REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: STRENGTHENING BUSINESS CASES FOR PROPOSED POLICY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE INTERVENTIONS OF THE REGIONAL FOOD TRADE AND RESILIENCE PROGRAMME

RFP/00117/ REGIONAL FOOD TRADE/2020

Issue Date: 15^th
May, 2020

AGRA
reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of
short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the
right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the
right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without
liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.

Synopsis of the Request for
Proposal (Individual Consultant)

Terms of Reference
– Annex A

Consultancy task: Strengthening Business Cases for
proposed Policy and Climate Resilience Interventions of the Regional Food Trade
and Resilience Programme 

1. Background

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa (AGRA), www.agra.org is a
not-for-profit organization working with African governments, other donors,
NGOs, the private sector and African farmers to significantly and sustainably
improve the productivity and incomes of resource poor smallholder farmers in
Africa. AGRA’s vision to catalyze inclusive agricultural transformation in
Africa by contributing to reduction of poverty and increasing food security for
30 million smallholder households in Africa and supporting countries on a
pathway to attain and sustain an agriculture transformation.

AGRA is implementing the Regional Food
Trade and Resilience (RFTR) Programme that focus on promoting regional food
trade and food markets through policy predictability and market systems
development. The Programme has two primary strategic components: (a) working
directly with private companies that source, process, and trade food in the
region, to maximize investment, coordination and benefits to smallholder
farmers, and (b) working with Government, business and civil society to
stimulate Africa-specific solutions to improve the transparency and
predictability of governments’ interventions to unlock investment and regional
trade. The RFTR Programme aims to stimulate increases in regional food trade
from surplus to deficit areas contributing to regional food security and
inclusive income growth. The Programme’s four output areas are:

1. Up to date market and political
   economy analysis of regional food trade flows;
2. More predictable, private sector
   friendly and climate friendly government interventions that reduce obstacles to
   regional food trade;
3. Improved coordination and investment
   in regional food value chains, with commercial companies supported to
   efficiently engage and service smallholders, based on actionable data-driven
   insights and advice; and
4. More resilient smallholder farmers
   accessing better services, new markets, advice and finance through integration
   in regional food value chains.

The Programme complements ongoing and
pipeline interventions of AGRA in influencing policy reforms and strengthening
of state capabilities to implement along the whole value chain. This programme
targets countries in East, West, Sahel and Southern Africa involved in regional
food trade in order to improve food security, generate more rural jobs,
strengthen resilience, and increase income for farmers.

The policy predictability component of the
Programme focuses on addressing policy and regulatory gaps impeding the proper
functioning of food markets through targeted policy engagement and influencing
to help build ownership of reforms and constituencies for change.

The Programme aims to provide technical
support to National and regional institutions in the area of data gathering and
monitoring for food security, trade and prices, which is a key ingredient for
policy predictability. The program will also support implementation of policy
and regulatory reforms for more open trade that encourages private investment
in regional value chains encouraging participation of small farmers.

In collaboration with the policy and
market components of the Programme, will implement prioritized interventions to
build and strengthen climate resilience, improve smallholder farmers’
integration in regional food value chains and their productivity and
profitability, and improve access to better services, new markets, advice and
finance. The Programme also support technical assistance directed at large
off-takers/processors and traders to help them build resilient and sustainable
supply chains for food and using this approach for learning, diagnosing and
intervening on very specific policy and regulatory blockages. The Programme
will also support and or develop a multi-stakeholder coalition on climate
resilience with respect to regional food trade.

• Objectives of the
  consultancy

AGRA’s Food Trade Programme requires the
services of a consultant to Strengthen Business Cases for proposed Policy and
Climate Resilience Interventions of the Regional Food Trade and Resilience
Programme on a retainer basis. The consultant will be required to undertake
quick and rigorous CBA that will be integrated in proposal development and strengthening
the business cases for the Programme’s proposed interventions.

• Scope of Work

Working closely with the Africa Food Trade & Resilience Programme,
the consultant’s scope of work includes the following:

1. Undertake quick and rigorous cost
   benefit analysis of the policy and climate resilience proposals
2. Develop recommendations for or
   against supporting proposed interventions based on CBA on the different policy
   and climate resilience proposals
3. Provide write up of the analysis for
   input into policy and climate resilience proposals
4. In addition to CBA, the consultant
   is also expected to provide an assessment of risks and assumptions for the
   achievement of the project objectives (policy and climate resilience) and its
   unintended benefits and impacts
5. Support proposed policy and climate
   resilience investments through strengthening of the business cases for the
   interventions:
   1. Up-stream design– which will
      comprise reviewing of concept notes, checking and filling in gaps and
      undertaking analytical work including CBA to strengthen the proposal design;
   1. Upon proposal being approved (or in
      process of design), drafting of intervention implementation plan – which will
      capture key aspects of the delivery of the intervention. Key to this will be
      the TORs that will be sent out under the RFP. This will help in ensuring that
      the TORs reflect the objectives and expected results as per the intervention
      design.
6. Develop capacity building element
   within the design and drafting of implementation plan of proposed policy and
   climate resilience interventions.

