Digital Transformation for Africa/ Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program SOP1 ( - Тендер #64848714)

NOTICE AT-A-GLANCE

• Project ID

P176932

• Project Title

Digital Transformation for Africa/ Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program SOP1

• Country

Western and Central Africa

• Notice No

OP00364727

• Notice Type

Request for Expression of Interest

• Notice Status

Published

• Borrower Bid Reference

ET-AUC-493209-CS-QCBS

• Procurement Method

Quality And Cost-Based Selection

• Language of Notice

English

• Submission Deadline Date/Time

Jul 03, 2025 05:00

• Published Date

Jun 19, 2025

• CONTACT INFORMATION
• Organization/Department

Africa Union Commission

• Name

Moses Bayingana

• Address

Africa Union HeadquartersP.O.BOX 3243Tel: 251-11-5-517700webmaster: webmaster@africa-union.orgAddis

• City

• Province/State

Western and Central Africa

• Postal Code

• Country

Western and Central Africa

• Phone

+251927935939

• Email

BayinganaM@africa-union.org

• Website

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRM SELECTION)

Country: Ethiopia

Name of Project: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR AFRICA/ WESTERN AFRICA REGIONAL DIGITAL INTEGRATION PROGRAM (DTFA/ WARDIP) SOP-1

Grant No: P180117

Assignment Title: Consultancy Services for the Development of a Child-Friendly Public Portal for Online Safety and Digital Engagement for African Children within AU Member States – WARDIP PROJECT

Reference No. ET-AUC-493209-CS-QCBS

The African Union Commission has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR AFRICA/ WESTERN AFRICA REGIONAL DIGITAL INTEGRATION PROGRAM (DTFA/ WARDIP) SOP-1 and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include Selection of Consulting firm for the Development of a Child-Friendly Public Portal for Online Safety and Digital Engagement for African Children within AU Member States – WARDIP PROJECT

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment are attached to this Request for Expressions of Interest.

The African Union Commission now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The shortlisting criteria are:

Proven Track Record: Demonstrated in prior assignments on the development of a child-friendly online public portal for online safety and digital engagement. The firm should have relevant 10 years of experience in child online public portal development at national / regional levels.

Demonstrated success in managing and delivering at least 3 similar projects or services with similar scope and activities, preferability at national, regional and/or continental levels.

Technical and Professional Capabilities:

Qualified Personnel: A team of skilled professionals with relevant expertise, including advanced degrees, certifications, and practical experience in the area concerned.

Technical Resources: Access to the latest technology, tools, and methodologies required to execute projects effectively.

Financial Stability:

Financial Health: Strong financial standing with evidence of profitability, financial management practices, and the ability to sustain operations and project delivery over time. Insurance and Liability Coverage: Adequate insurance coverage, including professional liability insurance, to protect against potential risks.

Quality Assurance:

Certifications: Relevant industry certifications such as ISO 9001 for quality management systems or other standards that demonstrate commitment to quality.

Processes and Methodologies: Established processes and methodologies for project management, quality control, and continuous improvement.

Compliance and Risk Management:

Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and standards within the industry.

Risk Management Practices: Well-defined risk management procedures to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks associated with projects.

Client References and testimonials:

References: Positive references and testimonials from previous or current clients, demonstrating the firm’s reputation and reliability.

Case Studies: Detailed case studies showcasing successful project delivery and

outcomes.

Organizational Structure:

Effective Management: An effective organizational structure with clear roles and responsibilities, ensuring efficient project management and execution.

Support Systems: Robust support systems for administrative, logistical, and operational functions.

Project Management Expertise:

Project Management Certifications: Certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or similar credentials that validate expertise in project management.

Track Record of Delivery: Proven ability to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.

Communication and Collaboration:

Stakeholder Engagement: Skills in engaging and managing relationships with various stakeholders, including clients, vendors, and team members.

