REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

AFRICAN LEGAL SUPPORT FACILITY (ALSF)

IT CONSULTING FIRMS TO DESIGN AND DEVELOP THE ALSF ACADEMY CAPACITY BUILDING PORTAL

Terms of Reference

1. Background information on the African Legal Support Facility

The African Legal Support Facility (the "ALSF" or the "Facility") will procure an information technology and web development firm (the “Firm”) to develop the ALSF Academy Capacity Building Portal (the “Portal”). The Portal will be designed to host the e-learning Courses, to monitor the participation of professionals from various sectors in capacity building programs in Africa, and to attract new interest in the ALSF’s capacity building programmes. The Portal will also comprise a web-based information hub and resource center, where trainees will update their profiles and track-records related to capacity building training, maintain contact with one another, and register for up-coming programmes. The Portal should be intuitive and should demonstrate the best qualities related to modern e-learning, notably: speed, quality of design, logic, innovation, relevance, and accessibility.

The ALSF is based at the African Development Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The ALSF's main objectives include: (i) assisting African governments in defending against litigation brought against them by vulture funds (and other such entities); (ii) providing legal advisory services to African governments in the negotiation of complex commercial transactions relating to extractive resources, infrastructure and public-private partnerships (PPPs), power and sovereign debt; (iii) providing capacity building to professionals related to the above; and (iv) developing relevant knowledge management tools and products.

The suitably qualified Firm is expected to support the process of creating the Portal. The Firm will work with the appropriate ALSF task manager assigned to the Project, with overall guidance from the Director and the Acting Head of Operations.

2. Presentation of the ALSF Academy Project

Since its inception, the ALSF has funded several capacity building programs in the subject areas of: (i) mining, (ii) oil & gas, (iii) power, (iv) infrastructure and PPPs (transport, other non-power infrastructure and services), and (v) sovereign debt (bond issuances, currency risk hedging, and creditor litigation) (the “Key Sectors”).

The purpose of the ALSF Academy Project (the “Project”) is to increase in a sustainable manner the direct and indirect benefits of capacity building trainings on the African continent. It will enable the ALSF to establish cohesive capacity building strategies in the Key Sectors at national and regional levels, which will reduce duplication and increase the participation of Africa’s government officials, academics, Key Sector professionals and civil society

organizations in better tailored training programs. It will also enable the ALSF to develop knowledge management tools which will facilitate the dissemination of capacity building content.

The overall objective of the ALSF Academy Program is to develop and deliver high quality and sustainable Key Sector trainings as well as soft skills training required for a successful legal practice (“Personal and Professional Development” and together with the Key Sectors, the “Knowledge Areas”) for Africa’s government officials, Key Sector professionals, academics and members of civil society organizations.

The specific objectives are:

▪ To standardize the capacity building trainings provided by the ALSF;

▪ To create a multi-level learning program per Knowledge Area;

▪ To increase the use of e-learning for capacity building in the Knowledge Areas;

▪ To develop knowledge tools;

▪ To develop standard documents for projects/transactions in the Key Sectors;

▪ To establish or further the ALSF’s partnerships with other international organizations,

African legal research centres, African academic institutions, bar associations and law

societies, and any other partners with capacity building objectives similar to the ALSF’s.

Additional information on the ALSF Academy Program is available in annex (Annex I).

3. Objectives and Tasks of the Assignment

The Firm will have the following responsibilities:

• Design a web-based e-learning platform, where candidates will complete the 3-level

ALSF Academy Program, update their profiles and track-records related to capacity building

training, maintain contact with one another, and register for up-coming programs;

• Work and liaise with content providers (i.e. ALSF staff and external parties) to identify the

sources of information and possible updates;

• Conceptualize and propose at least three (3) significantly different lay-outs of how the

Portal will look upon completion;

• Ensure that the Portal’s design is intuitive, innovative, and that the underlying technology

is fast and easy-to-use;

• Ensure that the Portal’s database and website functionalities are compliant with

international privacy laws (especially in the European Union);

