AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
The Sanctions Office
Cité Administrative-Tour B, Office No. 421
Avenue Jean Paul II
01 B.P. 1387 Abidjan 01-Côte d’Ivoire
Telephone: + (225) 27 20 26 24 76
Mobile: + (225) 05 75 75 03 76
Fax: + (225) 27 20 24 21 14
Date: March 10, 2021
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
RECRUITMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT TO ASSIST THE SANCTIONS OFFICE
AfDB/2021/01/SNSO/RFP
Dear Sir/ Madam,
- We have the pleasure to inform you that the Sanctions Office (SNSO) of the African Development Bank will require the services of a Consultant to assist with the following assignments :
- Review of Sanctions Cases and Negotiated Settlement Agreements ;
- Organize workshops and seminars ;
- Perform other related duties as may be required.
- You are requested to submit your technical proposals in writing by March 31, 2021, 5:00 p.m, Abidjan time, by mail, e-mail, courier or hand-delivery to the address indicated in paragraph 9 ;
- The expected initial duration of the assignment is three (3) months, renewable based on good performance and available budget ;
- You will find attached in Annex, the Terms of Reference (TOR) showing the scope of the assignment to be conducted and the services requested from the selected Consultant. You are expected to comment, in no more than 500 words, on the TOR of the assignment, state your relevant experience, your proposed fees, provide a Curriculum Vitae and indicate your availability for the proposed contract period ;
- The proposal to be submitted by the short-listed Consultants will be evaluated based on the following criteria :
| a) |
General qualification and suitability for the task to be performed |
25% |
| b) |
Experience in the specific assignment described in the Terms of Reference |
40% |
| c) |
Language capacity |
10% |
| d) |
Familiarity with basic office computer software |
10% |
| e) |
Experience with international donor agencies |
8% |
| f) |
Knowledge of the region (Africa) |
7% |
- Only Consultants scoring 70 points or more will be considered for the assignment. All Consultants will be ranked and first on the list will be selected for the assignment at the fee rate within the given budget ;
- The selected Consultant shall meet the cost of any insurance and medical examination or treatment required by him/her in the course of performing the services ;
- The selected Consultant shall seek and obtain any visas or resident permits that he/she may require to carry out the services and perform his/her obligations under the Contract. The Bank shall, as necessary, assist the Consultant in obtaining such visas and/or permits ;
- If you decide to submit a proposal, it must be received at the place designated for receipt of proposals not later than the closing date indicated in paragraph 2 Your proposal should be submitted to the following address :
The Sanctions Office of the African Development Bank Office: Cité Administrative-Tour B, Office No. 421 Avenue Jean Paul II
01 B.P. 1387 Abidjan 01- Côte d’Ivoire
Telephone: + (225) 27 20 26 52 47
Fax : + (225) 27 20 24 21 14
Email : [email protected]
The AfDB would like to thank you in advance for your consideration of this request and we look forward to receiving a proposal from you.
ANNEX
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE SANCTIONS OFFICE (SNSO)
————————————————–
- BACKGROUND :
The African Development Bank (the Bank) was established in 1964 to promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa. The Bank has 81 members consisting of 54 regional and 27 non-regional countries. To fulfill its mandate, the Bank mobilizes and allocates resources to its Regional Member Countries for investment in projects, as well as provides policy advice and technical assistance to support development efforts.
The Bank has a fiduciary and legal obligation to ensure that funds allocated for development initiatives are not diverted through corruption or other wrongful practices. The Bank assumes this obligation through the Sanctions System, a two-tiered administrative process composed of the Sanctions Office (SNSO) at the first level and the Sanctions Appeals Board at the final level. SNSO is mandated to examine allegations of fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion and obstruction (Sanctionable Practices) carried out in the context of corporate procurement and initiatives financed by the Bank and, where appropriate, to impose sanctions on wrongdoers (the Respondents), after adversarial proceedings. SNSO is also responsible for reviewing negotiated settlement agreements in sanctions cases, to ensure fairness, transparency and credibility.
SNSO is composed of a Sanctions Commissioner (SC), an Alternate SC, who are both independent external experts, a Sanctions Secretary and an Administrative Assistant. The Sanctions Secretary is responsible for the day to day management of the Sanctions Office.
The main objective of the consultancy services being sought is to assist the Sanctions Secretary and strengthen the current capacity of SNSO. The consultant shall report directly to the Sanctions Secretary and work under his/her supervision.
- SCOPE OF SNSO’S FUNCTIONS :
The Sanctions Office :
- Reviews the Findings of Sanctionable Practices received from the Integrity and Anti-corruption Department (PIAC), notifies sufficiency or insufficiency of evidence to PIAC and issues Notices of Sanctions Proceedings to Respondents ;
- Considers Respondents’ Responses, issues and notifies Determinations or Sanctions Decisions to PIAC and Respondents ;
- Considers PIAC’s Requests for Temporary Suspension and Respondents’ Objections ;
- Reviews Negotiated Resolution Agreements received from PIAC and imposes sanctions on Respondents.
- DELIVERABLES AND SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED BY THE CONSULTANT :
The tasks of the consultant will require him/her to be fully involved in the activities of SNSO. These include, among other things:
Review of Sanctions Cases and Negotiated Settlement Agreement :
- Prepare the summary of facts and investigations process ;
- Assist with the drafting of information notes to the Sanctions Commissioner ;
- Research relevant critical issues, including but not limited to anti-corruption cases, anticorruption conventions, and international anticorruption environment ;
- Assist with the drafting of Notice, Decisions, and notifications.
General Support :
- Assist with the design and maintenance of SNSO’s internal and external web pages ;
- Analyze data and documents to compile statistics, graphs and results to be used for the preparation of customized reports ;
- Assist in the preparation of the annual report ;
- Assist in the preparation of PowerPoint presentations, communication materials and meeting minutes ;
- Assist with the preparation of workshop and seminars.
- LOCATION AND DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT :
The consultant will carry out his/her assignment from the Bank’s Headquarters, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. In order to assist the consultant to complete the assignment successfully, the Bank will provide working space, access to the Bank’s IT facilities and tools currently used by SNSO.
The consultancy contract is expected to start approximately on or around May 3rd, 2021 and be completed over a period of three (3) months. The contract is renewable.
The consultant will be paid total lump sum remuneration per calendar month. Other details related to the Bank’s contribution and obligations will be specified in the consultant’s Service Contract.
- SELECTION CRITERIA :
The consultant must have :
- Graduate degree in Law or related disciplines ;
- Between 7 to 10 years maximum of relevant professional experience in a law firm, dispute resolution body, anti-corruption and procurement matters ;
- Fully proficient computer skills, particularly in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint ;
- Well-developed document drafting and editing skills and ability to handle complex documentation matters ;
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to deal sensitively in multicultural environments ;
- Integrity, discretion and ability to keep and protect confidential information are highly required ;
- Excellent ability to communicate in English and good knowledge of French.
The selection criteria will be based primarily on the evaluation of consultants’ CV, as well as their experience in undertaking similar activities with other firms and their availability.