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Request for Proposals (RfP)
Title: Short Term Technical Assistance to upgrade PMEL system: Roll out, troubleshooting, training and operationalization
IUCN Rwanda Country Office
RfP Reference: IUCN-2024-08-P03168-06
Welcome to this Procurement by IUCN. You are hereby invited to submit a Proposal. Please read the information and instructions carefully because non-compliance with the instructions may result in disqualification of your Proposal from this Procurement.
- REQUIREMENTS
- A detailed description of the services and/or goods to be provided can be found in Attachment 1.
- CONTACT DETAILS
- During the course of this procurement, i.e. from the publication of this RFP to the award of a contract, you may not discuss this procurement with any IUCN employee or representative other than the following contact. You must address all correspondence and questions to the contact, including your Proposal.
IUCN Contact: tenders.rwanda@iucn.org
- PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE
- This timetable is indicative and may be changed by IUCN at any time. If IUCN decides that changes to any of the deadlines are necessary, we will publish this on our website and contact you directly if you have indicated your interest in this procurement (see Section 3.2).
DATE
ACTIVITY
08 October 2024
Extension of Publication of the Request for Proposals
18 October 2024 05:30pm
Deadline for submission of Proposals to IUCN (“Submission Deadline”)
25 October 2024
Planned date for contract award
31 October 2024
Expected contract start date
N.B: Please note that a company or individuals who have applied previously are not permitted to reapply. We will consider their initial documents submitted.
- Please email the IUCN contact to express your interest in submitting a Proposal by the deadline stated above. This will help IUCN to keep you updated regarding the procurement.
- COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
- Your Proposal must consist of the following four separate documents:
- Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
- Pre-Qualification Information (see Section 4.3 below)
- Technical Proposal (see Section 4.4 below)
- Financial Proposal (see Section 4.5 below)
Proposals must be prepared in English.
- Your Proposal must be submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [IUCN-2024-08-P03168-06 – bidder name]. The bidder name is the name of the company/organisation on whose behalf you are submitting the Proposal, or your own surname if you are bidding as a self-employed consultant. Your Proposal must be submitted in PDF format. You may submit multiple emails suitably annotated, e.g. Email 1 of 3, if attached files are too large to suit a single email transmission. You may not submit your Proposal by uploading it to a file-sharing tool.
IMPORTANT: Submitted documents must be password-protected so that they cannot be opened and read before the submission deadline. Please use the same password for all submitted documents. After the deadline has passed and within 12 hours, please send the password to the IUCN Contact. This will ensure a secure bid submission and opening process. Please DO NOT email the password before the deadline for Proposal submission.
- Pre-Qualification Criteria
IUCN will use the following Pre-Qualification Criteria to determine whether you have the capacity to provide the required goods and/or services to IUCN. Please provide the necessary information in a single, separate document.
Pre-Qualification Criteria
1
3 relevant references of clients similar to IUCN / similar work
2
Confirm that you have all the necessary legal registrations to perform the work
- Technical Proposal
The Technical Proposal must address each of the criteria stated below explicitly and separately, quoting the relevant criteria reference number (left-hand column).
Proposals in any other format will significantly increase the time it takes to evaluate, and such Proposals may therefore be rejected at IUCN’s discretion.
Where CVs are requested, these must be of the individuals who will actually carry out the work specified. The individuals you put forward may only be substituted with IUCN’s approval.
IUCN will evaluate Technical Proposals with regards to each of the following criteria and their relative importance:
No.
Criteria
Points
1.
Clarity and completeness of the Proposal
10
2.
Approach and Methodology
2.1
Critical analysis of the project objectives and the TOR
10
2.2
The conceptual and methodological approach
Description of the conceptual and methodological approach
20
2.3
Operationalization of the approach and Methodology
Working program / working schedule for delivery of outputs and deliverables (10 pt.),
Work organization and quality control (5 pt.)
15
3.
Consultants Competencies
3.1
Education:
- A relevant University degree at MSc level or higher in computer science, computer engineering, IT, Information System or any other related field (10 pt.)
- At least five (5) years’ experience (or alternatively bachelor’s degree with professional experience of at least 8 years) in designing and managing MEL systems and/or management information systems (MIS)for theIT lead Consultant (15 pt.).
- A Monitoring and Evaluation assistant (bachelor’s degree or higher) who is conversant with MEL systems and results framework with experience in MEL functions for donor funded projects, developing quality M&E plans, capacity building for technical staff, advanced quantitative & qualitative data analysis and reporting especially for climate change adaptation and environment protection projects (10 pt.).
- Proof of having conducted similar assignments/ work experience for both IT and his/her assistant (3 certificates of good completion and) (10 pt.).
45
Total (maximum)
100
- Financial Proposal
- The Financial Proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.
- Prices include all costs.
- Applicable Goods and Services Taxes
Submitted rates and prices are deemed to include all costs, insurances, taxes (except VAT, see below), fees, expenses, liabilities, obligations, risk and other things necessary for the performance of the Terms of Reference or Specification of Requirements. IUCN will not accept charges beyond those clearly stated in the Financial Proposal. This includes applicable withholding taxes and similar. It is your responsibility to determine whether such taxes apply to your organisation and to include them in your Financial Proposal.
Proposal rates and prices shall be exclusive of Value Added Tax.
