REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)
Country: | Malawi |
Name of Project: | Agricultural Commercialisation (AGCOM) Project |
Contract Title: | Consultancy services to conduct Economic and Financial Analysis of AGCOM 2.0 |
Credit Number: | 6048-MW |
Reference No.: | MW-MOAIWD-301668-CS-INDV |
Date of Issue: | 6th August, 2022 |
The Government of the Republic of Malawi has received financing from the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA) Credit toward the cost of the Agricultural Commercialisation (AGCOM) Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.
The consulting services (“the Services”) include Consultancy services to conduct an Economic and Financial Analysis of AGCOM 2.0
The detailed Terms of Reference (TORs) for the assignment can be found at the following website or can be obtained upon request at the address given below.
Terms of Reference
1. Background
The Government of Malawi, is implementing the agricultural commercialization (AGCOM 1.0) project under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture. The AGCOM Project has four components namely building Productive Alliances, Supporting Investment Enabling Services, Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) and Project Coordination and Management. The project development objective (PDO) is to increase commercialization of agriculture value chain products with strong prospective market/commercial (value chain – buyer) linkages. The Project is for six years having been approved in May, 2017 and the closing date is set for 31st May, 2023.
AGCOM is on the right trajectory to deliver expected results. To date, AGCOM (1.0) has approved 229 Productive Alliances against the end of project target of 200 PA; out of which 167 are implementing after making their 10% contribution. About 17 million US Dollars have been committed in matching grants and smallholder farmers have managed to co-finance about 2 million US Dollars. The project has so far reached out to about 40,000 beneficiaries of which22,000 of the beneficiaries are women and 11,000 are youth . 20 value chains have been identified and are expanding volume and sales, based on the application of the Productive Alliance approach. Demand for products is expected to increase in all the value chains covered by AGCOM. Besides implementing the ‘productive alliance’, AGCOM (1.0) has also carried out ancillary interventions. These include the regularization of land parcels of 7,000 households; the rehabilitation of infrastructure such as irrigation systems and feeder roads; and the development of relevant informatic tools, such as the Land Management Information System and the Business Registration System.
Government is currently conceptualizing a second phase of the Agriculture Commercialization Project (AGCOM) called AGCOM 2.0. This project will scale up the most effective interventions carried out through AGCOM (1.0). It will capitalize on the lessons learned and the enhanced implementation capacity of AGCOM to upscale the inclusive Value Chain Development (iVCD) approach through Productive Alliances. The Agri processors and food manufacturers have capacity to expand business and can accommodate increased supply. AGCOM 2.0 will primarily foster the agricultural commercialization agenda in line with the Malawi Vision 2063. It will cover the whole country andin essence multisectoral, bringing together agriculture, water, lands, industry and trade, among other sectors. This project intends to strengthen the integration of key government priorities such as climate resilience and employment generation.
AGCOM 2.0 aims at increasing the commercialization of agricultural and agri-processed products and enhance resilience of the food system. AGCOM 2.0 will translate into an increase in: sales, both in volume and value, from farmer organizations to off-takers within productive alliances; farmers benefitted by climate resilience investments; farmers adopting climate-smart agriculture approaches. The new investment operation would benefit 100,000 small farmers, with a total cost estimate of US $ 200 million dollar. The implementation of the program will be for six years, starting in 2023.
The building blocks of the second phase include (i) scaling up the productive alliance approach, financing strategic infrastructure, and continuing to improve the systems, policies, and public service delivery to stimulate agricultural growth and job creation, as well as climate resilience.
As part of the World Bank – FAO Cooperative Program (WB/FAO CP), an Economist will prepare the Economic and Financial Analysis (EFA) of the AGCOM 2.0 operation, throughout identification, preparation and appraisal stages. A Concept Note Review, as part of the Project identification phase, will likely take place in June 2022. A local consultant (based in Malawi) will be contracted to start collecting and systematizing key information for the EFA design and readiness towards the Project preparation stage.
2. Objectives of the assignment
The objective of the consultancy is to support the collection and systematization of information for the Economic and Financial Analysis (EFA) of AGCOM 2.0 at the project identification and preparation stages.
3. Scope of the assignment
The consultant will perform the following tasks:
- Review the list of AGCOM 1.0 documents and secondary information sources indicated in Annex 1.
- Confirm key AGCOM 1.0 value chains and products and/or services that will be selected for the purposes of the EFA. AGCOM 2.0 does not intend to have a focus on specific value chains; the selection will serve to facilitate the collection and systematization of financial and economic information.
- Collaborate with the analysis of data generated by AGCOM Project Implementation Unit/ (Agriculture Sector Wide Approach) ASWAP SPII (PIUs) surveys on employment generation and climate smart investments, which are applied to active Productive Alliances in selected value chains including soybeans, dairy, rice, honey, and coffee. AGCOM PIU will be implementing data collection in June-July 2022 by using online data collection tools as a pilot on some of the sites, based on trainings received on Kobo Toolbox through the WB GEMS team.
- Based on the information of AGCOM 1.0 as well as complementary sources of information (including early results from the surveys), support the identification of climate smart investment models for production, post-harvest management, value addition and commercialization along selected VCs. The criteria for identification of investment models will be provided by the WB/FAO Economist and World Bank Task Team Leader (TTL).
- Organize and take part stakeholder validation works to validate the investment models pre-identified and determine the sources of information available or applicable methodologies to assess the technical and financial feasibility of these models.
- Liaise with the Value Chain consultant (supporting the ‘Investment-oriented VC analysis’ of the dairy sector) to cross check information on priority investments and investment models for the dairy and other key VCs.
- Support the collection and analysis of primary and secondary information required for the preparation of financial and economic models, based on formats provided by the WB/FAO Economist (aligned with FAO Rural Invest methodologies and tools), in consultation with AGCOM PIU and WB TTL.
- Participate in meetings organized by AGCOM PIU for the identification and delimitation of a) ancillary investments, and b) activities to enhance ‘institutional systems, policies and public service delivery’.
- Collaborate with the WB/FAO Economist in the collection and systematization of Project costs estimates, based on FAO Project Budget Tool (which integrates a Results-based programming and costing of project activities). The tool and proper induction to the tool will be provided by the WB/FAO Economist.
The consultant will work closely with the WB/FAO Economist, guiding the EFA, as well as AGCOM (PIU) and the TTL coordinating the Project identification, preparation, and appraisal of the new investment operation.
4. Deliverables
The consultant will generate six main deliverables, for a total of 90 days of effective work. The following table includes deliverables and timeline, expressed in calendar days after contract signing.
Deliverables | Number of days after signature |
1. Inception Report: This will include the conceptual framework to be used in the survey, key evaluation questions and methodology, including information on data collection tools, sources of the data, sampling method and data quality control plan. The Inception report should be submitted 7 days from signing the contract 3 hard copies and Word format
| 7 days |
2. Report on employment generation estimates and climate smart technologies and practices applied (or likely implemented) by Productive Alliances, based on the analysis of data collected by AGCOM surveys, complemented/contrasted with other relevant sources of secondary information identified by the consultant (analytical reports, national official data, etc.). | 12 days |
3. Report on potential climate smart investment models for production, post-harvest management, value addition and commercialization along selected VCs, including sources of information and/or methodologies applicable to prepare financial and economic models. | 20 days |
4. Financial models for climate smart investments in PAs for selected VCs. | 55 days |
5. Economic models for climate smart investments in PAs for selected VCs. | 70 days |
6. FAO PB tool initial inputs completed (main components and subcomponents costs covered. The final report should be submitted in 90 working days from the day of signing the contract three (3) bound hard copies, electronic copies in Word and in pdf on a memory drive after satisfactory in cooperating all PIU & WB Comments. | 90 days |
5. Qualifications
The consultant will meet the following minimum requirements:
- A minimum of a master’s degree in Economics, Agribusiness, Finance or any related Fields
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in economic and financial analysis of investment projects in the Agriculture Sector and, ideally, other sectors linked to agri-food value chains development.
- Familiarity with agri-food value chains and stakeholders for commodities such as soybeans, dairy, rice, honey, fish, coffee, fruits and vegetables.
- Ability to liaise with stakeholders to collect information.
- Proven capacity to systematize and assess financial and economic information, based on outputs from practical on job-experience and/or analytical papers.
- Experience in tailor made financial and economic model analysis using Microsoft excel
- Preferably, knowledge of inclusive value chain development approaches, such as Productive Alliances, the preparation of Business Plans and the application of Matching Grants.
- Fluency in spoken and written English.
6. Reporting requirements
The successful candidate will be reporting to the AGCOM-National Project Coordinator fortnightly but will be working hand in hand with the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and Agribusiness Specialist in the AGCOM PIU.
7. Selection Method
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016 Revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant (INDV) selection method set out in the Procurement Regulations.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours [i.e., 09.00 to 1700 hours].
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by 19th August, 2022.
Address for delivery of expressions of interest:
The Chairperson
Internal Procurement and Disposal Committee
Ministry of Agriculture
Agricultural Commercialisation (AGCOM) Project,
Off Paul Kagame Road – Opposite MRA Domestic Taxes Offices,
P.O. Box 727,
Lilongwe, Malawi
Attention: Procurement Specialist E-mail: silvester.tsokonombwe2022@gmail.com and
heltongondwe@yahoo.co.uk
Copy: teddie.nakhumwa@agcom.gov.mw