Consultancy Services for an Independent verification agent (IVA) for 6 DLIs
The Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda is seeking consulting firms for independent verification work under the Uganda Learning Acceleration Program. The notice is for a request for expressions of interest, with selection to be made using QCBS. Interested firms must show relevant experience in verification, evaluation, and related assignments, and must be able to work across the program implementation period. The notice names the program and the general purpose of the engagement, but it does not state the fee or budget.
Overview
The Government of the Republic of Uganda, through the Ministry of Education and Sports, is looking for a firm to serve as an Independent Verification Agent for the Uganda Learning Acceleration Program. The assignment is supported by financing from the Global Partnership for Education and the International Development Association. The role is to verify project results and support the assessment of achievement under the program.
Scope of Work
The consulting services (“the Services”) include; (i) Conducting independent verification of the achievement of all eligible Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) and Disbursement Linked Results (DLRs) under ULEARN, (ii) Verification of results across the program implementation period, including document reviews, field verification, validation of reported data, assessment of compliance with agreed verification protocols, and confirmation of the achievement of results in accordance with the Financing Agreement, Programme Appraisal Document (PAD), Verification Protocol, and Project Operations Manual (POM). The verification shall cover all implementing entities, beneficiary institutions, and geographic locations relevant to the DLIs being assessed. The IVA shall produce independent verification reports that confirm the extent to which the DLRs have been achieved. These reports shall provide a direct basis for the World Bank's assessment of DLR achievement and the corresponding disbursement recommendations under the Program. The Independent Verification Agent (IVA) shall be engaged for the duration of the ULEARN Program implementation, expected to until run 30th June 2030 subject to satisfactory performance, continued need for the services, and availability of funding. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website: www.education.go.ug or can be obtained at the address given below.
Requirements & Qualifications
The Ministry of Education and Sports 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: The firm shall meet the following minimum requirements:
- At least ten (10) years of demonstrated experience in conducting independent verification, performance audits, Program evaluations for Government institutions.
- Demonstrated experience in at least three (3) assignments involving verification or evaluation of large-scale education, infrastructure, or public sector Programs within the last ten (10) years.
- Proven experience in verifying results under Results-Based Financing (RBF), Program-for-Results (PforR), Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs), or similar performance-based financing mechanisms is highly desirable.
- Experience working on projects financed by the World Bank, African Development Bank, or other multilateral development partners will be an added advantage.
- Demonstrated capacity to deploy a multidisciplinary team comprising experts in education, engineering, procurement, financial management, environmental and social safeguards, monitoring and evaluation, Information and Technology and data management. (Please do not submit CVs and bio data of experts).
- Capacity to undertake nationwide field verification and quality assurance.
- Demonstrated experience in the use of digital data collection platforms (e.g., KoboToolbox, GEMS, ODK, Survey123, or equivalent) capable of capturing geo-tagged photographs, GPS coordinates, and date/time stamps.
- Experience implementing similar assignments in Uganda or the East African region or Sub-Saharan Africa will be an added advantage.