Hiring a firm to assess the end of the Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Pro…

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI) TO CONDUCT

AN END-OF-PROJECT EVALUATION

COUNTRY: Republic of South Sudan

NAME OF THE PROJECT: Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (RALP)

PROJECT ID: P169120

CONSULTING SERVICES: Consultancy to Conduct an End-of-Project Evaluation of RALP.

DUTY STATION: Juba, South Sudan, with travel to 13 counties across seven states.

REFERENCE No: SS-MAFS-558375-CS-CQS

• Project Description

The South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (RALP – P169120) is a World Bank-funded project executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as the key technical implementing partner.

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to strengthen the capacity of farmers and their organisations and to improve agricultural production. The project comprises four components with the following sub-components: (i) capacity building in good agricultural practices. This includes four sub-components: Formation and Strengthening of Farmer Organisations (FOs) and Cooperatives; Improving Farming Knowledge and Skills (GAP, CSA, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, ToT); Capacity-building in animal health: training 450 CAHWs and 200 livestock keepers; and Skills in fish post-harvest processing and handling. (ii) Investment Support for Improved Agricultural Production, with five sub-components comprising Access to food for IPC-3 households — seeds, small ruminants, poultry, NRM; Increasing availability of quality seeds (QDS and FLSE models); enhancing access to technology and mechanisation; supporting livestock production and animal health; and supporting fisheries production and post-harvest handling. (iii) Project Management and Technical Assistance, with two sub-components covering project management and coordination and technical assistance and capacity building for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries. (iv) Contingency Emergency Response (CERC), a zero-allocation rapid-response component enabling reallocation of uncommitted funds in the event of eligible natural disasters or emergencies.

The parent project (D8240), valued at US$ 62.5 million, was approved on 8 June 2021 and became effective on 22 September 2021. In November 2023, an Additional Financing (AF) - E2740, of US$30 million from the IDA Crisis Response Window and US$0.5 million from the Food Systems 2030 (FS2030) Trust Fund was approved, bringing the total project financing to US$93 million. The AF scaled up existing activities and introduced new interventions in animal health, fisheries post-harvest handling, and fuel-efficient stoves. The project will end on 23rd February 2027.

• Objectives of the end-of-project evaluation

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is seeking to use a portion of the grant to engage the services of a consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive end-of-project evaluation of RALP. The objective of the assignment is to assess progress toward the achievement of the project development objective and targeted outcomes, particularly improved agricultural production and strengthened farmers’ capacity, and to generate relevant policy lessons and recommendations.

• Scope of the Survey. The thematic scope of the endline survey will comprise the following:

• Agricultural production and productivity: Changes in production volumes of sorghum, maize, and groundnuts; changes in farming area; yield improvements.
• Farmer organisations: Number and functionality of active FOs and cooperatives; governance and membership composition; and change in membership because of the project support.
• Adoption of improved practices: Uptake of GAP, CSA, improved seed varieties, and climate-smart technologies by the project beneficiaries and area under improved agricultural practices.
• Volume of targeted commodities sold, including Sorghum, Maize and Groundnuts etc.
• Seed systems: Volume of QDS produced; number of small-scale farmers provided with climate-resilient seeds (disaggregated by gender).
• Access to food: Access to food for IPC-3 households; volumes of maize, sorghum and groundnuts produced by households; other means of accessing food.
• Animal health (AF): Number of animals treated and dewormed; CAHW functionality and service delivery.
• Fisheries (AF): Number of women in fish production and marketing; post-harvest loss reduction.
• Fuel-efficient stoves (AF): Number of households provided with FES; adoption rates & environmental benefits.
• Gender and inclusion: Women's and Youth’s participation in FOs, training, and asset distribution; returnee and refugee outreach; youth engagement.
• Employment: Full-time job equivalents created under the project (target: 150, including 70 females).
• Project governance: Beneficiary satisfaction; GRM functionality; TPMA findings.
• Environmental and social safeguards: Compliance with ESF standards; GBV/SEASH risk management; community feedback. The assignment will be conducted in 13 project counties across 7 states. For assessments related to livestock and fisheries, the study will cover 10 counties targeted by the Additional Financing (AF). The assignment will be carried out within a period of 3 months (90 calendar days).

The detailed terms of reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website: [email protected], or it can be provided upon request by e-mail to [email protected]

• The Single Procurement Coordination Unit (SPCU) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security now invites eligible consultancy firms (“Consultant”) to indicate their interest in providing the above-mentioned services. Interested consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

• Core Business and Years of Experience: The Consultant should demonstrate general experience of not less than 10 years in carrying out baseline, midterm, and completion/endline assessments.
• Specific experience: At least 7 years of conducting endline assessment studies for resilience projects/programs in the sector of agriculture and livelihoods; Fieldwork experience in survey and sampling design for agricultural projects; experience in planning and organizing assessment logistics; evidence of established network of experienced enumerators, supervisors and data entry clerks; Capacity in data management and statistics; and capacity in survey analysis and reporting. Details of the assignments undertaken, including the client's name and address, scope, value, and period, should be provided.
• The technical and managerial organisation of the consultant for the assignment. (Provide the structure of the organisation, general qualifications, and number of key staff (do not provide CVs of staff). Key experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.
• The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated July 2016 and the current revised edition. (Procurement in Investment Project Financing: Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Consultants may associate with other consultants to enhance their qualifications. The nature of the association, whether it is a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy, should clearly be stated. In the case of a joint venture, as the consultant leading mentioned, it should be specified.

• A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant's Qualification Selection (CQS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations. Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours from 9:00 to 16:00 hours South Sudan time on working days.

• Deadline for submission: The Expression of Interest (EOI) should be submitted preferably (by e-mail) to the address below before or by July 31st, 2026, at 17:00 Hours (South Sudan Time), marked clearly as “Expression of Interest – Consultancy for End-of-Project Evaluation”

Attention: Program Director

Single Project Coordination Unit (SPCU)

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministries Complex, Juba, South Sudan

E-mail: [email protected]