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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES-FIRMS SELECTION)

• COUNTRY: FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
• PROJECT: FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCE PROGRAM FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA
• Loan No. /Credit No. / Grant No.: IDA Credit-71560
• Assignment Title: Recruitment of IT consulting firm to refine user requirements and create comprehensive system design.
• Reference No. ET-MOA-431335-CS-QCBS

1. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Ethiopia Food System Resilience Program (EFSRP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services to hire an IT consulting firm to refine user requirements and create a comprehensive system design.
2. Objective of the Consultancy Service

The consulting services (“the Services”) are required to provide consultancy services to refine user requirements and create comprehensive system designs that will be used to track the distribution of agricultural inputs from ports to primary cooperatives.
The assignment has the following specific objectives:

• Refine the existing requirement specification documents.
• Develop various documents including System Requirement Specification (SRS) documents, design documents, and
• Follow-up the development of the software (that will be done by a separate development firm)
• Perform quality assurance tests.
• Support project implementation

3. Scope of the Service:

This consultancy service is aimed at hiring a consultant who will refine requirements and follow up development of a fertilizer distribution tracking system. The system that will be developed automates the fertilizer distribution process starting from the port of entry until it reaches smallholder farmers. The system may have multiple modules that include a pre-port processing module, port module, and Central warehouse (Ethiopian Agricultural Business Corporation Warehouse) module, and Cooperatives modules, among others. In addition, stock management, user management, sales management, and fleet management are mandatory requirements of the system. The fleet management system shall use GPS technologies to provide (near) real-time location of the vehicles traveling to a warehouse. Furthermore, uniqueness of the fertilizer bags shall be ensured using unique identifiers such as RFID tags or QR Codes. The system will be tested in two phases. The first phase includes modules and features from port to the central warehouse while the second phase covers unions and primary cooperatives in 20 Woredas.

This system is believed to enhance the efficiency of the fertilizer distribution system, improving transparency, and effectively countering fraud. To this extent, MoA is seeking the services of an experienced IT Consultant firm to lead the design of the proposed system and support its development and implementation. The consultant will play a significant role in the project by following up the software development firm that will be hired at a later stage.

4. The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

5. The shortlisting criteria are:

• Core business and years in business
• Type of business
• Years in business
• Qualifications in the field of the assignment
• General Experience
• Experience in projects of similar nature and complexity Technical and managerial organization of the firm
• Managerial and Technical Organization Setup of the firm General qualifications and number of key Staff.
• Number of key experts of the firm (not proposed key staff for the project)
• Staff composition and qualification

6. The assignment will be performed on a lump-sum basis. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be obtained at the address given below.

7. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs,3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (July 2016, revised November 2017, July 2018, November 2020, and September 2023) (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

8. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

 9. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

10. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM hours in the morning and 1:30 to 05:30 PM hours in the afternoon.

11. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person) by not later than January 6, 2025, at 11:30 AM.

Address: Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute
(ATI)
Procurement Team
Bole, Off Meskel Flower Road, adjacent to the School of Commerce Students’ Association
P.O.Box 708, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 115 570 678 or +251 948061803
E-mail: desalegn.geremew@ati.gov.et  or gezahegn.atnafu@ati.gov.et 

Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute
(ATI)