MoHERST RECRUITMENT OF INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTAL FOR THE SIE FUND

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY

Assignment Title: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A CONSULTANCY TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB PORTAL FOR THE SKILLS, INNOVATION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SIE) FUND

Reference No. GM-PPPPE-447108-CS-INDV

• Project Background information

The Gambia, with its vibrant youth population and commitment to development, is poised for a promising future, yet faces several challenges. In the realm of basic education, the focus is on improving learning outcomes, particularly in the early grades, to ensure every child acquires necessary foundational skills. Especially for the youth, technical and vocational education, and training (TVET) must be of higher quality and relevance to meet labor market demands, a challenge recognized and prioritized by the Government of The Gambia. For the large population living in poverty, the goal is to provide a second chance through access to social protection measures, skills training, and income-generating opportunities. These challenges, while significant, are being addressed with determination and a vision for a resilient, inclusive, skilled, and equitable Gambia.

To address these challenges, The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity Project (The Gambia RISE Project – P197233) is a multi-sectoral, five-year initiative of The Government of The Gambia, funded by the World Bank. The project aims to increase the foundational skills of students in early grades (Component 1), provide job-relevant training to youth (Component 2), and boost income-generating opportunities, including for the poor and vulnerable (Component 3), in The Gambia. The planned activities are closely aligned with the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2016-2030 and The Gambia National Social Protection Policy (NSPP) 2015-2025. The project will be implemented by multiple Implementing Entities (IEs): the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), and the National Nutrition Agency/National Social Protection Secretariat (NaNA/NSPS). Each of these IEs will lead technical activities within their respective domains. The RISE Project is coordinated and managed by a Central Project Coordination Unit (CPCU) within the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.

To address these challenges, the Government is implementing The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity Project (The Gambia RISE Project) with funding from the World Bank. Among other things, the project aims to increase the foundational skills of children in early grades in The Gambia. The planned activities are closely aligned with the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2016-2030. The Gambia’s National Development Plan 2023-27 prioritizes Human Capital Development (Pillar IV) and Empowerment, Social Inclusion and Leaving No One Behind (Pillar VI).

• CONTEXT AND Objectives

As part of the World Bank Human Capital Project (RISE), the MoHERST is implementing a Skills, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Fund.

The SIE Fund will contribute to enhancing access to technical, innovation and entrepreneurial skills for Gambian youths while improving the relevance and quality of TVET in the country. The fund is designed to fill three key gaps: youths' lack of financial resources to afford TVET tuition, graduates’ lack of capital to start and scale businesses, and TVET institutions’ lack of financial resources to implement much-needed improvement initiatives.

For an effective implementation, a Skills, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Fund Manual has been developed. This Manual highlights clearly the Fund’s activities starting from the call for proposals, applications, review and grant processes that needs to be digitized to ensure real time access and use of the Fund by applicants. Hence, there is the need for the development of a SIE Fund Portal. The development of this portal will require the services of a individual consultant

Specific Objectives

The main objective of the consultancy service is to support the development of a web portal for the management of the SIE Fund processes. This will include all governance, administrative and monitoring processes of the three funding windows under the SIE Fund. It is expected that the Portal will be linked with the Education Management Information System (EMIS) of MoHERST for the purpose of interpretability since the MoHERST website and EMIS are single pointed and linked.

Scope of Work

Develop a web portal for the effective operationalization and implementation of the Skills, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship fund as part of the World Bank funded RISE Project.

The consultancy will span for a period of three (3) months from the date of the award of the contract in line with the World Bank Procurement Regulations. A detailed scope of work is available on the TOR, which will be made available upon request.

• Individual Qualifications – Minimum Qualification:

The individual must have developed at least two (2) similar portals related to the management of institutional resources. The individual is expected to present a technical and financial proposal for review. In addition to these submissions, the individual must have:

• Must have master’s degree in computer science or related fields and competencies in front and back-end development.

• Must have skills in troubleshooting, debugging and enhancement skills.

• Must have skills in developing financial monitoring tools.

• An understanding of the tertiary and higher educational institutions.

• A good track record of completing similar projects on schedule.

• Demonstrated Success in Similar Projects: The individual is required to provide case studies or references from past projects that are comparable in scope and complexity.

• Technical Proficiency: The individual must have expertise in cybersecurity, data integration, and user experience design.

• Knowledge and Skills Transfer: The individual is required to work with a team identified by MoHERST during the needs assessment, development, deployment for the purpose of transferring knowledge and skills.

Submission of Expressions of Interest:

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA) through the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity Project, now invites eligible individual consultants to express their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

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 September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection Method (IC) 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 electronic mail) on or before 11th October 2024 at 12h30 GMT

Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity Project, RISE

Royal Insurance Building

2nd Floor, Kotu Bertil Harding Highway

The Gambia

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