Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) For Consulting Service

Country: 
Lao PDR
Project: 
PRF III
Position Description: 
Eligible consulting firms (Consultants)
Grant No.: 
PRF-C.047-2024
Project No.: 
PRF III – AF (2017-2024)
Date of Issue: 
Monday, February 19, 2024
Closing Date: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

 Poverty Reduction Fund                                                                                                   Vientiane Capital, date: 15 February 2024

 

Request for Expression of Interest (REOI)

   For Consulting Service

 For End of Project Evaluation of PRF III and PRF III – AF (2017-2024)

 Contract No. PRF-C.047-2024

 The Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (hereinafter called “Borrower”) has received financing from the International Development Association (IDA) (the “Bank”) in the form of a credit (hereinafter called “Credit”) toward the cost of Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF). The PRF an implementing agency of the Client, intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this credit to eligible payments for hiring the Consulting Service for End of Project Evaluation of PRF III and PRF III - AF during the period 2017-2024.

  The consultants are expected to draft an End Evaluation report of the PRF III AND PRF III – Additional Financing projects before the project closure on June 30th, 2024. The End Evaluation is about telling the story of the project, focusing on the outcomes, the factors that contributed to achieving the outcomes (and the factors that may have limited achievement of outcomes), and the lessons learned. It covers, among other things, the degree to which the Project’s Development Objectives (PDOs) and results have been achieved and provides lessons learned. Audiences for the End Evaluation are the PRF III and PRF III -  AF project team, the World Bank Task Team, the government and their agencies, stakeholders and beneficiaries and the general public that has an interest in the project. The consultants will also conduct a technical audit of infrastructures from PRF III (small sample) AF, which will also capture some of the indicators of the Results Framework (% of subproject activities of high technical quality and % of PRF built infrastructure in a functioning quality). The consultants will also conduct a small satisfaction survey of beneficiaries from PRF III - AF second batch villages, which will capture one indicator from the (RF) (% of households in PRF beneficiary villages satisfied with the participatory planning process supported by PRF III). Both the technical audit of infrastructures and the satisfaction survey will inform the end evaluation report regarding PRF III - AF. The Terms of Reference for the assignment can be accessed at the following website: http://prflaos.org/procurement/ announcements.

  The PRF 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 shortlisting criteria for the firms eligible to apply for the service include the following:

 -          Be a legal entity with business license granted by appropriate authority of Lao PDR;

 -          At least five (5) years of specific experience in providing similar services in developing countries financed by the World Bank;

 -          Proven record on successful completion of at least three (3) assignments (contracts) related to end evaluation assessment;

 -          The evaluation will be conducted by a team composed of one international team leader accompanied by one local engineer and one local social scientist experts/consultants

 The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants [under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants] by World Bank Borrowers, July 1, 2014 (for Guidelines Projects), 3.14 to 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations, July 2016 revised November 2017 and August 2018 (for Regulations projects), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. 

  Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications.

  Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services, including:

 -          company profile, brochures;

 -          brief description of experience in managing similar evaluations of community development project,

 -          composition of the team (specific responsibilities for each team member);

 -          CVs with academic background including experience in similar conditions, description of similar assignments, availability of appropriate skills of the team members with their signatures; and

 -          other issues relevant to this assessment.

 A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultants’ Qualifications Selection (CQS) method set out in the Procurement Guidelines/Regulations.

  Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 08:00 to 16:00 hours, from Monday to Friday (Standard Lao PDR time).

  Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person or by email) by 16:00 hour no later than 29 February 2024 (closing date).

  Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry               

 Poverty Reduction Fund Office

 C/o Prime Minister Council’s Office

 Sisavat Village, Chanthaboury District

 Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

 Phone: 856-21-261479-80

 Email: youthavinh@prflaos.org

 Attention: Procurement Unit