DRAFT SOW - Blue Sky Initiative.pdf

UNCLASSIFIED

Statement of Work Integrated Technical Advisory Consultant Services for Fast Track Compact Lifecycle

A. Introduction The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is testing new approaches to substantially shorten its compact development process, for a subset of countries – and seeks a multidisciplinary technical advisor to provide integrated design and assistance for its full Compact investment cycle – from development to implementation and close-out. In this contractor or consortium, we are looking for an active thought partner to work with us – and our country counterparts – to design a compact on an accelerated timeline of 24 months. The selected contractor or consortium must be able to mobilize a fully integrated and dedicated team capable of addressing the full range of issues and activities that need to support MCC during a Compact.

B. Background

MCC is a Federal Corporation created under Title VI of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004. MCC's mission is to reduce poverty around the world through the promotion of sustainable and inclusive economic growth based on the principle that aid is most effective when it strengthens good governance, economic freedom and investments in people. For more information on MCC, please visit www.mcc.gov.

MCC is a prime example of smart U.S. Government assistance in action, benefiting both developing countries and the American taxpayers through:

• Competitive selection: MCC’s Board examines a country’s performance on 20 independent and transparent policy indicators and selects countries based on policy performance.

• Country-led solutions: MCC requires selected countries to identify their priorities for achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. Countries develop their MCC proposals in broad consultation within their society. MCC then works in close partnership to help countries refine programs.

• Country-led implementation: When a country is awarded an MCC compact, it sets up a local accountable entity to manage and oversee all aspects of implementation. Monitoring of funds is rigorous, transparent, and often managed through independent fiscal agents.

• Focus on results: MCC is committed to producing results and ensuring that the American people are getting a good return on their investment. MCC employs technically rigorous, systematic, and transparent methods of projecting, tracking, and evaluating the impacts of its programs.

MCC Investment Tools

MCC grants are designed to complement other U.S. and international development programs, as well as create an enabling environment for private sector investment. There are three primary types of MCC grants:

http://www.mcc.gov/

• Compacts—large, five-year grants for selected countries that meet MCC’s eligibility criteria

• Concurrent Compacts for Regional Investments—grants that promote cross-border economic integration, and increase regional trade and collaboration

• Threshold Programs—smaller grants focused on policy and institutional reform in selected countries that come close to passing MCC’s eligibility criteria and show a firm commitment to improving their policy performance

Traditional Compact Development Process

The MCC “Compact Development Guidance” (CDG) provides a complete overview of MCC’s mission and mandate, with principles and practices for selecting countries for MCC assistance. The CDG describes in detail the rigorous Compact Development Process (CDP), consisting of the following Phases:

Phase 1 Preliminary Analysis Phase 2 Problem Diagnosis Phase 3 Project Definition Phase 4 Project Development Negotiation

MCC Compact Development process is long, averaging over 36 months, and the trend is towards increasing durations. MCC, its stakeholders, and partner countries are interested in finding ways to accelerate the compact development process without impacting MCC expectations of thoroughness.

C. Accelerating Compact Development MCC has identified a number of success factors necessary for rapid compact development: prior experience with MCC, proactive engagement with MCC, clarity of problem, effective partner coordination, rapid core team staffing, efficient decision making, efficient inter-ministerial mechanism, meaningful stakeholder engagement, agile processes, and investment characteristics.

One of the challenging factors is that typical MCC Compact Development processes involve many individual and firm consultants which creates potential for conflicting advice, differing timelines and coordination challenges; increases communication complexity; adds additional costs; and otherwise adds to the MCC management burden.

MCC is developing a new approach to accelerate the Compact development process, in certain cases and when appropriate, to move Country selection to Board approval in 24-months. Not all countries, and not all projects will be suitable for this new, and faster, process.

This solicitation aims to source firms capable of working with MCC as partners to demonstrate and then replicate the 24-month timeline; and therefore, capable of providing the full suite of services as described below.