• Deliverables and
  timeframe

The consultant will produce:

1. Inception report detailing
   understanding of the task, methods and work plan
2. Cost Benefit Analyses reports as
   requested by the RFTR Programme for at least 5 projects, estimated at 10 work-days
   for each report
3. Recommendations (for or against
   supporting the proposed intervention) based on the Cost Benefit Analyses on
   policy and climate resilience proposals
4. Strengthened business cases for
   policy and climate resilience interventions based on an assessment of risk,
   assumptions and any unintended benefits/impacts of the proposed project
5. Reviewed concept notes, including
   checking and filling in gaps and undertaking analytical work including CBA to
   strengthen the proposal design.
6. Intervention implementation plan – for
   the selected project (as in (b) above) support the development of an
   implementation plan detailing key partners, delivery dates for activities, and key
   performance indicators
7. Capacity building integrated within
   the CBA process and design and drafting of implementation plan of proposed
   policy and climate resilience interventions.

All deliverables should be succinct but informative, and key points should
be easily understandable to a wide range of stakeholders. Deliverables should
be submitted in English.

• Proposal
  Submission

Technical
proposal:

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

1. An understanding of the consultancy
   requirements
2. Methodology and work-plan for
   performing the assignment
3. Project delivery plan
4. Detailed reference list indicating
   the scope and magnitude of similar assignments
5. Relevant services undertaken in the
   past three (3) years
6. Registration and other relevant
   statutory documents

Qualifications
and experience of the consultant :

1. At least a Master’s degree in
   development economics, social sciences or other fields related to the scope of
   the assignment.
2. More than 10 years of proven Cost
   Benefit Analyses or technical experience in investment analyses and
   strengthening business cases with respect to policy related interventions.
3. An understanding of VfM analysis for
   DFID-funded programmes is an added advantage.
4. Excellent English report writing and
   communication skills.

Financial
proposal:

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL
must be provided in the prescribed format, RFP ANNEX B, supported with a
breakdown analysis and will provide the following information, but is not
limited to:

• requirements

1. Brief
   Technical proposal, detailed CV and Financial Proposals must be submitted
   separately to procurement@agra.org by 22^nd June,
   2020 at 1700 Hours East Africa Time (GMT +3).
2. The subject of the email MUST read “RFP/00117/ REGIONAL FOOD TRADE/2020 –
   Strengthening Business Cases for proposed Policy and Climate Resilience
   Interventions”. AGRA shall not be liable for not opening proposals that are
   submitted with a different subject.
3. Technical and Financial proposals
   will need to be submitted as separate documents. Financial proposals will not
   be opened until the conclusion of the technical evaluation and then only for
   those proposals that are deemed qualified and responsive. Note that the
   financial proposal should include all applicable taxes.
4. Neither technical nor financial
   proposals should exceed 10MB.
5. The financial proposal MUST be
   password protected. The password shall be requested from firms that meet the
   minimum technical score of 75%
6. The Financial proposals shall
   include all applicable taxes quoted separately. If taxes are not mentioned in
   the financial proposal, AGRA shall consider that they are included in the
   prices provided.

ANNEX B: FINANCIAL PROPOSAL FORM FPF-2 SUMMARY OF
COSTS

Note:
Payments will be made in USD

ANNEX
B: FINANCIAL PROPOSAL FORM FPF-3  BREAKDOWN OF REMUNERATION  

When used for Lump-Sum
contract assignment, information to be provided in this Form shall only be used
to demonstrate the basis for the calculation of the Contract’s amount; to
calculate applicable taxes at contract negotiations; and, if needed, to establish
payments to the Consultant for possible additional services requested by the
AGRA. This Form shall not be used as a basis for payments under Lump-Sum
contracts

ANNEX B: FINANCIAL
PROPOSAL FORM  FPF-4  BREAKDOWN OF [REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES]

When used for Lump-Sum
contract assignment, information to be provided in this Form shall only be used
to demonstrate the basis for calculation of the Contract amount, to calculate
applicable taxes at contract negotiations and, if needed, to establish payments
to the Consultant for possible additional services