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REQUEST FOR CONSULTANTS’ QUALIFICATIONS FOR SAMPLE

SELECTION, SURVEY SUPERVISION AND DATA MANAGEMENT FOR THE

TRACER SURVEY OF VOCATIONAL TRAINEES

MCAN/COM/RCQ/5A01013 – E

MCA Namibia (MCA-N) requires the services of an individual consultant (hereinafter referred

to as the “Consultant”) to provide the following services:

Summary of Services

The main objectives of the consultancy are to: undertake trainee/sample selection (including

reviewing selection criteria and randomizing qualified applicants); supervise data collection;

and perform data merging and cleaning for the Tracer Survey of Qualified Vocational

Education and Training (VET) Applicants. An additional objective is to undertake data

compilation and analysis as needed by the Namibia Training Authority (NTA).

This document sets out the application procedure and the Terms of Reference for the above

assignment.

Location: Windhoek

Anticipated Start Date: Mid November 2012

Duration of Assignment: ± 3 months

Application Procedure and Selection

Before applying, interested Consultants shall review the Terms of Reference (Attachment 2),

which provides a detailed description of the assignment and the qualifications and

experience required of the Consultant.

Interested Consultants shall send their responses, which shall include an Expression of

Interest (EOI Form 1) to be considered for the assignment including details of the experience

of the Consultant (EOI Form 2 and up-to-date CV ), demonstrating that the Consultant fulfils

the minimum requirements described in the TOR, the date of availability, contact details

(i.e., address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, website, etc.), at least three

references that can comment on the Consultant’s related work experience, and any other

relevant information.

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The selection shall be carried out in accordance with the procedures for Selection based on

the Consultants’ Qualifications method set forth in Annex VI, Section 1.B. 3.7 of the MCA

Namibia Procurement Rules (see the Procurement page on website www.mcanamibia.org

for the Procurement Rules). The selected Consultant will be requested to submit combined

technical and financial proposals for the assignment, which, together with the Consultant’s

EOI and the attached Form of Contract (Attachment 3), will be used for the negotiation of a

fixed-price contract between the Consultant and MCA Namibia.

Interested Consultants shall submit their responses in the standard MCA-N EOI format

(Attachment 1) to:

The Procurement Manager,

MCA Namibia,

Atlas House,

3rd Floor Room 13

117 Sam Nujoma Drive

Windhoek, Namibia

Alternatively they can send their responses electronically to the following e-mail address:

[email protected]

Deadline for the submission of responses: 13h00 on 02 November 2012.

mailto:[email protected]

Attachment 1: Expression of Interest Forms

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Expression of Interest: Form 1

[Location, Date]

Mr. Johann Botha

Director Procurement

MCA Namibia

Dear Sir,

Re: CONSULTANT FOR THE SAMPLE SELECTION, SURVEY SUPERVISION, AND DATA

MANAGEMENT FOR THE TRACER SURVEY OF VOCATIONAL TRAINEES

MCAN/COM/RCQ/5A01013-E

I/We, the undersigned, offer to provide the consulting services for the abovementioned

assignment in accordance with your Request for Consultant’s Qualifications dated [Insert

Date] and this Expression of Interest.

I/We hereby submit my/our Expression of Interest, which will be open for acceptance for a

period of 60 (sixty) days.

I/We hereby declare that all the information and statements made in this Expression of

Interest are true and accept that any misrepresentation contained in it may lead to my/our

disqualification.

If negotiations are held during the initial period of validity of the Expression of Interest, I/

We undertake to negotiate on the basis of the availability of the proposed team member(s)

for the assignment.

My/Our Expression of Interest is binding upon myself/ourselves and subject to the

modifications resulting from Contract negotiations, and I/We undertake, if my/our proposal

is accepted, to initiate the consulting services related to the assignment not later than

[insert the date on which you will be available to commence with the assignment]

I/We understand you are not bound to accept any proposal that you may receive.