- Additional information not requested by IUCN should not be included in your Proposal and will not be considered in the evaluation.
- Your Proposal must remain valid and capable of acceptance by IUCN for a period of 90 calendar days following the submission deadline.
- Withdrawals and Changes
You may freely withdraw or change your Proposal at any time prior to the submission deadline by written notice to the IUCN Contact. However, in order to reduce the risk of fraud, no changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the submission deadline.
- The Financial Proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.
- EVALUATION of PROPOSALS
- Completeness
- Pre-Qualification Criteria
- Technical Evaluation
- Scoring Method
IUCN will firstly check your Proposal for completeness. Incomplete Proposals will not be considered further.
Only Proposals that meet all of the pre-qualification criteria will be evaluated.
Your Proposal will be assigned a score from 0 to 10 for each of the technical evaluation criteria, such that ‘0’ is low and ‘10’ is high.
- Minimum Quality Thresholds
If the proposals receives a score of ‘0’ for any of the criteria will not be considered further.
- Technical Score
Your score for each technical evaluation criterion will be multiplied with the respective relative weight (see Section 4.4) and these weighted scores added together to give your Proposal’s overall technical score.
- Explanation of procurement procedure
- IUCN is using the Open Procedure for this procurement. This means that the contracting opportunity is published on IUCN’s website and open to all interested parties to take part, subject to the conditions in Section 7 below.
- You are welcome to ask questions or seek clarification regarding this procurement. Please email the IUCN Contact (see Section 2), taking note of the deadline for submission of questions in Section 3.1.
- All Proposals must be received by the submission deadline in Section 3.1 above. Late Proposals will not be considered. All Proposals received by the submission deadline will be evaluated by a team of three or more evaluators in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in this RfP. No other criteria will be used to evaluate Proposals. The contract will be awarded to the bidder whose Proposal received the highest Total Score. IUCN does, however, reserve the right to cancel the procurement and not award a contract at all.
- IUCN will contact the bidder with the highest-scoring Proposal to finalise the contract. We will contact unsuccessful bidders after the contract has been awarded and provide detailed feedback. The timetable in Section 3.1 gives an estimate of when we expect to have completed the contract award, but this date may change depending on how long the evaluation of Proposals takes.
- Conditions for participation in this procurement
- To participate in this procurement, you are required to submit a Proposal, which fully complies with the instructions in this RFP and the Attachments.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a complete and fully compliant Proposal.
- Any incomplete or incorrectly completed Proposal submission may be deemed non-compliant, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the procurement process.
- IUCN will query any obvious clerical errors in your Proposal and may, at IUCN’s sole discretion, allow you to correct these, but only if doing so could not be perceived as giving you an unfair advantage.
- In order to participate in this procurement, you must meet the following conditions:
- It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a complete and fully compliant Proposal.
- Free of conflicts of interest
- Registered on the relevant professional or trade register of the country in which you are established (or resident, if self-employed)
- In full compliance with your obligations relating to payment of social security contributions and of all applicable taxes
- Not been convicted of failing to comply with environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection.
- Not bankrupt or being wound up.
- Never been guilty of an offence concerning your professional conduct.
- Not involved in fraud, corruption, a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism, or any other illegal activity.
- You must complete and sign the Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2).
- If you are participating in this procurement as a member of a joint venture, or are using sub-contractors, submit a separate Declaration of Undertaking for each member of the joint venture and sub-contractor, and be clear in your Proposal which parts of the goods/services are provided by each partner or sub-contractor.
- Each bidder shall submit only one Proposal, either individually or as a partner in a joint venture. In case of joint venture, one company shall not be allowed to participate in two different joint ventures in the same procurement nor shall a company be allowed to submit a Proposal both on its behalf and as part of a joint venture for the same procurement. A bidder who submits or participates in more than one Proposal (other than as a subcontractor or in cases of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) shall cause all the Proposals with the bidder’s participation to be disqualified.
- By taking part in this procurement, you accept the conditions set out in this RfP, including the following:
- It is unacceptable to give or offer any gift or consideration to an employee or other representative of IUCN as a reward or inducement in relation to the awarding of a contract. Such action will give IUCN the right to exclude you from this and any future procurements, and to terminate any contract that may have been signed with you.
- Any attempt to obtain information from an employee or other representative of IUCN concerning another bidder will result in disqualification.
- Any price fixing or collusion with other bidders in relation to this procurement shall give IUCN the right to exclude you and any other involved bidder(s) from this and any future procurements and may constitute a criminal offence.
- Confidentiality and data protection
- IUCN follows the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information you submit to IUCN as part of this procurement will be treated as confidential and shared only as required to evaluate your Proposal in line with the procedure explained in this RfP, and for the maintenance of a clear audit trail. For audit purposes, IUCN is required to retain your Proposal in its entirety for 10 years after then end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when requested.
- In the Declaration of Undertaking (Attachment 2) you need to give IUCN express permission to use the information you submit in this way, including personal data that forms part of your Proposal. Where you include personal data of your employees (e.g. CVs) in your Proposal, you need to have written permission from those individuals to share this information with IUCN, and for IUCN to use this information as indicated in 8.1. Without these permissions, IUCN will not be able to consider your Proposal.
