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 – SELECTION OF AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

NAME OF PROJECT : Integrated Public Financial Management Reform Project, II

Assignment Title : “Consultancy for the Development of an HR Administrative & Operations Manual for the Comptroller & Accountant General Department : PMU-IPFMRP II-Ministry of Finance and Development Planning”

Financing Agreement reference : 2100155034068

Project ID No. : P-LR-K00-014

Reference No. IPFMRPII/C/IC/1.2.3.1-AfDB

Selection Method : Individual Consultant

Issue Date : August 5, 2020

End Date : August 21, 2020

 

INTRODUCTION :

The Government of Liberia has been implementing a wide range of public financial management reforms that are essential for effective budget execution and service delivery. Accounting for the utilization of the financial resources each year is a critical aspect of these reforms that are central to the Comptroller and Accountant General’s Office. The Office of the Comptroller and Accountant General is responsible for managing all public moneys payable into the consolidated fund, making payments on behalf of Government, as well as compiling and managing all public accounts of the Government.

The Government recently approved the Amended and Restated PFM Act of 2009 into law on October 22, 2019. Under the Amended Act, the Division of the Comptroller and Accountant General becomes a Department within the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. On March 10, 2020, the Honorable Minister of Finance and Development Planning issued a circular informing the public of the creation of the Comptroller and Accountant General’s Department within the MFDP in line with Section 12.3 of the Amended and Restated PFM Act. The circular also advised the Department of Budget to ensure the inclusion of the new Department with the appropriate budgetary support within in the FY 2020/21 National Budget under the auspices of the MFDP.

Currently, regular operations of the Comptroller and Accountant General Office is led by the Comptroller and Accountant General, who is supported by sectional Directors, under whose administration and supervision, directives are carried out. Presently, the CAG’s Office lacks an Administrative and Operations Manual that guides its daily operations. The day-to-day operations are guided by existing policy documents such as the Civil Service Procedural Manual, the PFM Law and its attending Regulations. The MFDP now sees it imperative to develop the appropriate policy tools and guidelines to effectively and better coordinate the functionaries of the CAG Department, to deliver on its statutory mandate as prescribed in the Amended and Restated PFM Law. The development of an Operation Manual is an integral part of the restructuring of the CAG Office to help improve its quality system management. The manual would provide individuals with guidance for the continuous maintenance of transparency, accountability, quality, and integrity of the services that they deliver. It will further guide the systemic operations of the CAG’s day to day functions and minimize misunderstanding among employees in the event of salary increment, up-gradation of post, leaves, and benefits, among others.

The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, has received funding for the second phase of the Integrated Public Financial Management Reform Project (IPFMRP-II) funded by the African Development Bank. The primary project objective is to improve accountability and transparency in PFM systems. The project is composed of many subcomponents, and one of them is to strengthen the Comptroller and Accountant General Office. The project intends to apply part of the proceeds of the funding for eligible payment under the contract to hire an individual consultant with expertise in human resources management and experience in developing an HR manual to prepare an Administrative and Operations Manual for

the Comptroller and Accountant General’s Department.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT :

The objective of this assignment is to hire an Individual Consultant to develop an Administrative and Operational Manual for the Comptroller and Accountant’s General Department of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, as enshrined in the Amended and Restated PFM Act of 2019.

SCOPE OF THE SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED :

The consultant is expected to undertake the following responsibilities in delivering the product :

  1. Review, assess and analyze all the necessary existing HR documents to guide the preparation of an Administrative and Operational Manual for the Comptroller and Accountant General’s Department, as embedded in the Amended and Restated PFM Act of 2019. This should include a review of existing Human Resource policies, including but not limited to equal job opportunity, equal pay for work of equal value, incentive calculation, equal access to training and career advancement, job description and promotion scale and wage market survey for similar jobs ;
  2. Engage all stakeholders, collect, review and analyze all the necessary documents to fully understand the administrative framework of the Comptroller and Accountant General’s Department ;
  3. Review the structure of the CAG’s Department in consultation with the relevant stakeholders and develop an organization chart detailing a complete reorganization of the CAG’s Department with the full description of the various functionaries ;
  4. Develop a complete Manual that takes into consideration equal opportunities for both genders for recruitment, precise payroll scale, equal access to training, incentive based on productivity, fair remuneration package, grievance and disciplinary procedures, employees’ social protection/ insurance plans, promotion scale, working hours and motivation scheme ;
  5. Develop clear key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance appraisal forms and policies for employees’ learning plans and career advancement ;
  6. Conduct validation sessions of the draft document with stakeholders of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, especially the Comptroller and Accountant General’s Department ;
  7. Provide training and support on the manual to target individuals from the CAG Department to explain the policies developed.
  1. DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT :

The assignment shall be completed within two (2) months after signing of the contract.

  1. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES :

The Consultant shall submit the documents summarized below to the Comptroller and Accountant General or such personnel as may be appointed by the Comptroller and Accountant General. All documents/reports will be issued in English, submitted in both hard and electronic copies.

The consultant shall provide the following key reports :

  1. Inception Report (due 10 days after kickoff of the assignment) : The Consultant shall prepare a brief inception report highlighting his/her understanding of the assignment and the methodology to be employed. The Report will also include : (a) Initial findings following the desk review of relevant documents and consultations with agency heads, key personnel, and other stakeholders; (b) An elaboration of the work plan; (c) List and contacts of key stakeholders to be engaged; (d) A proposed methodology, plan and dates for the stakeholder workshop; (e) proposed outline for the Administrative and Operational Manual ;
  2. Draft Administrative and Operations Manual : This report should be submitted within 45 calendar days of the commencement of the assignment, and must incorporate all the requirements of the Terms of Reference ;
  3. Workshop : This activity is to be done within 45 calendar days of the commencement of the assignment and will bring together all the key agency personnel of the CAG Office and other complementary Offices to a half-day Review and Training Workshop after the submission of the draft manual. The CAG Office will be responsible for implementing the logistical arrangements concerning the venue and provide the necessary support for the attendance of relevant stakeholders and assisting with the required devices to do the presentations ;
  4. Final Draft Administrative and Operations Manual : This should be submitted within fifty calendar days after the commencement of the assignment. The manual shall incorporate all comments and inputs provided by the Government during the validation and training exercise. The Government will further review the manual to ensure that all comments have been incorporated by the consultant ;
  5. Final Report : This should be within 60 calendar days after the commencement of the contract, which would have incorporated any final recommendations and inputs of the stakeholders.

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ASSIGNMENT  :

Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the minimum required qualifications and relevant experience to performing the services. The selection criteria are as follows :

  1. A post-graduate or equivalent qualification in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Development Study, Humanities or any other relevant discipline ;
  2. Minimum 5 years of prior work experience with appropriate references in dealing with institutional setups especially in the public sector ;
  3. Minimum 5 years of demonstrated knowledge and relevant experience in developing HR Manual/ Operational and Administrative Manual/ Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for institutions in both the public or private sectors ;
  4. Demonstrated experience and skills in facilitating stakeholder/working group consultations.

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 providing a list of similar assignments performed with references and submitting Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and copies of academic credentials, 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’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016, Revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Procurement Regulations”). A firm will be selected using the Individual Consultant Selection (ICS) Method set out in the Procurement Policy Framework referenced above.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form or by email to the address below on or before 21st August, 2020 @ 1700 hours (GMT) and indicate in the Email subject line or on the outer envelope “Consultancy for the Development of an HR Administrative & Operations Manual for the Comptroller & Accountant General Department: PMU-IPFMRP II-Ministry of Finance and Development Planning”.

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 : [email protected], and copied to [email protected]