REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT FOR THE MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BANK GROUP POLICY ON RESULTS-BASED FINANCING

African Development Bank

Strategy and Operational Policies Department (SNSP)

Rue Joseph Anoma,

01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01

Cote d’Ivoire

1.1. Brief Description of the Assignment: The Strategy and Operational Policies Department (SNSP) of the African Development Bank invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in the following assignment: an individual consultant to undertake the mid-term review of the implementation of the RBF policy. The review will assess the early years of Bank’s experience in designing and implementing RBF operations. The review will also provide an opportunity to identify emerging early lessons and challenges that will inform future revisions to the RBF policy framework.

The services to be provided under this assignment are specified as follow: (i) Develop an Inception report that will clearly define and detail the most credible methodological framework and refine the evaluation questions. The inception report will include data collection tools and a preliminarily Theory of Change of the RBF instrument which will be refined based on the findings of the review;

  • Prepare the following main evaluation lines of evidence: Portfolio review, Quality of the RBF design, Benchmarking, and Case studies; (iii) Prepare and submit a draft and the final RBF Mid-Term Review report, which should include a chapter on recommendations on how to promote the effective use of the instrument and an action plan for the remainder of the RBF pilot period.

The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Procurement Policy for Recruitment of Corporate Consultants. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist.

The Consultant’s assignment may be modified for other related tasks so long as they are consistent with his/her qualification and experience.

Departments issuing the request:

Place of assignment:

SNSP

Given the Covid-19 pandemic, the consultant will work  remotely   until   the   Bank’s   resumes    work physically. In such a situation, an economy class air ticket from Abidjan and Abidjan’s country of origin will  be  paid  by  the  bank  until  normal  business resumes, thereafter, will be based in Abidjan, Cote

d’Ivoire.

Duration of the assignment:

Tentative Date of commencement:

Deadline for applications:

Detailed Terms of reference for the assignment:

Applications to be submitted by email only to:

Six (6) calendar months

June 1st , 2021

Mai 17, 2021 at 17:00 GMT See below

Interested consultants are invited to submit a CV and Cover Letter to: [email protected]

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

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

CONSULTANCY: MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BANK GROUP POLICY ON RESULTS-BASED FINANCING (RBF)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

  1. BACKGROUND

2.1. The Strategy and Operational Policies Department (SNSP) plays a key role in shaping a corporate vision and strategic perspective for the Bank Group as well as developing the operational policies aimed at guiding the Bank’s development agenda. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President, it works across the institution, helping to ensure strategic and policy focus in decision-making, and the improved alignment of resources with strategic priorities. More specifically, SNSP advises the president and the Senior Management on strategy and policy emerging issues that can affect both its clients’ needs and the Bank’s efforts in effectively delivering its operational priorities.

2.2. On 28 November 2017, the Boards of Directors approved the Bank’s Results-Based Financing (RBF) policy, which is the third major sovereign lending instrument to complement the other Bank’s instrument including investment loans and program-based operations (PBOs). RBF is a financing instrument (loan or grant) used to support either physical or nonphysical investments within a government program, with disbursements based primarily on the achievement of pre-agreed upon results related to the RBF-supported program. The instrument allows the Bank to link its disbursements directly to the achievement of specific, measurable, and tangible results of government programs. RBF shifts the nature of the relationship between the Bank and its clients away from individual transactions toward a focus on the systems and institutional changes that are required to achieve results.

2.3. By shifting the incentives of governments from inputs to the outcomes of delivering on specific expenditures, RBF reorients development programs toward results-based outcomes, which enables increased accountability and incentives to deliver and sustain results. The instrument is relatively agile. It fosters greater reliance on borrower systems and enhanced government ownership of development programs by focusing directly on systems improvement, systematic capacity building, and partnership with governments. Regional Member Countries (RMCs) are in the driver’s seat with RBF, developing and implementing their programs through their own systems and institutions, thereby enhancing development impact and sustainability.