- Complaints procedure
If you have a complaint or concern regarding the propriety of how a competitive process is or has been executed, then please contact procurement@iucn.org. Such complaints or concerns will be treated as confidential and are not considered in breach of the above restrictions on communication (Section 2.1).
- Contract
The contract will be based on IUCN’s template in Attachment 3, the terms of which are not negotiable. They may, however, be amended by IUCN to reflect particular requirements from the donor funding this particular procurement.
- About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Headquartered in Switzerland, IUCN Secretariat comprises around 1,000 staff with offices in more than 50 countries.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
- ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 Specification of Requirements / Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference
Title: Short Term Technical Assistance to upgrade Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) system: roll out, troubleshooting, training and operationalization
Objective of the Consultancy
This consultancy has the following objective(s):
- Enhance functionalities, usability for data recording, collection, analysis and reporting of the currently developed participatory monitoring, evaluation and learning system for the TREPA project by making it more interactive and user friendly (interface for data entry and a shared database with different access rights).
- To allow for a uniform, accurate, quick and easy generation of Project dashboards and reports per IP and at PMU level.
- To ensure, through training and mentoring, knowledge sharing and capacity amongst TREPA Project’s IPs to use and maintain the PMEL system functional.
- Support and maintenance services of the developed system (on-site assistance services)
Background information
Project Reference: P03168
Donor reference: DR90020.30
IUCN is developing a Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) system to facilitate improved performance tracking, accountability, learning and data assurance, data integration, visualization, retrieval and reporting for TREPA Project. The system will be used by the Accredited Entity (AE) and Executing Entities (EEs) project teams. The first phase focused on the MEL part and laid a basis for an online system.
The PMEL system is meant to support project teams, and partners to TREPA Project namely International Union for Cconservation of Nature, Enabel, Rwanda Forestry Authority ICRAF, World Vision & Cordaid to easily collect and use quantitative M&E data for project reporting. There is a need to make the system operational and this require IT developments with improved features allowing an integrated and fully functional PMEL system.
The Consultant will review the status of the PMEL and advise for better user access management; data collection and data processing ability, storage capacity, compliance with GCF reporting requirements and IP needs, appropriate security, protection measures and controls; and check how different modules are structured and speak to each other to track performance, produce needed aggregations and dashboards with good visuals.
This request for proposals calls competent consultants to submit their best offers clearly showing how and to what extent they can fulfil outlined requirements; the detailed budget aligned to the level of effort the consultant will dedicate to this assignment.
About IUCN
UCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
About the Project
TREPA Project – Transforming Eastern Province through Adaptation is a six-year project, based in IUCN Rwanda Country Office, and funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The TREPA Project intends to restore 60,000 hectares of drought-degraded landscapes into climate resilient ecosystems through re-forestation, agroforestry, restoration of pasture-lands, and soil erosion control measures in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. In addition, irrigation infrastructure projects in the targeted landscapes of the eastern province will be climate-proofed by the TREPA Project. These projects under MINAGRI could include Export Targeted Modern Irrigation (ETI) in Mpanga (600 hectares) and Mahama (1200 hectares), Kayonza Irrigation and Integrated Watershed Management Project in Kayonza (2000 hectares), Warufu- Mugesera in Gatsibo and Ngoma as well as Rurambi dyke in Bugesera.
The TREPA Project will finally support the national and local institutions to effectively plan, manage and monitor climate adaptation outcomes from improved land use at national and decentralized levels.
The TREPA Project is implemented by IUCN (accredited entity) together with the Rwanda Forestry Authority and Enabel as executing entities in partnership with ICRAF, World Vision, and CORDAID. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for chairing the Project Steering Committee and ensures coherence with national strategies and policies.
For implementation of the TREPA Project, three components will be considered namely:
Component 1: Restored landscapes that support climate resilient agro-ecological systems and livelihoods in Eastern Province
Component 2: Market and value chain development for climate resilient agricultural and tree products linked to financial products and services for sustainable management of agro-ecological systems.
Component 3: Strengthened enabling environment to effectively plan, manage and monitor climate adaptation outcomes from improved land use at national and decentralized levels.
To ensure that the project activities are implemented in the respective Components, the Executing Entities will enter into relevant subsidiary and/or procurement agreements with Service Providers and suppliers of Goods and Services and in respect of Component 3, relevant TA Provider(s) for the relevant Activities.
While 65% of TREPA budget is funded by GCF, the remaining is covered by co-finance from existing projects such as AREECA, COMBIO and DeSIRA. This financing structure implies the joint implementation and monitoring of those projects is aligned to that of TREPA.
PMEL system description
The PMEL (Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) system is designed to capture project data at various stages, including field/site level, community/beneficiary level, component level, and Project Management Unit (PMU) level. This system is utilized by the Accredited Entity (AE) and Executing Entities (EEs) project teams to facilitate comprehensive project management. The MEL system is intended to fulfil multiple critical functions, including:
- Data Visualization: Creating dashboards and other data visualization tools to enhance data collection, analysis, and communication with key project and institutional stakeholders, thus improving transparency and engagement.
- Data Export for Statistical Analysis: Providing clean and accurate data that can be easily exported to statistical analysis software packages, ensuring robust data analysis and reporting.
