Republic of Iraq

Emergency Operation for Development Project

Infrastructure and Services Sector

Project ID No. P155732

Reference No: EODP – RF/C5

(Beneficiary Research Survey consultancy)

The Government of Iraq received a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), one of the World Bank Group institutions, toward the cost of the Iraq Emergency Operation for Development Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consultant services.

Introduction and Background: The Government of Iraq (GoI) faces the dual challenge of stabilizing liberated municipal areas and immediately initiating emergency infrastructure reconstruction and service restoration activities before commencing longer term development projects. With the aim to promote national reconciliation and unity in Iraq, the World Bank along with other donor partners are supporting GoI develop a post-conflict reconstruction framework addressing issues such as security, political reconciliation, justice, human rights and economic and social reconstruction. In this context, the World Bank has elaborated the Iraq Emergency Operation for Development (hereafter "the Project") which is designed to complement the stabilization efforts with the immediate implementation of reconstruction and rehabilitation of priority infrastructure subprojects to restore the delivery of public services in targeted municipal areas. The project cost is US$350 million and will be implemented over five years from July 2015 to June 2020 in Salah Al-Din (Tikrit, Dour, Al Dalooeyya, and Al-Alam) and Diyala (Jalula, As-Sadiya and Al-AAzeeam). This project will promote inclusive recovery and reconstruction processes through a three-pronged approach consisting of: (i) creation of an enabling environment for the recovery and reconstruction of the liberated areas, (ii) effective and timely implementation of the recovery and reconstruction activities, and (iii) the formulation and financing of an integrated and coherent regional development framework for the liberated areas.

The government's recovery strategy is to jumpstart the delivery of basic infrastructure and services and rehabilitate critical infrastructure in the areas liberated from the insurgency. This would be one of the first steps in ensuring trust-building and reconciliation associated with the return of state officials. Significant social tensions may exist among resident populations in the cities that have been exposed to the civil unrest and violence, and a return of the state following prolonged absence could risk exacerbating these tensions unless accompanied by participatory processes that can increase accountability.

The GoI acknowledges that a major success factor for the project is the need to re-establish the trust of citizens in the liberated areas in their government and public institutions through its capacity to effectively engage and communicate with its stakeholders and promote understanding and buy-into the project throughout its implementation phase.  One of the tools of engagement is to undertake series research surveys of beneficiaries, starting with a baseline line study and following up intermittently with tracer surveys, in order to initiate a dynamic tracking of beneficiary attitudes, perceptions and aspirations on each of the project components, for each of the Municipalities concerned. This EoI is targeted at looking for a potential consultancy to undertake a Beneficiary Baseline Survey in all seven Municipalities during the last quarter of 2016.

Objective: The services is to support the Reconstruction Fund (RF) responsible for overseeing the reconstruction of damages through this Project in carrying out activities relevant to monitoring and evaluation of the project in order to: (i) ensure that that Beneficiary attitudes, perceptions and aspirations on each of the project components, for each of the Municipalities concerned is collected and analyzed; and (ii) enable the RF's Project Coordination Unit (PCU) to build into their program design.  Each municipality will be divided by clusters of approximately 150 households or if enumerator district maps exist, by enumerator area, within which a randomly selected sample of between 26 and 30 households will be selected. A Kirsch chart will be used to select household members to ensure a good representation of household heads, by gender and by age. More than one member of a household might be interviewed.  The consultancy will be encouraged to work with local partners or enumerators in each of the seven municipalities.

The Reconstruction Fund now invites eligible consultancies to indicate their interest in providing the services.

Applicants for this consultancy assignment should provide team members profile which emphasizes the following Skills/Knowledge/Competencies:

•  Acquired state-of-the-art knowledge in field of social development research and has the ability to deploy a multi-disciplinary team of enumerators in seven municipalities to research the range of issues related to the Reconstruction Fund (RF) mandate.
• Substantial and diverse experience in all facets of social research, including the proven ability to conceptualize, design and implement major quantitative and qualitative research surveys/programs.
• Proven record of similar consultant services or work experience (demonstrate ability to complete research surveys/projects of similar scope, magnitude (complexity and budget) on a tight schedule,
• In-depth knowledge of national/international trends, socio-political-economic issues, and conditions and developments related to assigned areas related to the RF mandate.
• Availability of appropriate skills among staff (general technical qualifications),
• Availability of key staff in Baghdad, Iraq, who are fluent in in Arabic and English, or capacity to make such staff available.
• Availability of field enumerators in the seven municipalities where the research will be conducted, or capacity to make such staff available.

Consultants may associate with other firms either when submitting the proposal or when awarded (private sector, academic institutions and civil society) to form joint venture or in sub consultancy relationships to enhance their team ability and qualifications. Any and all such associates to be clearly shown, all delegated and /or sub-contracted tasks illustrated and rationale offered as to how the proposed arrangement enhances the proposed team, and a signed letter of availability and commitment from the proposed joint venture company and/or sub-consultancy needs to be included.

The consultancy will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank's Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (January 2011 revised on July 2014), Quality and cost Selection method.

Interested consultancies may obtain further information at the address below during office hours (0900 to 1400 hours).

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below by (August 31, 2016). 12:00 hours Baghdad time.

Iraqi Reconstruction Fund

Attention: Dr. Abdul Basit Turki Saeed

Title: Head of Reconstruction Fund

[Al Jaderyia, Ministres' street nr. 29, Ministerial Compound, villa no. 11]

[Baghdad, Iraq , Al Jaderyia post office, P.O. Box no. 2234]

Tel: [+9647901461419]

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]