Kingdom of Lesotho
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY
SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT II
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
CONSULTING SERVICES- CONSULTANCY FIRM , QUALITY COST-BASED SELECTION METHOD (QCBS).
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING
LOAN NO : P164486
CREDIT NO : IDA -63580 -LS
ASSIGNMENT TITLE: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR ENGAGEMENT OF NATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS (CONSULTANCY FIRM) FOR THE SADPII PROJECT IN SOUTH REGION.
REFERENCE NO : LS-MAFS-434754-CS-QCBS SOUTH REGION
DURATION : Twenty-One (20) Weeks
REPORTING TO : PROJECT DIRECTOR
I. BACKGROUND:
The Government of Lesotho is currently implementing the Smallholder Agriculture Development Project II (SADP II) with financial support from the World Bank, the Government of Japan (JICA), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the government of Lesotho. The project aims to enhance agricultural commercialization and nutrition in Lesotho. The project has four components as listed below.
Component 1: Promoting Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices and Advisory Services
This component aims at strengthening the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to adjust and modify their production systems to minimize the potential future impacts from climate variability. The overall goal is to enhance climate resilience through solutions that improve soil health, increase water use efficiency, and increase farm productivity and crop diversification.
Component 2: Improving Agricultural Commercialization and Nutrition
This component builds on component 1 and addresses the financial constraints in the agricultural sector so that the training and advisory services provided under Component 1 is complemented with much-needed financing to help the farming community undertake productive and profitable investments. The component focuses on the development of selected high potential value chains (VCs) by strengthening backward and forward linkages within the VCs that would result in the integration of a greater number of smallholder producers that dominate Lesotho’s rural landscape in these potentially remunerative VCs, incentivize contract farming, strengthen vertical alliances by building trusted commercial partnerships between farmers and private agri-businesses and drive enterprise operations towards more lucrative domestic and export markets.
A further 8.5M USD in funding from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) – IFAD will be used to scale-up activities under the component and introduce some relevant innovations. These include cluster development support, the additional grant funds to foster productive alliances, and investment in pilots of e-voucher and agri-insurance. The development objective of the GAFSP grant is to enhance resilience of small-scale agriculture and food systems through increased commercialization and system change. The additional financing objective aligns with and complements SADP II. It supports financing in two components: (i) Component 2: Improving Agricultural Commercialization and Nutrition; and (ii) Component 3: Project Management, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation
Component 3: Project Management, Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation
The component supports implementation and coordination, financial management and procurement, communication, visibility and awareness programs, environmental management and safeguards, and monitoring and evaluation. It also supports the design, implementation, analysis and reporting of the baseline and project completion surveys.
Component 4: Contingency Emergency Response
A Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) with zero allocation to partially cover emergency response via implementation of key activities by the appropriate agencies to respond to the emergency.
II. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES:
The assignment will support the PMU to have a greater outreach and achieve a larger number of successful grant applicants and expand the grant program under the project.
The primary objective of this TOR is to appoint a consultant to support SADP II sub-component 2.2, Matching Grants beneficiaries in overseeing the overall implementation, performance, and management of the individual Service Providers on behalf of the project in facilitating the activities as mentioned below.
The assignment consists of: (ii) support the PMU in reaching out to current and future grant beneficiaries with technical assistance and advise on grant implementation, as well as ensuring reporting obligations by beneficiaries to the PMU, and; (ii) provide administrative management for the field service providers including, identifying, and hiring additional ones where they are needed as the program expands.
The contract covers the South Region composed of the following districts: Mafeteng, Mohales Hoek, Quthing, and Qachas Neck.
III. TASKS TO BE CARRIED OUT:
Under the guidance and supervision of PMU, Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks, among others:
Support to the PMU in the Management and Coordination of Grant Program:
a) Provide technical guidance and oversight of the Grants program beneficiaries.
b) Engage individual Service Providers based in the districts to provide immediate technical support to grants beneficiaries.
c) Support the development of the business plans with grants beneficiaries.
d) Provide technical support on production and business management for grants beneficiaries.
e) Identify challenges and propose solutions to enhance the program’s effectiveness.
2. Field Services Provider Oversight:
Under the supervision of the PFO the Consultant will oversee and ensure that SPs carry out the following activities:
a) Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP):
• Ensure each beneficiary completes and comply to the ESMP.
• Verify, support and report on site selection for borehole drilling.
b) Budget and Transfer Letters:
• Draft budgets and transfer letters on behalf of beneficiaries to the PMU for processing of payments.
c) Supervision:
• Supervise borehole drilling and site clearing for construction.
d) Procurement:
Support the grants beneficiary with technical specifications, compilation of support documents for procurement and assistance for purchase of equipment and materials for construction.
e) Milestone Reports:
• Finalize transfer letters and compile Milestone 1 reports.
• Submit the final Milestone 1 Report.
f) Milestone 2, 3 and Final Activities:
• Ensure the completion of Milestone 2 and 3 activities.
Submit the Milestone 2 and 3 reports as well as the Final Report
IV. SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETION OF TASKS
The Consultant engagement will be for the duration of the SADP 2 project from 1st September 2024 to 31st May 2026, subject to annual performance reviews.