• Ensure that the Portal’s web interface is accessible and supported on smartphone,

desktop, and tablet devices;

• Manage the Portal’s application architecture, site layout/user interface, database design,

programming and the development aspects of the assignment;

• Maintain adherence to web standards and accessibility;

• Ensure a consistent visual image on the Portal by introducing fixed styles in templates,

ensuring consistency in fonts, formatting, icons, images, layout techniques;

• Ensure the quality of design and content layout;

• Make all training course pages “print-friendly”;

• Consider the design needs for the English and French language versions of the training

courses separately;

• Plan and present a comprehensive timeline for the development of the Portal and

completion of all related tasks;

• Identify the frequency of updates and responsibilities for the management and

maintenance of website content through the preparation of a “management/maintenance

schedule” to be discussed and approved by relevant ALSF staff;

• Determine the appropriate compression techniques, resolutions, sizes, colour maps, and

depths to ensure that images are delivered at sufficiently high speed and quality;

• Check bugs and problems, and develop a troubleshooting system to quickly diagnose

and fix them;

• Develop technical design and functionalities for the Portal;

• Provide a complete technical manual and other relevant documentation related to the use

of the Portal and its core components;

• Perform any other tasks that may be required in order to support the Project objectives.

4. Administration/reporting

The Firm will report to the Knowledge and Strategic Development Advisor who will adequately brief and guide the Firm. 5. Duration of the assignment

The estimated duration of the assignment is six (6) months and the estimated start date is 20 January, 2019. The Firm will perform most of the work remotely.

6. Qualifications and Experience Required for the Team Leader

• At least a Master’s degree in IT, Information management systems, or another related

discipline for the lead developer of the IT consulting firm;

• A minimum of ten years’ experience in developing IT solutions and providing IT support

and maintenance services;

• Proven professional experience in developing and managing databases. Experience in

providing dashboards reporting solutions in legal institutions will be an added advantage.

• Proven professional experience in web technologies, including their development and

deployment, and development of web-based information systems; and.

• Good understanding of development results and results-based management concepts.

7. Expressions of Interest and Submission of Proposals

Expressions of Interest and submission of Technical and Financial Proposals must be received at the address below no later than 5 January 2019 at 17h00 local time. Expressions of Interest and Proposals must specifically mention “ALSF IT Consulting Firm – Expression of Interest and Proposals”. To the attention of: Mr. Thierno OLORY-TOGBE African Development Bank African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) CCIA Plateau, 01 B.P. 1387 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire E-mail: t.olory-togbe@afdb.org / alsf@afdb.org

8. Evaluation Criteria

Technical and financial proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Criteria Weight

Technical Proposal 70%

Experience relevant to the assignment 10%

Understanding of the terms of reference and methodology 20%

Qualifications of the Key personnel 20%

Experience with the ALSFs and International Financial Institutions 10%

Specific experience on e-learning platform design and development 10%

Financial Proposal 30%

TOTAL 100%

ANNEX I - ALSF ACADEMY PROGRAM

1. Introduction

Since its inception, the African Legal Support Facility (the “ALSF”) has funded several capacity building programs in (i) mining, (ii) oil & gas, (iii) power, (iv) infrastructure and PPPs (transport, other non-power infrastructure and services), and (v) sovereign debt (bond issuances, currency risk hedging, and creditor litigation) (the “Key Sectors”).

The purpose of the ALSF Academy Project (the “Project”) is to increase in a sustainable manner the direct and indirect benefits of capacity building trainings on the African continent. It will enable the ALSF to establish cohesive capacity building strategies in the Key Sectors at national and regional levels, which will reduce duplication and increase the participation of Africa’s government officials, academics, Key Sector professionals and civil society organizations in better tailored training programs. It will also enable the ALSF to develop knowledge management tools which will facilitate the dissemination of capacity building content.

2. The ALSF Academy Program

2.1. Objectives

The ALSF Academy Program is a flagship of the Project (which also includes the ALSF Academy Accreditation Process and the ALSF Academy Capacity Building Portal).

