Request for Proposal (RFP) - Consultancy for Developing an Electronic Tracker and Tool at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Posted by Future on Wed 16th Feb, 2022 - nigeriantenders.com

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) invites interested ICT firm(s) to express interest by submitting RFP documents for the following works:

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is an organisation that seeks to transform African agriculture from a subsistence model to strong businesses that improve the livelihoods of the continent’s farming households.

AGRA is an alliance led by Africans with roots in farming communities across the continent. We understand that African farmers need uniquely African solutions designed to meet their specific environmental and agricultural needs so they can sustainably boost production and gain access to rapidly growing agriculture markets.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Request for Proposal (RFP) - Consultancy for Developing an Electronic Tracker and Tool for AGRA supported Policy and Regulatory Reforms Across Core Agricultural Systems in Target African Countries

Background

Over the years, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has been supporting the strengthening of core agricultural systems and support services that bring services to a farmer, including seeds, fertilizers, markets, finance, extension services, as well as the broader strength of government in providing policy and state capability services for the functioning of these systems. The vision of AGRA’s work in the various target systems is to address systematic bottlenecks affecting SMEs and smallholder farmers’ access to valuable services and develop efficient distribution networks that ensure that farmers have access to good quality and affordable inputs, as well as access to viable markets. To achieve this, AGRA works to support governments to champion policy and regulatory reforms that drive inclusive transformation of agriculture and create incentives for increased private sector participation in markets, which increases competition and enhances efficiency.

AGRA’s approach to supporting these micro policy and regulatory reforms follows an adapted policy cycle process, which aims at supporting critical stages of policy progression, from initiation of specific policy reforms, development of policy options, and approval of options by cabinet, to approval of legislation by parliament and move these policies to implementation of legislation including developing regulations, and guidelines.

To facilitate monitoring and tracking of progress across the various pieces of policies, AGRA has been tracking several policies supported across core agricultural systems, documenting the key processes and milestones, as well as highlighting the status of each policy under reform. Looking ahead, AGRA intends to advance to an electronic Policy Tracker that is envisioned to meet the increasing demand for information and communicating policy interventions beyond the interface of AGRA partnerships.

Therefore, AGRA is therefore seeking to procure an ICT firm to develop an e-based tracking tool with clear visuals such as an interactive dashboard and or interactive map that enables tracking, documentation, and visualization of Policy investments within AGRA and in the countries we work in. The tracker will be a tool that will service two major constituencies namely (i) inward AGRA facing to inform AGRA Staff and management on the progress of policy reforms and (ii) an outward facing supporting governments and other stakeholders for effectively communicating important policy progress and actions as well as information to partners, stakeholders, and other end users. The e-Dashboard should be readily and publicly accessible as a means of sharing more information on AGRA’s work and influence, as well as allowing for public stakeholders to use it to determine changes in the policy landscape. This will also be linked to our related workstream, the Strengthening Agricultural Policy Practice in Africa (SAPPA), which examines the overall agricultural policy landscape across the continent.

Objectives of the Assignment

The overall objective of the assignment is to design, develop, and deploy a comprehensive computerized and web-enabled dashboard for AGRA’s Policy Tracker and portal which is fully functional and user friendly. Also, to help track and manage transactions in a manner that provides the right information to the right set of people at the right time for efficient process flow and decision making.

In addition, it will help track and manage transactions in a manner that provides the right information to the right set of people at the right time for efficient process flow and decision making. This portal will be the platform for providing useful and timely updates on the key policy processes, milestones, success stories, learnings and key outcomes emerging on the agricultural landscape due to AGRA’s interventions in the policy space.

Scope of Work

User Requirement Assessment - The Consultant shall:

Improve familiarity with the project activities through project documentation, field visits, and discussions with different stakeholders.
Determine detailed user requirements for the Information System based on business requirements of AGRA at various levels including:
Determination of stakeholders (all who have a role in data acquisition, processing, reporting, or use/decision making)
Determination of various types of reporting content, formats, and frequency
Basic information flow requirements (into, within, and out)
Additional hardware/ software/ dataset requirements.
Detail design recommendations in a Systems Requirement Study for the proposed dashboard.
The design should be based on close interaction with the AGRA and be flexible to incorporate changes in activities or future phases of the project/program.

AGRA Policy Document Tracker:

Data Management:
- The Dashboard (Main Window). Filter / Search Engine
User Management:
- Easy management of user’s information.
- Adopt Role-Based Access Control to authorize system resources allocation to users based on roles.
- System should allow easy administration of all components by the Super User/Admin.
- Add, edit, and delete user and its password.
- Encryption – Passwords must always be stored in an encrypted format in the database. Consultant/Developer must use universally accepted encryption standards that helps protect against the threat of malicious activity by performing real-time encryption and decryption of the database.
- Include up-to-date CAPTCHA program as a remedy to stop spam and other intrusions wherever required.
Workflow Management:
- Document Routing
- Assign tasks to multiple users
- Options to add, edit and delete workflow
Back Up Management:
- The system shall have the capability to automatically back up and export database and all its documents.
Reports:
- The system shall have a filter/search management on what particular reports to print, export and download.
Other Features:
- Support for all file types with ability to drag & drop files and folders. (PDF, XLS, DOCX, etc.)
- Ensure compatibility to all the browsers (Mozilla Firefox, internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari).
- Easy to use, intuitive user-experience and responsive web design
- Mobile Friendly
- Download and Print documents (Access restrictions) – these policy documents being Government Documents, there should be limited access to downloading and printing the various draft versions until the document is considered the final adopted Policy Document.
- Maintain and ensure that the system supports maximum concurrent users.
- The system should run optimally (page load time below 3 seconds)
- The system should be uploaded in the AGRA website subdomain. (www.agra.org)
- The system should provide audit trails and logs mechanism for content changes performed by system users.
- The system shall notify the users for all activities through email.
- Alert or notify the records management unit all records due for disposition in accordance with AGRA Records Disposition Schedule.
- The system will automatically generate and print Acknowledgment Receipt for all communications incoming.
- The system should have enhanced multilingual search engine optimization (SEO) with minimum language indicator for English, French and Portuguese.