- Traceable Workflow/Dataflow: Ensuring a clean and traceable workflow/dataflow from activity/milestone/deliverable trackers to a database
- Project-Specific Learning and Reviews: Supporting project-specific learning initiatives and facilitating annual reviews of the theory of change, thereby promoting continuous improvement and adaptive management that can seamlessly export data into Green Climate Fund (GCF) reporting templates, thereby maintaining data integrity and compliance.
- Effective Monitoring and Management: Enabling the effective monitoring and management of project implementation through the efficient capture and analysis of key output and outcome data at different levels
- Real-Time Reporting: Generating real-time or minimal time-lag reporting on essential output and outcome indicators, ensuring timely insights into project progress.
Following are the PMEL modules currently in place:
- Dashboard: These are graphical representations which seamlessly fetch the system data in real-time, ensuring a current and dynamic representation of the project’s advancement.
- Work Plan: Capture annual and quarterly plans for each IP and consolidated version for the whole project
- Field Achievement: the tool facilitates the collection of implementation progress at activity level
- Beneficiaries: this moduleitem particularly captures and maintains data about beneficiary profiles, the specific types of support they have been provided, and the geographical location down to the village level. The functionality of this interface is enhanced by its search capabilities, allowing users to efficiently locate beneficiaries based on their names, IDs, type of intervention received and the districts they belong to.
- Trainings: All training information as per the annual work plan of each IP with all needed disaggregation.
- Analytics: The Analytics module empowers system users to effortlessly generate visualizations, charts, and statistical tables by joining the data stored within various datasets of the system. This module serves as a pivotal tool, enabling staff members to conduct a load of analyses aligned with the objectives of the TREPA project.
- Progress and performance trackers: including activity tracker, Indicator performance tracking table (IPTT), project level summary dashboard and IP specific dashboards.
Description of the Assignment
The Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) System was designed to facilitate improved performance tracking, accountability, learning and data assurance, data integration, visualization, retrieval, and reporting.
However, there is a need to roll out, enhancing functionalities, deployment, training, troubleshooting and operationalization of the system.
The Consultant’ services will include the following:
Specific Tasks
- PMEL Review Phase
- Review the existing PMEL system functionalities through the user guide manual, the PMEL system itself and propose updates or changes according to the system operationalization needs, where necessary.
- Perform a system requirement analysis including constraints linked to the volume of information to be handled and produce a functional specification that will describe system requirements.
-
- System updating phase (IT development)
- Fine tune the functionalities according to the Implementing Partners (IPs) data collection and reporting needs, different levels of access to the information and its dissemination depending on the user profile.
- Implement the upgrades of functionalities to the PMEL system with IPs participation and buy-in (Refer to Annex A)
- Incorporate the project activities trackers with their corresponding dashboards and indicator performance tracking table.
-
- Testing phase
- Initiate the core team (MEL, GIS & Project Admin)
- Data entry/ import for testing purposes: facilitate transfer of existing data in the new PMEL system with support of MEL staff
- Perform modules testing with focus on expected results/dashboards/reports
- Develop, adjust and produce the user manual
- System presentation
- Deployment, training and mentoring phase
- Practical training of end users (MEL & Field staff) to make the system operational using real data.
- Introduction to the PMEL functionalities
- Access and use of the PMEL system (different user roles, and access rights)
- Demonstration and discovery of platform
- Troubleshooting (with practice: Unique fields, check duplicates, testing different functionalities.)
- Creation of own custom forms and surveys/ reports forms (adding records)
- Sharing created forms with other users (field staff/enumerators)
- Data analytics with real data and dashboards
- Results management (log frame, and link to database, import template from Excel or creating templates manually, updating indicators, linking indicators to forms for automatic updates)
- Progress Reports: Using the real data, guide the MEL team to produce reports, to check the level at which the system supports user-driven data descriptive statistics and data cleaning on categorical and numerical questions (frequencies, means, modes, targets vs. actuals); and dashboard functionality to visualize data and track progress on outputs.
- Assist the IPs to generate quarterly reports through the PMEL system.
- Data entry and report production by IPs
- In-depth functional and technical training for in-house IUCN staff (MEL, GIS &Project Admin) who will act as trainers and help desk in future and be able to run and administer the PMEL system after the consultancy ends.
- Final Validation Workshop
- Handover phase
The Consultant will provide the following documentation package:
- Source Code: Provide access to the complete and well-organized source code of the system. Ensure that the code is properly commented and follows best practices for readability.
- Documentation: Include comprehensive documentation that covers system architecture, design decisions, and code structure. Provide installation and setup instructions for the development, staging, and production environments. Also include list of technologies used licenced/ not.
- Database Schema and Documentation: Share the database schema and documentation, including tables, relationships, and any stored procedures. Document important data models and explain the purpose of each database table.
- Dependencies and Libraries: List all third-party libraries, frameworks, and dependencies used in the project, along with their versions if any. Include instructions on how to install and update these dependencies.
- Configuration Files: Hand over any configuration files used in the project, including environment-specific configurations. Document the purpose and settings within these configuration files.
- Hosting and Deployment Information: Provide details about the hosting environment, server configurations, and deployment procedures. Include any scripts or automation tools used for deployment.
- Security Information: Document security measures implemented in the system. Provide guidelines for securing the application, including recommendations for server and application security.
- API Documentation (if applicable): If the system includes an API, provide detailed documentation on endpoints, request/response formats, authentication methods, and usage examples.
