AF: National Solidarity Program III - P117103
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) | Published January 5, 2015 - Deadline January 19, 2015
International Individual Consultant: Change Management Advisor
Request for Expressions of Interest (REoI) For
International Individual Consultant: Change Management Advisor
(Reference # MRRD/CMU/IC01)
Country: Afghanistan
Ministry: Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation &Development (MRRD)
Type: International Individual Consultant
Project ID: P 117103 NSP(MRRD/Change Management)
Grant#: AF098459-AF
IssueDate: 05th January 2015
Closing Date: 19th January 2015
I. General Introduction:
MRRD's ultimate goal is to reduce povertyin the rural areas of Afghanistan, wherethree-quarters of the Afghanpopulation live, many of them in severe poverty. Through its actions,MRRD aims to pave the way forother actors, including Government, civil society and the private sector, to complement its endeavours.
The development context in which MRRD works is set out in the Afghanistan NationalDevelopment Strategy (ANDS),expanded in the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector Strategy (ARDSS), and expressed inprogrammatic terms through four National Priority Programs (NPPs) in which the Ministry is directly involved via the Agricultureand Rural Development (ARD) Cluster of Government ministries (of which the MRRD Minister is Co-ordinator).
To assist the Ministry in responding to this context, a Strategic Intent document hasbeen agreed, setting out the Ministry's approaches to community-level governance, poverty reduction and socio-economic growth, andidentifying focal areas of work and objectives. Linked to this, a Change Management Plan has been drafted and agreed and is underpartial implementation.
II. Change Management within theMRRD
To respond to the need to provide sustainable services, MRRD recognises the need to moveaway from the programmatic operational mode to mainstreaming its core functions within its directorates and field offices. Thiswill bring in both efficiency and effectiveness in the long run, and help reduce the reliance on contract staff and transform MRRDto a ministry operated and managed by its civil servants. The latter can only be achieved by investing in skills development of theexisting and possibly new civil servants through a Change Management process and bringing contract staff onto the "tashkeel"(Afghan civil service) through the defined 'Capacity Building for Results (CBR)' process initiated by the WorldBank.
The Change Management Plan of MRRD aims to transform the Ministry directorates,departments and field units to operate more efficiently, cost-effectively and with greater transparency. The main objective ofthis reform process is to strengthen the capacity of MRRD Directorates/Departments through: (a) systems development; (b)capacity building and (c) technical assistance (TA), which will enable them take over the functions presently performed bytheindividual MRRD Programs. This shift is even more crucial going forward in that the five large Programs within the MRRD will bestreamlinedinto one Program in the short to medium term.
The implementation of the change managementplan therefore involvean overarching organizational and functional review of the entire ministry including all the Directorates,Departments, Programs, Provincial Rural Rehabilitation and Development Directorates (PRRDs) and the MRRD's current and futuredistrict-level presence. This will ensure a collaborative approach with a unified environment between the Directorates andPrograms. In addition, the Change Management Plan envisages to devolve planning, budgeting and financial authority from the centre to the PRRDs. Thedelegation of authority will require policy, procedure and regulatory changes, particularly with regardsto the delegated planning,budgeting and financial authority given toPRRDs. In delivering this change, the MRRD team will actively seek cross-Governmentsupport and agreement to enable these necessary and far-reaching changes.
In 2010, the leadership of the Ministry established a Change Management Unit toco-ordinate the reform process.The aim was to deliver targeted institutional and humancapacity building activities, so as toachieve sustainable rural development outcomes and reduce the cost of service delivery through mainstreaming ofprograms activities into the core functions of the MRRD's directorates anddepartments. The reform process is expected to significantly increase the capacity of civil servants in MRRD. However, with the newstrategic vision, the need to create and establish synergies and the streamlining of the Programs, empowering the MRRDDirectorates/Departments and field units to implement the Programs' activities in the future is a major undertaking. With supportfrom the European Union and the World Bank, the MRRD will implement the Change Management Plan to empower the Directorates, buildthe capacity of civil staff and reduce the duplication of functions within MRRD.
III. Roles & Responsibilities forthe Consultant
§ The Change Management Advisor, who will work as a Counterpart to the Head of Change Management Unit,will provide technical assistance to the MRRD. The Advisor will guide the implementation of change management plan, which broadlyinclude the MRRD's organizational review, management systems development, and training and capacity building. Specifically, he/shewill also provide help the MRRD to hire consultancy firms to undertake for the organizational review of the Ministry; and developmanagement systems (including policies, procedures and regulations), and train and build capacity of the staff to take on newresponsibilities and use the newly developed systems. Based on the grant agreement and project documents for the Change Management process, the MRRD's revised strategicintent document, the project documents and grant agreements of the existing MRRD Programs, the ToRs of the currently establishedDirectorates and Departments within the MRRD, and other documentation (as available) related to the MRRD's current and proposedmandates and structure undertake the following tasks: Prepare detailed Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the hiring of internationalconsulting firms to undertake the organizational review of MRRD; and developmanagement systems, and training and capacity building of the staff.
§ Supportthe Change Management Unit in the procurement of these international management and technical consulting firms, includingassistance with selection process, such reviewing the expressions of interest, technical and financial proposals, and peerreviewing the evaluation reports prepared by the recruitment committees.
§ Oncecontracted, help the Change Management Unit to manage these contracts, including thereviewing the approaches or methodologies being taken by these firms in theorganizational review of the MRRD, providing technical feedback on consultants' outputs at various stages, and clearing the finalreports.