Yours sincerely,

Name and title of Signatory

Address of Consultant

Attachment 2: Terms of Reference

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Expression of Interest: Form 2

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

1. Name [Insert full name]

2. Date of Birth [Insert birth date]

3. Nationality [Insert nationality]

4. Education [Indicate college/university and other specialized education, giving names of institutions, degrees obtained, and dates of obtainment].

5. Membership in Professional Associations

6. Other Training [Indicate appropriate postgraduate and other training]

7. Countries of Work Experience

[List countries where the consultant has worked in the last ten years]

8. Languages [For each language indicate proficiency: good, fair, or poor in speaking, reading, and writing]

Language Speaking Reading Writing

9. Employment Record [Starting with present position, list in reverse order every employment held by the consultant since graduation, giving for each employment (see format here below): dates of employment, name of employing organization, positions held.]

From: [year] To: [year]

Employer:

Position(s) held:

10. Work undertaken that best illustrates capability to handle the tasks assigned:

[Among the assignments in which the consultant has been involved, indicate the following information for those assignments that best illustrate his/her capability to handle the tasks listed in the TOR]

Name of assignment or project:

Year

Location:

Client:


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Main project features:

Position held:

Activities performed:

11. References: [List at least three individual references with substantial knowledge of your

work. Include each reference’s name, title, phone and e-mail contact information. MCA

Namibia reserves the right to contact other sources as well as to check references, in

particular for performance on any relevant MCC-funded projects.]

12. Task assigned for this consultancy: Not Used

13. Certification:

I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, this CV correctly describes

me, my qualifications, and my experience. I understand that any wilful misstatement described

herein may lead to my disqualification or dismissal, if engaged.

I, the undersigned, hereby declare that I agree to participate in the above-mentioned assignment. I

further declare that I am able and willing to work for the period foreseen in the above referenced

Request for Consultant's Qualifications.

[Signature]

[Date]


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Terms of Reference

SAMPLE SELECTION, SURVEY SUPERVISION, AND DATA MANAGEMENT FOR THE TRACER

SURVEY OF VOCATIONAL TRAINEES

1. Summary of objectives

The main objectives of the consultancy are to: undertake trainee/sample selection (including

reviewing selection criteria and randomizing qualified applicants); supervise data collection; and

perform data merging and cleaning for the Tracer Survey of Qualified Vocational Education and

Training (VET) Applicants. An additional objective is to undertake data compilation and analysis as

needed by the Namibia Training Authority (NTA).

2. Background information

2.1 The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was established in January 2004 as a United States

government corporation to implement the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). MCC’s mission is

to reduce poverty by supporting economic growth in developing countries, which create and

maintain sound policy environments. MCC is designed to support innovative strategies and to

ensure accountability for measurable results. For additional information on MCC please visit

http://www.mcc.gov.

2.2 Namibia’s Millennium Challenge Compact

The MCA Namibia Compact, which provides grant funding for public investments in Education,

Tourism and Agriculture, was signed on 28 July 2008 between the Republic of Namibia and the US

Government, acting through the MCC. An amount of US$304.5 million will be available for

development in the target sectors, over and above current Government allocations and assistance

from other development partners.

The Goal of Namibia’s Millennium Challenge Compact is to reduce poverty through economic growth

in the Education, Tourism and Agriculture sectors. To accomplish the Compact Goal of increasing

income, the MCA Namibia Programme aims to achieve the following objectives:

i) Increase the competence of the Namibian workforce (knowledge, skills and

attitude);

ii) Increase the productivity of agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises in rural

areas.

The Compact aims to improve the quality of education and training for the underserved populations,

and attempts to capitalize on Namibia’s comparative advantages to increase the incomes of the poor

Namibians, predominantly in the northern areas of the country.

In Education, the Programme seeks to bring the quality of the work force closer to the requirements

of industry and the labour market at large. This is in line with the aspirations of Vision 2030 and the

3rd National Development Plan’s strategic objective for “productive and competitive human resource

and institutions”, whose values informed the programming, content and activities of the Education

and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP). The MCA Namibia Education Project

http://www.mcc.gov/


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contributes to ETSIP. It aims to improve the competency and knowledge of young Namibians by

supporting new and innovative methods of learning in addition to the more traditional approaches

to education and improve physical infrastructure for learning and teaching in schools, regional study

and resource centres and Community Based Skills Development Centres.

