RFP: Consultancy to Conduct Evaluation of the AGRA Board

Synopsis of the Request for Proposal

1. Background

AGRA is an African-led alliance focused on putting smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. Founded in 2006, at a time when agricultural development was emerging from a 20-year decline characterized by minimal growth and investment in the sector, AGRA’s mission is to catalyze and sustain an agricultural transformation in Africa through innovation-driven productivity increases and access to markets and finance that improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

AGRA’s Vision is to contribute to a food systems-led inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa, to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and adapt to climate change.  In delivering its mission, to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa, by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where the private sector thrives and smallholders are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food, AGRA seeks to achieve the following four objectives: 1)Empower and build the resilience of smallholder farmers; 2)Support the development of inclusive markets and finance to strengthen agricultural systems; and 3) Strengthen state capability to sustain agricultural transformation.

For information about AGRA, please visit www.agra.org.

AGRA is seeking a consultant to conduct a Board evaluation in compliance with its governance documents and in line with recent best corporate governance practices on board evaluations. The AGRA Board strives to be the model of governance and therefore seeks to ensure that the AGRA board practices remain current, strategic and effective to enable the Board deliver its governance mandate.

2. Scope of Work

The Evaluation is expected to:

1. Obtain feedback and valuable input from all board members on how the full board and its committees are performing against generally accepted best governance practices.

2. Support the Board in its commitment to continuous enhancement of its capacity to fulfill its governance mandate.

3. Use the information provided through the evaluation to bolster the performance and effectiveness of Directors in their roles in executing the Board’s duties and set performance expectations for individual directors.

4. Support in identifying the developmental areas/needs of the Board as a whole and individual Directors to enhance the skills of the Directors for effective delivery of the Board’s mandate.

5. Provide the framework for setting Board and Board Committees priorities for the success of the institution.

6. The consultant is expected to employ methodology, skills and tools that will yield a higher level of success in the evaluation of the Board as a whole, its Committees and the individual directors. In this regard, the Consultant should have extensive recent experience managing similar assignments and have the capacity to deliver on the below scope and deliverables within the agreed timeline.

7. Consultants may propose additional scope and deliverables to ensure that a comprehensive review of the Board performance is carried out in line with recent best practice.

3. Key Deliverables

3.1 Assessment of the performance of the Board as a whole, four Board Committees, one Sub- committee of the Board’s Committee, individual directors, and key Officers of the Company. The areas of assessment will include, but not limited to the following:

1. Board and Committees compliance with Terms of Reference.
2. Board and Committees meeting effectiveness.
3. Board relationship with/support to the CEO.
4. Director engagement.
5. Board structure; board processes, board roles and responsibilities, information flow and presentation, decision making process etc.
6. Assess the effectiveness of the Board succession plan and remuneration structure.
7. The effectiveness of the corporate governance systems and processes (ethics, values, governance, controls, compliance, and risk management)
8. Process for monitoring progress towards meeting the Board’s mandate, strategic plans, action plans and succession planning.

3.2 Assessment of the Board’s relationship with its key stakeholders including the Donors, and senior management.

3.3 Consultants may propose additional scope and deliverables to ensure that a comprehensive review of the Board performance is carried out in line with recent best practice. 

4. Management Arrangement 

During the assignment, the consultant will be required to report regularly on progress. Reporting will take the form of regular meetings with the General Counsel & Corporation Secretary. Access to files, databases, and other program related files depending on the consultant’s requirements will be availed, to the extent that these are critical for delivery of this assignment.

5. Duration of the Assignment

Consultants shall propose the most appropriate period for carrying out the assignment. The consultants shall share their proposed efficient time frame based on usual recent best practice and depending on the methodology they choose to adopt.

6. Qualifications and Experience Required

AGRA is looking for an individual consultant with strong demonstrated knowledge of and experience in board evaluations. 

The individual consultant shall:

1. Be of good standing and reputation.
2. Have the ability to render consulting services in the most professional, effective and efficient manner.
3. Possess a minimum of advanced Degree and related qualifications in corporate governance, and/or law.
4. Have a minimum of 7 years’ recent experience in conducting board evaluations for organisations with a board composition and profile similar to AGRA.
5. Have strong influencing skills.
6. Have the ability to analyze complex data from multiple sources is required.

7. Evaluation Criteria

    Interested individuals shall be evaluated against the following technical criteria:

1. Qualifications……………………………………………………………………………………………………..20%
2. Relevant academic qualifications
3. Experience of the consultant……………………………..……………………………………………………….40%

1. Meet requirements as outlined under qualifications and experience  
2. Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments carried out
3. Consultant’s methodology, work plan and understanding of the assignment…………….40% 

               Total Score……………………………………………………………………………………………………….100%

Note:

• Minimum technical score – 75%

8. Copyright 

All materials / documents arising out of this consultancy work shall remain the property of AGRA.

9. Application Submission Requirements 

a) Technical proposal

Interested and qualified individual consultants are invited to submit their proposal(s) comprising of the following:

b) Technical Proposal

1. Detailed Curriculum Vitae.
2. Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments carried out.
3. List of previous similar assignments completed in the last 5 years: detailing the date; assignment name and a brief description of key deliverables; the name of client and country of assignment; contract budget (in US$); 
4. Provide methodology, work plan and understanding of the assignment. Consultants may propose additional scope and deliverables to ensure that a comprehensive review of the Board performance is carried out in line with recent best practice. 

c) Financial Proposal 

1. The consultant shall provide a financial proposal for carrying out the assignment. Use the templates provided in annexes A, B and C for the financial proposal. 
2. Reimbursable costs if applicable shall be quoted separately. These will be reimbursed based on actual cost incurred.
3. Professional fees shall include the applicable withholding tax.
4. If the financial proposal is silent on taxes, AGRA shall assume that these are inclusive. 
5. Prices must be quoted in USD ($). Contracting will be in USD and bidders are encouraged to have a USD bank account. 
6. The financial proposal shall be sent as a separate attachment and MUST be password protected.

10. Guidelines for Preparations and Submission of Proposals 

1. The Proposals shall be prepared in English Language.
2. The proposals SHALL be submitted to procurement@agra.org by the deadline indicated in the synopsis.
3. The technical proposal shall not exceed 10 pages. CVs and certificates should be added under annexes. 
4. The proposal and ALL Attachments submitted via email SHALL NOT exceed 10MB. The technical proposal shall not exceed 15 pages.
5. VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for a period of 90 days from the date of bid closure. 
6. Financial proposal shall be sent as a separate attachment and MUST be password protected. The password shall be requested from the best technically qualified individual.

Download full RFP: https://agra.org/archive/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/RFP-005-LGL-AGRA-Board-Evaluation.docx