Reporting and Documentation: Ability to provide clear and comprehensive reports and documentation throughout the project lifecycle

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

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 2020 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Consultants may associate with other firms 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 Consultants Quality and Cost-based Selection method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0900 to 1700 hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by 3 July 2025

African Union Commission,

Attn: Head of Supply Chain Management Division

Building C, 3rd Floor,

P.O Box 3243, Roosevelt Street

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel: +251 (0) 11 551 7700 – Ext 4305

Fax: +251 (0) 11 551 0442; +251 11-551-0430

E-mail: tender@africa-union.org

TERMS OF REFERENCE

(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRM)

Proc REF: ET-AUC-493209-CS-QCBS

• INTRODUCTION

Access to the digital space in Africa is increasingly expanding, and many of those coming online are children –defined as ‘all those under the age of 18’. It is estimated that worldwide 1 in 3 internet users is a child, and more than 175,000 children go online for the first time every day - a new child every half a second.

In Africa, it is estimated that 40% of youth aged between 15-24 years can access the internet. With children getting connected to the digital world so too the risks that the online world brings to children have exponentially grown. The COVID-19 pandemic increasingly drew African children to the online world, with some accessing the internet for the first time.

Online risks are present 24/7 through devices that enable access to the internet. The situation is exacerbated for children with special needs and disabilities. The international child rights community categorizes online risks to children into 4 categories – content, contact, conduct and consumer/contract risks (4Cs).

The African Union Commission developed a Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy which assesses the opportunities and risks related to digital access for children in Africa, as well as the factors influencing child online safety. The Policy sets out the key cross-cutting issues to deliver on children’s rights in the digital environment and identifies 10 policy goals for the Continent, ranging from developing institutional capacity and reviewing legal and regulatory frameworks to ensuring corporate responsibility and investing in education and training.

The African Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy was endorsed by the Executive Council of the African Union during its Forty-Fourth Ordinary Session from 14 - 15 February 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This showcases Africa’s pioneering as the first region in the world to devise policy for protecting, empowering and ensuring the safety of children online. Among other things Africa aims to ensure the new technologies serve the needs of our children and harness their incredible potential for the benefit of the continent.

To realize child safety and empowerment, the Policy sets the following objectives and the strategic imperatives for a comprehensive national action plan for the protection of children online, namely: institutional capacity development; legal and regulatory frameworks; Personal data, privacy and identity protection of a child; response and support systems against child exploitation and abuse (CSEA); corporate responsibilities of businesses to uphold children’s rights; training and education across the value chain; raising public awareness and communications of online risks; research and development in the child safety area; and most importantly fostering international cooperation to exchange good practices and lessons learned.

Amongst the key recommendations of the policy is the need to affirm strong commitments to child online safety at the highest level in government; strengthening criminal justice frameworks to enable law enforcement and the judiciary to effectively tackle child online safety related offences including child online sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA); promoting and supporting accessible digital education in schools and for parents, guardians and community leaders; developing and maintaining databases to pool resources and information exchange including hotlines for reporting and victim support; and establishing an African child online resource fund and program.

The Policy calls for a whole society approach to be employed for implementation due to the cross-sectoral, cross-border and transnational nature of the digital environment necessitating strong national, regional, and international cooperation to mitigate the risks arising from the misuse of digital technologies, to ensure that all stakeholders, including States, businesses, and other actors, effectively respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. The need for gathering rigorous data that would lead to development of future evidence-based interventions that strengthen online safety for children with proper attention to all aspects of child rights that are impacted in this digital age.

The policy, and its proposed implementation plan, has been designed to assist African Member States with the development of national child online safety and empowerment policies as well as paving the way for a safer and nurturing online environment for children to ensure an inclusive digital society and economy with active participation of Africa’s future generation, the children in key policy areas, including legal, educational, and technical interventions.

2. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNEMENT

The overall objectives of the assignment are as follows:

Develop and maintain a child-friendly public portal for child online safety and empowerment. The African Union will create a child-friendly and accessible public portal for online safety and digital engagement, covering the full range of child online safety issues as set out in this AU child online safety policy. Targeted messages and materials should be designed in consultation with children, young people and the engagement of parents, policymakers and educators.