The Tourism Project seeks to bring conservancies in high potential tourism areas into the

mainstream of the tourism business, increasing the financial and in-kind benefits to rural

conservancy members. Internationally-acknowledged best practice models for community-based

tourism and community-based natural resource management underpin the Tourism Project. This is

the first MCC project with an explicit focus on tourism, acknowledging the sector’s tremendous

poverty alleviating potential in rural areas of Namibia. The Etosha National Park will serve as a

model for increased participation by the adjacent conservancies. MCA Namibia’s Tourism Project

will facilitate access to the Park for the conservancies around it through exclusive access

concessions, to be awarded through the 2007 Concession Policy. The MCA Namibia Tourism Project

will also enhance regional and international marketing of Namibia as a tourism destination.

The Agriculture Project comprises three main activities in livestock, land access and management

and indigenous natural products. The Livestock Activity seeks to bring the marketing opportunities

for farmers who live north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence (“the Fence”) closer to the opportunities

enjoyed by farmers south of the Fence. The focus will be on improving veterinary services aimed at

obtaining animal disease-free status for the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) in order to gain

access to international markets. The accompanying public investment in rangeland management

will improve access to grazing and farming practices. The overall objective is to increase the farmers’

cash income derived from livestock and smallstock farming in the NCAs. Through the Land Access

and Management Activity the Communal Land Boards, traditional authorities and other key

stakeholders will be empowered to better manage the available resources. Increasing direct

participation of the primary producers in the processes of value addition to raw, natural products

such as Marula, Kalahari Melon Seed, Hoodia, Devil’s Claw and Ximenia is the key objective of the

Indigenous Natural Products Activity. The value chain approach that the INP sector has adopted

will ensure that the activities are responsive to the fast-changing market realities for natural

products. At present, most of the revenue from selling products made of these valuable

commodities is generated outside Namibia. The MCA Namibia Programme will facilitate an

increased participation by the primary producers in the final processing, packaging and marketing of

these products.

Please visit http://www.mcanamibia.org for the detailed Project Descriptions. This TOR is related to

the Education Project as well as to MCA Namibia’s M&E Plan.

2.3 The MCA Namibia Management Structure

MCA Namibia (MCA-N) is the accountable entity, responsible for the overall management of the

Compact’s implementation. MCA-N is a legal entity within the National Planning Commission (Office

of the President) comprised of a Board and a Programme Management Unit. MCA-N’s Board

provides oversight and strategic guidance and is ultimately responsible for the Programme’s success,

while the Programme Management Unit is responsible for the implementation of the Compact,

including programme management, financial management and reporting, and coordination of M&E.

http://www.mcanamibia.org/


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The Programme is legally governed by the Compact and its supplemental agreements. For

additional information please visit http://www.mcanamibia.org.

2.4. Consultancy-Specific Background

Cutting across all three above-mentioned sector projects, MCA-N’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

division not only plans and manages the process of monitoring, evaluating, and reporting progress

towards achieving Compact results but also aims to instil and/or support a data-driven, results-

focused culture among MCA-N’s implementing partners.

The M&E directorate established within MCA-N is implementing the MCA-N’s M&E Plan, in

collaboration with MCC and MCC- or MCA-N-contracted evaluation consultant(s), to conduct

performance monitoring, program evaluation and impact evaluation. MCC and MCA-N place a

strong emphasis on M&E as part of the Programme’s implementation, including impact evaluations

that employ the most rigorous methodologies, with plausible counterfactuals, whenever feasible.

With vocational education being one of the important contributors to the Namibian economy,

specifically when it comes to reduction in unemployment and poverty rates, vocational education

statistics become a primary source of information to determine the performance of the vocational

education sector.

