Senior Technical Advisor

Liberia Electricity Sector Strengthening and Access Project (LESSAP)

Project ID: P173416

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

Issue date: June 18, 2025

Closing date: July 2, 2025

Consultancy Services for Senior Technical Advisor

Contract Reference No: LR-RREA-489490-CS-INDV

• Background

The Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) was established by an Executive Order in 2010 and formalized by an Act of the National Legislature in 2015 as an autonomous agency of the Government of Liberia (GoL). RREA’s mandate is to facilitate the economic transformation of rural Liberia through the promotion and development of modern energy services, emphasizing locally available renewable energy sources.

The Government of Liberia has committed to achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 and 54% access by 2025, guided by its National Electrification Strategy (NES). This will be accomplished through grid and off-grid solutions including grid densification, mini-grids, and stand-alone solar systems. The World Bank is supporting this agenda through the Liberia Electricity Sector Strengthening and Access Project (LESSAP), which has an overall funding envelope of US$180 million.

LESSAP, administered in part by RREA, targets infrastructure rehabilitation and expansion, electrification of health facilities, and decentralized energy access solutions. RREA is also implementing the Liberia Renewable Energy Access Project (LIRENAP), which focuses on increasing access to electricity and promoting the use of renewable energy sources. The project aims to reach 150,000 direct beneficiaries—50,000 through access to electricity and 100,000 through access to modern energy services via stand-alone solar PV systems.

Given these complex, multi-sectoral responsibilities, the RREA seeks to hire a Senior Technical Advisor – Infrastructure and Energy (STA – E&I) to provide leadership, technical supervision, and institutional support for the successful implementation of these national priority projects.

• Objective of the Assignment

The overarching objective of this consultancy is to support the effective planning, coordination, supervision, and execution of infrastructure and energy access projects under RREA’s purview. The advisor will ensure timely implementation, compliance with technical standards and safeguards, capacity development, and stakeholder engagement.

• Scope of the Assignment

The Senior Technical Advisor – Infrastructure and Energy (STA – E&I) will provide high-level strategic and technical advisory support to RREA and project implementation units (PIUs) to ensure the effective planning, quality assurance, and implementation of infrastructure and energy access projects. The Advisor will focus on promoting technical excellence, compliance, and institutional capacity development across the following areas:

• Advise on the development of implementation schedules, resource allocation strategies, and coordination mechanisms, and support project teams in setting realistic timelines and milestones aligned with strategic objectives.

• Provide advice on engineering designs and specifications for infrastructure projects, including solar-diesel hybrid mini-grids, and offer technical recommendations to ensure the integrity, safety, and sustainability of project outputs.

• Provide advisory support for the implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) and environmental and HSE compliance mechanisms, and support PIUs in conducting reviews and mitigation planning.

• Provide input on Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) and related safeguards instruments.

• Provides technical advisory inputs for procurement documents, bid evaluations, contract negotiations, and contractor performance reports, and provides recommendations to strengthen contract compliance and value for money.

• Support the design and refinement of M&E frameworks with a focus on technical performance indicators and provide technical input into impact assessments, progress evaluations, and knowledge products.

• Identify potential technical and operational risks and advise on mitigation strategies and support the development of risk-tracking tools and periodic reviews.

• Provide mentorship and technical coaching to PIU staff and support the design of training materials, technical manuals, and institutional capacity-building initiatives.

• Advise on communication strategies to enhance stakeholder understanding and buy-in and support the preparation of technical policy briefs, outreach materials, and public consultation processes.

• Provide quality assurance support for technical content in monthly, quarterly, and final reports, including the Project Implementation Completion Report (ICR) and advise on documentation practices to ensure transparency and institutional knowledge retention.

• Qualifications, Experience, and Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in civil or electrical engineering, Renewable Energy, Environmental Science, or related discipline.

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in energy and infrastructure project implementation, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Proven experience with donor-funded energy access programs (World Bank, AfDB, EU, USAID, etc.).

• Demonstrated expertise in renewable energy technologies, especially solar PV, mini-grids, and hybrid energy systems.

• Strong familiarity with World Bank safeguards, environmental and social standards (ESS), and procurement regulations.

• Excellent project management, leadership, communication, and analytical skills.

• Fluency in English is mandatory; knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

• Location and Reporting Line

The LESSAP and LIRENAP Communication Officer will be based at the office of RREA in Monrovia, Liberia, but is expected to travel periodically to the project sites and other locations in rural Liberia. The Consultant will report to the Executive Director of the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) or his or her designate.

• Duration

This is a time-based contract for a period of one year with the possibility of extension based on performance.

The attention of interested individual 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, revised November 2017, and August 2018, November 2020 and September 2023 and revised in February 2025, setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. Please refer to paragraph 3.17 of the Procurement Regulations on conflict of interest related to this assignment which is available on the Bank’s website at http://projectsbeta.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/products-and-services/brief/

Interested individual will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection (ICS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information and the detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be obtained electronically at the following email addresses and Website, from Mondays to Fridays, from 0900 to 1600 hours GMT:

Email: [email protected] Website: www.rrealiberia.org

Expression of Interest; clearly marked Senior Technical Advisor, must be delivered through an email to the address below on or before 4:00 p.m. Local Time, on July 2, 2025.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Attn: Executive Director

Rural and Renewable Energy Agency

LEC Sub-station, Newport Street

1000 Monrovia 10, Liberia

Email: [email protected]

Electronic submission should also be copied to the following addresses:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected], [email protected]; [email protected]