The portal to be accompanied by training materials / manual with the objective of raising awareness, disseminating best practices and building the necessary capacities to allow the safe access and use of the portal by AU Member States.

3.SCOPE OF WORK

The firm (consultants) is expected to perform the following activities:

• Develop inception report,
• Perform desk work assessment of existing regional portals/ platforms related to child online safety and empowerment and identify areas the existing portals covered as well as the missing elements,
• Review existing work by RECs, relevant regional Organizations and AUC pertaining to regional / continental child online safety materials to draw inferences from lessons learned of what worked on the ground and what did not work considering the African context,
• Develop a continental child-friendly portal to be used by African member states,
• Identify practical priority areas in the short, medium and long term. These areas must respond to African users’ needs, including assisting in deciding the development of a standalone portal or the integration of the developed modules into an existing regional child online safety platform. This determination will consider the need to ensure a minimum of cybersecurity requirements for the portal such as encryption, access control, secure authentication, or incident response procedures and standard age-appropriate data protection mechanisms and measures,
• The portal should incorporate AI-powered content moderation for detecting cyber threats targeting children,
• Develop a User Manual to support the launching of the portal,
• Organize a validation workshop on the developed portal involving African experts,
• Finalize the portal following experts’ feedback and recommendations.

4.EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

All deliverables, including reports, architecture, plans, and other artifacts, will be submitted shall be provided in both electronic and printed formats to the Infrastructure and Energy Directorate project manager for acceptance and/or approval. The project deliverables and work products shall be as follows:

6.Duration of Assignment

The duration of the assignment is 8 months

FIRM/ CONSULTANTS PROFILE

The organization will review and assess the corporate-level qualifications of the consulting firm’s bidding, based on the criteria and capabilities necessary to be deemed competent and reliable for delivering high-level services or products, particularly for strategic projects such as the development of a child-friendly online public portal.

The following key qualifications will be required for the firm:

Organizational Experience:

Proven Track Record: Demonstrated in prior assignments on the development of a child-friendly online public portal for online safety and digital engagement. The firm should have relevant 10 years of experience in child online public portal development at national / regional levels.

Demonstrated success in managing and delivering at least 3 similar projects or services with similar scope and activities, preferability at national, regional and/or continental levels.

Technical and Professional Capabilities:

Qualified Personnel: A team of skilled professionals with relevant expertise, including advanced degrees, certifications, and practical experience in the area concerned.

Technical Resources: Access to the latest technology, tools, and methodologies required to execute projects effectively.

Financial Stability:

Financial Health: Strong financial standing with evidence of profitability, financial management practices, and the ability to sustain operations and project delivery over time. Insurance and Liability Coverage: Adequate insurance coverage, including professional liability insurance, to protect against potential risks.

Quality Assurance:

Certifications: Relevant industry certifications such as ISO 9001 for quality management systems or other standards that demonstrate commitment to quality.

Processes and Methodologies: Established processes and methodologies for project management, quality control, and continuous improvement.

Compliance and Risk Management:

Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and standards within the industry.

Risk Management Practices: Well-defined risk management procedures to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks associated with projects.

• Client References and testimonials:

References: Positive references and testimonials from previous or current clients, demonstrating the firm’s reputation and reliability.

Case Studies: Detailed case studies showcasing successful project delivery and

outcomes.

Organizational Structure:

Effective Management: An effective organizational structure with clear roles and responsibilities, ensuring efficient project management and execution.

Support Systems: Robust support systems for administrative, logistical, and operational functions.

Project Management Expertise:

Project Management Certifications: Certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or similar credentials that validate expertise in project management. Track Record of Delivery: Proven ability to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.

Communication and Collaboration:

Stakeholder Engagement: Skills in engaging and managing relationships with various stakeholders, including clients, vendors, and team members.

Reporting and Documentation: Ability to provide clear and comprehensive reports and documentation throughout the project lifecycle.

Consultant’s Team Composition

The Bidder shall provide detailed information on the structure and composition of the team, including a list of advisors, the on-site team, and relevant technical and administrative support staff, along with their roles and deployment across various project phases.