The overall

objective of the ALSF Academy Program is to develop and deliver high quality and sustainable Key Sector trainings as well as soft skills training required for successful legal practice (“Personal and Professional Development” and together with the Key Sectors, the “Knowledge Areas”) for Africa’s government officials, Key Sector professionals, academics and members of civil society organizations.

The specific objectives are:

▪ To standardize the capacity building trainings provided by the ALSF;

▪ To create a multi-level learning program per Knowledge Area;

▪ To increase the use of e-learning for capacity building in the Knowledge Areas;

▪ To develop knowledge tools;

ALSF Academy Project

ALSF Academy Program

ALSF Academy Accreditation Process

ALSF Academy Capacity Building Portal

▪ To develop standard documents for projects/transactions in the Key Sectors;

▪ To establish or further ALSF’s partnerships with other international organizations, African

legal research centres, African academic institutions, bar associations and law societies,

and any other partners with capacity building objectives similar to ALSF’s.

2.2. Description of the ALSF Academy Program

The ALSF Academy Program will establish a distinct training program for each Knowledge Area. Each such training program will be divided into three stages: introductory, intermediate, and advanced.

The training programs will consist of a combination of national and regional workshops, and e-training (together referred as the “Courses”). The e-training will be made available via the ALSF Academy Capacity Building Portal. Each Course will be accredited under the ALSF Academy Accreditation Process and will provide the participants with a certain number of credits upon completion. The learning material and standard documents used in the context of the training courses will be produced in English and French, and made available via the ALSF Academy Capacity Building Portal.

Introductory level (Level 1) - In respect of the Key Sectors, the purpose of the introductory level is to introduce the basics of transaction management and (project)/transaction finance as well as the structure/specificities related to such sector (e.g., the principal industry actors, the typical financing structures, key project/transaction documentation, the interests of the different parties, etc.).

For Level 1 Personal and Professional Development training, the introductory level will introduce basic personal and professional development skills, such as time management and organization, managing upwards, presentation and communication skills, conflicts of interest, etc.

To successfully complete the introductory level, the participant will be required to accumulate a certain number of credits and to pass a multiple-choice examination. At the completion of the introductory level, the participant will have a basic understanding of the Knowledge Area presented, including, in respect of the Key Sectors, such sector’s legal framework, relevant parties to the project/transaction, key project/transaction phases, processes, documentation and provisions, etc. Those who have completed the introductory level Key Sector training will also be able to assist in the drafting of project/transaction documentation in the Key Sector and to participate in the various aspects of the project/transaction.

Intermediary level (Level 2) – Upon successful completion of the introductory level, the participants will have access to the intermediary level Courses. Building on the knowledge acquired through the introductory level Courses, participants will attend trainings with a similar format and on similar topics but more in-depth and with a greater focus on African case-studies to illustrate the learning material. The participants in Key Sector training will also be looking at specific standard documentation to identify the aspects that are project specific, country specific or common to all projects in the relevant Key Sector. Such Key

Sector training will provide more details on the interplay between commercial transactions, policy, regulatory and legal frameworks.

Personal and Professional Development Course participants will receive relevant training in areas such as negotiation, problem solving, decision making, delegation, listening, leadership, etc.

To successfully complete the intermediary level, the participant will be required to accumulate a certain number of credits and to pass a multiple-choice examination. At the completion of the intermediary level, the participant will be expected to have the capacity to lead a project/transaction in the Key Sector and to manage the input of experts for the various aspects of the project/transaction.

Advanced level (Level 3) – Upon successful completion of the intermediary level, the participants will be invited to select between 3 different training profiles: legal, financial or policy.

• The legal profile will focus on the legal aspects of a project/transaction, with a particular

focus on risk allocation and bankability issues.

• The financial profile will focus on the financial aspects of a project/transaction.

• The policy profile will focus on the drafting and deployment of government policies in

the Key Sector.

Each profile will give access to common and profile specific Courses.

