Republic of Liberia
MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
P.O Box 10-9016
Intersection of Broad and Mechlin Streets
Monrovia, Liberia
(REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST –FIRM SELECTION)
NAME OF PROJECT : Integrated Public Financial Management Reform Project, II
Assignment Title : Consultancy for Development of e-GP Strategy, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) and development of e-GP Guidelines, e-GP Catalogue, Preparation of Business, Functional and Technical Specifications of e-Government (e-GP) System for Liberia
Financing Agreement reference : 2100155034068
Project ID No. : P-LR-K00-014
Reference No. MFDP/PMU/IPFMRP II/C/FR/001.-AfDB
Issue Date : December 20, 2019
End Date : January 20, 2020
- Introduction :
The Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) was established in 2006 as the regulatory authority of public procurement and concessions awards in Liberia. It is primarily responsible to ensure the economic and efficient use of public funds in public procurement, as well as ensure that public procurement and Concessions processes are conducted in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Enormous work has been done to fulfill this requirement but the absence of a digitized procurement system is posing a serious challenge to the process.
An interim online portal that incorporates the Vendor Register and Procurement Plan Application was established as part of efforts to address the situation. These preliminary works are intended to support the establishment of a bigger Electronic Procurement system in Liberia that will automate most of the manual processes that are inherent with individual discretions which are the greatest vulnerabilities and highest risks in public procurement. When established, the system will have linkages with other online platforms including the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), revenue portal of Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Liberia Business Registry, amongst others. The GoL has secured funding for the Integrated Public Financial Management Reform Project (IPFMRP II) funded by the African Development Bank and intends to apply part of the proceeds of the funding for eligible payment under the contract to carry out preparatory activities before developing an e-Procurement System. This will help the government prepare itself with the different preparatory tools, documents and capacities. The preparatory activities are detailed in the scope of works. These activities will lay the groundwork for the development and adoption of a nationwide e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system.
- Objective of the Assignment :
The General objective of this assignment is to effectively support the Government of Liberia with the introduction and implementation of e-procurement system as part of the on-going public procurement reforms. The specific objectives can be reviewed in the Terms of Reference.
- Scope of the Services to be performed :
The position entails performing the following broad tasks :
Development of e-GP Strategy- The Consultant will review relevant legislations and documents, hold consultations with the relevant stakeholders and carry out situational analysis. This will lead to the preparation of an e-GP Implementation strategy with clear strategic objectives, current and future demand analysis of resources requirements (technology, human, finance, organization), interoperability with other government systems, and sustainability plans. The strategy should recommend model for total cost of ownership of e-GP System, risk profiles and mitigation measures and Key Monitoring Indicators. It should also include an action plan for piloting and roll-out of e-GP System and an indicative budget for implementing the actions under the e-GP Strategy.
Undertake Business Process Review and carry out Re-engineering– This should include the following :
As Is Assessment : Carry out an assessment of the “As-Is” procurement environment in Liberia for Ministries and Agencies following appropriate procurement legislations and international best practices. A review of the procurement functions, volume of procurement for various categories, underlying processes, and assessment of their readiness for change as well as their IT readiness should be performed. The assessment should focus on understanding key challenges in the existing procurement functions. It also included a review of the current legislations and regulatory framework and their adequacy in view of an e-GP adoption.
- To Be Processes : The consultant will prepare the To-Be processes and practices for e-GP The Consultant will lay out recommendations in terms of legislations such that the Liberia public procurement environment is simplified and attains the desired objectives of transparency and accountability ;
- Change Management Requirements– Requirements for managing the change in view of the adoption of e-GP should be clearly identified. This will involve conducting surveys with respect to the procurement cadre, as well as understanding implications for change for key stakeholders identified. From this survey, the capacity building requirements and a change management plan will be developed and submitted to the PPCC. It will include an assessment of change management risks as well as initiatives that need to be undertaken by the PPCC for a smooth transition to the e-GP system. Initiatives shall include capacity building requirements, e-GP awareness sessions, and training needs for e-GP to be provided by the e-GP system provider, amongst others ;
- Develop e-GP Guidelines-The consultant will prepare the e-GP guidelines aligned to e-GP adoption, in consultation with the PPCC and e-GP stakeholders. The e-GP guidelines will aim to provide a framework for a smooth e-GP solution adoption, whilst taking into consideration interfacing needs and other legal, administrative, operational and financial aspects. The e-GP Guidelines should also be based on the outcome of the re-engineering and change management assessment, which should cover the guidelines for the operation of e-GP System, procurement processes and practices under e-Procurement ;
- E-Catalogue- The Consultant will prepare the structure for classification of goods, works and services after determining the best fit between the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code ® (UNSPSC®). As part of this phase, the Consultant will also prepare the standards and sample specifications for common goods items such that economies of scale are achieved through mass purchasing ;
- Development of business, functional and technical requirements-The Consultant will design the e-GP solution specification for the GoL, including business requirements, functional requirements and technical architecture (application, integration requirements, security requirements and data center architecture and hardware and system software requirements, licenses, etc), capacity building needs, implementation model and implementation plan, amongst others. The Consultant shall submit an implementation plan for the e-GP solution. Bidding document following the prescribed Standard Bidding Document (SBD) shall be prepared.
Note : The Bidding document should include among others (i) the design and customization to the existing procedures of the PPCA, and outlaid simplified mechanisms for the operations of the E-procurement system; (ii) Preparation of User manuals or guides to render information on the system (iii) Maintenance and support services and a model to answer inquiries and FAQs and (iv) testing of systems at various phases and locations and (v) the hosting requirements (preferably cloud).