MCC has contracted an independent evaluator to design and implement a vocational education and

training (VET) impact evaluation focused on trainees from training institutions funded through the

Vocational Training Grant Fund (VTGF)1 or Namibia Training Fund (NTF) Levy, or individuals whose

skills are formally certified through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). This rigorous impact

evaluation is dependent upon a quality data collection effort. The data needed for supporting the

impact evaluation consist of multiple data sources including but not limited to: administrative

records related to VTGF, NTF Levy, and RPL; and survey data on training applicants (both trainees

and non-trainees), trainers, and employers.

The focus of these Terms of Reference (TOR) is the survey targeting VET applicants across the

different VTGF- or NTF-supported training programmes. MCA-N seeks a short-term Consultant for

continued implementation of a tracer survey of qualified applicants for VTGF or NTF support

(regardless of whether or not they go on to actually become trainees), which represents the

cornerstone of the impact evaluation. This support is required until a survey firm comes on board

and is ready to take over data collection in December 2012.

3. General conditions

The Consultant will be based in Windhoek and will be under contract with MCA-N. Although the

Consultant will not be part of the NTA’s establishment, the Consultant will be hosted by the NTA and

will report jointly to the NTA and to the assigned MCA-N contract manager.

The consultancy contract will spell out specific provisions and terms governing the agreement but

some general conditions are laid out below.

1 The VTGF was established by Millennium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-N) to fund high-priority

vocational training.

http://www.mcanamibia.org/


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Working conditions: Office and national, with possible regional travel

Work pressure: High

Forward planning required: Short-term, medium-term, and strategic

Learning required to

achieve proficiency: Maximum of one (1) week to acquaint her/himself with the

detail of the MCA-N M&E Plan and the Tracer Survey of

Qualified VET Applicants objectives and design.

Level of effort and contract period: Full-time (40 hours per week plus reasonable overtime and

out-of-town travel time) for three (3) months.

Leave and other conditions: Per MCA-N Employee Handbook

4. Objective of the Consultancy

The main objective of the exercise is to provide up-to-date, reliable, quality, and comprehensive

survey data that will be used to evaluate the impact of the VTGF and the NTF Levy. Specifically, the

Consultant will be expected to undertake trainee/sample selection (including reviewing selection

criteria and randomizing qualified applicants), supervise data collection performed by two

enumerators, and perform data merging and cleaning for the Tracer Survey of Qualified Vocational

Education and Training (VET) Applicants as well as to undertake data compilation and analysis as

needed by the Namibia Training Authority (NTA).

The VTGF and NTF evaluation supports two objectives derived from MCA-N and MCC’s core

principles: accountability and learning. Accountability refers to MCC and MCA-N’s obligations to

report on their activities and attributable outcomes, accept responsibility for them, and disclose

these findings in a public and transparent manner. Learning refers to improving the understanding

of the causal relationships between interventions and changes in poverty and incomes. The survey

and evaluation also contribute to a broader effort to support the development of a monitoring and

evaluation approach and culture at the NTA.

Because training programmes occur on a rolling basis and have differing durations, ongoing waves of

data need to be collected so that the evaluation team will be able to assess the situation before and

during specified periods after training of each cohort.2 The Consultant will oversee the collection of

data on applicants through a survey administered by phone. High response rates and high data

quality are crucial.

The Consultant will also support the smooth transition to the survey firm coming on board in the

October to November 2012 timeframe.

2 Training “cohorts” are also referred to as “waves” below; these terms should not be confused with the three

“rounds” of data collection planned for the baseline, 12 months, and 18 months following training.


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Key variables of interest and main research questions

The key variables of interest, which are outlined in MCA-N’s M&E Plan and in the relevant Evaluation

Design Report3, are:

i) employment; and

ii) income.

The main research questions the evaluation is expected to address are:

To what extent do vocational training programmes increase income of graduates, compared

to their earning potential if they had not completed them?

Do vocational training programmes reduce the amount of time it takes to find a job and the

likelihood that one will be obtained?

Do vocational training programmes increase employment of graduates compared to if they

had not completed them? If so, which subsets of students benefit the most? Do vocational

training programmes lead to an increase in self-employment?

