SOW.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis for Compact/Threshold development

A. Introduction

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. Government agency 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.

B. Scope

The Department of Compact Operations (DCO), Sector Operations Division (SO) is seeking a gender and social inclusion specialist to provide due diligence early analysis support for Compact and project development within the Gender and Social Inclusion (GSI) Practice Group.

The consultant reports to the Practice Lead/Senior Director for GSI, and will be supervised by GSI Directors or Associate Directors. He/she works as part of the GSI practice group to strengthen MCC’s ability to apply current thinking, approaches, strategies, tools and practices related to gender integration and social inclusion in early analytical work, and large-scale international development programs.

MCC recognizes that addressing gender and social inequalities is critical to reducing poverty through economic growth – MCC’s core mission. For this reason, MCC's Gender Policy requires that gender issues are integrated throughout the threshold and compact cycle, from the initial country selection and assessment to the development and design of programs, project implementation, the monitoring of program results, and evaluation of program impacts (https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/gender-policy).

MCC’s evidence-based approach to its investments begins by developing a mutual understanding of a country’s main growth challenges with our partner governments. During the first phase of the compact or threshold program development process, MCC and the selected partner country, jointly conduct a constraints-to-growth analysis (CA). Our CA approach is based on what is known as the HRV model growth diagnostic methodology: an analytic process that identifies those constraints to private investment and entrepreneurship that appear to hold back economic growth the most. These are known as “binding constraints.” For more on the HRV model and how it has been employed at MCC, see https://www.mcc.gov/our-impact/constraints-analysis.

The CA report provides eligible countries with a clear central focus as they move into subsequent stages of the development process. During the initial phase of development countries undertake a CA to identify a very small number of binding constraints, and then complete a more in-depth assessment of the underlying causes of these constraints. Based on this preliminary analysis, country teams work to design a comprehensive program that typically includes physical investments along with complementary policy and institutional reforms tailored to address selected constraints and their root causes. MCC Constraints Analyses incorporate microeconomic, macroeconomic and sector-specific data to determine binding constraints. The report considers additional information that reflects specific concerns about: (i) social and gender inequalities that may characterize the economy or shape policies and institutions, and (ii) business issues that may influence contributions to private business activity and economic growth. Including these perspectives helps ensure that any conclusions about binding constraints are based on a complete understanding of the country’s economy, its growth, and how the benefits of that growth are shared. The Constraints Analysis report is therefore expected to include an investigation of social and gender dimensions and to note where constraints may affect certain sectors, industries, regions, or populations more severely.

Within MCC, the process of producing a constraints analysis is a collaboration between economists in our Economic Analysis (EA) unit, members of the Gender and Social Inclusion (GSI) team, and others. GSI’s role in this process is enabled by MCC’s recognition that gender and other social inequalities can constrain economic growth, and are implicated in many of the developmental challenges our partner countries face. MCC’s gender policy and operational guidance enable GSI to advance equity considerations at each stage of Compact or Threshold development and implementation, including the CA phase. During the CA, GSI conducts an Initial Social and Gender Analysis (ISGA) that identifies and analyzes how social norms and formal and informal institutions and policies shape different peoples access to different assets (financial, physical, natural, social, political and human capitals), and how this constrains their economic opportunities. This analysis lays the groundwork for designing programs that can overcome these barriers. It may include macro policy, legal and institutional reforms that by reducing inequalities will unleash growth potential and increase social inclusion within growth-focused projects.

This initial analysis contributes to the identification of the binding constraints to growth and poverty reduction, with findings integrated into the Constraints Analysis document. Following the CA, a ‘deep dive’ into the selected binding constraints is performed by the entire country team, thus informing problem analysis, sector selection, and project concept notes and papers. This deeper look at the underlying causes of the identified constraints is called the “root cause analysis” (RCA) phase. For more on RCA, see <https://www.mcc.gov/resources/story/story-cdg-chapter-6-guidelines-for-root-cause-analysis>. Following the RCA is a key stage in this process through which the core teams within MCC partner countries to MCC submit project concept notes around which more sector and project-specific analytic engagement is organized.

GSI’s success in promoting equity during the CA and other phases of Compact or Threshold development rests on its ability to make an empirically informed and theoretically sound case about one or more of the following:

· That a particular gender or social inequality is itself a binding constraint to economic growth;

· That a particular gender or social inequality is a component of an identified binding constraint to growth;

· That a particular gender or social inequality is a root cause of identified binding constraints to growth;

· That there are economically meaningful gender and social equity implications to the choice of a particular binding constraint, including differential ability to benefit from MCC interventions or opportunities to invest in sectors with high potential for employment generation or with comparatively high labor market opportunities for women and other marginal or vulnerable groups.

· That broader features of the political economy of the country will a) pose a substantial barrier or opportunity to shifting identified constraints or b) generate equity challenges in implementation, e.g. via the exclusion of particular regions or ethnic groups from the benefits of MCC investments.

· That particular identified constraints have stronger equity implications than others, e.g. via employment creation or opportunities for small entrepreneurs, especially for poor women and promotion of women’s economic participation (WEP).

The Gender and Social Inclusion (GSI) unit at MCC is seeking the an expert social scientist to bring high-quality analytic expertise and evidence to bear on analytics tools and practices, program design, and assessment of potential program impacts to strengthen MCC’s gender and social inclusion technical approach with quantitative and qualitative competencies; and country Compacts and Thresholds. The ultimate goal of the contract is to help GSI better integrate gender and social inclusion into MCC’s early analysis, deep dives for identifying root causes and barriers to women’s economic participation in Compact/ threshold designs.

C. Country

Ethiopia and other MCC eligible country

D. Tasks The consultant’s assignments may include the following:

· Work under the guidance of MCC and designated country Core Team Gender and Social Inclusion Leads, conduct research and consultations for social and gender analyses including collection of data on women’s economic participation (WEP), especially access to employment in the formal economy and entrepreneurship, disparity, wage gaps etc. Data collection will include access to services/resources, exclusion and marginalization related to poverty, gender, ethnicity, religion, geography and the intersection of these and other factors.

· Contribute to drafting of the Constraints Analysis by supporting social and gender data and analysis into the document.

· Conduct literature reviews relevant to project concepts on investments. Provide technical review of the Concept Papers and project design. Help design and carry out due diligence work as part of Compact/Threshold Program and project development.

· Help design and carry out due diligence work as part of compact/threshold development including drafting travel scopes of work, arranging meetings and travel in country as necessary.

· Provide reviews and technical inputs on program logics, design documents, project assessments, implementation plans, monitoring and evaluation plans.

· Provide recommendations on how projects may be better designed and implemented to ensure that both women and men, as well as members of socially disadvantaged and/or minority groups benefit equitably from MCC investments.

· Provide advice and technical inputs to Core team on social and gender issues related to policy analysis, consultations, program design, project assessments, implementation plans, monitoring and evaluation of Compact-funded projects and activities.

· Provide recommendations on how Compact projects may be better designed to ensure that both women and men, as well as members of socially disadvantaged and/or minority groups benefit equitably from MCC investments;

· Monitor compliance with gender milestones and keep MCC GSI lead informed of progress and delays.

· Support Core Team in evaluating the technical adequacy and in providing technical input to project-specific TORs for environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), environmental and social management plans (ESMPs), resettlement action plans (RAPs), HIV/AIDS risk management plans, human trafficking risk management plans,, health and safety plans, and other mitigation strategies including the prevention of child labor as these arise in Compact-related activities.

· Support development of the Social and Gender Integration Plan and monitoring of its implementation

· Provide expertise to staff regarding monitoring, assessing and evaluating social and gender performance, outcomes and impacts of Compact-funded activities.

D. Deliverables

· Produce analyses of qualitative and quantitative data to understand economic, gender and social inequalities, and how they impact poverty reduction and economic growth;

· Design activities to promote gender and social inclusion within select sectors of MCC work (including infrastructure, energy, land, education) to promote women’s economic empowerment and/or expand the ability of poorer segments of the populations to access the benefits of MCC programs.

· Integrate social inclusion and gender objectives in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) documents, including program and project logics.

