Expression of Interest - Details
- Eoi Name:
- Consulting Services to Undertake Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) Programme Evaluation for the Ghana Productive Safety Nets Project
- Pack #:
- GH-MLGRD-SAFETY NETS-267397-CS-LCS
- Post Date:
- 05th January, 2022
- Submit Date:
- 04th February, 2022
- Tender Cat:
- Consultancy Services
- Agency:
- Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development
- Industry:
- Auditing
- Description:
- GHANA PRODUCTIVE SAFETY NET PROJECT (GPSNP)
(Credit # 63370-GH)
PID: 164603
IFB No: GH-MLGRD-SAFETY NETS- 267397-CS-LCS
CONSULTING SERVICES TO UNDERTAKE LABOUR INTENSIVE PUBLIC WORKS (LIPW) PROGRAMME EVALUATION
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)
Contract Identification No.: MLGDRD/GPSNP/SER/REOI/001/2022
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1. This request for expression of interest which follows the general procurement notice for this Project was published at the UN Development Business Online on the 11 January 2019.
2. The Government of Ghana is committed to promoting inclusive economic growth that reduces poverty and creates job opportunities for all Ghanaians. To this end, the Government has prioritized implementing several social protection and poverty alleviation flagship programmes that aim to enhance access to jobs, promote entrepreneurship, and reduce constraints to growth. With support from the World Bank, the Government of Ghana initiated the Ghana Productive Safety Net Program in 2019. The GPSNP is being implemented over a four-year duration between the years 2019 and 2022. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to strengthen safety net systems that improve the productivity of the extreme poor in Ghana, particularly to: (i) increase social protection services to citizens; (ii) provide tailored support to the poorest households; (iii) address the demand-side constraints to accessing services; (iv) strengthen the productivity of the poor; (v) provide dedicated and coordinated support to poor households to access agricultural support; and (vi) strengthen their financial literacy and savings. The project is intended to enable Government to consolidate the social protection sector by strengthening an SP system, that is functional, well-coordinated and anchored at the community level. The Project has five (5) components namely:
• Productive Inclusion (PI);
• Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW);
• Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP);
• Social Protection Systems Strengthening (SPSS); and
• Project Management, Coordination, and Capacity Building.
A detailed description of the project and its processes can be found in the Terms of Reference (TOR) for this assignment.
The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services. The shortlisting criteria are:
3. Assignment Background
This assignment focuses on Component 2, the LIPW. The LIPW offers temporary wage-earning opportunities to poor households during the agricultural off-season. In addition to providing wages, the program supports the creation, rehabilitation, and maintenance of public or community assets including rural feeder and access roads, basic water infrastructure (small earth dams and dugouts), and environmental degradation and climate change mitigation activities (reforestation and afforestation, catchment and watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation). The demand for these community assets is collectively determined by District Assemblies (DAs) and communities with high poverty rankings, in line with the District’s Medium-term Development Plans (DMTDPs).
The LIPW program under GPSNP is designed to enroll 30,000 extreme poor persons, sixty percent (60%) of whom are expected to be women. Beneficiaries work a maximum of 90 days per year (six hours per day) during the agriculture off-season, for up to two consecutive seasons and are paid wages pegged at the national daily minimum wage. The program currently has 33,952 beneficiaries in 80 districts, mainly in northern Ghana with sixty-two percent (62%) of participants being women.
The delivery process for LIPW includes: (i) identification of eligible LIPW activities (referred to as subprojects) (ii) targeting and registration of beneficiaries through community sensitization and individual self-selection, (iii) preparation of LIPW subprojects for implementation, (iv) actual execution of LIPW subprojects including supervision and monitoring, as well as payment of wages to beneficiaries.
Mitigation of potential social and environmental impacts are provided for by the project. The capacity development of key stakeholders and staff, especially contractors, District Assemblies, and collaborating agencies in the programme delivery processes is deemed critical. The efficient delivery of the LIPW program thus involves engagement at the community, district, regional and national levels.
The LIPW is supervised by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development, and administered by the Rural Development Coordinating Unit (RDCU) through a Program Implementation Team at the national and zonal levels. Implementation leverages the decentralized governance system working with the Regional Coordinating Councils and District Assemblies for successful implementation.
Objectives and Scope of the Assignment
The overall objective of this assignment is to conduct a performance evaluation of the LIPW program since its inception in 2019. This will include: (i) An assessment of institutional and implementation arrangements for LIPW; and (ii) evaluation of the quality of programme delivery cycle and sub-projects in line with project guidelines specified in the Project Operational Manual. The evaluation should include use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis.