V. REPORTING DELIVERABLES
Under supervision from the PMU, the Consultant is expected to deliver the following:
a) Timely implementation of grants for Matching Grants programme beneficiaries.
b) Milestone reports at the end of each milestone implementation.
c) Documentation of best practices and lessons learned.
d) Comprehensive financial and operational reports for beneficiaries.
e) delivery of a summary six month reports on the grant program implementation progress with data in MIS
1. DATA, SERVICES AND FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CLIENT
The PMU and the project will provide the consultant with:
a) The Project Appraisal document, the Project implementation Manual and the Grant Manual
b) Copies of all the files of current grant beneficiaries including location and type of investment details,
c) the pertinent personnel files of currently employed field services providers,
d) copy of the grant manual and procedures for the grant process.
e) Access to entry of data in MIS and M&E system
2. CONSULTANT’S QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS and CONSULTANT’s TEAM COMPOSITION WITH ESTIMATE OF KEY EXPERTS INPUT.
a) The Consultant should be an experienced and reputable with a proven track record in managing agricultural projects, rural development programmes and managing large, decentralised staffing.
b) Demonstrated experience in overseeing and coordinating similar grant programmes.
c) Knowledge of the agricultural sector and rural development in Lesotho.
d) Capacity to maintain transparency and avoid conflicts of interest.
e) The firm should not be affiliated with the Government of Lesotho.
f) 10 years’ experience in dealing with farmers and agricultural producers in Lesotho and 5 years’ experience in similar or related assignments.
g) The appointed firm (The Consultant) must show evidence of extensive experience and proven ability on undertaking services as highlight in 3 above.
h) The consultancy Team should have:
i) A Senior Team Leader, with Masters’ Degree one of the following fields of expertise: Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, Economics, Rural Development with a minimum of 10 years’ experience in leading teams in supporting farming community in Lesotho.
j) One Statistician with bachelor’s degree in statistics and Demography, economics with minor statistics with at least five (5) years’ experience in similar assignments
k) One Agricultural expert with bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics, Agronomy, Rural and community development with at least five (5) years’ experience.
l) A team of trained local Service Providers with experience in supporting farmers with development of project proposals, supporting in implementing the grants funds based on World Bank guidelines, and financial reporting of sub-projects.
m) It is required that each member of the team proposed by the consultant is professionally qualified for the role s/he is assigned within the constancy team.
n) The consultant will also require and ensure that there is support and administrative staff that should form part of the budget.
o) The Consultant is expected to respond to the client’s requirements and to deliver milestone implementation and reporting that meets the Client’s quality and timing needs.
8. Client’s Assignment management arrangement:
a) the consultant will report to the grant component manager and is expected to provide weekly feedback on each grant beneficiary in a summary report. Specifically, this includes developing procedures for review of progress reports, from grant application through grant inception, including regular status updates until final report. This includes review and update of procedures as deemed necessary with proposals for insertions in the grant manual that regulates the process.
b) the consultant is expected to have his own premises for the conduct of business
c) The consultant is responsible to agree on the terms of payments, administering and processing of such payments to the local Service Providers.
9. LIST OF KEY PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS WHOSE CV AND EXPERIENCE WOULD BE EVALUATED.
S. No. Key Position Area of Specific Expertise required Minimum Qualification and Professional Experience Required
Indicative Key Staff inputs required in person months (can vary based on the methodology)
10. Contract type and OTHER INFORMATION:
Type of Contract: Lump-sum contract with milestone payments. The consultant will be submitting reports based on the milestones achieved. Each milestone payment will be tied to milestone achievement as per the deliverables.
Assignment Performance Location is Lesotho: The assignment will cover the South region composed of the following districts, Mafeteng, Mohales Hoek, Quthing, and Qachas Neck.
Interested firms must provide information indicating they are qualified to perform services by submitting company profiles, descriptions of similar assignments, and experience of key personnel in the form of CVs and cover letters. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI they must indicate which one is the lead firm. The firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the Request for Proposal phase.
The short-listed firms will be requested to participate in the Request for Proposal process and submit the names and contact details of referees who can attest to their abilities. A pre-employment screening and background check will be done on all short-listed firms’ key staff. Successful firms must understand the objectives and delivery mechanisms of the project’s portfolio.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III paragraphs 3.14 to 3.17 of THE World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, PROCUREMENT IN INVESTMENT PROJECT FINANCING Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services, Fifth Edition, September 2023, setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A consultant will be selected in accordance with the selection of engagement of a consultancy firm through the Quality Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in Procurement Regulations.
SUBMISSION
Expressions of interest accompanied by detailed CVs must be hand-delivered in a written form to the address below by 16:00hrs local time on 21st August 2024 clearly marked.
Each submission Bearing the specific reference number of a region a firm is expressing interest on as follows :
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR ENGAGEMENT NATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDER (CONSULTANCY FIRMS) FOR THE SADPII PROJECT IN SOUTH REGION: LS-MAFS-434754-CS-QCBS
To: Project Director SADP
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
Department of Livestock Services -Moshoeshoe 11
P.O. Box 24
Maseru 100 Lesotho.