Support the headof Change Management Unit to coordinatethe reform process with the MRRD's directorates, departments, programs and PRRDs.
§ Adviseon the establishment of internal committees and the acquisition of external support from other public institutions (e.g. civilservicecommission, judiciary etc.) to guide the implementation of the ChangeManagement Plan or reformprocess.
§ Reviewperiodically and advise the MRRD leadership on the contractual performance of the contracted firms, and on legal, policy andstrategicissues related to the contracts.
Provide overall technical backstopping to the ChangeManagement Unit of the MRRD, including guidance on the day-to-day implementation of the reformprocess.
§ Providetechnical expertise and strategic guidance to the Change Management Unit on planning, budgeting, and execution of annual work plansand budgets.
§ Providesupport to the Change Management Unit to develop an overall andannual procurement plan for goods and consulting services, as wellasexecution of the plan.
Support the capacity building of the MRRD heads ofdirectorates and departments to ensure their increased understanding of the technical and change management aspects of reforms; andcapacity building programs for greater ownership and sustainability.
§ Develop a system for regular monitoring and reporting (to MRRD leadership and the WorldBank/EU)of the agreed reforms, including the consultative process; rules, procedures and regulations; systems and human resourcedevelopment.
§ Deviseand implement a structured, phased, and measurable knowledge-building and capacity-building program for Change Management Unitstaff to enable them to manage and oversee the implementation of current and new reform processes.
§ Providehands-on support to the Head of the Change Management Unit and MRRD directorates' staff in the areas of planning, budgeting andimplementation of activities, as well as monitoring and final evaluation ofthe reform process.
§ Develop,with the Change Management Unit, specific initiatives to mainstream crosscutting issues such as gender, counter-narcotics andanti-corruption within the implementation process for the Change Management Plan, including identifying agreed indicators ofprogress.
§ Identifywhere shortfalls exist in financial support for Change Management Plan implementation, and identify, based on published or planneddonor strategies and priorities, the most suitable potential funders tomeet identified needs.
§ Reviewthe recommendations made by the contracted technical and management consultancy firms, and based on these recommendations, developthedesign for the Phase II of the Change Management process.
§ Preparequarterly and annual progress reports on the implementation of the Change Management Plan and submit to the MRRD leadership and theWorld Bank/EU.
§ Otherappropriate duties and responsibilities, as assigned by the Head of the Change Management Unit.
IV. Time Schedule
The assignment is expected to start in April 2015 for a periodof 24 continuous months, with possibility of extension by mutual agreement, subject to provenperformance.
V. Qualification Requirements
Academic Qualifications
Master's degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Programme Management, Business Administration, PublicAdministration, International Development, Organizational Development, Change Management orrelated discipline isrequired.
Work Experience
§ A minimum of 8years of direct working experience in senior managerial or advisory positions is required.
§ A minimum of 3years of direct experience of working with organizational structure, civil service reforms, institutional reorganizationorreengineering, structural or organizational changes or similar functions is required.
§ Demonstratedexperience in supporting organizational reform strategies and plans, including direct experience of capacity building among t civilservice staff.
§ Extensiveexperience in cooperation and capacity development with government counterparts.
VI. Other Requirements
§ A goodunderstanding and proven application of all technical aspects of planning and program management and other related tools andmechanisms;
§ Working knowledgeof development issues.
§ Competency inconceptualizing, designing, implementing focused strategies and evaluating outcomes.
§ Strongcommunication skills, ability to handle details and present a persuasive case.
§ Ability to workharmoniously with persons of different nationalities and cultural background issues
§ Initiative andproven ability to work with little supervision.
§ Excellent writtenand verbal English communication skills.
§ Knowledge of Dariand Pashto would be an asset.
§ Skilled use ofMicrosoft Office applications is essential.
VII. DutyStation and Reporting Requirements:
Duty Station: The duty station shall be the Unit of the Change Management Unit, Office of the Deputy Minister forPrograms, located within the MRRD Compound in Darul Aman, Kabul, Afghanistan. However, field travel is also required and anessential part of this consultancy.
Reporting Requirements: The consultant reports to the Offices of the Deputy Minister for Programs,MRRD.
VIII. Submission of Expression of Interest:
The NSP/MRRD now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providingthe services. Interested eligible candidates must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the servicesand are invited to submit their CV (Curriculum Vitae), including employment records, description of similar assignments, experiencein similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, previous remunerations, etc. A consultant will be selected in accordancewith Section V Selection of Individual Consultants procedures set out in the World Bank's Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers, version May2011. Interested consultants may obtain further information from the website indicated below orby email to the contact person indicated below.
Expressions of interest (EoIs) must be delivered to the address below or by E-Mail tothe ID shown below no later than 1400 hours local time on 19th January 2015. The subject line (of the email or the coverletter if submitted in person) should refer to the position being applied both by title and by the reference number stated in thisdocument. Note: No telephone inquiries will be entertained. Address of Focal Person forEnquires and Submission of EoIs:
Attn: Sayed Ahamad Khanzada, Procurement Department, NationalSolidarity Programme (NSP),
a.khanzada@nspafghnaistan.org,
cc:wahidullah.raufi@mrrd.gov.af and cc: mukhtar.ghafarzoy@mrrd.gov.af
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), Afghanistan
Tashkilat Street, Darul Aman Road, Kabul, Afghanistan
Mobile: +93 (0) 700 20 0883
Website: www.mrrd.gov.af, www.nspafghanistan.org