Citizen Satisfaction Survey and Beneficiary Feedback Survey — Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP)

GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – NATIONAL FIRM SELECTION)

Sierra Leone

Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP)

Grant No.: D8420-SL

Project Id: P168608

Issue date: 18th August 2025

Assignment Title: Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP) Beneficiary Feedback Survey and Citizens Satisfaction Surveys

Reference No.: SL-MoF-507564-CS-LCS

• Project Background

In recent years, Sierra Leone has suffered several natural disasters including the Ebola outbreak of 2014/2015 and the mudslide in Freetown in August 2017. The almost yearly flooding in several parts of the country results in the tragic loss of lives and destruction of properties. The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), in its Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), committed to building institutional capacity to respond to natural disasters and strengthen the resilience of urban communities, sustain decentralization, and improve service delivery.

The World Bank is supporting the effort of the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to improve disaster risk management, urban resilience and service delivery by funding the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP). The RUSLP is being implemented in Freetown, Western Area Rural District, and the six secondary cities: Bo, Makeni, Kenema, Koidu, Bonthe Municipal and Port Loko. The project is anchored to the Ministry of Finance as its supervising ministry.

1.1 Project Development Objectives and Components

The project development objective (PDO) is to improve urban management, service delivery, and disaster resilience in the Western Area and other cities and municipalities of Sierra Leone.

The PDO will be achieved through the following three components:

Component 1: Institutional and capacity development in sustainable urban management with the following two subcomponents:

• Urban planning, and spatial data infrastructure; and

• Own Sources Revenue Enhancement through support to upgrade the cadastral system, training of staff, and guidelines for local taxation and collection

Component 2: Resilient Infrastructure delivery and Urban Greening

• Service delivery upgrading and urban greening in vulnerable neighborhoods in Freetown;

• Solid waste management upgrading including the construction of a new engineered landfill for the Western Area; and

• Market Upgrading - upgrading of the main markets in Makeni and Kenema.

Component 3: Disaster Risk Management Capacity Development

• Strengthening emergency preparedness and response systems - develop early warning systems, and capacity building support to the NDMA, SLMet, NWRMA, SLRA; and

• Contingent Emergency Response Component.

2.0 Background and Objectives of the Assignment

This Terms of Reference (TOR) describes the Consultancy Services for a national firm to undertake a Beneficiary Feedback Survey (Task A) and a Citizen Satisfaction Survey (Task B) to assess primarily key performance indicators for the project. The assessment is to be undertaken between December 2025 and May 2026, and at the end of the project term.

The project’s results framework requires that the beneficiary feedback survey and citizen satisfaction survey is conducted at mid-term and at end term. The scope of the assignment will therefore be divided into two tasks:

• Task A: Undertaking a Project Beneficiary Feedback Survey

• Task B: Undertaking a Citizen Satisfaction Survey for Component 2 activities

3.0 Scope of the Assignment

Approach

As stated above, this is the first of two rounds of beneficiary feedback surveys planned by the project. The scope of the assignment is for all completed and ongoing activities supported by RUSLP project. The specific objectives include:

• To document the benefits, areas of improvement, and impacts so far achieved as a result of the interventions financed under RUSLP in 8 beneficiary local councils and National Government MDAs, in alignment to achievement of the Project Development Objectives;

• To assess the level of satisfaction of beneficiaries of specific project interventions, be it (inter alia) training, capacity building support to key institutions, or improved services and public infrastructure;

• To assess the barriers to beneficiaries accessing project structures such as the grievance redress mechanism and required information on the subproject that affect them.

The two rounds of surveys will be conducted in all project-implementing beneficiary cities, including the key project infrastructure locations in Freetown, Western Area Rural District (WARD), Kenema, and Makeni and other project interventions in components 1, 2 and 3 that will benefit the 8 Councils(Freetown, WARDC, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Koidu, Port Loko and WARDC) and the MDAs supported under the project . The first-round survey is expected to be completed between December 2025 and May 2026, and the final round will be undertaken at the end of the project term.

