REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
FOR AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Avenue Joseph Anoma, 01 BP 1387, Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire
INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION (IDEV)
High Level Evaluations Division (BDEV.2)
E-mail: e.agwajinma@afdb.org ; Telephone: +225 20 26 56 76
Title of the assignment: Consultant – senior expert in environmental and social safeguards
Brief description of the assignment: Support to the Evaluation of the African Development Bank’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS).
Department issuing the request: BDEV/BDEV.2
Place of assignment: Abidjan, with possibility to participate in country missions, if necessary.
Duration of the assignment: 65 days (during a 6 months’ period).
Tentative Date of commencement: 1 February 2019.
Deadline for applications: 18 December 2018.
Applications to be submitted to: e.agwajinma@afdb.org
Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to: Ms. Emilia Agwajinma:
e.agwajinma@afdb.org copying Ms. Lomena-Gelis Monica: m.lomena-gelis@afdb.org
Terms of Reference
1. Introduction/background
The responsibility for independent evaluation at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB or the Bank) rests with the Independent Development Evaluation department (BDEV or IDEV). The department’s overarching mission is to enhance the development effectiveness of the Bank’s interventions. It does so through supporting both learning and accountability, as well as promoting a culture of evaluation within the Bank and its Regional Member Countries.
The evaluation of the African Development Bank’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS), covering environmental and social safeguards issues, is part of IDEV’s work program 2016-2018. The evaluation started with an assessment of the extent of compliance with the Bank’s social and environmental safeguards at project level within the Evaluation of Quality Assurance across the Project Cycle (finished in October 2018). The current evaluation will build upon this project-level analysis to examine how related policies, strategies and processes are implemented across the Bank, among other higher-level issues to be determined in the inception report.
BDEV hereby invites individual senior consultants – with extensive expertise in environmental and social safeguards systems in the framework of Multilateral Development Banks, – to indicate their interest in the following assignment: support to the evaluation of the African Development Bank’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS). The main tasks will involve:
- contributing to finalize the evaluation inception report,
- conducting the evaluation of the relevance and efficiency questions of the evaluation, including the design and analysis of a stakeholder e-survey;
- providing inputs to the overall evaluation report coordinated by the BDEV Task Manager.
2. Objectives of the Assignment
The overall objective of the assignment is to provide support to the evaluation of the African Development Bank’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS). The senior consultant is expected to support the evaluation team, through the inception, data collection and reporting phases. As deliverables, the consultant should provide a stand-alone report on point b above and inputs to deliverables produced by other evaluation team members.
3. Main activities and deliverables
Under the guidance of the BDEV Task Manager, the main duties of the Senior Consultant will be:
- Assist the BDEV team to finalize the inception report, including clear evaluation questions and evaluation tools;
- Conduct the evaluation of the relevance and efficiency questions of the evaluation, including the design and analysis of a stakeholder e-survey, as per the draft Evaluation Matrix;
- Provide inputs to the overall evaluation report;
- Other duties identified as supporting the smooth and efficient running of the evaluation.
In these tasks the highest standards of data collection, organization, analysis and presentation will be required.
4. Administration/reporting
The senior consultant will report to the Task Manager for the Evaluation of the ISS, BDEV2. The evaluation team will be complemented by an expert on ESS compliance, with special focus on resettlement/compensation issues, and an expert on ESS compliance of financial intermediaries operations (category 4 projects). A BDEV junior consultant will also provide research support, especially to find key documentation and arrange meetings at the Bank, if necessary. The BDEV Task Manager will ensure the coherence of the senior consultant’s inputs within the overall framework of the evaluation report, as she will lead the review of all draft deliverables, after the integration of the inputs received from key stakeholders.
5. Duration of the assignment
This consultancy is for a period of 6 months with a total of 65 working days. The estimated starting date is February 2019. The consultant is expected to be home based. It is expected that (s)he will travel to Abidjan twice during the consultancy period.
The first deliverable will be the development of selected sections of the Evaluation approach paper (AP), including a draft of all data collection tools and comments to improve the AP. The second deliverable will be a technical report responding to the relevance questions of the Evaluation Matrix; the third will be the development and analysis of results from an on-line stakeholder survey; the fourth a technical report responding to the efficiency questions of the Evaluation Matrix; and finally, the senior ESS expert will provide comments to draft versions of the reports and presentation of preliminary findings produced by the BDEV Task Manager.
6. Qualifications and Experience required
- At least a Master’s Degree or its equivalent in Environmental Management or Social Science, International Development studies or related discipline;
- A minimum of 20 years of practical experience (10 of which must be at a managerial level) of environmental and social safeguards implementation of MDB’s investments in various sectors and countries, both public and private;
- Demonstrable experience in policy work (reviewing and crafting the design and content of Environmental and Social Safeguards systems in the MDB context), including knowledge of the current ESS emerging issues;
- In-depth understanding of the system, process and tools associated to Environmental and Social Safeguards systems in the MDB context;
- A strong understanding of environmental and social safeguards’ issues, challenges and practices relating to Africa.
- Extensive experience conducting environmental assessments and development of effective tools; ability to coach others in the application of the tools;
- Previous experience in development evaluation is desirable;
- Ability to handle multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced environment; strong managerial skills, including interpersonal communication with various stakeholders at all levels.
- Ability to communicate and write effectively in English. It would be desirable to have a working knowledge of the other language, or even communicate and write effectively both in French and English.
In addition, following the regulations of the Bank the consultant must be a citizen of a member country of the Bank.
7. Remuneration
The Bank offers a salary on a scale, strictly related to the consultant’s level of experience and area of expertise. The consultant will be remunerated through a lump sum (including fees, accommodation and subsistence allowances). The candidate will be responsible for obtaining personal health insurance at his or her own cost. The coverage should include all medical expenses, including those resulting from illness or injury incurred during the duration of the assignment.
8. Application and Selection
Applicants should submit their CVs, in either English or French. Candidates are encouraged to supplement their CVs with examples of previous relevant work.
Please attach an updated Curriculum Vitae on the basis of the template below:
MODEL CURRICULUM VITAE – AFDB BAD.pdf