- User Manuals and Guides: Include user manuals or guides for end-users, administrators, or any other relevant stakeholders. Explain common workflows and features in a user-friendly format.
- Testing Documentation: Share information about testing procedures, test cases, and any automated testing scripts. Provide guidance on how to run tests and interpret results.
- Bug and Issue Tracking Information: Hand over any information related to past bug reports, known issues, and their resolutions. If using a bug tracking system, provide access or export data.
- License and Ownership Information: Clearly state the licensing terms of the software. Confirm the ownership status of the codebase and any third-party components.
- Contact Information: Provide contact information for key team members or support personnel who can assist with questions or issues post-handover.
- Training Sessions (if applicable): If training sessions were conducted during the development process, provide recorded sessions or training materials.
- Future Roadmap and Recommendations: Share insights into potential future developments, improvements, or updates for the system. Provide recommendations for ongoing maintenance and enhancement
Duration of the Assignment
Three months from the contract signature date
Activities, deliverables, and payment schedule
The consultant will provide the following deliverables and carry out the following activities:
Activity/Phase
Indicative calendar days
Key outputs/deliverables
Payment schedule
Review the existing PMEL system functionalities and modules interconnection
7
Current PMEL status Review & Analysis report with proposed action points
30%
Implement the upgrades of functionalities (List of required upgrades attached)
13
Upgraded PMEL system with improved functionalities and usability as specified- Per Validation Workshop
Capacity building sessions for users, administrator and user acceptance test
20
Training report, user and administrator manuals
20%
Assist IPs in data entry, validation, analysis and report production.
12
Quarterly report generated by the system
20%
System presentation
1
Validation workshop
Final report
7
Final report
20%
After service support
30
Support report
10%
Skills and Experience- The consultancy team
The consultant will work in collaboration with the IUCN TREPA Project Manager and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer under the overall coordination of the TREPA’s Chief of Party. He/she should meet the following conditions:
- A relevant University degree at MSc level or higher in computer science, computer engineering, IT, Information System or any other related field
- At least five (5) years’ experience (or alternatively bachelor’s degree with professional experience of at least 8 years) in designing and managing MEL systems and/or management information systems (MIS).
- The Consultant is expected to have a Monitoring and Evaluation assistant who is conversant with MEL systems and results framework and should have demonstrated experience in MEL functions for donor funded projects, developing quality M&E plans, capacity building for technical staff, advanced quantitative & qualitative data analysis and reporting especially for climate change adaptation and environment protection projects.
- Both are expected to be fluent in spoken and written English.
- Knowledge of Kinyarwanda language is desirable.
Supervision and coordination
The consultant will report to the IUCN-TREPA Project Manager and work closely with the following other IUCN staff for technical matters
- Project Administrator & Procurement Administrator for contract and administrative matters
- MEL staff from IUCN and IPs for guidance and support on M&E aspects.
- the ESARO Regional IT for compliances, hosting, deployment issues, license and ownership information, testing documentation, potential future developments (roadmap and recommendations).
ANNEX A: Preliminary list of functionalities to be upgraded- TREPA PMEL System
No
Item/Issue
Description/details
1
Filter activities according to the partner whenever required (Beneficiary, workplan, field achievement)
Partners need to only see activities that they implement when planning and reporting in the PMEL
2
Create various data visualizations
The system should generate charts and allow to edit, save, share/un-share, delete or display it the way you want standard table, pie charts, bar charts, line charts, stacked charts, etc…
3
Grant level of access to the information and its dissemination depending on the user profile (Implementing Partners)
5
Importing forms (Beneficiaries, etc.)
Offline beneficiary forms should be imported and when the beneficiary is already recorded the system should give the option to add new provided interventions. Therefore, the system should be able to check duplicates and remove the duplication of beneficiaries on the same intervention.
6
It is producing “Not authorized” error when submitting form
When you fill all data, you can’t save
7
UPI in beneficiary form
It has to be optional
8
Ensure the system allows to track login sessions and activities
Be able to display who created x form, who modified/edited it how and when, etc..
9
Filtering Sectors, cell and village based on the district
A drop-down containing sectors and cells depending on the selected district
10
When displaying beneficiary data, they come up mixed.
For example, HH name is displayed on intervention, etc
11
Remove 1.4 Increased climate-resilience
12
Option to upload bulk data and download forms whenever required
Workplan
1
Ensure all IP is are included
2
Implementer should be at the top
3
Filter activities, output, deliverables according to the selected implementer
4
Remove month in the workplan
Field Achievements
1
The form should be revised according to partners interventions
Tracking Table
1
Add activity progress and status tracker and the indicator tracking table
Analytics
1
Analytics should be linked to available tables, and should function well
2
When any analysis is completed or generated, information should be able to be shared in the system or downloaded in any preferred format
If graphs or tables are generated, an option to be shared or downloaded need to be added
3
Results (Table, graphs, etc) should automatically update when you include new information or more data is collected
Having an “Update button” to synchronize results. A window for data related to the results framework
Report
1
Reporting interface of different users (Hubs, IPs & PMU level)
Provision for a place to attach narrative reports, a place where users can share any learning resources
Saving Group
1
Data should be arranged as they are, they should not be mixed
Training
1
Develop a new form
2
Adjust and produce the user and administrator guide manual
Attachment 2 Declaration of Undertaking (select 2a for companies or 2b for self-employed as applicable to you)
Attachment 3 Contract Template
Terms of Reference
Title: Short Term Technical Assistance to upgrade Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) system: roll out, troubleshooting, training and operationalization
OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY
This consultancy has the following objective(s):
- Enhance functionalities, usability for data recording, collection, analysis and reporting of the currently developed participatory monitoring, evaluation and learning system for the TREPA project by making it more interactive and user friendly (interface for data entry and a shared database with different access rights).