Other Services to be provided :
- Hosting Requirements : The Consultant will review the potential hosting requirements of the e-Government Procurement system. This will include analysis between local hosting and cloud solutions. The cloud would be preferable ;
- Analysis of E-GP Type : The Consultant will analyze the type of E-Government Procurement systems such as Custom built, commercially-of-the-shelves (COTS) or Software- as-a-Service. The analysis should include a total cost of ownership of the three options and also a market analysis of modern e-procurement systems.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be obtained at the address given below.
- Duration of the Assignment :
The assignment is for the period of three (3) calendar months following contract signature.
- Deliverables :
The deliverables for the project and timelines for submission of deliverables are specified in below :
Mobilization and Inception- The Consultant shall submit an inception report on the delivery of the consultancy 10 days after the commencement of the assignment. This will give the hiring/beneficiary entity confidence that the assignment can be carried out as stipulated in the contract.
E-GP Strategy for Liberia-The Consultant will submit an E-GP Strategy for Liberia. This should also include recommendations on how to make E-GP mandatory for use by Government functionaries, including Ministries, Agencies and Commissions.
Business Process Re-engineering-Under this deliverable, the consultant will provide the following reports: (i) As-Is processes and practices report (ii) Draft report on To-Be processes and Practices in e-GP including Change Management Requirements (iii) Finalization Workshop on Change Management Requirements including To-Be processes and Practices in e-GP.
e-GP guidelines-Under the e-GP guidelines, the consultant shall be required to submit the following: (i) Inception Report with draft outline of e-GP Guidelines (ii) Draft e-GP Guidelines (iii) Final e-GP Guidelines.
e-GP Technical and Functional Specifications: The following reports shall be submitted for this deliverable: (i) Inception report with draft outline of business, technical and functional specifications (ii) Draft business, technical and functional specifications (iii) Final business, technical and functional specifications (iv) Draft
bidding document (v) Finalization Workshop on e-GP Guidelines and e-GP Specifications with draft bidding document (vi) Final Bidding document with Business, technical and functional specifications and (vii) Hosting requirements
e-Catalog: The following reports should be submitted by the consultants: (i) Inception Report with classification structure of goods, works, and services procurement (ii) Intermediate report with Standard for common procurement items and minimum standard specifications for common procurement items with proper mapping (iii) Draft final report with items listed under scope of work (iv) Final report.
- Minimum Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience :
A firm will be contracted to undertake the development of the E-GP Strategy, conduct Business Process Review & Re-engineer and develop the technical and functional specifications or bidding document. The firm must have experience and qualifications as follows :
- Minimum of 10 years’ experience in design, implementation, review and quality assurance of information systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experience in E-Government Procurement across the region will be an added advantage ;
- Similar experience in nature and scope of at least two (2) assignments, and one must be on e-GP ;
- Availability of appropriate skills among staff including e-GP Strategy expertise, Business Process Re-engineering expertise, Procurement expertise, ICT expertise and e-GP regulations/guidelines and e-GP implementation issues.
Key Experts and Qualification requirements
The Consultant team must include minimum of the following key experts :
Team Leader– Must hold a Master degree in public administration, law, business administration, economics or an equivalent university degree with minimum of 5 years of experience in managing government projects, proven experience in developing e-GP Strategy, public procurement, understanding of e-GP implementation issues, carrying out BPR for the government or the private sector and change management. The Team Leader will also serve as the Strategy Consultant.
Procurement Consultant – Must hold a Master degree in public administration, law, business administration, Procurement, economics or an equivalent university degree and must have minimum 5 years of experience in procurement with a professional certification in procurement (preferably CIPS). The consultant should have good knowledge of legal aspects of Liberia’s public procurement acts, regulations, and practices and having skills drafting guidelines.
Information Communication Technologist /Business Process Review Consultant – Must hold a Master degree in public administration, law, business administration, economics, Information Technology or an equivalent university degree with minimum 5 years of professional experience. Should have good knowledge of e-procurement system functional and technical requirements and preparing business process maps, bidding documents, change management, and specifications.
E-Guidelines Consultant – Must hold a Master degree in public administration, law, business administration, Information Technology, economics or an equivalent university degree. Must have designed and developed e-GP Guidelines, e-GP Regulations or legal procedures for the government or the private sector, and must have knowledge of international best practices on e-GP System.
E-Catalogue Consultant- Must hold a Master degree in public administration, law, business administration, Information Technology, economics or an equivalent university degree. Must have prepare structure for classification of goods, works and services using United Nations Standard Products and Services Code procedures and practices. The Consultant will also prepare the standards and sample specifications for common goods items such that economies of scale are achieved through mass purchasing
Further information and the detailed TOR can be obtained at the address below during office hours, i.e. from 0900 to 1700 hours (GMT), Mondays through Fridays.
The Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (MFDP) now invites eligible Firms to express interest in providing the services by submitting history of similar assignments performed and Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and copies of academic credentials of key experts, demonstrating experience in performing similar assignments with references and showing responsiveness to the qualification requirements outlined in this REOI.
Eligibility criteria and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the World Bank “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016, Revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Procurement Regulations”)
A consultant will be selected using the Quality and Cost Based Selection Method set out in the Procurement Regulations referenced above.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form or by email to the address below on or before 18th January, 2020 @ 1700 hours (GMT) and indicate in the Email subject line or on the outer envelope “Consultancy for Development of e-GP Strategy, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) and development of e-GP Guidelines, e-GP Catalogue, Preparation of Business, Functional and Technical Specifications of e-Government (e-GP) System for Liberia”
The Address referred above is :
The Project Manager
Project Management Unit (PMU), 4th Floor
Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) P.O Box 109013 – Intersection of Broad and Mechlin Streets 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia
Phone : +231770 161 561
E-Mail : ltaylor@mfdp.gov.lr, and copied to jmentroe@mfdp.gov.lr