REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Recruitment of a consulting firm to develop a Project Implementation Plan for the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) scale up phase 2024 - 2028.

1. Organisation Background

Smart Africa is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to Broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies. 

The Smart Africa Initiative is geared towards connecting, innovating, and transforming the continent into a knowledge economy thereby driving global competitiveness and job creation. The initiative also aims at enabling Member States to become more competitive, agile, open, and innovative smart economies with the most favorable business climates that attracts large- scale investments, rewards entrepreneurship and enables fast growth and exports, leveraging ICT (Information and Communication Technology) innovations to transform African nations into smart societies. The Smart Africa Secretariat (SAS) is based in Kigali, Rwanda.

Smart Africa Alliance has launched the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA in short) as the driving vehicle for implementing Smart Africa's capacity building and skills development activities across the digital skills spectrum. It is a pan-African dynamic learning ecosystem in which African citizens of all ages and social classes can gain or improve their digital skills, gain qualifications, meet the emerging talent needs of employers, industry or be self-reliant. SADA is running different modules, namely, the Capacity Building for Decision Makers (CBDM), Competency based skills modules for IT experts, the youth, entrepreneurs, and SMEs module; STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education module; and Consumer Digital Skills module. The Smart Africa Digital Academy has successfully completed its pilot phase and will move into its scale-up phase from 2024.

2. As part of this new phase, Smart Africa, in collaboration with its strategic partners, has already set the strategic objectives of this project, including key objectives, strategic goals, target beneficiaries, planned activities to be implemented, etc. The project is expected to be implemented from 2024 to 2028. OBJECTIVES

To ensure a successful implementation of the SADA Scale-up phase focused on current and future policy makers, for the next 5 years, Smart Africa Secretariat would like to hire a Consultancy firm to provide services for a project implementation plan towards the successful implementation of a SADA Scale up phase 2024 - 2028.  This Project Implementation Strategy will allow the staff to reflect on the past implementation and design a detailed plan on how success will look like and map out ways of achieving the success criteria.

 3. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES

The key deliverables will be the Project Implementation Plan Document that will include following key components:

3.1 Project Deliverables

• A mapping of all targeted Stakeholders within the mandate of the SADA Scale Up project.
• A plan on how to target and effectively reach the stakeholders.
• A plan on how to strategically organize the delivery of services to avoid multiple delivery processes.
• An evaluation and recommendation for the tools and platforms for the delivery of the project.
• A governance model for the implementation of the Continental Project Coordination Committee
• A model for operating and maintaining community of practices.
• A model to motivate course completion, given that 80% of beneficiaries will be part of virtual learning platforms.

3.2 Team Assessment and Change Management Deliverables

• A skill needs assessment and recommendation on the internal implementation team in terms of the additional skills required to be successful within the team.
• A change management plan, as an outcome of any changes of implementation/ways of work to support the achievement of the Strategic objectives.

3.3  Any other added value contents from the consultant 

 CONSULTATIVE APPROACH

The SADA Scale up implementation Plan–

 The Consultancy firm will:

• Conduct planning meeting sessions with the implementation team to collect information to support this delivery.
• The facilitation of a 3-day strategy session with the team to discuss the outcomes of the deliverables 

EXPECTED TIME PLAN 

T0 will be taken as the day of contract signing.

The SADA Scale Up Implementation Strategies– T0+ 4 weeks.

• A change management plan to support the implementation of the Strategic plan -T0+5 weeks
• The facilitation of a 3-day session with the team to discuss the outcomes of the deliverables.T0+6weeks
• A skill needs assessment and recommendations on the internal implementation team – T0+8weeks 

4. TEAM COMPOSITION AND PROFILE 

The Consultancy firm will propose a team comprised of the lead strategist, lead facilitator, and other team members whom the consultant deems fit to be able to deliver the scope of this project with the following education, experience, and competency profile:

 For the lead Strategist:

Educational Background:

• Advanced degree (Master's or higher) in a relevant field such as business administration, management, public policy, or technology.

Experience:

• Proven experience in strategic planning and execution, especially in the context of digital skills initiatives, educational or digital transformation projects.
• Experience working in the African context or on projects in emerging markets.
• Background in project management, ideally with experience managing large-scale projects.
• Familiarity with the digital skills landscape, including relevant technologies and trends.

Other Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to assess the current state, identify opportunities and challenges, and develop data-driven strategies.
• Proficiency in conducting research and data analysis to inform decision-making and strategy development.
• Ability to work collaboratively across various teams, departments, and stakeholders to ensure the strategy aligns with organizational goals and objectives.
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity to work effectively in the diverse African context, considering local customs, languages, and norms.
• Strong leadership and communication skills to guide the team and effectively communicate the strategy to stakeholders and partners.
• Knowledge of digital skills development, including specific skills like coding, data analysis, digital marketing, and related areas.
• Familiarity with local and regional policies, regulations, and legal frameworks related to education, technology, and digital skills training in Africa.
• Ability to think creatively and innovatively to design solutions that can address the unique challenges of digital skills development in Africa.
• Experience in setting up monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track the progress and impact of the digital skills project.
• Skills in budget planning and resource management to ensure efficient allocation of resources for the project.
• Familiarity with the donor landscape and the ability to secure funding and grants for the project.
• The capacity to adapt to changing circumstances and overcome obstacles that may arise during project implementation.
• Proficiency in relevant languages spoken in the project's target regions in Africa, as well as English or other commonly used international languages for effective communication. 

• For the lead Facilitator: 

Educational Background:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field, such as business administration, management, communications, or organizational development.

Experience

• Proven experience in facilitation, especially in guiding teams through complex processes like strategic planning and implementation.
• Certification in facilitation techniques or related training is a plus.
• A solid understanding of strategic planning processes and the ability to communicate and disseminate strategic goals and objectives effectively.

Other Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills to articulate complex ideas and strategies in a clear and concise manner.
• Ability to adapt communication style to various audiences, including executive leadership and frontline staff.
• Demonstrated leadership skills to inspire and motivate teams toward the successful implementation of the strategic plan.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills to address challenges and make real-time decisions during the implementation process.
• Familiarity with change management principles and practices to help teams navigate transitions resulting from the strategic plan.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies and tools to oversee and track the progress of strategic plan implementation.
• Ability to engage with a diverse group of stakeholders, including executives, managers, employees, and external partners.
• Skills in conflict resolution and the ability to handle disagreements or conflicts that may arise during implementation.
• The capacity to adapt to changing circumstances and adjust the facilitation approach as needed.
• Cultural sensitivity and the ability to work effectively with teams from diverse backgrounds, including an understanding of cultural nuances that may impact implementation.
• Proficiency in delivering engaging and informative presentations, workshops, and training sessions.
• Comfort with technology and virtual collaboration tools, as remote or hybrid work environments may be common.
• Experience in monitoring progress, collecting feedback, and generating reports to assess the effectiveness of the strategic plan's implementation.
• Strong organizational and time management skills to meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• A genuine passion for the organization's mission and the strategic goals, which can inspire and energize the implementation team.
• Ability to work collaboratively with other team members and departments to achieve common goals.

5. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The evaluation method is Quality Cost Based Selection (QCBS). The following model will be used to evaluate all respondents and proposals submitted:

The following model will be used to evaluate technical proposals submitted:

a) Technical Criteria

The financial proposal of only those firms which secure a minimum score of 70/100 in the technical evaluation will be opened. 

St= Score for the Technical Evaluation

b) Financial Criteria 

Once the technical criteria have been evaluated, the costs of all bids will be listed from low to high. Computing the cost criteria score will be accomplished by use of the following formula: 

 = Sf 

The Applicant getting highest marks on 70-30 weightage (70% for technical and 30% for financial) will be considered for the assignment. The weights given to the Technical (T) and Financial Proposals (F) are T = 0.70 and F = 0.30

The Final Score (S) is calculated as follows: S = St*T + Sf*F 

6. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSALS 

The Technical and Financial proposals must be submitted in English.

A. Administrative Documents Submission

• Company registration certificates/Equivalent
• Tax clearance certificates

B. Technical Requirements Submission

• Duly signed and stamped offers submission Letter;
• Understanding of ToR;
• Detailed description of Methodology and work plans for performing this assignment;
• Work schedule;
• References for similar assignments with contacts.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae for the proposed staffs with academic certificates and recommendation letters from previous similar assignments signed and stamped;

C. Financial Requirements Submission

• Summary of Costs;
• Breakdown of remuneration;
• Reimbursable expenses per day as may be applicable;

NOTES:

• The financial proposals/offers should be password protected and Smart Africa will request it from bidders who have been qualified in the technical evaluation.
• Indicate your preferred payment terms under financial proposal.
• All bidders are required to quote in the Rwandan Francs (FRW)

7. SUBMISSION PROCESS 

Soft copies of both Technical and financial proposals must be sent to : procurement@smartafrica.org showing each the nature of the offer concerned (Technical or financial Offer), not later than 22/01/2024 at 05:00 PM local time (Kigali) prompt to the Procurement Unit-Smart Africa Secretariat. 

8. RIGHTS RESERVED  

1. This Request for Proposal (RFP) does not oblige the Smart Africa Secretariat (SAS) to complete the hiring process. SAS reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP prior to the announcement of a selected firm. SAS also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in SAS’s best interest to do so. 
2. SAS also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. SAS may negotiate a fee package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP. 
3. Incomplete proposal/expression of interest, or submitted after the deadline, will be disregarded unless SAS, in its sole discretion, decides otherwise in respect of any such incomplete or late application. 
4. SAS reserves the right to amend the evaluation criteria of proposals and without having to provide any justification to bidders, if in its sole discretion it determines that it is in best interest of SAS to do so. Such an amendment will not be subject to any claims or appeal by the bidders.
5. SAS reserves the right to cancel this process at any stage of the RPF process, not to follow up on any proposal at all and to reject all bids at any time prior to completion of the RPF process without incurring any liability to the applicants. SAS will not in any circumstances reimburse any costs or expenses associated with the submission of an expression of interest (including possible cost of information and documentation submitted).
6. Smart Africa reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to the expected high volume of applications and avoiding the compromise of the process. 

9. ENQUIRIES  

Any enquiries will only be received and addressed 3 days or more prior to the bid submission deadline. Prospective respondents who may have questions regarding this RFP may submit their enquiries to tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org 

10. ANTI-CORRUPTION 

Smart Africa is committed to preventing and not tolerating any act of corruption and other malpractices and expects that all bidders will adhere to the same ethical principles.