Attachment 3 - Statement of Work - Final.pdf

Attachment 3: Statement of Work

RFQ #95332420Q0061

INTRODUCTION:

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. Government corporation whose mission is to provide assistance that will support economic growth and poverty reduction in carefully selected countries that demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizenry. For more information on the MCC, please visit www.mcc.gov.

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.

SCOPE:

The Department of Policy and Evaluation, Economic Analysis (DPE/EA) Division is seeking up to three Consultants to support the Department’s work on Policy and Institutional Reform (PIR) and more specifically the DPE/PIR working group. DPE is looking for consultants with sectoral expertise in: (a) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), (b) transportation, and/or (c) power to examine the Policy and Institutional Reform supporting infrastructure of this sector at MCC, and to provide a complementary literature review on regulatory reform success factors in the sector.

The DPE/PIR working group addresses the perceived disconnect between the uncertainty and complexity of PIR and the predictability underpinning some accountability and learning frameworks. The working group’s overarching objective is to reconcile these two perspectives, so that MCC project design and implementation are grounded on the PIR evidence base and that accountability and learning frameworks reflect and integrate that evidence.

Policy and institutional reform are understood broadly and include related concepts such as capacity development, systems, complexity, adaptation, iteration, and politics.

At MCC’s discretion, more than one consultancy may be awarded through this solicitation. MCC expects that approximately two or three consultancies will be awarded, depending on the sectoral expertise of eligible candidates.

TASKS:

The consultant(s)’s assignments may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Task 1: Assessing MCC’s investments in policy and institutional reform in the WASH, power, and transportation sectors http://www.mcc.gov/

The Consultant(s) will assess how MCC considered policies and institutions throughout the project lifecycle (from country selection to the final evaluation). The assessment will compare MCC’s investments to evidence and guiding principles found in the external literature relevant to the specific sector. It should identify the key gaps and promising practices to generate practical recommendations. The review of MCC’s investments will be based on project documentation from a representative sample of MCC projects for each sector that have either an interim or final evaluation report. This should be complemented by interviews with individuals knowledgeable of the projects under review, including virtual interviews with MCC’s counterparts.

Task 2: Developing a conceptual framework

The Consultant(s) will support the development of a conceptual framework for policy and institutional reform. The framework will encompass a diverse range of concepts and analytical approaches associated with PIR, as well as a typology of PIR outcomes.

Task 3: Developing guidance and tools to integrate policy and institutional reform

The Consultant(s) will help MCC integrate policy and institutional considerations in its project design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The Consultant(s) will assess existing MCC guidance to highlight the extent to which it enables and hinders the inclusion of policy and institutional considerations. This assessment could result in drafting addenda to specific guidance or recommending revisions. The Consultant(s) will develop tools to support the guidance. These could include:

• matrices for assessing and scoring PIR-related factors during project design and implementation

• a framework for assessing and selecting PIR interventions

• sample language used in terms of references for institutional assessments and PIR implementation contracts

• a compilation of monitoring and evaluation methods for projects addressing complex problems that would include each method’s strengths, limitations, and recommendations for use.

Task 4: Supporting working group management and communications

The Consultant(s) will support the DPE/PIR working group’s efforts to increase MCC staff’s understanding and use of the working group’s outputs.

The Consultant(s) will perform other related tasks as assigned.

DELIVERABLES:

The Consultant shall provide services to MCC on an as-needed basis. No additional tasks shall imply any additional costs to the Government beyond the amount specified in the call order;

however, this call order may be amended to reflect additional costs.

The specific deliverables are expected to include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. A document summarizing the Consultant’s review of the external literature (Task 1)

2. An analytical report on MCC’s investments in policy and institutional reform (Task 1)

3. Inputs to the conceptual framework document (Task 2)

4. Guidance and work tools to facilitate PIR integration in MCC projects (Task 3)

5. Meeting notes

The Consultant shall include a note on the cover page of each deliverable submission that provides the following certification: “To the best of my knowledge this report does not contain any non-public information” OR “I have identified the following potential non-public information that may not make this report suitable for wider circulation because of [issue, page/paragraph].” To be clear, it is only necessary to identify problematic sections. MCC is responsible for the final decision to share, or not, as appropriate.

In the event the document is not suitable for broader circulation, MCC and the Consultant will need to discuss how and whether to make a sharable version (i.e. one that can be provided to local counterparts and other MCC consultants as appropriate).

MCC TECHNICAL DIRECTION:

(a) Performance of the work under this call order is subject to the written technical direction of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and any Government Project Monitor (PM), who shall be specifically appointed in writing, and responsibilities identified, by the Contracting Officer in accordance with MCC policy. "Technical direction" means a directive to the Contractor that approves approaches, solutions, designs, or refinements; fills in details or otherwise completes the general description of work or documentation items; shifts emphasis among work areas or tasks; or furnishes similar instruction to the Contractor.