- To allow for a uniform, accurate, quick and easy generation of Project dashboards and reports per IP and at PMU level.
- To ensure, through training and mentoring, knowledge sharing and capacity amongst TREPA Project’s IPs to use and maintain the PMEL system functional.
- Support and maintenance services of the developed system (on-site assistance services).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Project Reference: P03168
Donor reference: DR90020.30
IUCN is developing a Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) system to facilitate improved performance tracking, accountability, learning and data assurance, data integration, visualization, retrieval and reporting for TREPA Project. The system will be used by the Accredited Entity (AE) and Executing Entities (EEs) project teams. The first phase focused on the MEL part and laid a basis for an online system.
The PMEL system is meant to support project teams, and partners to TREPA Project namely International Union for Cconservation of Nature, Enabel, Rwanda Forestry Authority ICRAF, World Vision & Cordaid to easily collect and use quantitative M&E data for project reporting. There is a need to make the system operational and this require IT developments with improved features allowing an integrated and fully functional PMEL system.
The Consultant will review the status of the PMEL and advise for better user access management; data collection and data processing ability, storage capacity, compliance with GCF reporting requirements and IP needs, appropriate security, protection measures and controls; and check how different modules are structured and speak to each other to track performance, produce needed aggregations and dashboards with good visuals.
This request for proposals calls competent consultants to submit their best offers clearly showing how and to what extent they can fulfil outlined requirements; the detailed budget aligned to the level of effort the consultant will dedicate to this assignment.
About IUCN
UCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
About the Project
TREPA Project – Transforming Eastern Province through Adaptation is a six-year project, based in IUCN Rwanda Country Office, and funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The TREPA Project intends to restore 60,000 hectares of drought-degraded landscapes into climate resilient ecosystems through re-forestation, agroforestry, restoration of pasture-lands, and soil erosion control measures in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. In addition, irrigation infrastructure projects in the targeted landscapes of the eastern province will be climate-proofed by the TREPA Project. These projects under MINAGRI could include Export Targeted Modern Irrigation (ETI) in Mpanga (600 hectares) and Mahama (1200 hectares), Kayonza Irrigation and Integrated Watershed Management Project in Kayonza (2000 hectares), Warufu- Mugesera in Gatsibo and Ngoma as well as Rurambi dyke in Bugesera.
The TREPA Project will finally support the national and local institutions to effectively plan, manage and monitor climate adaptation outcomes from improved land use at national and decentralized levels.
The TREPA Project is implemented by IUCN (accredited entity) together with the Rwanda Forestry Authority and Enabel as executing entities in partnership with ICRAF, World Vision, and CORDAID. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for chairing the Project Steering Committee and ensures coherence with national strategies and policies.
For implementation of the TREPA Project, three components will be considered namely:
Component 1: Restored landscapes that support climate resilient agro-ecological systems and livelihoods in Eastern Province
Component 2: Market and value chain development for climate resilient agricultural and tree products linked to financial products and services for sustainable management of agro-ecological systems.
Component 3: Strengthened enabling environment to effectively plan, manage and monitor climate adaptation outcomes from improved land use at national and decentralized levels.
To ensure that the project activities are implemented in the respective Components, the Executing Entities will enter into relevant subsidiary and/or procurement agreements with Service Providers and suppliers of Goods and Services and in respect of Component 3, relevant TA Provider(s) for the relevant Activities.
While 65% of TREPA budget is funded by GCF, the remaining is covered by co-finance from existing projects such as AREECA, COMBIO and DeSIRA. This financing structure implies the joint implementation and monitoring of those projects is aligned to that of TREPA.
PMEL system description
The PMEL (Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) system is designed to capture project data at various stages, including field/site level, community/beneficiary level, component level, and Project Management Unit (PMU) level. This system is utilized by the Accredited Entity (AE) and Executing Entities (EEs) project teams to facilitate comprehensive project management. The MEL system is intended to fulfil multiple critical functions, including:
- Data Visualization: Creating dashboards and other data visualization tools to enhance data collection, analysis, and communication with key project and institutional stakeholders, thus improving transparency and engagement.
- Data Export for Statistical Analysis: Providing clean and accurate data that can be easily exported to statistical analysis software packages, ensuring robust data analysis and reporting.
- Traceable Workflow/Dataflow: Ensuring a clean and traceable workflow/dataflow from activity/milestone/deliverable trackers to a database
- Project-Specific Learning and Reviews: Supporting project-specific learning initiatives and facilitating annual reviews of the theory of change, thereby promoting continuous improvement and adaptive management that can seamlessly export data into Green Climate Fund (GCF) reporting templates, thereby maintaining data integrity and compliance.
- Effective Monitoring and Management: Enabling the effective monitoring and management of project implementation through the efficient capture and analysis of key output and outcome data at different levels
- Real-Time Reporting: Generating real-time or minimal time-lag reporting on essential output and outcome indicators, ensuring timely insights into project progress.
