Second Ethiopia Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project (Эфиопия - Тендер #66016757)

NOTICE AT-A-GLANCE

• Project ID

P174385

• Project Title

Second Ethiopia Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project

• Country

Ethiopia

• Notice No

OP00371767

• Notice Type

Request for Expression of Interest

• Notice Status

Published

• Borrower Bid Reference

ET-MOA-485275-CS-QCBS

• Procurement Method

Quality And Cost-Based Selection

• Language of Notice

English

• Submission Deadline Date/Time

Aug 19, 2025 02:30

• Published Date

Aug 04, 2025

• CONTACT INFORMATION
• Organization/Department

Ministry of Agriculture

• Name

Hiwot Tesema

• Address

P.O.Box 62347Addis Ababa Ethiopia

• City

• Province/State

Ethiopia

• Postal Code

• Country

Ethiopia

• Phone

0911193610

• Email

kinfebekabil12@gmail.com

• Website

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES– FIRM SELECTION)

COUNTRY: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

NAME OF PROJECT: Second Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project (RLLP-II)

Loan No./Credit No./Grant No.: - TF-B8450

Project ID: - P174385

Assignment Title: - Independent Third-Party Company/firm for Field Level Verification

Bid Reference No.: - ET-MOA-485275-CS-QCBS

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of Second Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project (RLLP-II), and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The consulting service (“the Services”) includes Independent Third-Party Company/firm for Field Level Verification on Selected watersheds of the Project. The service will be commenced on September 1, 2025 and shall be finalized in 30 staff days for each half year continuing for the coming three years. The verification cycle (once per six month) will continue until April 2028 commencing on September 2025. The contract will be lumpsum and probably has four cycles in total. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be obtained from our office or can be obtained at the email address kinfumz@yahoo.com, or hiwottessema2014@gmail.com

The Ministry of Agriculture now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested Consultants shall provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications, capability which should include General and specific experience, technical and managerial capability of the consulting firm and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The short-listing criteria are:

• General experience and capability which should include specific experience.
• Years (number) of relevant experience and technical and managerial capability of the consultant.
• The consultant shall present documentary evidence that properly delivered similar assignments.
• The consultant shall have similar experience in the Independent Third-Party Verification and should indicate years and number of experiences in similar assignment.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016 Revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment: Selection and employment of consultants under IPF by World Bank Borrowers July 2016 Revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest, as per paragraph 3.17of the Procurement Regulations.

The Consultants may associate with other consultant to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Base Selection (QCBS) set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours: 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM hours. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by e-mail) on or before August 19, 2025, time 2:30PM.

Attn: Ato Kinfe Bekabil or W/ro Hiwot Tesema

Sustainable Land Management Program, Second Resilient Landscape and Livelihood Project (RLLP-II)

CMC Road, behind Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration

Block B, Floor 2

City: Addis Ababa, Bole Sub City

Telephone: +251-911-193610/+251-0913046081

Email: - kinfumz@yahoo.com/ hiwottessema2014@gmail.com

Terms of Reference

Ministry of Agriculture

Sustainable Land Management Program

Second Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project (RLLP II)

Terms of Reference (ToR) to Recruit an Independent Third-Party Company/firm for Field Level Verification

• Background

The Second Ethiopia Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project (RLLP II) is a Government of Ethiopia initiative in support of sustainable land management program implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). It is financed by Green Climate Fund (GCF) and PROGREEN, aiming to improve climate resilience, land productivity, carbon storage, and to increase access to diversified livelihood activities in selected rural watersheds. The project operates in 47 identified climate-vulnerable watersheds found in Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Central Ethiopia, Gambela, Oromia, Sidama, South Ethiopia, Southwest Ethiopia and Tigray regions. The project also targeted to restore 419,000 hectares of land and to benefit 1,078,860 direct beneficiaries (18.3% female) and 5.4 million indirect beneficiaries. To build on landscape governance experiences and to expand opportunities of scaling up of SLM technologies and approaches, the project contributed to significant geographical coverage of the total number of rural Woredas in nine regional states.