Specifically, the assignment shall seek to establish the following:
Performance Evaluation
A. Desk review of LIPW in relation to overall Public Works Programmes (PWP) within the context of Africa.
B. Field review and assessment of the following:
i. An assessment of performance of LIPW processes with respect to (i.) community validation of selected subprojects, (ii.) community mobilisation and sensitisation, (iii.) beneficiary selection and enrolment including the selection of women, persons with disabilities, and youth (iv.) work attendance capturing and wage payment.
ii. Confirm the progress of the project’s results framework by tracking the following indicators:
o Average annual earnings of unskilled workers in LIPWs (Ghana cedi)
o Percent of respondents reporting that the assets (sub-projects) created through LIPW improved their livelihoods
o LIPW sub-projects with operations and maintence arrangements in place
o Percent of LIPW beneficiaries participating for two consecutive years
o Average Persons days of work to date
o Timeliness of payment to beneficiaries
iii. Mapping of other interventions providing income earning opportunities to the poor and extreme poor in rural communities during agric. off-season, and comparing average annual earnings on these interventions to LIPW
iv. Mapping of public works interventions providing income earning opportunities to the poor and extreme poor in rural communities during agric. off-season, and comparing average annual earnings on these interventions to LIPW
v. On-site assessment of quality of the community assets built through objective indicators as they relate to engineering, agronomy, forestry, and water resource management.
vi. Conduct an assessment on the project’s three main operational activities to promote inclusion and sustainability through qualitative and quantitative means:
o Gender (provision of creches, response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), health and safety), etc
o Capacity building activities with various stakeholders
o Social and Environmental safeguards activities
vii. Provide qualititative information on beneficiary satisfaction and/or recommendations for improving the program.
Cost Analysis
i. Establish unit cost of all subprojects (Feeder Road, Small Earth Dams and Dugouts and Climate Change Mitigation Interventions) under LIPW
ii. Determination of the technical quality of civil works (in terms of cost, function and durability) completed under LIPW compared to delivery of similar works through non-Public Works Programmes;
iii. Proportion of administrative and operational cost to overall LIPW cost.
iv. Proportion of operational cost (payment service charges and other transaction cost including transportation for beneficiaries to cash out) associated with beneficiary wage payments to total beneficiary wage earnings.
v. Proportion of cost for meeting project safeguards requirements to overall LIPW cost
vi. Proportion of monitoring and supervision cost to overall LIPW cost
Key Activities
To execute this assignment, the selected Firm shall carry out the following key activities:
i. Conduct desk review of the project concept, implementation arrangements, delivery processes, financing, and appraisal expectations. This will include:
• Review of all project monitoring, financial and disbursement reports by subproject
ii. Hold information-gathering meetings with relevant stakeholders and institutions at the community, district, regional and national levels
iii. Design a data collection instrument to assess beneficiaries’, non-beneficiaries’ as well as community leaders’ perceptions of the program (this should be both quantitative and qualitative)
iv. Conduct field work to collect data using the research instrument
v. Analyze and compile a draft report and organize validation meeting(s) of the findings
vi. Finalize and submit final report
The assignment is expected to be completed in six (6) months, with a proposed commencement date of March 2022.
4. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development now invites eligible Consultants to indicate their interest in providing these services. Interested Consulting Firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc).
5. A consultant will be selected in accordance with the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” (‘Procurement Regulations’ herein after referred to as Regulation) dated July 2016, revised in November 2017, and revised in August 2018, November 2020 and is open to all eligible Bidders as defined in the Procurement Regulations., and the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement; and (iii) “Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants”, dated October 15, 2006, as revised in January 2011and the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement.
6. Interested consulting firms may obtain further information not later than Monday 25th January 2022 at the address below (1).
7. Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications.
8. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the least cost selection method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.
9. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form (hard copies) to the address (2) below in person, by 17.00 hrs., Friday 4th February 2022.
Address for Clarifications:
(1) The Chief Director, Marian W. A. Kpakpah.
Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD).
Tel: 0302 663668.
E-mail:cd.secretariat@mlgrd.gov.gh
Digital Address System: GA-110-9895.
Address for Submission:
(2) The Procurement Unit Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD)
First Floor, Room 23
P. O. Box M. 50 Ministries, Accra.
Ghana Tel: 00233-21-663668 / Fax: 00233-21- 682003
E-mail: info@mlgrdghanagov.com
Digital Address System: GA-110-9895.
- Source of Funds:
- World Bank
- Region:
- Greater Accra
- District:
- Accra Metropolitan District
- Contact Person:
- The Chief Director
- Email :
- cd.secretariat@mlgrd.gov.gh
- Tel :
- 0302 66 47 63/0302 66 36 68/0302 68 20 08
- Fax :
- Website:
- www.mlgrd.gov.gh