Level 3 Personal and Professional Development Course participants will receive training in areas such as conducting meetings, advanced negotiation, deal/project/transaction management, public speaking, business writing, project/transaction strategy, etc.

To successfully complete the advanced level, the participant will be required to accumulate a certain number of credits and to pass an in-person or other face-to-face examination (oral and written). The oral examination will be made before a panel of peer experts, who will also decide whether the participant has successfully passed the written examination. At the completion of the advanced level, the participant will be expected to have the capacity to advise the government, as a legal or financial expert for a Key Sector project/transaction or as policy expert in drafting and deploying effective Key Sector policies.

Certification - A certificate will be issued upon completion of each stage based on the above-mentioned assessment criteria.

Curriculum Development in Phases - The Knowledge Area curricula for each of the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels are expected to be developed and rolled out in each of the first, second and third year following the launch of the Program, respectively.

3. Partners

The ALSF is keen to involve its traditional partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other donors, as well as new partners and African academic institutions, in different aspects of this Project.

To date, the ALSF has identified and initiated discussions with the African Business Law Firms Association (ABLFA), the African Institute of International Law (AIIL), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), as well as national and regional bar associations and law societies, including the Southern African Development Community Lawyers Association (SADCLA), the East African Law Society (EALS) and the International Training Centre in Africa for Francophone Lawyers (CIFAF). These 3 regional institutions (EALS, CIFAF and SADCLA) will assist in implementing the three-level certification program to the benefit of their members.

Governments requesting training for their negotiation teams may also be invited to register their officials for the three-level certification program for the sector(s) they are interested in.

ANNEX II - MODEL CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)

Title of the Assignment: IT Consulting Firm - ALSF Academy Capacity Building Portal - (Team Leader)

Department: ALSF

Surname: First Name:

Birth Date: Nationality:

Address: Country:

Telephone: E-mail:

Are any of your family members (spouse/partner, father/mother,

Brother/sister, Son/daughter, etc.° employed in the African Development

Bank?

Yes No

If « Yes », the following

data must be provided

Name Relationship Organisation Unit Place of Assignment

Language

Level

Read Written Spoken

English Fair

Good

Excellent

Fair

Good

Excellent

Fair

Good

Excellent

French Fair

Good

Excellent

Fair

Good

Excellent

Fair

Good

Excellent

Other (specify) Fair

Good

Excellent

Fair

Good

Excellent

Fair

Good

Excellent

Key Qualifications:

Please provide (i) a summary of your experience and training highlighting the most relevant for the proposed assignment,

and (ii) the responsibilities which you exercised. Utilise one half-page maximum.

Education (University Level and above only):

Name of University - City -

Country

Period Diploma Obtained Main Topic / Major

From To

Professional Training:

Name of Training

Institution- City -

Country

Type of Training

Period Certificates or Diploma

Obtained

From From

Employment Record:

Begin with your most recent employment. For each job since your Master Degree achievement, please indicate:

- Name of the Employer

- Type of Activity/Business of the Employer

- Title / Function

- Place of Employment

- Brief Description (three lines maximum) of main accomplishments and responsibilities

Reference:

Please indicate the name and address of three persons with no family relationship with yourself, familiar with your

character and titles.

I hereby certify that the responses which I provided above are all, to the best of my knowledge, true, complete and accurate.

I acknowledge that an inaccurate statement or essential omission in a personal declaration or another document required

by the African Development Bank might result in the rejection of my application, termination of my Contract or any other

administrative sanction by the Bank. The African Development Bank may verify any statements which I made in this

application.

Date: ____________

Signature:

ANNEX III - INDICATIVE FORMAT FOR TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A. Technical Proposal submission form

B. Firm’s references

C. Comments and suggestions of consultant D. Description of approach, Methodology, and Work Plan in responding to the

terms of reference E. Format of curriculum vitae (CV) for proposed key experts

F. Work schedule and planning for deliverables

G. Team composition, assignment, and key experts’ inputs experts

A. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

FROM: TO:

Sir/Madam: Subject: Hiring of Consultancy Service for

Regarding Technical Proposal

I/We Consultant/Consultancy firm herewith enclose a Technical Proposal for selection of my/our firm/organization as Consultant for .