RLLP-II is aligned with the World Bank’s goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity in a sustainable manner through the support for climate resilience, land productivity, and livelihood diversification. RLLP II also incorporates the World Bank led Next Generation Africa Climate Business Plan’s (FY21-26) strategic directions on food security, securing environmental stability, and protecting against climate shocks, as well as draws on lessons learned from past achievements in SLM projects. Additionally, the Project furthers the Bank’s commitment to tackling climate change – including the objectives of the World Bank Group’s Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience to boost adaptation financing and scale up support to social resilience. The watersheds have been selected as the most vulnerable to soil erosion due to precipitation changes from climate change.

RLLP II also aligns with the Government of Ethiopia’s efforts to manage the adverse impacts and risks of climate change and variability. Ethiopia has made major progress in advancing its climate agenda as demonstrated through its CRGE Strategy. The Government has already set up a national financial mechanism called the Ethiopia CRGE Facility, managed by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ministry of Plan and Development (MoPD) to support investments in emission reductions. As stated in the Strategy, the country aims to limit its net annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030 to 145 MtCO2e or lower, which would constitute a 255 Mt CO2e (64%) reduction from the projected ‘business-as-usual’ emissions (400 Mt CO2e). In addition to the CRGE Strategy, the Project contributes to a number of other national strategies, including Ethiopia’s Nationally Determined Contribution, the Climate Resilience Strategy for Agriculture and Forestry, and the National Adaptation Plan to Address Climate Change. To contribute for the national carbon sequestration target, the project constitutes a net carbon sink of 22.9 million tonnes CO2-eq emissions over a period of 25 years, resulting in 916,000 tonnes CO2-eq per year, or 1.7 million tonnes CO2-eq per year, or 44 tonnes CO2-eq/ha. To achieve this and other targets of the project, the project has three interrelated components explained as follows.

• Green Infrastructure and Resilient Livelihoods: this component will increase adaptive capacity to climate change of the target population by scaling-up proven sustainable land and water management practices. These practices will be introduced to rural smallholders and communities in watersheds vulnerable to climate variability and change, recurrent drought and floods and land degradation. Three complementary approaches form the core of this Component: (i) land restoration through sustainable land management, predominantly targeting communal lands, in which physical and biological interventions are made to prevent erosion and restore degraded land; (ii) a standardized approach to low-carbon resilient agriculture, which targets private lands; and (iii) support for income opportunities and resilient livelihoods, which is designed to provide incentives for maintaining restored landscapes. Implementation at the micro-watershed level will be facilitated by government development agents in the offices of Agriculture at the local level, which will mobilize and support communities, providing them with continuous training.
• Investing in Institutions and Information for Resilience: Capacity Building, Information Modernization and Policy Development: The objective of this component is to enhance institutional capacity and improve information for better decision making in supporting resilient landscapes and diversified rural livelihoods in the project area, both for the duration of the project and after project completion. This component will build capacity at the local government level (woreda and kebele) for planning and managing SLWM and land tenure security interventions. This will include piloting and application of new technologies for information modernization at the local level, and building off the experience of RLLP, including for the use of electronic tablets for gathering geospatial information, The component will also provide technical support and capacity building inputs towards the improvement of land tenure security in the target watershed Kebeles that incentivize adoption of proven SLM and CSA practices. Tablets will be provided to development agents and the woreda focal persons in the project watersheds for mapping and monitoring.
• Project Management and Reporting: It supports project management and reporting, including financing of operating costs and implementation of project fiduciary aspects, including financial management, procurement, environmental and social risk management (ESRM), and monitoring and evaluation and reporting.