Summary of Accelerated Timeline Hypothesis

The work planning is based on multiple workstreams against quarterly outputs (as shown in the figure below).

https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/guidance-compact-development-guidance https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/country-factors-for-rapid-compact-development

Quarter 1: Constraints Analysis, Root Cause Assessments, Country Assessment, Identification of Problem Archetypes.

Quarter 2: Very high-level understanding of project components, Sector Assessments, First order estimates of costs and benefits, identification of major stakeholders.

Quarter 3: Development of stakeholder engagement plan, first estimate of economic rate of return, first assessment of risks to program, start defining roles and responsibilities including responsibility-accountability-consulted-informed matrices.

Quarter 4: Identification of major contracts, assessment of Environmental and Social Protection (ESP) and Gender and Social Inclusion (GSI) guidelines including but not only IFC performance contracts and Counter-Trafficking in Persons (CTIP); initial assessment of indicators, and an initial organogram for the accountable entity.

Quarter 5: Identification of key PIR issues. Initial framing of conditions precedent (notably expressions of political will; passage of laws etc). Second round of cost and benefit estimates. Preliminary design of key process engineering.

Quarter 6: Update procurement planning, assess evaluation strategy, second estimate of economic rate of return, finalize position descriptions and implementing entity agreements.

Quarter 7: Finalize planning documents, workplan, financial plan, and prepare summary (or final) scopes of work.

Quarter 8: Ad hoc support during the preparation Investment memo, investment committee meeting, negotiations, and board approval.

24 Month Hypothetical – Selection to Board Approval Pr ob le m

As se ss m en t

Pr oj ec t D ef in iti on

PE

A

Lo gi c/ In di ca to rs

Co st

Ri sk

O rg

D es ig n

Ti m e

Quarter

CA/RCA

Situational Assessment

Country Level Assessment

Sector Assessment

Basic CLD Logic

Benefits Est #1

Cost Est #1

Basic Components

Identify Major Actors RACI: MCA & IE Organogram Process Engr PDs, IEAs

ID Major Contracts

ID Major Contracts

Draft Contract TORs

IM Risk Assessment #1

IM Risk Assessment

ERR: Test #1 ERR #2

In ve st m en t M em o

Co un tr y

Se le ct io n

Bo ar d Pr es en ta tio n

ESP/GSI

Assessments

Benefit Est #2

Cost Est #2

SEP

PIR Results Defined

Conditions Precedent

Indicators Evaluation Readiness Index

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q1 Q8Q0 Q7

The contractor will serve in an advisory capacity to MCC to provide technical inputs to the development of investment proposals for one or more countries and to assess the fitness of proposed investments against MCC’s investment criteria. For more detailed information regarding investment criterion, see:

Chapter 8: Guidelines for Developing Project Proposals | Millennium Challenge Corporation (mcc.gov).

D. Scope MCC seeks service contractor(s) that can mobilize a fully integrated team (experts in engineering, environmental issues, resettlement, social and gender, private sector, education, health, policy reform) capable of addressing the full range of issues that face MCC during the Compact Development process, the pre-Entry-Into-Force (pre-EIF) start up period, oversight support during implementation after Entry Into Force (EIF), and program closeout. The contractor shall support MCC's work on program design, due diligence, and implementation in the following operational requirements and activities:

1. Compact Development: Assist and guide MCC in the development of Compacts that meet MCC investment criteria. Support MCC in managing work planning, reporting on internal management, drafting and/or reviewing Scopes of Work to be funded with 609(g) Compact Development Funds.

2. Compact Mobilization Prior to Entry-Into-Force: Assist and guide MCC’s planning and oversight between the period of Compact approval and Entry-Into-Force (EIF) which includes standing up the Millennium Challenge Account accountable entity (MCA), finalizing Implementation Entity Agreements (IEAs), assessing compliance with EIF conditions precedent, and oversight of any preparatory studies.

https://www.mcc.gov/resources/story/story-cdg-chapter-8-guidelines-for-developing-project-proposals

3. Compact Implementation: Assist and guide MCC’s oversight and facilitation to ensure that the Compact is being implemented consistent with MCC requirements. Provide coaching and mentoring to MCA staff at the direction of and on behalf of MCC with the goal of improving understanding of and adherence to those requirements.

4. Compact Closeout: Assist and guide MCC’s oversight to ensure that the Compact closeout process is efficient and complete – this may include contract closeout, verification of project completeness, handover, disposition of assets, and other activities.

E. Tasks The Contractor shall provide technical advisory services that will include analysis, guidance, and recommendations on the overall merit of proposed projects and their policy, institutional, regulatory, and technical context, or potential alternative projects to inform MCC’s investment decisions and to recommend actions to address gaps, inadequacies, and risks in terms of cost, quality, performance, and successful implementation during the anticipated Compact period.

Projects will be assessed and developed with explicit considerations of Private Sector Participation, MCC’s Gender and Inclusion Policy, and with a climate lens. The Contractor shall also support MCC in reviewing sector policies and other critical elements to identify necessary and sufficient components to achieve inclusive growth and poverty reduction by addressing the constraint to growth.

MCC is seeking a firm to support MCC staff during the entirety of the Compact Development effort and that has a demonstrated ability to evolve its resources along a development and start up cycle. The objectives are to develop a Compact within 24-months (roughly from Board selection to Board approval) that address MCC’s key investment criteria:

• Reflect country-led initiatives

• Address a constraint to inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction

• Has an economic rate of return of 10 percent

• Meets MCC’s Environmental and Social Performance Guidelines

• Meets MCC’s Gender and Social Inclusion Guidelines

• Is sustainable

• Is implementable within MCC’s statutory limit of 5-years.

This is a partnership, and the firm is to provide strategic guidance as well as work under comprehensive Technical Directives indicating scope and deliverables associated with the General Tasks described in this section.

General Tasks

• Participate and contribute to project management efforts within the Compact development process, including supporting MCC and the joint MCC and Partner Country team in Agile Project Management: Sprint planning and documentation, long-term objective tracking, internal stakeholder and scrum meetings, etc.

• Propose and periodically update a draw down plan for contractor efforts to ensure that effort stays within the available budget.

https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/requirements-milestones-social-inclusion-gender

• Support travel, missions and reverse missions, consultant staff, preparing agendas, background materials, discussion items.

• Develop and maintain a list of risks that might delay or compromise the development process and timely achievement of Board approval of the Compact, successful Compact implementation, and/or effective close-out of the Compact; and similar opportunities to achieve stronger results.

Incorporate recommended mitigation strategies and track the implementation of such mitigation activities.

• Periodic reviews of lessons learned and proposed adjustments regarding Compact objectives and MCC processes, including preparation and follow up on After Action Reviews on a periodic basis and at the end of the Compact Development Phase.

Compact Development

Constraint and Root Cause Analysis, Program Logic, Economic Rates of Return and Evaluation Strategy During initial stages of Compact development, the contractor will provide technical support to MCC and the partner country, including:

• the development of a constraints analysis and subsequent root cause analysis using the best-suited analytical tools. In particular, knowledge of and experience with systems analysis and translation of presented symptoms into problem archetypes or syndromes are required.

• Assessments of:

o firm-level (microeconomic) constraints to economic growth.

o key climate change issues.

o gender and poverty distribution constraints to broad based and inclusive economic growth.

• progressive development of economic models to allow for iterative estimates of returns to help guide the design of cost effective and impactful programs. These economic models will lead to an Economic Rate of Return (ERR) being calculated for each project comprising the Compact.

• A strategy for measuring longer term impacts over time through the evaluation design and outlines the M&E requirements that the recipient government and Implementing Entities must meet to receive project disbursements. Identify indicators for project monitoring, assist in establishing corresponding baselines, suggest end of compact targets.