{If the Consultant is a joint venture, insert the following: We are submitting our Proposal in association/as a consortium/as a joint venture with: {Insert a list with full name and the legal address of each member, and indicate the lead member}. We have attached a copy {insert: “of our letter of intent to form a joint venture” or, if a JV is already formed, “of the JV agreement”} signed by every participating member, which details the likely legal structure of and the confirmation of joint and severable liability of the members of the said joint venture.

OR

If the Consultant’s Proposal includes Sub-consultants, insert the following: We are submitting our Proposal with the following firms as Sub-consultants: {Insert a list with full name and address of each Sub-consultant.}

We hereby declare that all the information and statements made in this Proposal are true and we accept that any misinterpretation or misrepresentation contained in this Proposal may lead to our disqualification by the Client and/or may be sanctioned by the ALSF.

We understand that the Client is not bound to accept any Proposal that the Client receives.

Yours faithfully,

Signature: (Authorized Representative)

Full Name: Designation: Address:

Contact information (phone and e-mail):

{For a joint venture, either all members shall sign or only the lead member, in which case the power of attorney to sign on behalf of all members shall be attached}

B. FIRM’S REFERENCES

Relevant Services Carried Out in the Last Five Years Which Best Illustrate Qualifications

Using in the format below, provide information on each reference assignment for which your firm, either individually as a corporate entity or as one of the major companies within a consortium, was legally contracted.

Assignment Name: Country:

Location within Country: Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm:

Start Date (Month/Year): Completion Date (Month/Year): Approx. Value of Services (in USD or EURO):

Name of Associated Firm(s), if any: No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Firm(s):

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved and functions performed:

Narrative Description of Project:

Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:

Consultants’ Name:

C. COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS OF CONSULTANT

On the Terms of Reference (TOR): (Ref. 3.4 ii - LOI)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

etc.

On the data, services, and facilities to be provided by the ALSF indicated in the TOR:(Ref. 3.4 vi – LOI)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

etc.

D. DESCRIPTION OF APPROACH, METHODOLOGY, AND WORK PLAN IN RESPONDING TO THE TERMS OF REFERENCE

This form gives a description of the approach, methodology and work plan for performing the assignment, including a detailed description of the proposed methodology and staffing for training, if the Terms of Reference specify training as a specific component of the assignment.

{Suggested structure of your Technical Proposal

a) Technical Approach and Methodology b) Work Plan c) Organization and Staffing

a) Technical Approach and Methodology. {Please explain your understanding of the

objectives of the assignment as outlined in the Terms of Reference (TORs), the technical approach, and the methodology you would adopt for implementing the tasks to deliver the expected output(s), and the degree of detail of such output. Please do not repeat/copy the TORs in here.}

b) Work Plan. {Please outline the plan for the implementation of the main activities/tasks of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the Client), and tentative delivery dates of the reports. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing your understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan. A list of the final documents (including reports) to be delivered as final output(s) should be included here. The work plan should be consistent with the Work Schedule Form.}

c) Organization and Staffing. {Please describe the structure and composition of your

team, including the list of the Key Experts, Non-Key Experts and relevant technical and administrative support staff.}

E. FORMAT OF CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) FOR PROPOSED KEY EXPERTS

Position Title and No. {e.g., K-1, TEAM LEADER}

Name of Expert: {Insert full name}

Date of Birth: {day/month/year}

Country of Citizenship/Residence

Education: {List college/university or other specialized education, giving names of educational institutions, dates attended, degree(s)/diploma(s) obtained}

Employment record relevant to the assignment: {Starting with present position, list in reverse order. Please provide dates, name of employing organization, titles of positions held, types of activities performed and location of the assignment, and contact information of previous clients and employing organization(s) who can be contacted for references. Past employment that is not relevant to the assignment does not need to be included.}