Following are the PMEL modules currently in place:
- Dashboard: These are graphical representations which seamlessly fetch the system data in real-time, ensuring a current and dynamic representation of the project’s advancement.
- Work Plan: Capture annual and quarterly plans for each IP and consolidated version for the whole project
- Field Achievement: the tool facilitates the collection of implementation progress at activity level
- Beneficiaries: this moduleitem particularly captures and maintains data about beneficiary profiles, the specific types of support they have been provided, and the geographical location down to the village level. The functionality of this interface is enhanced by its search capabilities, allowing users to efficiently locate beneficiaries based on their names, IDs, type of intervention received and the districts they belong to.
- Trainings: All training information as per the annual work plan of each IP with all needed disaggregation.
- Analytics: The Analytics module empowers system users to effortlessly generate visualizations, charts, and statistical tables by joining the data stored within various datasets of the system. This module serves as a pivotal tool, enabling staff members to conduct a load of analyses aligned with the objectives of the TREPA project.
- Progress and performance trackers: including activity tracker, Indicator performance tracking table (IPTT), project level summary dashboard and IP specific dashboards.
Description of the Assignment
The Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) System was designed to facilitate improved performance tracking, accountability, learning and data assurance, data integration, visualization, retrieval, and reporting.
However, there is a need to roll out, enhancing functionalities, deployment, training, troubleshooting and operationalization of the system.
The Consultant’ services will include the following:
Specific Tasks
- PMEL Review Phase
- Review the existing PMEL system functionalities through the user guide manual, the PMEL system itself and propose updates or changes according to the system operationalization needs, where necessary.
- Perform a system requirement analysis including constraints linked to the volume of information to be handled and produce a functional specification that will describe system requirements.
- System updating phase (IT development)
- Fine tune the functionalities according to the Implementing Partners (IPs) data collection and reporting needs, different levels of access to the information and its dissemination depending on the user profile.
- Implement the upgrades of functionalities to the PMEL system with IPs participation and buy-in (Refer to Annex A)
- Incorporate the project activities trackers with their corresponding dashboards and indicator performance tracking table.
- Testing phase
- Initiate the core team (MEL, GIS & Project Admin)
- Data entry/ import for testing purposes: facilitate transfer of existing data in the new PMEL system with support of MEL staff
- Perform modules testing with focus on expected results/dashboards/reports
- Develop, adjust and produce the user manual
- System presentation
- Deployment, training and mentoring phase
- Practical training of end users (MEL & Field staff) to make the system operational using real data.
- Introduction to the PMEL functionalities
- Access and use of the PMEL system (different user roles, and access rights)
- Demonstration and discovery of platform
- Troubleshooting (with practice: Unique fields, check duplicates, testing different functionalities.)
- Creation of own custom forms and surveys/ reports forms (adding records)
- Sharing created forms with other users (field staff/enumerators)
- Data analytics with real data and dashboards
- Results management (log frame, and link to database, import template from Excel or creating templates manually, updating indicators, linking indicators to forms for automatic updates)
- Progress Reports: Using the real data, guide the MEL team to produce reports, to check the level at which the system supports user-driven data descriptive statistics and data cleaning on categorical and numerical questions (frequencies, means, modes, targets vs. actuals); and dashboard functionality to visualize data and track progress on outputs.
- Assist the IPs to generate quarterly reports through the PMEL system.
- Data entry and report production by IPs
- In-depth functional and technical training for in-house IUCN staff (MEL, GIS &Project Admin) whO will act as trainers and help desk in future and be able to run and administer the PMEL system after the consultancy ends.
- Final Validation Workshop
- Handover phase
The Consultant will provide the following documentation package:
- Source Code: Provide access to the complete and well-organized source code of the system. Ensure that the code is properly commented and follows best practices for readability.
- Documentation: Include comprehensive documentation that covers system architecture, design decisions, and code structure. Provide installation and setup instructions for the development, staging, and production environments. Also include list of technologies used licenced/ not.
- Database Schema and Documentation: Share the database schema and documentation, including tables, relationships, and any stored procedures. Document important data models and explain the purpose of each database table.
- Dependencies and Libraries: List all third-party libraries, frameworks, and dependencies used in the project, along with their versions if any. Include instructions on how to install and update these dependencies.
- Configuration Files: Hand over any configuration files used in the project, including environment-specific configurations. Document the purpose and settings within these configuration files.
- Hosting and Deployment Information: Provide details about the hosting environment, server configurations, and deployment procedures. Include any scripts or automation tools used for deployment.
- Security Information: Document security measures implemented in the system. Provide guidelines for securing the application, including recommendations for server and application security.
- API Documentation (if applicable): If the system includes an API, provide detailed documentation on endpoints, request/response formats, authentication methods, and usage examples.
- User Manuals and Guides: Include user manuals or guides for end-users, administrators, or any other relevant stakeholders. Explain common workflows and features in a user-friendly format.
- Testing Documentation: Share information about testing procedures, test cases, and any automated testing scripts. Provide guidance on how to run tests and interpret results.
- Bug and Issue Tracking Information: Hand over any information related to past bug reports, known issues, and their resolutions. If using a bug tracking system, provide access or export data.
