Recrutement d’un cabinet pour la collecte de données d’enquêtes au niveau des ménages et des communautés : Kenya Last Mile Connectivity Project

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION (IDEV)

Impact Evaluation of Kenya’s Last Mile Connectivity Project (Phase I)

Household and Community-level Survey Data Collection

Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Recruitment of a National Consulting Firm

The Independent Development Evaluation function (IDEV) of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB or the Bank) is undertaking an Impact Evaluation of the Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP, Phase I) in Kenya. Overall, the electrification project aims to increase access to electricity among poor households, firms, and healthcare centres in rural Kenya. IDEV, therefore, invites National Consultancy Firms with demonstrated experience in conducting large-scale household and community-level surveys to express interest in the above-mentioned data collection assignment ;

The data collection will focus on the Bank-funded Last Mile Connectivity Project approved in 2014 and scheduled to close in 2020. The project aims to maximize the use of 35,000 distribution transformers, spread across the 47 counties in Kenya, by extending the low-voltage network to reach households (1.2 million people) within 600 meters of existing transformers ;

The project is spread across Kenya’s 47 counties, and especially focuses on low-income customers within a transformer protection distance of 600 meters. The project comprises of the following components: i) Construction of a 12,000 km network of distribution lines ;

Installation of equipment for the connection of a minimum of 284,200 customers and a minimum of 30,000 commercial users; iii) Project supervision and Management, and iv) Capacity building activities in targeted areas of expertise ;

The overall objective of the Impact Evaluation is to inform the mid-term review of the Bank Group’s Strategy for the NDEA (2016-2025) by identifying lessons and potential areas for improvement. It primarily aims to provide credible evidence-based information on the impacts of AfDB funded energy projects.

The specific evaluation objectives are to :

1. Assess to what extent reliable and new access to electricity have been achieved by the project ;
2. Assess to what extent employment, in particular for women has been achieved by the project ;
3. Assess achievement of health and educational outcomes by the project, with a specific interest for girls ;
4. Assess to what extent productive use of energy, especially small businesses have been accomplished by the project ;
5. Assess Poverty reduction and increase in household income of beneficiaries as a result of the project; and
6. Assess Environmental and social impact of the project ;
7. The contribution of the project to the financial sustainability of the power utility, specifically on Kenya Power and Lighting Company.

Overall, the impact evaluation is expected to quantify the socioeconomic impacts of increased access to electricity (and usage) for connected households and small and medium enterprises (SME) under the project area, and finally, identify key barriers to increased electricity usage and other benefits that accrue from it, including unintended consequences.

Scope of the Assignment :

The key roles and responsibilities for the Consulting Firm are conducting the survey at the household and community level based on the sample size and strategy determined by the BDEV’s Evaluation Team. Provisionally, the evaluation plans to collect data from 3500 households. The data collection surveys will be spread across counties, communities, and households identified by the evaluation team in consultation with key stakeholders in the project’s implementation, such as Kenya’s Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy

Corporation (REREC). The sample size will be subject revisions based on the Minimal Detectable Effect (MDE) established by the evaluation team. Importantly, the Consulting

Firm will be responsible for obtaining approvals related to the survey’s implementation.

The scope of the assignment will comprise of the following activities :

1. Recruitment and Training of field staff : The Consulting Firm will be responsible for recruiting field staff and the organization of training activities. The Firm will assign, field, equip, supervise, and compensate all enumerators it needs to carry out the survey. The Firm will also participate in the preparation of the training manual in collaboration with the evaluation team. Recruited enumerators will be jointly trained by the Firm and the evaluation team. A minimum of 3 days of training will be conducted for all field staff. This includes comprehensive training for supervisors, interviewers, and data-entry agents to create a team environment. The training should include a review of the theory behind the topic and the objectives of the questionnaire module ;
2. Managing Field Operations : The Firm will be responsible for all field operations, including logistical arrangements for data collection and obtaining the consent of respondents. This includes field supplies and the tablets required for data entry. It will also be responsible for contacting local officials and village leaders to explain the project and obtain community consent for the data collection survey. Also, the Firm will obtain maps, lists and other community records as required ;
3. Pre-testing of Survey Questionnaire : The survey module of the relevant questions in English will be provided to the recruited Firm. In consultation with the evaluation team, it will adapt the survey questionnaire to the specific study context. This includes re-writing the questions for appropriateness and translation into the local language, if necessary. Furthermore, the Firm will be responsible for pre-testing and piloting the questionnaire. After the pre-test and pilot survey, the questionnaire will be revised based on errors detected in the pre-test and translated into the local language, if necessary. The final set of questionnaires will be used in the actual implementation ;
4. Data Collection and Entry : Data collection will be conducted by trained enumerators following a specified schedule. The firm is expected to hire interviewers who have a working knowledge of languages in the survey areas. It is also responsible for ensuring that delays in data collection are mitigated. For efficiency and data integrity, the data collection will be undertaken using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) using SurveyCTO. The Firm is expected to collect night-time satellite imagery data in sampled villages, including the GPS coordinates for each surveyed county, community, and household. The final clean dataset must be submitted separately in EXCEL and STATA formats, respectively. These skills and competencies should be demonstrated in the REOI ;
5. Preparation of Fieldwork Progress Reports : The Firm will provide brief bi-weekly progress reports indicating the number of surveys completed, problems encountered, and how they were resolved (for example, the number of replacement households and why they were necessary) and the number of questionnaires entered in SurveyCTO. The Firm should also give the field team an opportunity to discuss any problems related to supervision, fieldwork organization, and data entry issues in the Progress Report ;
6. Acquisition of GIS and Remote Sensing Data : The Consulting Firm will include a local GIS expert with extensive connections to the Kenyan government and research agencies. The GIS expert will assist the evaluation team to formally request and get GIS data through official government protocols. GIS and night-time satellite imagery data will provide an opportunity to monitor physical changes in the environment over a period of time due to the project interventions.