As part of the legal agreement, the project is expected to recruit an independent third party- company/firm to conduct field level verification to the satisfaction of project financing partners. As a result, Terms of Reference is developed to invite competent local company/firm to conduct the specific tasks outlined below sections

• Objectives
• The primary objective of this assignment is to provide an independent third-party field level verification for project identified indicators as per the approved Funded Activity Agreement (FAA) Schedule 11. Logical Framework in selected watersheds
• The verification process will assess the quantity, quality, accuracy and completeness of project indicators and compliance with agreed technical standards

• Scope of Assignment
• The verification will be conducted in 47 watersheds found in Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Central Ethiopia, Gambela, Oromia, Sidama, South Ethiopia, Southwest Ethiopia and Tigray regions using appropriate sampling method.
• Sampling (area and households) will focus on Micro watersheds that completed their Multi Year Development Plan(MYDP) every six months and supported by following project interventions. The entry point of Verification will be Micro watersheds that completed their MYDP. The firm will conduct sampling accordingly.
• Based on inputs from M&E system reporting and final disclosable version of the Implementation Status & Results Report (ISR), every six months, the firm will verify the indicators reported and related implementation process and activities
• The verification will not cover the scope of Interim Evaluation Report (IER), which is Mid-term Review (MTR) (Indicators that need households survey) and Borrower Completion Report (BCR) of the project that will covered by separate independent consulting firms.
• The verification will not cover financial, procurement and Environment and social safeguards that will be covered red by separate and independent consultant
• Specific Tasks

The Consulting firm will undertake the following specific tasks:

The consulting firm is expected to verify and examine the following project indicators to be reported by regular M&E system of the project and specified in the approved Funded Activity Agreement (FAA) Schedule 11. Logical Framework /Result Framework Indicators of the Project Appraisal Document:

• Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (t CO2 eq) reduced or avoided (including increased removals) - forest and land use. The company is expected to apply ExACT model during the analysis considering the input data of all land use types received SLM interventions by verifying the numbers. This model has been used by the project coordination unit and the bank team to generate the carbon numbers since carbon was included as p=one of the project development objective indicators
• Hectares of land or forests under improved and effective management that contributes to CO2 emission reductions
• Use by vulnerable households, communities, businesses and public-sector services of Fund-supported tools instruments, strategies and activities to respond to climate change and variability.
• Project area showing an increase in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) correcting for climate effects
• Project area showing an increase in the Land Surface Water Index (LSWI) correcting for climate effects
• Land area under sustainable landscape management practices
• Land area restored or reforested/afforested
• Land area with productivity enhancing practices applied
• People participating in income-generating activities supported by the project disaggregated by gender
• Functional Common-Interest Groups established or supported
• Community Watershed Users Cooperative Societies
• Community Watershed Management & Use Plan
• Number of direct beneficiaries
• Number of indirect beneficiaries
• Number of males and females made aware of climate threats and related appropriate responses
• Number of males and females made aware of climate threats and related appropriate responses
• Area under sustainable forest management
• Key habitats protected
• Based on the list of indicators, the firm will develop verification guideline which includes relevant activities in component one and component two of the project. The guidelines include means of verification to evaluate the effectiveness of the activities
• Verify the actual inputs, outputs and outcomes linkage of intervention by component and subcomponent (based on the above indicators), in general and by region based on progress report submitted to World Bank every six months.
• Verify the synergy and harmonization of approved technologies among sub-components of Green Infrastructure and Resilient Livelihoods (land uses linkage verification);
• Verify the functionality of the overall project Implementation arrangement and process at woreda and communitive levels
• The firm will prepare and present the verification report in line with every Joint implementation support mission and related ISR submission
• Methodology

The consulting firm is expected to present standard and accepted detail methodologies for the verification (survey design, sampling method and sample size, survey questionnaires, measurement techniques &tools, software, etc…) to be used for verification and analysis of each indicator specified under specific task above.