Technical direction includes requiring studies and pursuit of certain lines of inquiry regarding matters within the general tasks and requirements in Section C of this call order.

(b) The COR/PM does not have the authority to, and shall not, issue any instruction purporting to be technical direction that–

(1) Constitutes an assignment of additional work outside the statement of work;

(2) Constitutes a change as defined in the changes clause;

(3) Constitutes a basis for any increase or decrease in the total estimated call order value, the fixed fee (if any), or the time required for call order performance;

(4) Changes any of the expressed terms, conditions, or specifications of the call order; or

(5) Interferes with the contractor's rights to perform the terms and conditions of the call order.

(c) Technical direction may be oral or in writing; however, the COR or PM shall confirm oral direction in writing within five workdays.

(d) The Contractor shall proceed promptly with the performance of technical direction duly issued by the COR or PM in the manner prescribed by this clause and within the COR's/PM's authority. If, in the Contractor's opinion, any instruction or direction by the COR/PM falls within any of the categories defined in paragraph (b) of this clause, the Contractor shall not proceed but shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing within five (5) workdays after receiving it (either orally or in writing, whichever comes first) and shall request the Contracting Officer to take action as described in this clause. Upon receiving this notification, the Contracting Officer shall either issue an appropriate call order modification within a reasonable time or advise the Contractor in writing within 30 days that the instruction or direction is–

(1) Rescinded in its entirety; or

(2) Within the requirements of the call order and does not constitute a change under the changes clause of the contract/call order, and that the Contractor should proceed promptly with its performance.

(e) A failure of the Contractor and Contracting Officer to agree that the instruction or direction is both within the requirements of the call order and does not constitute a change under the changes clause, or a failure to agree upon the contract action to be taken with respect to the instruction or direction, shall be subject to the Disputes clause of this contract/call order.

(f) Any action(s) taken by the Contractor in response to any direction given by any person other than the Contracting Officer or the COR/PM shall be at the Contractor's risk.

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE TERMS:

Deliverables will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Thoroughness and timeliness in complying with all the elements in the tasks specified.

• Finished products shall be submitted in a timely manner, require minimal corrections from the reviewer, and provide clarity of analyses and work produced.

• Timeliness and efficacy of communications with relevant counterparts at MCC.

• Written reports must be submitted in English in MS Word. Data must be submitted in MS

Excel with supplemental tables, data and calculations in MS Excel, STATA or other appropriate software files.

PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Qualifications:

• A master’s degree or higher in economics, political science, public or business administration, development, or a closely related field.

• At least three years of experience in the design or implementation of policy and institutional reform activities in developing countries.

• Experience working on at least five studies in one or more of the following sectors:

Transportation, Power, and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. Note: If candidate is applying to multiple sectors, they must have experience working on at least five studies in each sector.

• At least five years of experience in sector work or economic analysis of policy and institutional reform activities in developing countries.

• Proven practical experience in fields related to policy and institutional reform, such as political science, organizational development, systems thinking, and adaptive management.

• Proven experience developing tools used for project design and implementation.

• Proven experience working in interdisciplinary teams to advance research utilization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least ten years’ experience evaluating development projects combining infrastructure investments and support to policy and institutional reform.

• Publications in peer-reviewed journals on policy and institutional reform in developing countries or related topics.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The contract will consist of a five-year period of performance commencing approximately September 30, 2020. MCC expects that most of the effort will be completed within the first 24 months of the contract.

LEVEL OF EFFORT (LOE):

The estimated level of effort required to complete the tasks for this consultancy is 700 hours per sector for each of Years 1 and 2, and 300 hours per sector for each of Years 3 through 5. MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee it, as LOE may increase or decrease.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

The consultant will be required to perform work at his or her home office with occasional travel to MCC's Washington, D.C. office. Interviews with MCC staff and with MCC counterparts will be conducted virtually until normal operations resume and travel is permitted and is safe to undertake.

SUBCONTRACTING:

With MCC’s explicit authorization, limited elements of these tasks may be subcontracted to a Research Assistant approved by the MCC COR/PM. In no case shall more than 25% of the total direct labor costs be subcontracted to a Research Assistant.

COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTING:

All formal communications with MCC, including reports and other deliverables, will be submitted to the COR/PM. The COR/PM for this call order will be identified via separate correspondence. The COR/PM will have technical responsibility for monitoring the contractor's performance and issuing technical direction as needed. The COR/PM will review and accept the contractor's deliverables, and will also coordinate any communications with relevant counterparts and other donor agencies and organizations.