Consultancy Service for a Firm to Conduct Citizens Engagement Survey

WORLD BANK/IFAD PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION UNIT

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE TRANSFORMATION AND AGRIBUSINESS REVITALIZATION PROJECT (STAR-P)

1st Floor LIBSUCO Building Japan Freeway (Formerly Somalia Drive), Gardnersville – Monrovia, Liberia

|

|

IDA 63600, PROJECT NO. 160945

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

(CONSULTANT’S QUALIFICATIONS BASED SELECTION (CQS))

Assignment Title: Consultancy Service for a Firm to Conduct Citizens Satisfaction Survey

REOI Reference No.: LR-PMU-MOA-473270-CS-CQS

Background

The STAR-P was approved by the World Bank Board of Directors on January 15, 2019. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase agricultural productivity and commercialization of smallholder farmers for selected value chains in selected counties. The USD 25 million financing agreement was signed on February 15, 2019, and the project became effective on June 28, 2019. The project is co-financed on a pari-passu basis with IFAD. The USD 23 million co-financing was approved by the IFAD Board in September 2019 and the Financing Agreement was signed on 21 November 2019.

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase agricultural productivity and commercialization of smallholder farmers for rice, oil palm, and horticulture value chains in selected counties of Liberia.

Objective of the Assignment

The survey's primary purpose is to research if farmers or beneficiaries are satisfied with the delivery (timeliness and quality) of the project benefits provided to them. More specifically, we are researching beneficiaries:

• Satisfaction with the delivery timeliness of services;

• Satisfaction with the delivery quality of project benefits;

• Demographic determinants can be associated with satisfaction;

• To identify and/or confirm priority needs, problems, and constraints of the target beneficiaries

• To generate data on the most vulnerable and needy beneficiaries, communities, and groups; and;

• To assess beneficiaries' satisfaction with environmental and social safeguards, and gender-related services and their perceived preparedness to adopt related services.

This will also provide valuable data and information for the project objectives to assess progress since the project was launched and build an additional set of evidence bases for measuring change due to project implementation. This mixed-method approach will obtain valuable information on key project indicators. Findings will provide statistical information for project goals and objectives, building on initial benchmarks at the starting point and probing various processes based on various indicators that measure change during the project implementation period.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website:

• Ministry of Agriculture (www.moa.gov.lr) or directly requested via email from [email protected] / [email protected]

The Ministry of Agriculture now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate 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 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, August 2018, January 2020 and September 2023 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://projects-beta.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/products-and-services/brief/procurement-new-framework .

The best qualified firm to carry out the services will be selected in accordance with the Consultant’s Qualifications Based Selection (CQS) method set out in the Regulations and based on the following criteria:

• Core Business of the firm and Number of Years in Business

• Technical and Managerial Organization of the Firm

• Qualitative and quantitative research experience of the firm, a clear understanding of research methodology, and experience using different agricultural and social research tools and techniques.

• Work experiences in rural and urban areas of the counties will be an added advantage, and the firm is to indicate similar assignments carried out with reference points – these can be three assignments carried out in the last 3-5 years.

• Availability of Appropriate Skills among Staff or within the firm that are Experience in data collection methodology and analysis spanning a minimum of 10 years of experience working on project management, with at least 5 years of those related to agriculture and rural development

• Legally Registered Firm in Home Country (Evidence of Business Registration)

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 0900 hours to 1600 hours or 9:00am to 4:00pm local time.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or via e-mail) by 19th February 2025 @ 5:00pm local time.

Galah Toto

National Program Coordinator

Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Ministry of Agriculture

Smallholder Agriculture Transformation & Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P)/ Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP)

1st Floor LIBSUCO Building, Japanese Freeway (Formerly Somalia Drive)

Gardnersville – Monrovia, Liberia

Tel +231-777576980

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

Signed by: Galah Toto

National Program Coordinator – STAR-P/RETRAP

NOTE: The Request for Expression of Interest was published on February 3, 2025 and closed on February 19, 2025. The PIU took this proactive step to publish the REOI earlier because the project will be closing on June 30, 2025.