2.4.        Since approval of the policy, there have been seven RBF operations approved by the Boards of Directors in three countries, totaling UA 771.2 million. The operations are:

APPROVED RBF OPERATIONS

    RBF Operation       Basic Information
           
  ▪ Rwanda: Scaling   up   Energy   Access   ADB UA 138 million (€ 165m)
    (SEAP-II)       ADF UA 53 million (€63.61m)
              Approved September 2018 (2018-2021)
  ▪ Morocco: ImprovingAccessto   ADB UA 70 million (€96.6 m)
    Employment Program       Co-financier: MCC $100 million
              Approved September 2018 (2018-2021)
  ▪ Rwanda: SEAP II Additional Finance   UA 16.4 million
              Approved February 2019
              Duration 2019-2021
  ▪ Morocco: Improving Territorial   ADB UA 160 million ($220m)
    Competitiveness       Approved December 2019
              Duration 2019-2021
  ▪ Morocco: Improving  Social Protection   ADB UA 148 million ($ 204 m)
    (PAAPS)         Co  Financers:  AFD  (€50m)  and  EU
              (€100m).
              Approved December 2019 (2020-2023)
  ▪ Egypt: Integrated    Rural Sanitation   ADB UA 87 million (€108 m)
    program         Co-financier:  RWSSI  UA  0.8  million
              (€1 m)
              Co-financier: World Bank (USD 500 m)
              Approved December 2019 (2019-2021)
  ▪ Morocco: Additional Finance to Program   UA 98 million
    to Improve Social Protection.       Approved November 2020 (2020-2021)
    TOTAL OF BANK FINANCED RBFs     UA: 771.2 million
               

2.5. In line with RBF policy requirements, a mid-term review of the instrument is foreseen at the end of its third year of implementation. Accordingly, SNSP is seeking the services of an individual consultant to undertake the mid-term review of the implementation of the policy. The review will assess the early years of Bank’s experience in designing and implementing RBF operations. The review will provide an opportunity to identify emerging early lessons and challenges that will inform future revisions to the RBF policy framework.

  1. OBJECTIVES OF THE REVIEW

3.1. The main purpose of the review is to take stock of the early experience with the RBF. More specifically, the objectives of the review are to:

  • Assess the performance of the RBF against the given goals and outputs/outcomes of the policy (as described in the results framework);
  • Identify emerging lessons and best practices from the first years of RBF implementation; and
  • Propose recommendations towards enhancing the implementation and performance of RBF operations.

  1. EVALUATION QUESTIONS

Relevance

  • Relevance of the RBF Policy
  • Demand for RBF. Assess RMCs’ demand for the instrument vis-a-vis the Bank’s ability to meet the demand. This information will be used to determine the adequacy of the financing ceiling placed on total ADB/ADF resources that could be allocated to RBF in a given year;
  • Quality of RBF Design. Reassess the entire RBF policy and guidelines to determine areas of gaps between policy and implementation.
  • Relevance of RBF operations Design
  • Relevance of objectives. Determine the relevance/value addition of RBF operations against the objectives set out in the RBF policy.
  • Relevance of design. (i) Capture practical design challenges faced by the Bank’s project task teams, as well as implementation challenges; (ii) Determine the adequacy and relevance of the RBF training program in building the capacity of task managers.

Effectiveness

  • Determine the degree to which the objectives identified in the RBF policy and guidelines (such as improved efficiency and effectiveness of government expenditures) have been achieved.
  • Assess the sectoral and country distribution of RBF operations to determine concentration risks and opportunities.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the RBF instrument as an incentive tool to strengthen program/country systems that are critical to achieving the results of the RBF-supported program, including fiduciary, climate, environmental and social safeguard systems.

Efficiency.

  • Operational efficiency. Assess the extent to which the RBF instrument has been used optimally to ensure results delivery using the country systems?
  1. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The review will use a theory-based evaluation approach. The data sources, the basis for the evaluation streams of evidence, should include but not be limited to the following:

  • Desk review of relevant documents/reports related to the Bank policy on Results-Based Financing, its related operational guidelines, the annual status reports on the implementation of the RBF policy, selected documentation from RBF operations (preparation reports, appraisal reports, Progress report, project Issue Note, Aide memoire and implementation Progress reports) and other relevant documentation.
  • Review of the RBF policy that provide the context of the functioning of the RBF.
  • Substantive interviews as needed to seek varied views on the Bank’s implementation of the RBF instrument from a range of stakeholders including senior management, key operations staff, relevant staff of SNSP and selected regional hubs/country offices. External stakeholders should include selected regional member countries (RMCs), civil society organizations, pan-African networks and institutions. A combination of telephonic/video-conferencing interviews will be used for this purpose.
  • Online surveys of both AfDB staff and RMC officials.
  1. CONSULTANT TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

6.1.        The consultant will be expected to:

  • Develop an Inception report that will clearly define and detail the most credible methodological framework and refine evaluation questions. The inception will include data collection tools and a preliminarily Theory of Change of the RBF instrument which will be refined based on the findings of the review.
  • Prepare the following main evaluation lines of evidence: a) Portfolio review, b) Quality of the RBF design, c) Benchmarking, and d) Case studies. Portfolio Review: This will show the utilization of the RBF for the early year of its implementation.