• Serving as a guide for program implementation and management, so that MCC, the MCA management unit, Board members, program implementers, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders understand the objectives and targets they are responsible for achieving, and are aware of their progress towards those objectives and targets during implementation; and establishes a process to alert implementers, stakeholders and MCC to any problems in program implementation and provides the basis for making any needed program adjustments.

Project Definition For each project proposed by the partner country to be part of the Compact, the contractor will assess the proposal and ensure that the project meets the characteristics described by MCC’s Project Development Guidelines, which indicate that each Project Proposal should:

• Refine and sharpen the specific core problem that the proposed project will address and the specific project objective it will achieve;

https://www.mcc.gov/our-impact/constraints-analysis https://www.mcc.gov/resources/story/story-cdg-chapter-6-guidelines-for-root-cause-analysis

• Describe the combination of specific components that comprise a proposed project, including any physical construction or rehabilitation of “hard” assets along with “soft” investments in policy, legal and regulatory reforms, institutional capacity building, technical assistance and social and behavior change and explain the current status of preparation of each component, and estimate the total cost of each;

• Present a detailed project logic that clarifies how the components will work together to address root causes of the core problem, and that links each proposed component to projected outputs, those outputs to anticipated intermediate outcomes, and those intermediate outcomes to the primary objective and the long-term goals of increased income, economic growth and poverty reduction;

• Identify the expected beneficiaries of the proposed project, specify the economic benefit streams that the proposed project is expected to deliver, and where possible estimate the total magnitude of expected benefits;

• Catalogue critical technical, economic, environmental, social and gender issues and risks that must be understood and mitigated before the proposed project can be considered for a final investment decision;

• Assess the likely sustainability of the proposed project and define any particular measures that may be necessary to strengthen the proposed project’s viability or to enhance, expand or extend its expected economic benefits; and

• Propose specific implementing entities that will lead, manage or oversee the implementation of the proposed project.

The contractor will also:

• Review, assess and update:

o country and sector level assessments o Root Cause Analysis o problem archetypes and country-specific adaptations o cost-benefit models and baseline data sources, distributional impacts o key project risks, mitigation strategies, and residual risk o key policy institutional and policy barriers; and propose technical assistance packages o project impacts across IFC performance standards and counter trafficking in persons o conditions precedent o sustainability.

• Develop an evaluation framework, including key indicators, establish baselines, and assess local capacity to collect critical data for such evaluations. Explain in detail how the MCC and the MCA will monitor each project to determine whether intended results are achieved. Assess the capacity of stakeholders to collect evaluation relevant data over time and recommend strategies to close gaps.

Stakeholder Assessment

• Conduct Political Economy Analysis to identify key formal and informal stakeholders, their relationships and power dynamics.

• Propose and prepare a stakeholder engagement plan for Compact development efforts.

Implementation Planning

• Develop a Compact implementation strategy including identification of key partners, Responsibility-Accountability-Consult-Inform (RACI) matrix, staffing requirements, position descriptions, implementing entity agreements, process engineering for high frequency/high effort tasks.

• Review, assess, and validate:

o Risk management plans o Communication strategies o Work plans o Key programmatic building blocks, including the costs, scheduling, and scope of each.

o Stakeholder engagement plans, including identifying key implementation stakeholders and assessing their implementation readiness.

• Define or review the proposed MCA organization and develop position descriptions.

• Assess the need for a project management firm or other mechanism to support implementation.

• Support the development and quality control of key Compact Terms Of Reference to facilitate effective procurement.

Compact Mobilization Prior to Entry-Into-Force (pre-EIF)

This phase typically begins after MCC’s Board approves a Compact and continues until Entry-Into-Force (EIF) of the Compact. The pre-EIF period is a preparatory period during which resources are mobilized, staff hired, conditions precedent to EIF are addressed, and other similar work is undertaken. Historically this phase takes approximately 24 months, but MCC intends to accelerate this process – without compromising implementation or development impact.