Deliverables and Timeline : The data collection is expected to take place between 1-31 August 2020 in Kenya.

Required Skills and Qualification :

The Firm must meet the following minimum requirements :

1. Legal status recognized by the Government of Kenya, enabling the organization to perform the above-mentioned tasks under Kenyan laws ;
2. Ability to obtain ethical approval for human subjects’ research from the related government department/ministry ;
3. Minimum of 5 years’ experience in managing a large-scale household and community-level surveys of similar scale to the above assignment. Experience working in energy sector-related surveys such as electricity access is preferred ;
4. Strong capacity and experience in planning and organizing survey logistics ;
5. A good network of experienced enumerators, supervisors and data entry clerks ;
6. Strong capacity in data management and statistics ;
7. Strong knowledge in the following software: EXCEL, SurveyCTO and STATA ;
8. Strong interpersonal skills and a team-oriented spirit ;
9. Flexibility to respond to unexpected events such as changes in survey sites.

Personnel Requirements for the Assignment

1. Core survey team : The Consulting Firm must have a minimum of the following full-time : staff members: Project Manager, Field Manager and Data Manager, and Senior Economist. While the Consulting Firm will determine the number of field teams in consultation with the Evaluation Team, each field team should be comprised of a supervisor, enumerators, and field data-entry agents ;
2. Project Manager : Plans, supervises and manages the entire survey with the assistance of the field and data managers. The Project Manager must be based in-country for the entire duration of the survey and must have experience in managing large-scale household surveys of at least 3500 households; relevant degree in management, or other relevant fields; and specific training in survey management ;
3. Field Manager : Responsible for training of field staff; plans, supervises and manages the fieldwork. The Field Manager must have experience in managing fieldwork of large-scale household surveys of at least 3500 households; degree in management, or other relevant fields; and specific training in survey management ;
4. Data Manager : Plans, supervises and manages data entry, error checking, processing and consolidation of data. The Data Manager must have experience in managing data entry of large –scale household surveys of at least 3500 households; a degree in statistics or other relevant disciplines; specific training in data entry and cleaning for household survey management, specific training and experience in using statistical packages such as EXCEL, SurveyCTO, and STATA ;
5. Senior Economist : Expected to have a strong background in manipulating household survey data, with a technical understanding of methodological challenges in econometrics, impact evaluations, preferably in electricity access programs, and strong experience in non-experimental methods. An advanced degree in Economics is preferable.

Application Process :

The Independent Evaluation Department invites National Consultancy Firms to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. Interested Firms should notify their interest to IDEV no later than Wednesday, 1 July 2020 and provide the following documentation in support of the EOI :

1. An updated CV, including those of other team members ;
2. Details of similar assignments completed recently and in the past 5 years, with links to data collection reports/or services provided to similar clients ;
3. References and contacts for previous assignments and clients ;
4. Confirmation of their availability during the indicated period.

Please be informed that this Expression of Interest does not involve any binding obligation for recruitment by the Bank at this stage ;

EOIs must be received by email at the addresses below no later than Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 11:59 Abidjan time and specifically mentioning “Expression of Interest for Household and Community-level Survey Data Collection Services: Kenya Last Mile Connectivity Project”.

For the attention of: Mr. Eustace Uzor,

African Development Bank Group.

Independent Evaluation Development (IDEV)

Avenue Joseph Anoma

01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01- Côte d’Ivoire

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Telephone : +225 2026 5592

Email : [email protected]

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