Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        Federal Republic of Nigeria

                       The Federal Ministry of Education

               Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project

 

   Selection of a Life Skills Consultancy Firm

 

 

                        REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

 

 

 

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has received financing from the World Bank for the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project.

 

The Project Development Objective is to improve secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls in targeted areas in the implementing states.

 

The AGILE Project intends to engage the services of a Life Skills Consultancy Firm to access the impact of delivering safe space-based life skills training and the impact of combining this training and digital literacy training intervention for girls in senior secondary schools in Nigeria

 

Objective:

The objectives of the assignment are to assess the impact of delivering safe spaces-based life skills training and the impact of combining these trainings and digital literacy training interventions for girls in senior secondary schools in Nigeria for a period of one (I) year.

 

Scope of Work:

The scope of work for the life skills consultancy includes but not limited to the following:

 

1. Geographical coverage and data collection components:

 

• Three rounds of data collection are expected to be conducted; at baseline, midline, and endline, covering approximately; 6,300-8,370 adolescent girls in 210-279 secondary schools. The names of the LGAs in which the eligible schools are located in each State participating in the Impact Evaluation (I.E) and the number of schools per LGA are listed in Table A1 in the TOR’s Annex.

 

The terms of reference are only for the baseline data collection and the specifics of each round of data collection are summarized as follows:

• A baseline data collection at the individual, school, and household level. School level:

1. Undertake short trainings with school principal (or other key focal point) on how to keep school records.
2. Collect and digitize administrative enrollment and attendance records, as well as grades in two (2) key subjects for relevant girls in each school that are part of the study.

Household level:

1. Locate the household of each adolescent girl in the school and conduct face-to-face surveys with the adolescent girl plus one, or both, of her parents at baseline. Each household survey - comprising the interview to the adolescent girl and to her parents - is expected to take approximately 2-3 hours.

2.  Personnel management:

a.   Survey staff hiring. b). Preparation of a training manual for the data collection team. c). Fieldwork training.

3.  Conducting interviews:

     For the adolescent (individual level) data collection, the

     Firm is responsible for:

1. Ensuring that sensitive questions (e.g., experience of gender-based violence or reproductive health) as part of the survey are measured using ACASI where the adolescent girl will listen to the survey questions using earpiece and responses to the questions are color coded or sign coded responses. The Firm will be responsible for audio recording and programming of the ACASI tools.

 

1. Conducting interviews with adolescents at their homes/schools in three selected states and ensuring privacy of the respondents during interviews.
2. Preparing a protocol to contact respondents for the follow-up surveys. This protocol including the contact information of the respondents will be used by the survey firm that will conduct the following rounds of data collection.

For the household level data collection, the Firm is responsible for:

1. 1. 1. Setting up appointments with all household respondents ahead of time. The coverage of selected sites must be organized in the most efficient way.
      2. Conducting interviews with respondents at their homes in three selected states.
      3. Managing the provision of incentives to all household respondents.

 

1. Data management:

This will involve a). Set up a server. b). Ensure server usage. c) Data entry. d) Real time access to data. e) Real time data checks. f). Consistency checks. g). Back checks/call backs h.) Field reporting etc.

5. Database and final reporting

1. All surveys will have to be downloaded every day with the implementation of a data backup system when the immediate download of the survey is not possible. The Firm should also ensure end-to-end encryption of the collected data etc.

6. Survey ethics and confidentiality protocol:

1. 1. Secure written consent from respondent (and her guardian/parent for respondents under 18 years of age) prior to every interview.
   2. Ensure respondents understand the confidentiality of the interview they give and that they are not forced to answer questions they are uncomfortable with.
   3. Ensure that referral to services at the school level or community level are available and accessible to girls as required by IRB protocol

Method of Application/Submission of EOIs:

Interested Consultants should submit Expression of Interest detailing the following information as basis for pre-qualification:

 

• Profile of firm/consortium including ownership structure and role of each corporate entity with full contact details of each firm; (i.e. clearly demonstrate/prove the legal name, as well as demonstrate a clear understanding of the assignment). 
• Proof of valid registration (i.e. certificate of incorporation with CAC) in the last 5 - 10 years plus; PenCom, ITF, NSITF, IRR valid till December 2024. This is required only from local consultants and not from international consultants.
• Sworn Affidavit disclosing whether or not any officer of the relevant committees of the National Project Coordinating Unit (NPCU) or the Federal Ministry of Education is a former or present Director, shareholder or has any pecuniary interest in the bidder and to confirm that all information presented in its bid are true and correct in all particulars;;
• Have considerable experience (at least five years) in managing large-scale household surveys preferably targeting young population, particularly adolescent girls, and covering sensitive topics. This includes the preparation of (CAPI and ACASI) surveys and training materials, training and supervising interviewers, data entry, maintaining records, and ensuring confidentiality of records.
• Have sufficient experience and capacity to manage survey logistics, including equipment, materials, and personnel and also experience conducting research with human subjects and also
• Have experience in handling sensitive material and information, and in conducting interviews concerning potentially difficult topics among vulnerable groups and also experience in data collection in Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
• Have experience conducting large surveys for impact evaluations and experience on surveys for programs targeted to adolescent girls will be a plus.
• Have experience with electronic data collection (SurveyCTO, ODK, ACASI, etc.), as well as with standard statistical software (STATA, SPSS).

The full Terms of References (TORs) for this assignment can be accessed through the link below:

                      

https://agileproject.education.gov.ng/media/resources/nigeria-adolescent-girls-initiative-for-learning-and-empowerment-agile-project-baseline-data-collection-for-impact-evaluation-october-2022/

 

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Annex iv of the Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated July 2016 and revised November 2017, revised August 2018 and 2020.

 

Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub consultancy to enhance their qualifications. The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) Method set out in the Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated July 2016 and revised November 2017, revised August 2018 and November 2020, available on www.worldbank.org/procure

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, Monday through Friday (except public holidays) on Phone No.  +234-8034791858; E-mail: ubatanko@yahoo.com

 

Expressions of Interest shall be in English and should not be more than thirty (30) pages and must be submitted in four (4) hard copies (One original and three copies plus one Flash drive/CD Rom), in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Expressions of Interest as AGILE Life Skills Firm’’.

 

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below in person or by courier mail, not later than 3:00pm on 12th September, 2024.

 

NOTES/DISCLAIMER

1. NPCU shall verify any or all documents and claims made by applicants and will disqualify bidders with falsified documents and claims.
2. If it is determined that submitted documents and claims have been falsified, the bidder may face prosecution in a court of Law.
3. NPCU shall not be held responsible for any disqualified proposal because of any omission or deletion relating to the submission guidelines.
4. This advertisement shall not be construed as a commitment on the part of NPCU to award a contract to any Contractor, nor shall it entitle any Contractor submitting documents to claim any indemnity from NPCU.
5. NPCU is not bound to shortlist any bidder and reserves the right to annul the bidding process at any time without incurring any liabilities or providing reason.

 

Signed

 

The National Project Coordinator,

Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project,

Federal Ministry of Education Annex,

Ground Floor,

Plot 245, Samuel Adesujo Ademelegun street,

Central Business District,

Abuja, Nigeria.

 

Attention:

Muktar Uba

+234-8034791858

Email: ubatanko@yahoo.com

 

Only short-listed Consultants will be contacted.