• Building on details of the scope section above , the firm will develop appropriate method and tool to select 30% sample from 47 Major watersheds,30% micro watershed that completed and will complete their Multi years development plan (MYDP) and 30 direct beneficiaries who implemented and adopted SLM practices in line with MYDP completion efforts.
• Understanding the project context, technical details and implementation procedures by reviewing all relevant technical and legal document of the project to prepare inception report for the assignment
• Field level verification through direct measurements of project outputs and by applying transect walk through each micro watersheds to verify the outputs
• Consulting and interview of the project direct and indirect beneficiaries based on proposed 30% sample size of the beneficiaries on
• Develop specific cost for every six months verification and reporting assignment in line with the project Implementation support mission and the total cost of the assignment will be evaluated with the number of missions to be carried out with third party verification requirements
• Starting from Midterm review (MTR) of the project, the project will conduct five joint implementation support mission that required the firm’s verification report.
• The firm will produce independent report every six month and product one comprehensive report during final verification assignment

• Deliverables

The firm will deliver the following:

• Inception Report within 2 weeks of contract signing including a clear understanding of the ToR, detailed methodology, a work plan, and timeline.
• Compressive Verification Guidelines with verification protocols and techniques
• Draft verification Report: A draft report summarizing the findings and recommendations based on the period verification processes to be submitted in line with Joint implementation support mission of the project every six months
• Final Verification Report: Comprehensive annual report, incorporating feedback on the draft report. It will contain assessment, findings, conclusions, recommendations in line with Joint implementation support mission of the project every six months
• Finally, the firm will produce six verification reports until April 2028; revised project closing date including one final comprehensive verification report

• Firm/company Qualifications and Experience

The local consulting firm will have four senior experts (Team leader, Agricultural economist, Statistician and Gender specialist) with the following qualification, competency and experiences:

Team leader:

Minimum Education: Advanced degree (Master"s or Ph.D.) in a relevant field such as development studies, agriculture economics, agriculture, environmental science, natural resources management, or related disciplines.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, third-party verification, and project assessment in rural development, agriculture, climate change adaptation, or natural resources management.
• Proven experience in conducting independent assessments and verification for large development projects, particularly those funded by international organizations or development partners.
• In-depth knowledge of project cycle management, results-based management, and robust M&E methodologies.
• Strong understanding of sustainable land and water management (SLWM), climate-smart agriculture (CSA), livelihood diversification, and payment for ecosystem services.
• Demonstrated experience working with projects funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and/or the World Bank including knowledge of its environmental and social safeguards policies
• Familiarity with the Ethiopian context, especially regarding agriculture, rural development, and environmental management.
• Experience in auditing and verifying projects with environmental and social safeguard standards.
• Familiarity with the GCF performance standards, as well as other international standards related to environment, climate change, and social inclusion.

Skills:

• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and coordinate a diverse team of experts.
• Communication: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English (required) and Amharic (preferred), with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including government officials, community members, and international donors.
• Analytical: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to assess project performance, identify challenges, and recommend solutions.
• Management: Excellent organizational, planning, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Reporting: Excellent report writing skills.

Natural Resource Management expert:

• Minimum Education: Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management, Watershed Management, Forestry, Environmental Science, Agriculture (with a focus on land management), or a related field.
• Experience:
• Specific NRM Expertise: At least 10 years of experience specializing in natural resource management, watershed development, soil and water conservation, agroforestry, and/or sustainable land management (SLM) practices.
• Project Experience: Proven experience working on large-scale, rural development projects, preferably those related to sustainable agriculture, landscape restoration, or climate change adaptation. Experience working with the World Bank (or similar international lenders) is HIGHLY preferred.
• Ethiopian Context: Demonstrated deep understanding of natural resource challenges and management practices in the Ethiopian highlands and surrounding regions.
• GCF/Climate Change: Familiarity with climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies relevant to the Ethiopian context. Preference for experience in projects related to carbon sequestration, ecosystem services,
• Skills:
• Technical: Strong technical knowledge of SLM technologies, watershed management principles, and environmental assessment methodologies.
• Fieldwork: Demonstrated ability to conduct field-based assessments/verification, collect data, and interact with local communities.
• Analytical: Strong analytical skills to interpret field data and assess the effectiveness of NRM interventions.
• Reporting: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with the ability to prepare clear and concise reports.
• GCF Performance Standards: Familiarity with the GCF performance standards, as well as other international standards related to environment, climate change, and social inclusion.