Deliverables

The ICT firm is expected to deliver the following:

A Functional Online Portal, featuring a dashboard that allows for uploading of data in online/offline modes and incorporates tracking and flexible reporting mechanisms, as well as data analytics that facilitates multivariate analyses, amongst others.
An Interactive Map -The ICT firm shall develop an interactive map with enhanced data visualization and analytics features – fully completed and functional data visualization module that is customized for presenting important policy updates, including country-level data/reports as well as progress at regional level.
Offline module interface - The consultancy firm shall deliver a system with offline and online capabilities accessible using different access devices including common mobile Operating Systems.
Training - The Consultancy firm shall provide training on the data and content management system to designated AGRA staff and selected partners. In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual tools will be considered for this training.
A User Manual - The Consultancy firm shall provide comprehensive step-by-step user and technical manuals that will guide AGRA staff on using and maintaining the system.
Provide Source Codes - The Consultant shall provide all source codes arising from this assignment

On top of these software and support materials, the Consultancy firm is expected to deliver the following as per the reporting schedule:

Inception Report - The Consultant shall produce an Inception Report within 7 days after the contract is signed. The report shall provide a clear picture of how the Consultant understands the ToRs and intends to achieve the expected tasks. It shall highlight the proposed methodology and the work plan with timelines for all the tasks that the Consultant will undertake during the assignment.
Requirements Specification Report - The Consultant shall present a report detailing the requirements of the system and a prototype model for internal review within 14 working days after commencement of the assignment and consultations with designated AGRA staff. The report shall be presented for validation and incorporate feedback and comments from the discussions reflected in a workflow configuration.
User and System Documentation - Upon completion of system development and project specific development work, the Consultancy firm shall provide a step-by-step guidance on the system use and a comprehensive training manual for managing front and back-end of the system.
Audit Trail Report - Easy to generate a detailed tracker of all data and system changes within the system for user-defined retention periods.
Completion Report - Upon completion of the assignment, the Consultant shall submit a final completion report. The report shall outline all web development work undertaken, including characteristics of the system developed. Any follow-ups and/or recommendations shall also be included in the report.

Key Qualifications and Experience Required

The firm shall:

Have extensive experience in carrying out similar assignments i.e. experience in web development technologies, covering the entire software development life cycle of secure knowledge-based cloud-based systems, design and development of digital data collection, analysis, and visualization solutions as integral functions of developed web-platforms.
Experience undertaking similar assignments in Africa.
Propose key personnel with the following qualifications, experience and competencies: The team members should have skills that complement each other to facilitate effective delivery of the assignment. The key positions should include but not limited to the following: Lead Consultant/Project team leader, Associate Consultant, ICT specialist, Web development Specialist, etc.

Lead Consultant/Team Leader:

At least a bachelor’s degree in the relevant field.
At least five years of experience in web development technologies, covering the entire software development life cycle of secure knowledge-based cloud-based systems.
Experience in the design and development of digital data collection, analysis, and visualization solutions as integral functions of developed web-platforms.
Evidence of having undertaken similar activities in Africa or elsewhere.
Demonstrated ability to develop cloud-based solutions that promote knowledge co-creation, knowledge exchange, continuous learning, and innovation
Demonstration of solid knowledge of and experience in Open-Source Content Management Solutions may be an added advantage.
Experience developing cloud-based information and knowledge systems and tools for international organizations, public or not for profit organizations.

Associate Consultant(s):

At least a bachelor’s degree in the relevant field.
At least three years of experience in web development technologies, covering the entire software development life cycle of secure knowledge-based cloud-based systems.
Experience in the design and development of digital data collection, analysis, and visualization solutions as integral functions of developed web-platforms.
Evidence of having undertaken similar activities in Africa or elsewhere.
Demonstrated ability to develop cloud-based solutions that promote knowledge co-creation, knowledge exchange, continuous learning, and innovation
Demonstration of solid knowledge of and experience in Open-Source Content Management Solutions may be an added advantage.
Experience developing cloud-based information and knowledge systems and tools for international organizations, public or not for profit organizations.

Application Closing Date

5:00pm (EAT), 28th February, 2022.

Submission of Documents

The proposals SHALL be submitted to: procurement@agra.org by the deadline indicated in the synopsis. Please include the subject line “RFP-006-POLICY-2022” of the email.

Note

The Proposals shall be prepared in English Language.
The technical proposal shall not exceed 20 pages.
The proposal and ALL Attachments submitted via email SHALL NOT exceed 10MB.
VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for a period of 90 days from the date of bid closure.
Financial proposal shall be sent as a separate attachment and MUST be password protected. The password shall be requested from the firm that meet the best technical score above 75%.

Click Here (Ms Word) for a detailed description of the RFP.