- License and Ownership Information: Clearly state the licensing terms of the software. Confirm the ownership status of the codebase and any third-party components.
- Contact Information: Provide contact information for key team members or support personnel who can assist with questions or issues post-handover.
- Training Sessions (if applicable): If training sessions were conducted during the development process, provide recorded sessions or training materials.
- Future Roadmap and Recommendations: Share insights into potential future developments, improvements, or updates for the system. Provide recommendations for ongoing maintenance and enhancement
Duration of the Assignment
Three months from the contract signature date
Activities, deliverables, and payment schedule
The consultant will provide the following deliverables and carry out the following activities:
Activity/Phase
Indicative calendar days
Key outputs/deliverables
Payment schedule
Review the existing PMEL system functionalities and modules interconnection
7
Current PMEL status Review & Analysis report with proposed action points
30%
Implement the upgrades of functionalities (List of required upgrades attached)
13
Upgraded PMEL system with improved functionalities and usability as specified- Per Validation Workshop
Capacity building sessions for users, administrator and user acceptance test
20
Training report, user and administrator manuals
20%
Assist IPs in data entry, validation, analysis and report production.
12
Quarterly report generated by the system
20%
System presentation
1
Validation workshop
Final report
7
Final report
20%
After service support
30
Support report
10%
Skills and Experience- The consultancy team
The consultant will work in collaboration with the IUCN TREPA Project Manager and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer under the overall coordination of the TREPA’s Chief of Party. He/she should meet the following conditions:
- A relevant University degree at MSc level or higher in computer science, computer engineering, IT, Information System or any other related field
- At least five (5) years’ experience (or alternatively bachelor’s degree with professional experience of at least 8 years) in designing and managing MEL systems and/or management information systems (MIS).
- The Consultant is expected to have a Monitoring and Evaluation assistant who is conversant with MEL systems and results framework and should have demonstrated experience in MEL functions for donor funded projects, developing quality M&E plans, capacity building for technical staff, advanced quantitative & qualitative data analysis and reporting especially for climate change adaptation and environment protection projects.
- Both are expected to be fluent in spoken and written English.
- Knowledge of Kinyarwanda language is desirable.
Supervision and coordination
The consultant will report to the IUCN-TREPA Project Manager and work closely with the following other IUCN staff for technical matters
- Project Administrator & Procurement Officer for contract and administrative matters
- MEL staff from IUCN and IPs for guidance and support on M&E aspects.
- the ESARO Regional IT for compliances, hosting, deployment issues, license and ownership information, testing documentation, potential future developments (roadmap and recommendations).
ANNEX A: Preliminary list of functionalities to be upgraded- TREPA PMEL System
No
Item/Issue
Description/details
1
Filter activities according to the partner whenever required (Beneficiary, workplan, field achievement)
Partners need to only see activities that they implement when planning and reporting in the PMEL
2
Create various data visualizations
The system should generate charts and allow to edit, save, share/un-share, delete or display it the way you want standard table, pie charts, bar charts, line charts, stacked charts, etc…
3
Grant level of access to the information and its dissemination depending on the user profile (Implementing Partners)
5
Importing forms (Beneficiaries, etc.)
Offline beneficiary forms should be imported and when the beneficiary is already recorded the system should give option to add new provided interventions. Therefore the system should be able to check duplicates and remove the duplication of beneficiaries on the same intervention.
6
It is producing “Not authorized” error when submitting form
When you fill all data , you can’t save
7
UPI in beneficiary form
It has to be optional
8
Ensure the system allows to track login sessions and activities
Be able to display who created x form, who modified/edited it how and when, etc..
9
Filtering Sectors, cell and village based on the district
A drop-down containing sectors and cells depending on the selected district
10
When displaying beneficiary data, they come up mixed.
For example, HH name is displayed on intervention, etc
11
Remove 1.4 Increased climate-resilience
12
Option to upload bulk data and download forms whenever required
Workplan
1
Ensure all IP is are included
2
Implementer should be at the top
3
Filter activities, output, deliverables according to the selected implementer
4
Remove month in the workplan
Field Achievements
1
The form should be revised according to partners interventions
Tracking Table
1
Add activity progress and status tracker and the indicator tracking table
Analytics
1
Analytics should be linked to available tables, and should function well
2
When any analysis is completed or generated, information should be able to be shared in the system or downloaded in any preferred format
If graphs or tables are generated, an option to be shared or downloaded need to be added
3
Results (Table, graphs, etc) should automatically update when you include new information or more data is collected
Having an “Update button” to synchronize results. A window for data related to the results framework
Report
1
Reporting interface of different users (Hubs, IPs & PMU level)
Provision for a place to attach narrative reports, a place where users can share any learning resources
Saving Group
1
Data should be arranged as they are, they should not be mixed
Training
1
Develop a new form
2
Adjust and produce the user and administrator guide manual
How to apply
Step 1: Acquire Tender Documents
Obtain the relevant tender documents.
Step 2: Review Requirements
Thoroughly read the tender specifications, terms, and conditions.
Step 3: Prepare Proposal
Prepare your proposal as guided, ensuring all the required information is included.
Step 4: Submission
Submit your completed proposal by 18th, October, 2024 via the email tenders.rwanda@iucn.org
Contact Information
tenders.rwanda@iucn.org