During this phase the consultant may be expected to:

• Continue any follow-on work coming out of the program development process

• Advise on gender and social inclusion strategy implementation, stakeholder communication planning, and environmental issues

• Review all bidding documents to ensure they include all necessary information/requirements for design, safety, construction, environmental, social (including caste and ethnicity), gender, resettlement, climate and health and safety issues.

• Advise on procurement strategy including appropriate forms of contract, packaging, firm qualifications for all technical assistance, project management, construction supervision, and construction contracts

• Support MCC issuance of ‘no objection’ letters

• Assist in the review of evidence of satisfaction of Conditions Precedent

• Assist with pre-Bid meetings

• Assist in MCA led hiring and procurements by observing on panels

• Assist with the on-boarding and orientation of MCA Staff

Compact Implementation

By statute, MCC programs must be implemented within five years, without the possibility of extensions except in exceptional circumstances. This places a strong emphasis on program management.

On behalf of MCC, monitor all aspects of project implementation to ensure completion of projects in accordance with schedules, plans and specifications and MCC Environmental Guidelines, IFC Performance Standards, and the MCA’s Environmental and Social Management System as needed and in coordination with other MCC consultants:

• Monitor performance against Conditions Precedent in the Compact.

• Participate in periodic MCC missions to oversee Compact progress and provide (quarterly, or as required by MCC) on-site spot monitoring, spot testing and reporting of construction progress.

• Monitor reports from the MCA and Project Implementing Entities; including but not limited to

Quarterly Disbursement Requests, permits, and No-Objection requests

• Advice on MCA procurement related matters including: planning, document reviews, observe panels, amendments, and closeouts.

• Oversight of any construction projects

• Assist MCC staff in guiding their MCA counterparts in Program Management and Technical

Aspects of Implementation

• Review and periodically update program risks

• Review implementation of gender and social inclusion activities in the Compact.

• Ensure MCA compliance with all MCC requirements

Compact Closeout

Support the orderly closeout of the MCC funded Compact which may include the following elements:

• Verify construction contracts are closed out in an orderly manner consistent with MCC and international standards.

• Advise MCC on the end state of any institutions that were supported, restructured, or re/formed as part of the Compact and/or in compliance with Compact Conditions Precedent

• Advise on residual sustainability and results risks

• Prepare an After Action Review summarizing lessons learned.

F. Personnel The contractor shall propose a cost-effective staffing and partnership approach that can operate under a range of conditions and locations and commitment to the compact development timeline. The team is expected to demonstrate resilience in the face of potential travel restrictions and other similar constraints. The contractor must show capability to recruit a wide range of skills on short timelines and an ability to manage of regional or local resources.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation operates under our CLEAR values that serve as the foundation for the agency’s culture and that promote enhanced staff engagement and team effectiveness. We work together toward clear, common goals with a spirit of creativity and teamwork. We believe that bringing different perspectives to the table leads to finding the best solutions. We are inclusive, act with humility and value diverse ideas. We listen to each other and foster strong working relationships with our colleagues at MCC, our consulting partners, our partner countries, and in the development community.

https://www.mcc.gov/about/values

To better advance our shared development objectives and to live up to our Corporate Values, MCC espouses team diversity – including within MCC staff teams, MCC consultants, and our partners – to help us model the inclusive behavior we wish to see in our partners and to have richer discussions and decisions in the context of project development and implementation.

MCC will evaluate the proposed team against their technical competence, language skills, and regional experience as described. We further note that MCC projects have strong diversity and inclusion dimensions (women, youth, and marginalized groups) and that we often require our partners to take difficult actions to further diversity and inclusion in their work and we as MCC must demonstrate our commitment to the same through the deployment of diverse teams; and (2) that diverse teams, with a range of backgrounds, tend to make better decisions because they are less likely to be subject to group think. For these business reasons MCC encourages bidders to assemble diverse teams of qualified individuals.

