REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR AN ENGLISH EDITOR TO PROVIDE EDITING / PROOFREADING SERVICES

African Development Bank

Strategy and Operational Policies Department (SNSP)

Rue Joseph Anoma,

01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01

Cote d’Ivoire

 

Brief description of the Assignment : The main responsibility of the Consultant will be to edit and proofread deliverables from the Strategy and Operational Policies Department (SNSP) to ensure that language and grammar conform to the highest international standards. The editor will also copywrite materials for the department and respond to requests to guide authors with respect to their writing skills. The Consultant’s assignment may be modified for other related tasks so long as they are consistent with his/her qualification and experience.

Department issuing the request: Strategy and Operational Policy Department
Place of assignment: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Duration of the assignment: 80 days, spread over nine (9) months
Tentative Date of commencement: October 1, 2020
Deadline for applications: September 20, 2020
Terms of reference for the assignment: See below
Applications to be submitted by email only to: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
interested consultants are invited to submit a CV and a Cover Letter.

Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to : [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected].

 

Terms of Reference :

Background :

The Bank :

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. With 80 Member Countries, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries), the Bank’s development agenda is delivering financial and technical support for transformative projects in Africa that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth. To sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy (2013 – 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major operational areas (also known as “the High 5s”) have been identified for scaling up, namely: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

The Recruiting Department :

The Strategy and Operational Policies Department (SNSP) proposes to recruit an English Editor (the “Consultant”) to assist in finalizing and publishing a series of documents. SNSP is responsible for developing the corporate vision and the strategic perspectives for the Bank through formulating, revising and providing advice on operational policies and procedures. SNSP works across the institution, helping to ensure strategic and policy focus in decision-making, and improving alignment of resources with strategic priorities. SNSP is also mandated to contribute to the development of new ideas and concepts for corporate initiatives and advises the Bank on innovation and institutional efficiency-related matters.

In this context, SNSP has committed to the completion of a number of deliverables, including but not limited to (i) sector and thematic strategies, policies, guidelines and the Bank Group Operations Manual, (ii) outreach activities and training, and (iii) operational studies and research papers. The successful completion of these deliverables will require them to be proofread and edited to ensure that language and grammar conform to the highest international standards. Some of the deliverables (including the Operations Manual for Sovereign Operations, which has over 200 pages) will require extensive editorial work.

Duties and Responsibilities :

Edit and proofread with focus on :

  • The structure, logical sequencing and clarity of the material ;
  • The descriptive and analytical quality (the editor will signal areas for improvement); o the transition of the flow between different parts of the writing ;
  • To  the use, development and persuasiveness of the arguments ;
  • The avoidance of unnecessary overlaps or duplication of information/argument; and o grammar, style, and spelling ;
  • Copywrite materials for the department. Typically, such copywriting would include the conceptualization of a new publication from existing material, the reorganization and rewriting of existing material into the desired format, research where required, requests for research where required, layout assistance where required, and extensive communication with the author(s) ;
  • Respond to requests to guide authors with respect to their writing skills. This might include telephone conversations wherein the Consultant answers the author’s questions or emails where the Consultant explains principles of proper writing.

Duration, Location and Deliverables :

The consultant will work fulltime for a period equivalent to 80 days, spread over nine (9) months, starting 1 October 2020 and ending 30 June 2021. The consultancy will take place from the consultant’s home base. Depending on its needs and the availability of the budget, the Department may extend the Consultant’s contract if the services are rendered to its satisfaction.

The consultant will work on the following non-exhaustive list of policies, strategies, operational guidelines and strategic studies, which are part of the department’s work program :

  1. Bank Group Operations Manual (Volume 2) ;
  2. Non-Sovereign Operations Guidelines ;
  3. Policy on Water ;
  4. Water Sector Strategy/Handbook/Guidelines ;
  5. Multi-Tranche Financing Facility ;
  6. Bank Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy ;
  7. Additional Finance Policy and Guidelines ;
  8. Financing the High 5s: A number of studies, including improving capital efficiency, optimization of the Bank’s balance sheet, augmenting development finance and recapitalizing the Bank (Study) ;
  9. MDBs joint publication on SDGs ;
  10. Project Classification System ;
  11. Review of Non-Concessional Debt Accumulation Policy ;
  12. Risk notes and creditworthiness assessment.

Costs :

Remuneration will be commensurate with experience, in line with the Bank’s compensation guidelines. The consultancy fees will be paid upon satisfactory completion of each assignment. The candidate will be responsible for obtaining personal health insurance at his or her own cost. The coverage should include all medical expenses, including those resulting from illness or injury incurred during the duration of the assignment.

Accountabilities :

The consultant will formally report to Ms Victoria CHISALA, Acting Director, SNSP.

Eligibility Criteria :

The position is open to nationals of the Member Countries of the AfDB. Interested applicants are requested to send an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Cover Letter. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be asked to participate in a skills assessment exercise.

Application and Evaluation Process :

Interested candidates are required to express their interest by submitting their CVs and Cover Letter detailing their qualifications and experiences to the email addresses provided on the Cover Page by September 20, 2020 at 17:00 GMT. The prospective consultants’ expression of interest will be evaluated based on the following criteria and weights :

(1) General qualifications and adequacy for the proposed assignment 25%
(2) Similar experience in the area of expertise of the assignment as described in the terms of 55%
reference
(3) Experience with the Bank or other international donors 10%
(4) Language proficiency 5%
(5) Knowledge of the region (environment of the assignment) 5%
TOTAL 100%

Only consultants who will score more than 70% will be short-listed and invited to submit a financial proposal.