· Support drafting of GSI sections/inputs into MCC compact development documents

· Draft Terms of References (TORs) and deliverables for feasibility and design studies and contracts

· Review TORs for other sector procurement and add necessary language to ensure that gender and social inclusion issues are addressed as mandated by MCC’s Gender Policy.

· Provide technical support and assistance to build capacity of in-country counterpart, including assisting in the development of the Social and Gender Integration Plan

· Draft and review documents related to compact implementation, such as Terms of Reference, bidding documents, RFPs, work plans, budgets, reports, deliverables for sectoral work as well as Monitoring and Evaluation Plans, surveys, indicators and reports.

· Augment, through literature reviews, GSI knowledge base of how to effectively integrate gender and social inclusion issues into MCC sectors (transport, water, energy, land and education sectors).

· Identify ways to strengthen the collection, analysis and use of sex-disaggregated data to inform MCC project design, monitoring and evaluation.

· Organize events such as seminars and conferences.

· Due Diligence reports conducted for various project design

· Trip reports, ad hoc reports or information as may be requested by the COR/PM, E. Conflict of Interest

The Consultant will be precluded from bidding on work and services (design, assessment, construction and supervision) to be procured by the local MCAs accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country.

F. Place and Period of Performance

The base period is for 1 years, with an option to continue for next 4 years.

The estimated level of effort is estimated at up to 1,000 hours per year for the Base year and 1,600 hours per year for the remaining 4 option years for a total of 5,000 hours, and as many country trips as requested by COR/PM per year. MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee this level of effort as it may increase or decrease.

Consultant will perform the tasks under this contract from his/her home office, other MCC-eligible countries, in MCC offices in Washington DC as requested.

Subcontracting

Consultants, registered as vendors are authorized to subcontract data collection, data preparation, economic analysis, and related services as needed. The overall costs for subcontracting shall not exceed 25% of the consultant’s total negotiated unloaded direct labor cost.

G. Timing and Reporting

All formal communication with MCC, including reports, will be submitted to the Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COR), Program Monitor (PM), and other designated MCC personnel. 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 also will coordinate any communications with relevant counterparts and other donor agencies and organizations.

Any changes in the terms of the SoW 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 SoW or of the terms and conditions of the SoW 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.

H. Evaluation Criteria:

Mandatory:

· An advanced degree (master’s or above) in social sciences or a related discipline (anthropology, economics, sociology, women’s studies, political science, public policy, law, community development, etc.)

· Minimum ten (10) years of experience in poverty reduction, social inclusion and gender work in an international development context, especially in Ethiopia.

· Demonstrated ability to access and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand economic and social inequalities, including those based on gender and knowledge of how such inequalities impact poverty reduction and economic growth.

· Demonstrated work experience in designing interventions to address gender equality or other social inequalities issues in the sectors in which MCC works, including in infrastructure, WASH, land, and/or human capital, and policy and institutional reforms

· Demonstrated expertise with internationally recognized gender, social and poverty analysis concepts, frameworks and tools, including gender-responsive design of projects, monitoring and evaluation

· Knowledge of policies, laws and regulations in Ethiopia pertaining to the legal, social, human development and economic status of women and vulnerable populations

· Demonstrated experience in:

a. Participatory development and implementation of projects

b. Managing and carrying out technical analysis on gender, social and poverty issues in project designs, assessments, management plans, performance monitoring plans, and in procurement and contract documents.

c. Developing TORs, and ensuring compliance with TORs.

· A strong track record of field work in and publications

· Writing high-quality analytical papers and reports on deadline

· Experience working closely with central and local governments, civil society (NGOs and CBOs), business chambers/associations, grassroots women and men, and other relevant stakeholders. Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams, including constructive engagement with economists and other technical experts.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

· Responsible and flexible attitude, and capacity to manage a variety of tasks with minimal supervision.

Preferred (but not mandatory):

· Experience working in Ethiopia, and other sub-Saharan countries.

· Experience working with major donor organizations, especially U.S. donors, is a plus.

MCC reserves the right to check references and interview the candidates.

I. Other requirements:

Travel outside USA may be required. The Consultant may be requested to mobilize in a short time for travel outside USA.