Quality of the RBF Design: Carry out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the RBF instrument and assess the extent to which the implementation of the policy has adequately leveraged this analysis. Carry out a prospective SWOT analysis for the remaining implementing period of the policy.

Benchmarking: Identify best practices over the first three years of implementation and benchmark them against similar practices of other development partners, including, the World Bank’s Programme for Results (PforR) instrument and the Asian Development Bank’s Results-Based Financing.

Case Studies: This will consist on evidence-based case studies of a sample/or all of RBF intervention projects; this will complement the evidence from the portfolio review. It will focus on generating evidence on the substantive RBF outputs and outcomes, and on the key success/limiting factors –where project performance was satisfactory/was not satisfactory.

  • Prepare and submit a draft and the final RBF Mid-Term Review report, which should include a chapter on recommendations on how to promote the effective use of the instrument and an action plan for the remainder of the RBF pilot period.
  1. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

7.1.          The following key deliverables for this assignment are expected:

  • An inception report for the mid-term review of the RBF instrument including the evaluation questions, indicators and data sources; approach to sampling stakeholders and field activities, work plan and schedule.
  • A portfolio review report.
  • The quality of RBF Design.
  • The Benchmarking Report.
  • An initial draft 20-30 page mid-term review report and action plan.
  • A final 20-30 page mid-term review report and action plan for the remainder of the RBF pilot period.
  1. QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

The successful candidate should have:

  • At least a Master’s Degree, or equivalent, in Public Policy, Social Science, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Business Administration or a related field ;
  • Relevant knowledge with at least ten (10) years’ experience in conducting assessments, reviews and/or evaluations of development projects and financing instruments. ;
  • Good understanding of Bank policies, programs and project cycle of the Bank or a similar development institution. Prior experience with the Bank will be an advantage ;
  • A good mastery of quantitative and qualitative research methods ;
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team; well organized, and able to prioritize multiple tasks, while driving results;
  • Good knowledge of African economic and development issues;
  • Good written communication skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment;
  • Competences in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).
  • Be a national of one of the member countries of the Bank.
  1. EVALUATION PROCESS:

The prospective consultant’s expression of interest will be evaluated based on the following criteria and weights:

  (1)   General qualifications and adequacy for the assignment to be undertaken 30
         
  (2)   Similar experience in the area of expertise of the assignment 40
         
  (3)   Experience with the Bank and/or multilateral development organizations 20
         
  (4)   Language Proficiency 5
         
  (5)   Knowledge of Africa (environment of the assignment) 5
         

Only consultants who will score more than 70% will be short-listed. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to participate in a skills assessment exercise.

  1. DURATION AND LOCATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

10.1. The consultancy is for 06 months, starting from 1st June 2021. Given the Covid-19 pandemic, the consultant will work remotely until the Bank’s resumes work physically. In such a situation, an economy class air ticket from Abidjan and Abidjan’s country of origin will be paid for by the bank.

  1. REMUNERATION

11.1. The Consultant will be paid according to his/her qualifications. The remuneration will be commensurate with the African Development Bank’s Rules and Procedures for Recruitment and Remuneration of Consultants.

11.2. The consultant will have to obtain personal health insurance cover at his/her own cost. The coverage should include all medical expenses, including those resulting from illness or injury incurred during the duration of the assignment. Proof of insurance coverage will have to be provided to the Bank before the start of the assignment.

  1. ADMINISTRATION/REPORTING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

12.1. The consultant shall report to the Director, SNSP. Day-to-day management of the consultancy shall be assured by a task manager designated by the SNSP Director. The Task Manager will ensure the coherence of the consultant’s inputs within the overall framework of the MTR report, as he/she will lead the review of the draft deliverables, after the integration of the inputs received from key stakeholders.

  1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

13.1. The position is open to nationals of one 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.

  1. TIME SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

7.1 The time frame for this assignment is 6 calendar months with key timelines as shown
below.      
       
  Task   Date
Commencement of assignment 1 June 2021
Submission of inception report 30 June 2021
Submission of portfolio review report 30 August 2021
Submission of quality of RBF Design report 15 September 2021
Submission of Benchmarking report 30 September 2021
Submission of Draft Mid-term Review Report 30 October 2021
Submission of Final Mid-term Review Report 17 December 2021