Key Personnel

The Contractor shall provide resumes of Key Personnel. Personnel identified as Key Personnel are essential to the work being performed hereunder. Before changing an individual identified as Key, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in no less than 15 business days and will submit written justification as to the reason for substitution. Substitution within the first 90 days will only be considered for reasons of illness, death, or termination of employment. The Justification must include the name and qualifications of the proposed substitute(s). The proposed substitute(s) will possess qualifications equal to or superior to those of the Key person being replaced. The Contractor shall not substitute Key personnel without written consent from the Contracting Officer. No change in fixed unit prices may occur because of key personnel substitution. The key personnel may, with the consent of the contracting parties, be amended from time to time during this contract to either add or delete personnel, as appropriate, provided that the contracting officer may ratify, in writing, such diversion and such ratification shall constitute the consent of the contracting officer. Substitutions of Key Personnel shall be equal to or have greater qualifications than the personnel being replaced.

Program Manager

Duties and Responsibilities: Main point of contact for the management of the BPA. Primary liaison between the contractor and MCC and responsible for overall coordination of the subcontractors in their consortium. Takes responsibility for general oversight of all task orders. Monitors project production and schedules to ensure call order deliverables are completed on schedule, on budget, and to the highest quality possible. The BPA Manager will be billable to and provide oversight of task orders that come out under this mechanism.

Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree and 15 or more years of experience and education in international development, business, management, or a related field. Ten years of progressively more responsible experience in international development with demonstrated ability to manage diverse integrated teams.

Possess excellent verbal and written communications skill in English.

Prefer competencies in Agile Management

G. Travel The consultant will work from their home office with expectations of travel to our partner countries and occasional missions to MCC Head Quarters. The scope of work, timing, length of stay and travel itineraries and budget will be included in a Technical Directive at the time of missions.

H. Conflicts of Interest The Contractor and its sub-contractors will be precluded from bidding on work and services to be procured by the local MCA accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country, unless the Contractor submits a mitigation plan sufficient to ameliorate any conflict of interest pursuant to the rules applicable to the procurement process.

I. Evaluation Criteria Staffing Approach

Firms must demonstrate an ability to identify Team Leads from within the lead firm/prime consultant and their ability to source diverse multidisciplinary teams.

Methodology

Firms must address their methodologies, and lessons learned, to identifying and crafting strategies for stakeholder engagement, their ability to work in environments with limited access to data in digital formats, demonstrate understanding of agile project management and how it might apply to fast track compact development and when it might not be suitable, and their approaches to integrating multidisciplinary teams.

Past Performance

Firms must provide examples of no more than 5 projects which best illustrates the methodology described and its success. The past performance must also include the firm/consortia capabilities to work on accelerated projects in developing countries with a similar timeframe.

J. Call Order No 1: Togo Togo was selected as Compact eligible by MCC’s Board in December of 2022. Located on Africa’s west coast, Togo is bordered by Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso and is home to approximately 8.5 million people. The poverty level is twice as high in rural areas (58.8%) than in urban areas (26.5%). This is due in large measure to an annual population growth rate of 2.5% that is outpacing development progress, concentrated economic growth in the modern sectors, and limited access to quality services. Poverty is also higher in female-headed households (45.7%) than in male-headed households (45.2%). Women remain more vulnerable, as they have less access to economic opportunities, education, health, and other basic socioeconomic facilities. Togo’s score on the human capital index (HCI) remains low at 0.43.

This means that children born in Togo today will be only 43% as productive when they grow up as they could be if they had access to good health, education, and nutrition (World Bank).