Period Employing organization and your title/position. Contact infor for references

Country Summary of activities performed relevant to the Assignment

[e.g., May 2005- present]

[e.g., Ministry of ……, advisor/consultant to…

For references: Tel…………/e- mail……; Mr. Bbbbbb, deputy minister]

Membership in Professional Associations and Publications:

Language Skills (indicate only languages in which you can work):

Adequacy for the Assignment:

Detailed Tasks Assigned on Consultant’s Team of Experts:

Reference to Prior Work/Assignments that Best Illustrates Capability to Handle the Assigned Tasks

{List all deliverables/tasks as in 1F in which the Expert will be involved)

Expert’s contact information: (e-mail…………………., phone……………)

Certification: I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, this CV correctly describes myself, my qualifications, and my experience, and I am available to undertake the assignment in case of an award. I understand that any misstatement or misrepresentation described herein may lead to my disqualification or dismissal by the Client, and/or sanctions by the ALSF.

{day/month/year}

Name of Expert Signature Date

{day/month/year}

Name of authorized Signature Date

Representative of the Consultant (the same who signs the Proposal)

F. WORK SCHEDULE AND PLANNING FOR DELIVERABLES

N° Deliverables 1 (D-..) Months

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ..... n TOTAL

D-1 {e.g., Deliverable #1: Report A

1) data collection

2) drafting

3) inception report

4) incorporating comments

5) .........................................

6) delivery of final report to Client}

D-2 {e.g., Deliverable #2:...............}

n

1 List the deliverables with the breakdown for activities required to produce them and other benchmarks such as the Client’s approvals. For phased assignments, indicate the activities, delivery of reports, and benchmarks separately for each phase.

2 Duration of activities shall be indicated in a form of a bar chart. 3. Include a legend, if necessary, to help read the chart.

G. TEAM COMPOSITION, ASSIGNMENT, AND KEY EXPERTS’ INPUTS

N°

Name

Expert’s input (in person/month) per each Deliverable (listed in TECH-5)

Positio n

D-1

D-2

D-3 ........

D-...

KEY EXPERTS

K-1 {e.g., Mr. Abbbb} [Team

Leader]

[Home] [2 month] [1.0] [1.0] [Field] [0.5 m] [2.5] [0]

K-2

K-3

n

Subtotal

NON-KEY EXPERTS

N-1 [Home]

[Field]

N-2

n

Subtotal

Total

1 For Key Experts, the input should be indicated individually for the same positions. 2 Months are counted from the start of the assignment/mobilization. One (1) month equals twenty two (22) working (billable) days. One working

(billable) day shall be not less than eight (8) working (billable) hours. 3 “Home” means work in the office in the expert’s country of residence. “Field” work means work carried out in the Client’s country or any other

country outside the expert’s country of residence. Full time input Part time input

ANNEX IV - INDICATIVE FORMAT FOR FINANCIAL PROPOSALS

A. Financial Proposal Submission Form

B. Summary of Price Proposal

A. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM

FROM: TO:

Sir/Madam:

Subject: Hiring of Consultancy Service for Regarding Price Proposal

I/We Consultant/Consultancy firm herewith enclose the Price Proposal of my/our firm/organization as Consultant for .

Our attached Financial Proposal is for the amount of {Indicate the corresponding to the amount(s) currency(ies)} {Insert amount(s) in words and figures}.

Our Financial Proposal shall be binding upon us subject to the modifications resulting from Contract negotiations, up to expiration of the validity period of the Proposal.

Yours faithfully,

Signature (Authorized Representative)

Full Name Designation Address

{For a joint venture, either all members shall sign or only the lead member/consultant, in which case the power of attorney to sign on behalf of all members shall be attached}

B. SUMMARY OF PRICE PROPOSAL

Item

USD

Cost of the Financial Proposal

Including:

(1) Remuneration

(2) [Reimbursables]

Total Cost of the Financial Proposal: