Inactive

STATEMENT OF WORK Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Expert Services INTRODUCTION The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has a requirement for project assessment/implementation expertise ... STATEMENT OF WORK Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Expert Services INTRODUCTION The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has a requirement for project assessment/implementation expertise related to agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) programs in MCC affiliated countries. The MCC will obtain the required services through a competitive procurement to provide professional consulting services for agriculture and NRM projects. On January 23, 2003, the United States established the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an innovative foreign assistance program designed to reduce poverty by promoting sustainable economic growth. MCC, a U.S. government corporation, is based on the principle that aid is most effective in countries that promote good governance, economic freedom, and investments in people. For more information on the MCC, please visit www.mcc.gov. MCC’s overriding objectives are to promote economic growth and a significant reduction in poverty in our partner countries. MCC does not take it for granted that programs that stimulate growth will invariably reduce poverty. MCC looks at the likely distributive effects of projects and, to the extent that data are available to perform such an analysis, identifies the beneficiaries and estimates the impact on poverty reduction. Ultimately, MCC seeks significant and measurable increases in incomes of large numbers of poor people and significant reductions in poverty. MCC analyzes the likely impact on economic growth of its programs by analyzing whether they are consistent with international and country evidence on drivers of economic growth and by use of economic rate of return (ERR) analysis. The essence of such an analysis is a straightforward comparison of costs and benefits, where the costs are the MCA grants, other front-end project development costs, and associated project life cycle operating and maintenance costs, and the benefits are increases in incomes in recipient countries. SCOPE The overall objective of this contract is to support the MCC Agriculture and Land Practice Group and members of relevant MCC country teams and implementation support teams in their efforts to (i) assess agriculture and NRM aspects of proposed Compact projects and activities and (ii) provide implementation oversight and assessment of implementer and project performance for projects with agriculture and NRM activities and components in on-going Compacts. COUNTRY Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone and any MCC eligible country and/or country with on-going or recently completed MCC compact or threshold programs in development or implementation. TASKS Project Design and Assessment: Requires both desk review and travel to country with a Compact under development. Analyze all aspects of the proposed agriculture and/or NRM project cycle including feasibility assessment, design, appraisal, and project evaluation in developing country situations. Assignments could include: Reviewing feasibility assessments of MCC-Eligible country agricultural and NRM projects, Conducting special or preliminary studies related to agricultural/natural resource components, Support or participate in stakeholder consultations to complement qualitative data around agriculture and agribusiness constraints and opportunities, Conducting or reviewing agriculture value chain analysis, especially in the horticultural sector. Working and coordinating with local or international contractors, municipal councils/government, regional level entities, national or regional government ministry representatives, NGOs, research entities carrying out agricultural and agroforestry activities, Providing support to the Finance, Investment and Trade (FIT) Practice Group at MCC in conducting investment opportunity assessments within the context of agriculture and natural resource management, Reviewing and assessing the policy and regulatory environment paying particular attention to how it promotes or hinders private sector investment along value chains, Evaluating coordination of MCC program design with foreign donor activities in related areas, and travel to the country as appropriate/assigned. Support the development of Economic, Cost/Benefit Analysis (ERRs) with research, identification of data related to agriculture Draft and/or provide input to project or project activity descriptions for inclusion in the Concept Note and Concept.[1] Proposal Assessments and Investment Memorandum, Board, or other Compact documents. Support in the facilitation of working sessions and planning sessions with counterparts when appropriate. Provide detailed written reports of findings and compilation of documents to MCC. Make public presentations as needed on agriculture and/or NRM-related issues and/or projects. Project Activity Oversight: Requires travel to country with a Compact or threshold program in force and/or recently completed programs requiring evaluation audits and follow-up. Become intimately familiar with the Project, Project Activities, and Sub-Activities including budgets, schedules, implementers, beneficiaries, and related parties in order to provide informed technical advice/support as needed throughout implementation and review and recommendations related to key project deliverables requiring MCC clearance/no-objection. Evaluate progress of a Project, Project Activities, and Sub-Activities and identify completion risks and provide correction or mitigation advice. Counsel implementing entities on measures to mitigate risks. Coordinate with the relevant government agency, civil society, private sector, donor, and Project Management Unit staffs to facilitate Activity Oversight operations. Provide detailed and comprehensive written reports on progress of a Project, Project Activities, and Sub-Activities to the compact development and/or implementation teams and Senior Management as appropriate and directed by the COR. Make verbal presentations to MCC local, Embassy and MCC Washington on project progress. The overall objectives of this contract are to: Assess and/or provide oversight support for all aspects of the project cycle in countries developing and/or implementing projects with agriculture and/or NRM related components, activities and/or benefit streams including feasibility assessment, design, appraisal, project evaluation, assessment of implementer performance, and identification of completion risks. Assist MCC country (compact development) teams and appropriate sector and project leads in developing appropriate modifications or alternatives to the proposed agriculture, agribusiness and/or NRM elements, should the assessment determine that is required. Conduct visits to proposed project locations and/or projects during implementation and provide reports to MCC that fulfill due diligence or implementation oversight requirements, as appropriate as per specific technical directives provided by the COR. Provide input in the identification of agriculture related indicators, theory of change or program logics. Review proposed impact evaluations approaches, methodologies, surveys and questionnaires and report. The designated Expert shall be expected to coordinate with local authorities and MCA (Accountable Entity) responsible for MCC Compact implementation as well as other donors, where relevant. However, designated Expert shall report directly to the designated Contracting Officer’s Representative/Project Monitor (COR/PM). TECHNICAL DIRECTIVE The Expert shall provide services to MCC on an as needed basis, as required. To support MCC in the flexible and timely manner needed to meet the evolving needs of Compact development, negotiation, implementation and evaluation, technical directives under this statement of work shall be issued by the COR/PM and the Expert deployed each time the Expert’s services are needed over the course of this contract. No additional directive shall imply any additional costs to the United States Government (USG) beyond the amount allowed for in the initial statement of work; however, this this statement of work may be amended to reflect additional costs associated with implementation planning and oversight requirements. In each technical directive, the COR/PM will define the specific tasks, dates and location of services, and assignment deliverable(s) at least one week prior to date of Expert deployment. The technical directive will, in one paragraph to two pages, provide clear and concise instructions on tasks and deliverables requested of the Expert. Upon acknowledging acceptance of the technical directive by the expert to MCC in writing (email or fax to the COR/PM is acceptable), the expert will be deployed by MCC to conduct the specific tasks described therein. The expert shall not conduct any specific work under this contract unless such a technical directive is issued and acknowledged in writing. The expert will notify the contract officer if the tasks appear to fall outside the scope given herein. The expert is expected to submit electronic copies of all written deliverables in English and to brief MCC staff verbally upon request. DELIVERABLES COR/PM will provide technical directives or task for expert outlining specific tasks. In response to technical directives, the expert shall provide trip reports, written technical assessments, and implementer performance assessments, reviews of other contractors or institutions’ deliverables, project audits, among others. Trip reports to the MCC COR/PM, shall include at a minimum the summary of any consultations and meetings held, and key findings and recommendations and any next steps, as appropriate. Other ad hoc reports and inputs, as requested by MCC COR/PM. Acceptance Criteria The deliverables will be evaluated according to the following criteria: Thoroughness and timeliness in complying with all of the elements in the tasks specified. High quality finished products in a timely manner, and clarity of analyses and work produced. Timeliness and efficacy of communications with relevant counterparts at MCC, MCA, and other relevant organizations. All reports are to be submitted in English in hard and electronic copy (in MS Word), with tables, data and calculations in MS Excel. PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE All work shall be completed between the dates of the award through a one-year base period of performance, with four additional one-year options. The estimated level of effort for the duration of the period of performance is up to 1,240 hours per year. MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee this level of effort as it may increase or decrease. The expert shall perform the services and tasks generally identified above at the expert’s home facilities, periodically in MCC’s DC offices, and in any MCC-eligible countries. H. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The expert would be precluded from bidding on work and services (design, assessment, construction, and supervision) to be procured by the local MCA accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country, unless the expert submits a mitigation plan sufficient to ameliorate any conflict of interest pursuant to the rules applicable to the procurement process. I. SUBCONTRACTING The expert is authorized to subcontract data collection, data preparation, social and gender analysis, and related services as needed. The overall costs for subcontracting shall not exceed 25% of the expert’s total negotiated unloaded direct labor cost. J. EVALUATION CRITERIA Mandatory: An advanced postgraduate degree (accredited Masters or Ph.D.) in agriculture, agribusiness, natural resource management or other relevant field Minimum 15 years of experience in design and implementation of agriculture or rural economic development projects in developing countries, with experience in any of the following areas: natural resource management, agribusiness, agroforestry, small scale irrigation, climate resilient agriculture, livestock management Demonstrated experience with the provision of technical analysis and recommendations to donor institutions such as MCC, World Bank, USAID, etc) Demonstrated inter-personal and negotiation skills, and ability to work cooperatively and productively in teams with technical experts, government officials, NGOs, community organizations, and other Compact stakeholders. Fluency in spoken and written English Preferred: Demonstrated knowledge and experience in the horticulture sector from inputs to production, processing, marketing, and trade Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural policy and international trade issues Proficiency in spoken and written French K. OTHER REQUIREMENTS International travel may be required. The Expert may be requested to mobilize on a short notice and will be expected to deliver high quality finished products in a timely manner based on the instructions of the COR/PM. L. TIMING AND REPORTING All formal communication with MCC, including reports, will be submitted to the COR/PM. The COR/PM for this requirement will be identified via separate correspondence. The COR/PM will have technical responsibility for monitoring the contractor’s performance. The COR/PM will review and evaluate the contractor’s performance and will coordinate any communications with relevant counterparts and other donor agencies and organizations. Any changes in the terms of the Call Order will be made in writing and approved by the Contracting Officer. No representation of the COR/PM shall serve as a basis for an alteration in the general scope of this Call Order or of the terms and conditions of the Call Order unless confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer. The contractor must communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters that pertain to the Contract terms. Proceeding with the work without proper contractual coverage could result in nonpayment for that work. The designated Expert would be expected to coordinate with local authorities responsible for MCC Compact implementation as well as other donors, where relevant. However, designated Expert would report directly to the designated COR/PM. [1] For details go to https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/compact-development-guidance-overview