Technical Assistance to Strengthen State Owned Enterprise Performance Management Capacity — The Gambia Fiscal Management Development Project

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Name of Project: The Gambia Fiscal Management Development Project (P166695)

Grant No.: IDA-D6190

Assignment Title: Recruitment of Consultant to provide Technical Assistance to strengthen State Owned Enterprises (SOE) Performance Management Capacity.

Reference No. GM-PPPPE-2777676-CS-CQS

Background

The Government of The Gambia, through a World Bank financed project of USD 35 million, the Gambia Fiscal Management Development Project, seeks to contract a technical assistance aimed at improving the performance of the SOE sector. The project development objective is to increase fiscal space and the effectiveness of public resources.

The SOE sector in The Gambia is composed of thirteen (13) SOEs delivering public services in various sectors such as energy, telecommunication, agriculture, and transport. However, the sector has been characterized by significant fiscal risk to public finance amounting to high levels of contingent liabilities as well as ineffective service delivery as result of weak operational and financial performance in several SOEs. In the Gambia context, the management of SOE has been a challenge and undergoing changes and evolving overtime towards improved service delivery to its citizens.

To address the above challenges, the Government intends to institutionalize performance contracting as an instrument to reform State Owned Enterprises. Introduction of performance contracting emanates from the realization that public service expectations are not always clear to the management of SOEs. Many SOEs have several functions with multiple objectives to fulfil; some of which are not even related to their core mandate.

Objectives

The overall objective of this technical assistance is to support the MoFEA and SOEs establish a robust framework and institutional capacity for the design, implementation, and monitoring of the SOE performance.

The specific objectives are the following:

• Assess the legal and regulatory framework for SOE performance management
• Assess and identify the gaps in SOE oversight functions and institutions, at both central government (i.e. MoFEA and line ministries) and SOE level as it relates to SOE performance management
• Identify gaps in SOEs’ systems for developing credible and timely business/work plans including capacity to implement objective performance contracts
• Propose clear and concrete recommendations, actions, implementation plan to address the gaps identified (changes in legal and regulatory framework, systems, procedures and processes, trainings in house or external, minimum human resources needs)
• Support the implementation of the proposed actions implementation plan (SOE business plan, performance contract, system and procedures, trainings)
• In addition to the general performance framework enhancement, specific focus will be on performance management of selected SOE presenting higher fiscal risk or acute poor performance to be agreed Scope of Services:

The scope of services aims to enhance the capacity of key staff of the various State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and the Directorate of SOE on Performance Contracts. This will include:

• Institutional capacity building for SOE performance contract development and monitoring
• The training of SOEs staff and the Directorate on Performance Contracts.
• Develop tools to be adopted for monitoring purposes.

The Ministry of Finance now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to express their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultant firms should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services.

The attention of interested Consultant firms is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July dated July 2016 and revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultants to enhance their qualifications and experience.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant Qualification Selection (CQS) method set out in the Consultant Guidelines. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 09:00 to 16:00 Monday to Thursday and 09:00 to 12h30 on Friday.

Expressions of interest should be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail) on or before 28 February 2022 at 12h30 GMT

Gambia Fiscal Management Development Project GFMDP

Ashobee Store Building

2nd Floor, Banjul

The Gambia

Email: [email protected], and [email protected]