IBSDLEIP, if any, which may not have been foreseen in the PAR with assessment of their contribution in the achievement including any bottlenecks or shortcomings ;
8. Review of program finance, financial management, disbursement, administrative issues, including reporting and any associated problems of implementation and suggest solutions ;
9. Review of Community Participation in the program activities, especially in the O&M activities and how effective the program has been in meeting this requirement ;
10. Assess the working of the state PIU’s and FPIUs to determine if they are fulfilling their tasks in a timely manner and in accordance with their respective TORs ;
11. Assess the current role, execution arrangements and implementation capacity of the participating Agencies, including Federal Ministries, and State Government Authorities and propose improvements where required, taking into account existing technical assistance and service providers ;
12. Review the program coordination arrangements between the various implementing Agencies (NEDC, Federal Ministries, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning etc) and propose improvements where required ;
13. Participation and public awareness: To what extent has stakeholder involvement and public awareness contributed to the progress towards achievement of program objectives?
14. How does the program engage women and girls? Is the project likely to have the same positive and/or negative effects on women and men, girls and boys? Identify, if possible, legal, cultural, or religious constraints on women’s participation in the project. What can the program do to enhance its gender benefits ;
15. Proposing any modification or changes that may be necessary to ensure that the program achieves its objectives ;
16. Make recommendations as how the program implementation could be hastened so as to make up for any delays ;
17. Examine the sanitation aspects of the program in detail, including concept, budget, targets, coordination between various actors, and implementation arrangements ;
18. Assess whether the program would require an extension, and if so by how much, to enable it to complete the program activities and to fully achieve the program objectives ;
19. Work out the revised cost of the program, including for the extended period if an extension is considered necessary and determine if any re-allocations are necessary between the resources allocated to various program components ;
20. Review the risks identified in the PAR and status of implementation of mitigation measures; describe any additional risks that has emerged and propose possible risk management strategies to be adopted ;
21. Review the Donor coordination/dialogue input to the program and propose any improvements if necessary ;
22. Implementation of the Environment Management Plan and other safeguards related aspects.

REPORTING :

The consultant will be based in Abuja and will work under the overall supervision of the DG, Country Operations Manager, RDNG and under the direct supervision of the Task Manager. The Director General, RDNG will provide day to day oversight as the Consultant liaises with RDNG Bank staff in conducting his/her work.

The Program MTR Team at RDNG will be responsible for liaising with the consultant to provide all relevant documents, set up stakeholder interviews, and arrange field visits.

The MTR consultant will undertake remote/ virtual meetings if travel to project site is restricted. An updated stakeholder list with contact details (phone and email) will be provided by the RDNG team.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATION AND EXPERTISE :

The minimum qualifications and experience of the Consultant to undertake the MTR are as follows :

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in a discipline relevant to Rural Development, Engineering, Development Studies, Economic or other closely related field. Post graduate degree in related field is an added advantage ;
• Previous experiences in project evaluation/project design/implementation in relevant thematic areas (i.e. water and sanitation, rural infrastructure, community-s based management, livelihood) ;
• At least 10 years’ experience in relevant technical areas, of which more than half should be of working in developing countries. Specific experience on project design and planning including experience in evaluating projects ;
• Having excellent communication skills both oral and report writing ability in English ;
• Familiarity in similar country or regional situations relevant to that of IBSDLEIP is an advantage ;
• Be a national of a member country of the Bank.

DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT :

The Consultant shall carry out the assignment for a period of 2 consecutive months, tentatively from 15 October 2021 to 15 December 2021. The assignment shall include desk reviews, consultations, field visits and report writing. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the consultant may be required to work both virtually and in-person, depending on the re-opening date of the Bank’s offices.

REMUNERATION FOR THE CONSULTANT :

The remuneration for this assignment will be in line with successful candidate’s qualifications and years of experience, and in line with the Bank Group’s compensation guidelines. In addition, if the consultant needs to travel to take up this assignment, round trip economy class air-tickets—with the shortest route—will be provided. The consultant will be responsible for his/her personal health insurance at his own cost. The coverage shall include all medical expenses, including those resulting from illnesses or injuries that may happen during the assignment. The Bank shall, as necessary, assist the Consultant in obtaining such visas and/or permits.

The applicant should submit their financial proposal consisting of their professional fees.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE :

Indicative Deliverables timelines

• MTR Inception Report : MTR consultant clarifies objectives and methods of the assignment no later than 2 weeks after the MTR mission. Completion date: 31^st October 2021 ;
• Draft MTRR Report : MTR consultant submits the draft report to be presented at the MTR workshop. Completion date: 1^st November 2021 ;
• Final Report : MTR consultant submits the revised report with annexed and detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final MTR report. Completion date: 15^th December 2021.

APPLICATION AND EVALUATION PROCESSES :

Interested candidates are required to express their interest by submitting their CVs detailing their qualification and experiences to the email address provided above by 17:30 Hrs. GMT on Friday, 24^th September 2021, and indicate “Individual Consultant Services – Mid – term review of the Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Program” in the subject.

The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Rules and Procedure for the Selection of Corporate Consultants. Interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist.

Interested consultants should provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to undertake the assignment (documents, reference to similar services, experience in similar assignments, etc.).

A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end the request of expressions of interest. The consultants on the shortlist will be judged on the following criteria based on their updated resume:

Only consultants scoring a mark of 75 points or more will be considered for the assignment.

All consultants will be ranked and the first on the list will be selected for the assignment as long as his/her fee rate is within the budget.

Please attach an updated Curriculum Vitae based on the template in Annex I

MODEL CURRICULUM VITAE – AFDB BAD PDF