Approach

As stated above, this is the first of two rounds of beneficiary feedback surveys planned by the project. The scope of the assignment is for all completed and ongoing activities supported by RUSLP project. The specific objectives include:

• To document the benefits, areas of improvement, and impacts so far achieved as a result of the interventions financed under RUSLP in 8 beneficiary local councils and National Government MDAs, in alignment to achievement of the Project Development Objectives;

• To assess the level of satisfaction of beneficiaries of specific project interventions, be it (inter alia) training, capacity building support to key institutions, or improved services and public infrastructure;

• To assess the barriers to beneficiaries accessing project structures such as the grievance redress mechanism and required information on the subproject that affects them.

The two rounds of surveys will be conducted in all project-implementing beneficiary cities, including the key project infrastructure locations in Freetown, Western Area Rural District (WARD), Kenema, and Makeni and other project interventions in components 1, 2 and 3 that will benefit the 8 Councils (Freetown, WARDC, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Koidu, Port Loko and WARDC) and the MDAs supported under the project . The first-round survey is expected to be completed between December 2025 and May 2026, and the final round will be undertaken at the end of the project term.

The Project now invites eligible Firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Firms should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The minimum qualifications for the Consultant for this assignment are:

Required Qualifications and Skills:

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRM AND REQUIREMENT OF PERSONNEL

The Consulting Firm that shall be considered under this consultancy is expected to, at a minimum, have the following:

Firm Experience

• Professional Qualifications

• Expertise in Survey Methodology: The firm should demonstrate a strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including survey design, sampling techniques, data collection, and analysis.

• Relevant Experience

• Years in Business:

• The firm should have at least 5 years business experience with its core business being conducting field surveys and socioeconomic research;

• A minimum of 5-years relevant experience conducting at least 5 surveys that are similar in complexity and scale;

• Experience working on World Bank or other donor-funded projects is an added advantage;

• Previous Projects: The firm should provide examples of past work involving beneficiary feedback or citizen satisfaction surveys. Look for scale, context, and diversity of the projects handled;

• Client References: Evidence of previous successful collaborations with similar organizations or sectors is crucial. Testimonials or case studies highlighting outcomes should be available.

• Technical Skills and Tools

• Data Collection Tools: Familiarity with online survey platforms (e.g. Kobo collect, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, or custom-developed tools) for data collection, as well as mobile data collection techniques if applicable;

• Data Analysis Expertise: Proficiency in data analysis software for processing quantitative data, alongside qualitative analysis skills for open-ended responses;

• Reporting and Visualization: Ability to present findings in an accessible manner, including actionable insights and recommendations.

• Understanding of Stakeholder Engagement

• Community Engagement Experience: Experience working with communities or beneficiaries, demonstrating a sensitivity to their needs and perspectives;

• Cultural Competence: Knowledge of the specific demographics and cultural contexts of the population being surveyed is essential for effective participation and accurate results.

• Ethical Considerations

• Compliance with Standards: Knowledge of and adherence to ethical guidelines in conducting surveys, including informed consent, data privacy, and confidentiality issues.

• Feedback Incorporation: Demonstrated ability to integrate feedback into survey processes and adapt strategies based on community input.

Team Composition

• K- 1 Team Leader - (See details in Terms of Reference).

• K – 2 Data Analyst – (See details in Terms of Reference).

• K- Field Coordinator (See details in Terms of Reference).

• K-4 Field Supervisors - No of persons - 3 (See details in Terms of Reference).

• K-5 Report Writing/ Communication Specialist - (See details in Terms of Reference).

• K-5 Technical Expert on Tool Development - (See details in Terms of Reference).

Duration of Assignment: The duration of the assignment is 6 months each for phase 1 to be undertaken between December 2025 and May 2026, and phase two to be undertaken at end of project term, f