Technical Assistance for the Development of a School Grants Manual to Support Grants to Schools in Refugee and Host Community Areas of South Sudan.

Republic of South Sudan

Ministry of General Education and instruction

Project Implementation Unit (PIU)

Request for Expression of Interest (REOI)

COUNTRY: Republic of South Sudan

PROJECT: Building Skills for Human Capital Development in South Sudan

CONSULTING SERVICES: Technical Assistance for the Development of a School Grants Manual to Support Grants to Schools in Refugee and Host Community Areas of South Sudan.

DUTY STATION: MOGEI, Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Juba

Ref: No. SS-MOGEI-494665-CS-INDV

1-The Government of South Sudan (GoSS), received a grant from World Bank to implement a five-year project entitled “Building Skills for Human Capital Development in South Sudan (BSHCDSS)”, Project Identification Number P178654. The project is being implemented by Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MoHEST), and Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI). The project will support the country in addressing skills constraints in education and agriculture sectors. Based on aforementioned, the MOGEI intends to apply portion of the proceed to fund the position of Technical Assistance for the Development of a School Grants Manual to Support Grants to Schools in Refugee and Host Community Areas of South Sudan on a contract basis.

The BSHCDSS project seeks to identify an individual credible expert to provide technical assistance in developing a comprehensive and user-friendly School Grants Manual that outlines the procedures for managing school grants, including planning, budgeting, disbursement, utilization, reporting, and auditing.

2-OBJECTIVES OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The overall objective of the assignment is to support the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in developing a comprehensive and user-friendly School Grants Manual that outlines the procedures for managing school grants, including planning, budgeting, disbursement, utilization, reporting, and auditing.

3-SCOPE OF WORK

In developing the manual, the consultant will work closely with MoGEI and education partners at national and state level.

Specifically, the consultant will undertake the following;

• conduct a desk review of existing, policies, manuals, guidelines, strategies and any other materials on school grants management, capitation grants, and cash transfers in the Education Sector in South Sudan or comparative countries classified as fragile states.

• Review of key project documents such as the Project Operations Manual (POM), Financing Agreement, and Grant agreement conditions to ensure that the Grants Manual adequately addresses provisions within these documents.

• Conduct consultations with key stakeholders, including Ministry of Education officials, school administrators, teachers, and finance personnel, to gather input and feedback to inform the manual.

• Develop a draft School Grants Manual that details the guidelines and procedures for the provision of School Grants in accordance with the Financing Agreement that covers:

• the selected school beneficiary has been pre-selected on the basis of a targeting system consisting of: (i) a geographic targeting; (ii) technical feasibility;

• the proposed selected school is a legal entity established and operating under the laws of the South Sudan and MoGEI’s, management, and

• Procedure of tracking resource allocation per school as set by the maximum amount of School Grants to be provided in the Financing Agreement.

The School Grants Manual shall, at minimum, cover the following key aspects:

•

• Purpose and objectives of the School Grants and policy and legal guidelines for their use

• Guidelines and templates for annual school development plans and budgets for schools.

• Guidelines and templates for application package (including annual work plan and budget) for schools.

• Criteria and guidelines for determining grant amounts per school

• Guidelines for schools on establishing bank accounts (if they do not already have one)

• Mechanism for efficient distribution/disbursement of the grants- including schedules, transfer options, and access conditions

• Guidance on the use of the grants, including allowable and disallowed uses and remedial measures for misuse

• Guidelines for use of school grants including internal and external controls

• Guidelines and templates for regular technical and financial reporting, as well as monitoring and evaluation requirements.

• Procedures and protocols for monitoring school grants use

• Auditing procedures and protocols

• Suitable institutional structure/arrangements for grants administration at national, state and school Level

• Present the draft manual to MoGEI and other stakeholders for review and queries/comments/feedback.

• Pilot implementation of the school grants manual in one state, and based on pilot results, finalize the manual

• Incorporate the feedback received and revise the School Grants Manual.

• Develop a training of Trainers manual for school grants manual

• Undertake ToT senior MoGEI personnel

4- Government officials or civil servants will not be considered unless: (i) they are on leave of absence without pay or have resigned or retired six (6) months prior to the date of the advert; (ii) their employment will not create conflict of interest.

5- Duration: The assignment will be for a period of six (6) months.

6- MINIMUM CONSULTANT’S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

The individual Consultant should have the following minimum qualifications and experience:

• A master degree in finance, accounting, education, international development, or a related field.

• At least 8 years of experience in financial management, preferably in the international education sector with a focus on sub-granting, capitation grants and cash transfers.

• Strong understanding of school financing and budgeting processes.

• Experience in developing training materials and conducting workshops.

• Experience in developing financial management related materials for use in education institutions at primary/secondary school level is an added advantage.

• Experience in organizing and leading trainings.

• Experience working with World Bank or similar international organizations is an added advantage.

• Experience in a post-conflict country environment such as South Sudan is an added advantage.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic is an added advantage.

• Excellent report writing skills.

• A high level of interpersonal and management skills and ability to work with teams in the organization at all levels.

• Must be able to work under pressure and tight deadlines.

• Must be willing to travel and collaborate closely with all stakeholders.

• Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Electronic Document Management is mandatory.

7- The MOGEI now invites eligible Individual Consultants to express their interest in providing the above mentioned services. Interested consultants must provide detailed information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services and furnish their Curriculum Vitae (CV) in the prescribed format. The terms of reference (TOR) for this consultancy are available and shall be provided upon submission of written application (in person or by email at the address given below).

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

9- A consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank's Procurement Regulations for IFP Borrowers' Fifth Edition of September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”) for selection of individual consultant.

10- Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address given below from 9:00 to 16:00 Hrs. on working days (Monday through to Friday).

11- Deadline for submission: The expression of interest (EOI) and the complete CV must be delivered to below indicated address not later than Monday, June 30, 2025, 17:00 Hrs. South Sudan time.

12- Further details of this REOI are provided in the terms of reference (TOR), which may be obtained upon request in person or by email address to: [email protected] or [email protected].

Physical address: The Undersecretary, Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MOGEI); Ministries Complex, Juba.

Postal address: The Undersecretary, Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MOGEI) P.O. Box 567; Juba, South Sudan.

Please submit electronic applications via email to the Procurement Department of MOGEI at: [email protected]. Kindly ensure you carbon copy (cc) the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at: [email protected].

For the attention of:

Hon. Kachuol Mabil Piok

The Undersecretary

Ministry of General Education and Instruction

Republic of South Sudan, Juba