Agricultural economist:

• Minimum Education: Master"s degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, or a related field.
• Experience:
• Economic Analysis: at least 10 years of experience in large project midterm or completion report, M & E system development, feasibility studies, evaluations and analysis of development programs/projects; 10 years of experience in economic and financial analysis with multi-disciplinary study teams in natural resources development and management and related fields.
• Rural Livelihoods: Demonstrated understanding of rural livelihoods, agricultural practices, and market dynamics in Ethiopia.
• Impact Evaluation: Experience in designing and implementing impact evaluations of agricultural and rural development projects.
• Data Analysis: Proficiency in using statistical software and economic modeling techniques to analyze large datasets.
• Skills:
• Analytical: Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including proficiency in econometric modeling and statistical analysis.
• Communication: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with the ability to prepare clear and concise reports.
• Contextual Understanding: Demonstrated understanding of agricultural value chains, market systems, and smallholder farming practices.

Statistician:

• Minimum Education: Master"s Degree in Statistics, or a related field.
• Experience:
• Statistical Analysis: At least 5 years of experience in designing and conducting statistical analyses for research projects, surveys, and evaluations.
• Survey Design: Proven ability to design and implement statistically sound surveys, including sampling methodologies, questionnaire development, and data collection procedures.
• Data Management: Expertise in data management, cleaning, and validation techniques.
• Statistical Software: Proficiency in using statistical software packages such as SPSS, Stata.
• Skills:
• Analytical: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Communication: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with the ability to present statistical findings in a clear and understandable manner.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail and accuracy in data analysis and reporting.

Gender specialist:

• Minimum Education: Master"s degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Experience:
• Gender Analysis: At least 5 years of experience in conducting gender analysis for development projects, including identifying gender-specific constraints and opportunities.
• Gender Mainstreaming: Proven ability to integrate gender considerations into project design, implementation, and monitoring.
• Community Engagement: Experience in working with communities and facilitating participatory approaches to address gender inequalities.
• Ethiopian Context: In-depth knowledge of gender dynamics, cultural norms, and women"s empowerment issues in Ethiopia.
• Skills:
• Analytical: Strong analytical skills to assess gender-related impacts of project activities.
• Communication: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and (ideally) Amharic, with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and awareness when working with local communities.
• Duration of the Consultancy

The verification cycle (once per six month) will continue until April 2028 commencing on September 2025. The contract will be time-based and probably has four cycles in total.

• Reporting & Contract Administration

The Consultant will report directly to the Project Steering Committee (PSC) of the program and will coordinate their activities with the National Project Coordination Unit (NPCU) of the project throughout the course of this assignment.

• Payment Schedule

Payments will be made against the completion of deliverables in accordance with the following provisional schedule:

• 15 % advance payment upon contract signing
• 15% upon submission and acceptance of the inception report
• 15% up on submission of verification guideline
• 20% Upon submission and acceptance of each draft verification report
• 35% Upon submission and acceptance of the final verification report

It is to be nagotiable during contract

• Confidentiality

The Consultant is required to maintain the confidentiality of all project information and data.

• Submission of Proposals

Interested candidates should submit technical and financial proposals to the procurement department before August 19, 2025. The technical proposal should outline the firm’s approach, methodology, team composition, and relevant experience. The financial proposal should indicate the consulting firm fee for the completion of the tasks, broken down by activities and deliverables.

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