3rd July 2015
CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR THE BASIC NEEDS TRUST FUND PROGRAMME
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
The Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) is a grant-funded Programme of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) which has been in existence since 1979. The Programme is now in its Seventh and Eighth programme cycles, involving 10 participating countries (PCs), namely, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands and numerous social and economic infrastructure sub-projects. It is led at country level by implementing agencies (IAs) with staff appointed by Governments. The Programme also has a regional component managed by CDB. It is funded by the Special Development Fund (SDF), the Bank’s concessionary window from which grants and loans of longer maturity and lower interest rates are provided to the poorest and most vulnerable countries to support poverty reduction as well as social and economic development in the Caribbean. More information on the BNTF Programme can be obtained in the Operations Manual at: http://www.caribank.org/BNTFOpsManual/BNTFOperationsManual.html.
Significant investments have been made in the area of Managing for Development Results (MfDR) in the programme since 2012. A BNTF Information System (BIS) was developed in 2013 which includes secure web-based Sub-Project Monitoring Report (SPMR) and Sub-Project Completion Report (SPCR) forms for capturing gender-sensitive baselines and targets and for tracking and measuring outputs, outcomes and indicators in terms of both sub-projects execution and operational performance. A Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) and Programme Closing Report (PCR) are conducted for each BNTF cycle. The production of a set of sector impact case studies was completed in early 2015.
However, there have been major challenges in data collection capacities, a delay in the implementation of the results monitoring systems within PCs and there is a need to better measure the effectiveness of programmes beyond outputs. To date, a thorough retrospective assessment has not been conducted, and there is need for a comprehensive M&E system to support impact assessment, learning and planning in a holistic manner.
CDB now wishes to procure consultancy services for the Development of a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation system and Impact Assessment Framework for the BNTF programme.
The objective of the consultancy is to develop a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system and an Impact Assessment Framework to provide more empirical information on the intermediate outcomes, and impacts of BNTF interventions over past programme cycles, and for future cycles over the short, medium and long-term.
The duration of the assignment is expected to be for a period of 145 days over 5 months.
CDB now invites interested eligible consultancy firms to submit an Expressions of Interest for the provision of these consultancy services.
Consultants shall be eligible to participate if:
- in the case of a body corporate, it is legally incorporated or otherwise organised in an eligible country, has its principal place of business in an eligible country and is more than 50 per cent beneficially owned by citizen(s) and/or bona fide resident(s) of eligible country(ies) or by a body(ies) corporate meeting these requirements;
- in the case of unincorporated firms, the persons are citizens or bona fide residents of an eligible country; and
- in all cases, the consultant has no arrangement and undertakes not to make any arrangements, whereby any substantial part of the net profits or other tangible benefits of the contract will accrue or be paid to a person not a citizen or bona fide resident of an eligible country.
Eligible countries are member countries of CDB.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of CDB’s Guidelines for the Selection and Engagement of Consultants (2011), setting forth CDB’s policy on conflict of interest.
In the assessment of submissions, consideration will be given:
- technical competence, qualifications and experience including:
- Team members with master’s degree with elements of Social Research, Statistics, Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis, Social Development, Monitoring and Evaluation and/or other relevant fields;
- Seven (7) to ten (10) years’ practical experience in ongoing M&E and Impact Evaluation, project management, social development and analysis, knowledge of participatory M&E approaches and methods, and the development of advanced quantitative and qualitative research methodologies for evaluating programme results, outcomes and impact; and
- Experience working on programmes for rural, social and community development and poverty reduction funded by International Organisations, Development Banks, and/or Trust Funds, particularly in the Caribbean region, is highly desirable.
- Financial capability
- Existing commitments
All information must be submitted in English. Further information may be obtained from the first address below between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm hours Monday to Friday.
One original hard copy and an electronic version of the Expression of Interest clearly marked “Development of a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation System and Impact Assessment Framework for the Basic Needs Trust Fund Programme”, must be prepared in English and delivered in a sealed envelope containing the name and address of the applicant to the postal and E-mail address below no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 2015. The burden of proving receipt of the e-mail will be on the applicant and will not be met solely by a read receipt or sent items report generated by the bidder’s computer.
Following the assessment of submissions, a short-list of not less than three and not more than six applicants will be provided with full terms of reference and invited to submit technical and financial proposals to undertake the assignment. CDB reserves the right to accept or reject late applications or to cancel the present invitation partially or in its entirety. It will not be bound to assign any reason for not short-listing any applicant and will not defray any costs incurred by any applicant in the preparation and submission of Expressions of Interest.
Mrs. Darran Newman Belgrave
Portfolio Manager
Basic Needs Trust Fund
Social Sector Division
Caribbean Development Bank
P.O. Box 408
Wildey
St. Michael
BARBADOS, BB11000
Tel. No. (246) 431-1600
Fax No. (246) 426-7269
Email: info@caribank.org