Do vocational training programmes enhance graduates’ opportunities for promotion and

mobility in the labour market?

What are graduates’ perceptions of their vocational training experience and how does that

vary by selected trainee and training provider characteristics?

Which training providers’ graduates are experiencing the most success and what are the

institution-specific explanations for these results?

Several sub-questions arising from the above will also be answered.

Study design

The two approaches which are planned for the impact evaluation analysis include: (1) an

experimental design based on matching treatment and control cases and a double differences

analysis; and (2) a before-and-after approach with a single difference within the treatment group.

The evaluation relies on four sources of data:

1) an applicant survey and related administrative records;

2) an employer survey;

3) training providers’ administrative records; and

4) focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews with key informants.

This TOR relates to the collection of the first set of data.

3 This document is currently being finalized. The draft is available upon request, and the final version will be

provided to the Consultant.


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5. Scope of Work

The main task for the Consultant is to oversee the gathering of data which would allow the impact

evaluator to generate reliable statistics on qualified applicants for VTGF- and NTF-supported

vocational training programmes. This includes trainee/sample selection (including reviewing

selection criteria and randomizing qualified applicants), supervision of data collection performed by

two enumerators, and merging and cleaning data for the Tracer Survey of Qualified VET Applicants.

In addition, the Consultant shall undertake data compilation and analysis as needed by the NTA.

Throughout the consultancy, the following general guidance applies:

Close interaction with the MCA-N and MCC M&E teams, the VET Evaluator, and the NTA is

required.

The Consultant will report regularly on the survey project’s implementation progress on a

schedule and format (could include written updates, meetings, and/or conference calls) to be

agreed with MCA-N, in consultation with MCC and the Impact Evaluator, with the purpose of

keeping the relevant stakeholders informed about survey activities and enabling them to

provide input and feedback on necessary testing, revisions, quality control and assurance, and

other issues.

The Consultant will be responsible for producing minutes from survey project-related

meetings/calls, as requested by MCA-N.

The Consultant is required to abide the confidentiality requirements for the project and follow

informed consent protocols which meet research ethics standards for research involving human

subjects.

The Consultant is required to produce comprehensive survey documentation, using a format and

standards provided by MCA-N. The statistical software used by the Consultant must be

approved by MCA-N to ensure compatibility for transferring data files and other information.

International standards in data documentation must be followed for the full duration of the

consultancy.

As part of the overall guidance, the specific format and content requirements for all manuals,

survey documentation and reports will be agreed to between MCA-N and the Consultant, in

consultation with MCC and the Impact Evaluator. The same applies to the data analysis method

and content.

Deliverables shall be submitted in English (except translations, if deemed necessary in

consultation with MCA-N) and considered “draft” upon initial submission by the Consultant.

Drafts will be reviewed by MCA-N and other stakeholders and accepted or concerns

raised/comments provided within 2 weeks of receipt, unless otherwise agreed.

o The Consultant shall appropriately address any concerns and provide revised versions within

1 week of receiving the response, unless otherwise agreed. The Consultant shall recognize

that more than one round of comments may be necessary to finalise a deliverable (i.e., to

produce a version that MCA-N can approve).


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o Once approved, all final versions of reports will be produced in both editable format and,

where feasible, in portable document format (PDF). All draft and final outputs (reports, data

sets, and available electronic literature) will be submitted in electronic format: reports in

Microsoft Word and data files used in reports in Microsoft Excel and SPSS.

