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 May 29^th, 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