2A._STATEMENT_OF_WORK.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK - CONSULTANT SERVICES

Social and Gender Energy and Gender

A. Introduction

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

MCC recognizes that gender inequality can be a significant constraint to economic growth and poverty reduction. MCC’s gender policy and operational guidance ensure that gender will be considered in the selection of eligible countries and integrated into the development and design of Compact programs, the assessment and implementation of projects funded by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), the monitoring of program results, and the evaluation of program impacts.

(http://www.mcc.gov/documents/guidance/14-genderpolicy.pdf).

B. Background

The Government of Liberia (GOL) is working with the Government of the United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for developing a Compact, which is scheduled to be signed in September 2015. The goal of the Compact is to reduce poverty through economic growth, with specific objectives of (i) providing access to more reliable and affordable electricity, and (ii) improving the planning for and availability of funding for routine, periodic and emergency road maintenance.

A Constraints to Economic Growth Analysis completed in September 2013 found lack of access to reliable and affordable electricity and inadequate road infrastructure to be binding constraints to growth in Liberia. Complementary analysis of private sector investment opportunities confirmed that the lack of reliable and affordable electricity and inadequate roads undermined private sector involvement – and particularly the growth of small and medium enterprises – in the economy. The Initial Social and Gender Assessment (ISGA) findings identified fragility reduction as essential for achieving sustainable growth and poverty reduction, otherwise it can constrain growth and poverty reduction potential in Liberia. The key fragility drivers are: economic (poverty, land, unemployment, weak agricultural sector); governance (weak institutional capacity and enforcement of law); security (limited reintegration of ex-combatants, refugees); social (exclusion and ethnic tension); violence (organized crime, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, trafficking in person). Furthermore, lack of business and technical skills, access to finance, business networks and associations, and market http://www.mcc.gov/ http://www.mcc.gov/documents/guidance/14-genderpolicy.pdf information are reducing productivity and profit of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs, especially of the women and marginalized groups.

Compact overview

Energy project

1. Mt. Coffee Hydro Power Plant (MCHPP) Rehabilitation: The Compact will support part of the

MCHPP rehabilitation for generating electricity for capital Monrovia and surrounding areas. It will also support mitigate environmental and social risks of project affected 17 communities around Mt. Coffee. These include (i) the provision of small-scale community infrastructure (foot bridges, water points, pit latrines, etc.) for Project Affected Persons (PAPs), (ii) additional human resources support to the activity’s Project Implementation Unit (the PIU) to ensure timely and professional management, oversight and reporting, and (iii) a fisheries study and watershed management plan.

2. Energy sector reform and capacity building: The Capacity Building and Sector Reform Activity aims to provide support to the key institutions responsible for policy making, investment planning, asset management, and environmental and social oversight – namely Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), and Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC).

Road project

1. National Road Maintenance Activity : The National Road Maintenance Activity will pilot up to five Regional Maintenance Centers (RCMs), including the construction of at least two RCMs, and match GOL contributions (up to $8million dollars) to a Road Maintenance Fund, which is presently being introduced as legislation and considered critical for the sustainability of road maintenance.

2. Capacity Building and Sector Reform Activity: Capacity support will also be provided in helping the Road Maintenance Fund become fully viable. Other activities will include national roadway network inventory of primary, secondary, and feeder roads and related analysis, collection of condition data for roads throughout Liberia including primary roads, secondary roads, and some feeder roads, collection of traffic volume data separated by mode and vehicle type in the dry and wet season on the primary and secondary road network, collection of any other data that feeds into MCC models or would feed into future models used by GOL, however these do not necessarily have to be the models that inform long range planning in Liberia, training of GOL future RMC staff to routinely update inventory collection work and successfully apply data for maintenance planning, and training in transportation planning methods.

Gender and social inclusion activities: The objective of these activities is to reduce fragility by enhancing economic opportunities for unemployed youth, ex-combatants, poor women and marginalized groups using electricity and road services. Three main interventions are planned for achieving the objective and these are:

a) strengthen fragility reducing and gender responsive planning and implementation capacity of Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) and Ministry of Public Works (MPW) for targeted electricity and road services enhancing economic opportunities and jobs for youth, ex-combatants, poor women and other marginalized groups,

b) scale up productive uses of electricity and income of youth and women owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and

c) Enhance community and stakeholder participation in road maintenance and Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant rehabilitation. This approach is based on the Liberia gender and social assessment, and supports Gender Policies of MCC and Government of Liberia.

C. Scope

MCC requires a consultant with significant social, gender and energy expertise with knowledge and preferably experience in Liberia to support implementation of gender and social inclusion activities in the Liberia Compact, especially in the energy sector.