• Team Leader: Senior online portal designer and developer

The team leader should meet the following requirements:

Educational Background

An advanced university /Engineering degree in the following fields:

• Telecommunications/Computer & Software Engineering /Compute Science
• Business management and IT
• Database/Software Applications and Management
• Diploma/ Certification in state-of-the-art platform / portal designs and content creation.

Professional Experience

• It is envisaged that the team leader should have at least 10 years of working experience, of which at least 7 years in developing national/ regional portals for like-minded organizations in the development of regional portals along with their implementation, maintenance/ sustainability and launching plans,
• Proven practical experience and expertise in successfully undertaking similar projects and assignments,
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in the African region regarding Child Online Safety and Empowerment landscape trends, principles, challenges, priorities and indicators,
• Good knowledge of the AU / African context preferred.

Knowledge and Expertise

• Demonstrated ability to acquire and access up-to-date relevant data to support the assignment,
• Experience in integrating, demonstrating and processing relevant data/content visually and graphically,
• Extensive knowledge in requirements gathering, design, launching and maintaining of similar portals/ platforms connected to African child online safety and empowerment.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders,
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with governmental bodies, industry partners, pertinent regional institutions and civil society.

Global Perspective

• Awareness of international developments and trends in the child online safety and its related policies and strategies.
• Ability to apply global best practices to the African context.

Problem-Solving Skills

• Analytical mindset to identify and solve complex challenges in the areas of focus,
• Excellent report writing skills in English, ability to produce concise reports,
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills, both orally and in writing,
• Proficiency in the use of standard office software packages, email and internet.

Collaboration and Teamwork

• Ability to work collaboratively within teams and across AU / WB departments,
• Experience in mentoring and guiding team members and junior professionals.

Language Skills

• Advanced level English or French is required and Proficiency in other official languages of the AU in both spoken and written communication will be considered an added advantage.

Junior online portal designer and developer

The junior online designer and developer should meet the following requirements:

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree in the following fields:

• Telecommunications/Computer & Software Engineering /Compute Science
• Business management and IT
• Database/Software Applications and Management
• Diploma/ Certification in state-of-the-art platform / portal designs and content creation.

Professional Experience

• It is envisaged that the junior portal designer and developer should have at least 5 years of working experience, of which at least 3 years in the area of developing national/ regional portals for like-minded organizations in the development of regional portals along with their implementation, maintenance/ sustainability and launching plans,
• Proven practical experience and expertise in successfully undertaking similar projects and assignments,
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in the African region regarding Child Online Safety and Empowerment landscape trends, principles, challenges, priorities and indicators,
• Good knowledge of the AU / African context preferred.

Knowledge and Expertise

• Demonstrated ability to acquire and access up-to-date relevant data to support the assignment,
• Experience in integrating, demonstrating and processing relevant data/content visually and graphically,
• Extensive knowledge in requirements gathering, design, launching and maintaining of similar portals/ platforms connected to African child online safety and empowerment.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders,
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with governmental bodies, industry partners, pertinent regional institutions and civil society.

Global Perspective

• Awareness of international developments and trends in the child online safety and its related policies and strategies,
• Ability to apply global best practices to the African context.

Problem-Solving Skills

• Analytical mindset to identify and solve complex challenges in the areas of focus,
• Excellent report writing skills in English, ability to produce concise reports,
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills, both orally and in writing,
• Proficiency in the use of standard office software packages, email and internet.

Collaboration and Teamwork

• Ability to work collaboratively within teams and across AU / WB departments,
• Experience in mentoring and guiding team members and junior professionals.

Language Skills

• Advanced level English or French is required and Proficiency in other official languages of the AU in both spoken and written communication will be considered an added advantage.

Data, Services, and facilities to be provided by the Client

The organization will provide all relevant existing documents to facilitate the consulting firm’s work and will also offer office space for the consulting team.

Client’s Management Arrangement

Consultant will report to the Director I&E. The consultant firm reviews of progress will be done at each stage of the progress (from Inception, milestones stages to the final product delivery).

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