It is a low-income West African economy; primarily agrarian economy; has a deep-water port; growing international shipping locale; improving privatization and public budgeting transparency; key phosphate mining industry; extremely high rural poverty; French is the official language (CIA Factbook).

https://www.mcc.gov/news-and-events/release/release-121422-mcc-fy23-new-country-selections https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/togo/overview https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/togo/summaries/#economy

Togo is currently implementing a US$35M Threshold Program that includes both Information and Communications Technology and Land Rights projects.

• The MCC Togo Threshold Program is designed to improve citizens’ access to high quality and affordable Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services—both mobile phone services and Internet—by encouraging private sector investment, developing an independent regulatory regime, expanding service to underserved areas, and increasing the use of ICT among women and small businesses.

• The threshold program will also seek to expand access to formalized land through the recognition and protection of legitimate land rights in five pilot areas across the country and to develop a regulatory framework to implement the proposed new land code. The threshold program incorporates stringent accountability mechanisms to ensure that MCC funds are tied to results and are used only for programmatic purposes.

The government of Togo has a Government of Togo 2025 [Development] Road Map of which approximately three quarters are related to digital transformation. MCC and the Government of Togo are currently and jointly conducting the Constraints Analysis phase, which includes aspects of Gender and Social Inclusion, Private Sector Opportunities Assessment, and Climate Change assessments. There is no a priori assumption that the sectors in the Threshold Program will automatically be selected for inclusion in a Compact.

Nonetheless early indications suggest that the following sectors may be possible constraints to economic growth:

• Energy

• ICT/Digital Transformation

• Logistics

• Taxes

• Human Capital

• Innovation

Irrespective of which of these, or possibly other sectors, or some combination, are selected, consultants must demonstrate a capacity to rapidly staff up a qualified team.

The Government of Togo and MCC agreed to jointly pilot a fast-track Compact Development Process.

This accelerated Compact development process, explicitly, excludes large, lumpy, projects with substantial design, environmental, or resettlement complexities. Rather the investment opportunities are more likely to be in modular and scalable with low[er] complexity and risk.

The Compact development process will focus on co-development of the project description with rapid iterations. The goal is to converge very rapidly on a problem definition and progressive reduce uncertainty over subsequent iterations. In this context the Consultant will support MCC staff by providing, and recommending, key elements of actionable due diligence.

https://www.mcc.gov/where-we-work/program/togo-threshold-program https://presidence.gouv.tg/feuille-de-route-gouvernementale-togo-2025/ https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc-pdf/climate-change-strategy

The MCC team will be using an Agile or Hybrid-Agile planning approach. The approach combines high level milestones (quarterly) with sprints (biweekly). The Compact Team has been modified to include four members from MCC and four members from the Government of Togo; this team will be supported by additional MCC staff and consultants and additional human and consulting resources acting on behalf of the government of Togo.

MCC is working with the Government of Togo (GoT) to identify and prepare project proposals for a compact program. The compact may include elements of modular and scalable infrastructure, human capacity development, policy and institutional reforms, gender and social inclusion initiatives, environmental initiatives, alongside safeguard measure to protect against adverse environmental, social, and gender consequences of any proposed investments. MCC will require Contractor support to provide TAS services to carry out due diligence and project development as part of the compact development process. In addition, MCC will require TAS services in support of Compact implementation.

Work will be assigned to the Contractor based on Technical Directives to the selected firm that bring the relative best value to MCC.

The Togo Country Team at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) requires a Contractor to provide technical advisory services during due diligence, the development and preparation of a MCC Compact in Togo, as well as provide oversight support to the MCC during the implementation of the proposed investments in institutional projects. Many of the Contractor’s efforts will incorporate and expand on prior analysis by MCC as well as by the GoM and stakeholders, and the Contractor should refer to such previous analysis where available.

The consultant for the Togo specific effort will join the team roughly in the middle of Q3. MCC is using 2-week sprints (roughly 6-7 per quarter) to identify tasks, prioritize, and monitor progress.

J. Call Order No 1: Togo