D. Tasks

The tasks shall include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. Review and analysis of relevant documents provided by MCC, Liberia Compact, Social and Gender Assessments, Liberia Gender Policy, Energy Law and other relevant documents gathered by the consultant.

• Review MCC and Liberia Compact documents

• Analyze country documents sufficient to understand the nature and structure of the Energy project and stakeholders Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCS), institutions (formal and informal), key social and gender inequality issues

• Analyze different assessments, social and gender audit of other utilities, especially in Africa and lessons learnt from reforms.

2. Support strengthening socially inclusive and gender responsive planning and implementation capacity of MLME and LEC, especially supporting the following activities:

• Support the mid-term review of Liberia Gender Policy, conducted by Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCS) and help detailed gender and social assessments of MLME, LEC and Ministry of Public Works (MPW), and developing gender and social action plans for different entities and help implement these action plans for socially inclusive electricity and road services for enhancing economic opportunities and reducing fragility.

• Support drafting of Gender Empowerment Advocacy, Guidelines/Policy Development and Socially Inclusive and Gender Sensitive Planning and Monitoring Training for GFPs within the sectors will be developed. Support establishment of mechanisms to implement electricity connections for women and youth owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

• Support consultations with project affected persons (PAP) in the communities around Mt.

Coffee Hydro Power Project (MCHPP) for developing gender responsive livelihood restoration and benefit sharing plans and monitor progress.

3. Support Scaling up productive uses of electricity and income of youth and women owned SMEs In partnership with private sector organizations:

• Support organizations of consultations with key stakeholders prior to the development and implementation of projects and relevant studies. Stakeholders include public agencies (MGCS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Chamber of Commerce, etc.), donor organizations (WB, Sweden, Norway, UN Women, etc.), and NGOs (WONGOLSO, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, etc.) that are currently supporting gender empowerment initiatives in the country.

• Develop a strategy for scaling up productive uses of electricity by youth and women owned SMEs.

• Draft TORs for gender and electricity study; and youth and entrepreneurship development study, and support MCA Liberia in getting competent firms for the studies, oversee the survey and provide technical review of reports for finalization.

• Draft TORs for contracting organizations for developing skills of youth, poor women and other marginalized groups, support MCA Liberia in getting competent firms, oversee the activities and report to MCA and MCC.

E. Conflict of Interest

The consultant would be precluded from bidding on work and services (design, assessment, construction and supervision) to be procured by the local MCA accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country, unless the consultant submits a mitigation plan sufficient to ameliorate any conflict of interest pursuant to the rules applicable to the procurement process.

F. Deliverables

Deliverables required under this call order will vary according to the task requirements and will be conducted on an as-needed basis. Deliverables will include, but are not limited to:

a. Term of Reference (TOR) for mid-term review of Liberia Gender Policy

b. Consultation strategy for Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), Liberia Electric

Corporation (LEC), and Ministry of Public Works (MPW)

c. Gender and social assessments of Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), Liberia Electric

Corporation (LEC), and Ministry of Public Works (MPW)

d. Gender and social action plans for Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), Liberia Electric

Corporation (LEC), and Ministry of Public Works (MPW)

e. Capacity building plans for Ministry of Land, Mine and Energy (MLME), Liberia Electric

Corporation (LEC), and Ministry of Public Works (MPW) gender cells.

f. Strategy for scaling up productive uses of electricity by youth and women owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

g. TOR for gender and electricity study;

h. Tor for youth and entrepreneurship development study,

i. TORs for contracting organizations for developing skills of youth, poor women and other marginalized groups,

j. Trip reports

Acceptance Criteria

The deliverables will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

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

• Quality and clarity of analyses and work produced.

• Timeliness and efficacy of communications with relevant counterparts at MCC, MCA, and other relevant organizations.

• All reports are to be submitted in English in hard and electronic copy (in MS Word), with tables, data and calculations in MS Excel.

G. Period and Place of Performance

This consultancy maybe filled as a short term consultancy with a base period of twelve months. The estimated number of hours are 1100.

H. Subcontracting:

The consultant is authorized to subcontract data collection, data preparation, social and gender 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.

I. Country

Liberia, and any other MCC eligible country if required. Consultant may be required to travel to Liberia as needed.

J. Timing and Reporting

All formal communication with MCC, including reports, will be submitted to the COR. The COR for this requirement will be identified via separate correspondence.

The COR will have technical responsibility for monitoring the Independent Consultant’s performance. The COR will review and evaluate the contract’s performance, and also will coordinate any communications with relevant counterparts and other donor agencies and organizations.

Any change in the terms of the Contract must be made in writing and approved by the Contracting Officer.

No representation of the COR shall serve as a basis for an alteration in the general scope of this Contract or of the terms and conditions of the Contract unless confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer. The Independent Consultant 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.