5.1 Timing

The timing of data collection will follow the timing of application rounds for said training

programmes, with survey administration taking place before (or right at the start of but no further

into training than one quarter of the total training period) training. A tentative timeline of intakes

and training duration is provided below4, with the intakes likely to be relevant to this consultancy

underlined:

Training Provider Number of Trainees

Actual/Estimated Training Start Date

Actual/Estimated Training End Date

NATH5 60 4 October 2010 31 July 2012

Wolwedans Grant I5 60 16 December 2010 February 2012 (Level II)

25 October 2013 (Level III)

Wolwedans Grant II5 40 1 December 2011 15 September 2014

COSDEC Lüderitz 320 1st

Intake: 2 July 2012 2

nd Intake: November 2012 3

rd Intake: June 2013

4th

Intake: November 2013

August 2013 December 2013

July 2014 September 2014

NTF Pilot 60 October 2012 November 2012

RPL Pilot 130 November 2012 end-February 2013

ABTCC Training 16 September 2012 August 2013

ILSA 100 October 2012 April 2014

IUM 300 October 2012 July 2013

RVTC 40 January 2013 September 2014

ZVTC 116 October 2012 July 2013

VVTC 50 October 2012 April 2014

OVTC 30 October 2012 October 2013

NAMCOL 538 January 2013 September 2014

NAMWATER 135 October 2012 September 2014

NIMT 90 tbd tbd

TOTAL 2,085

5.2 Sample size

The population of study will be divided into applicants receiving training or RPLs (i.e., trainees) and applicants not receiving training (i.e., eligible non-trainees). The anticipated total sample size is

4 A more definite timeline will be available as training providers comes on board and funding agreements are

signed, but there is not expected to be significant deviation from the indicative figures provided in the table. 5 Note that the baseline round of data collection has already been conducted. The relevant data and other

information will be provided to the Consultant.


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3,548 completes for each of the three rounds of data collection (i.e., at baseline, 12-month follow-up, and 18-month follow-up)6. The sample size proposed here is based upon current and anticipated VTGF agreements with vocational training providers and upon NTF enrolment estimates. The sample size is provided to give the Consultant an overall sense of the size of the project, though the Consultant will only be overseeing that data collection which can take place within the 3-month period.

5.3 Description of tasks and deliverables

The following tasks apply to each wave of baseline data collection, unless otherwise noted7.

Task 1: Initial Assessment and Work Plan Development

The Consultant shall:

Become oriented with the MCA-N Programme and the M&E Plan and the vocational

education-related indicators and targets.

Meet with the relevant MCA-N Project Director, Sub-Activity manager, and M&E staff to gain a

better understanding of the objectives and intended outcomes of this activity.

Become familiar with impact evaluation design and review all relevant background documents.

Hold a teleconference with the Impact Evaluator to discuss necessary sampling components

and questionnaire content to meet the needs of the evaluation.

Prepare an initial work plan and timeline to cover all planning, preparation, implementation,

and analysis activities.

Clarify the survey’s objectives and expectations, clarify research questions and main themes,

and discuss survey content with MCA-N, MCC, and the Impact Evaluator.

Draft and submit a Survey Design Report that will at a minimum contain the following:

o Sampling Methodology*; specifically, this should include:

How the sample will be drawn8;

Details on the sampling frame (the Consultant will be required to work with the training

providers (TPs) to collect the information needed to construct the sampling frame based

on the list of applicants to each training round) and any needed updates9,10;

6 I.e., 3,548 are panel cases captured at baseline and traced.

7 Some of these tasks should be done at the beginning of the consultancy only and some with each new cohort

within rounds. Those to be done with each new cohort are starred (*). 8 The Impact Evaluator will provide the MCC-approved sampling methodology and any key parameters that

must be taken into account, but the Consultant is responsible for developing the sample frame and drawing the sample, which will consist of trainees and applicants not receiving training. MCA-N, in consultation with MCC and the Impact Evaluator, must approve the sampling plan before it goes into effect and also receive a read-out on the results and any issues of the sample draw. 9 MCA-N will be providing a template with minimum information to be collected on eligible respondents.

10 Continuous updating of the master list by the Consultant will be required. Samples of templates previously

used should be submitted along with the technical proposal.


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Identification of the main threats to validity of the data and how these will be

addressed;

How data quality will be maintained (the Consultant will provide a data quality

assurance protocol to MCA-N to highlight all measures taken to guarantee the quality

and comprehensiveness of the data collected across the different waves of data

collection); and

Early signs of response rate below 80% at baseline need to be communicated to MCA-N,

MCC and the Impact Evaluator. Reasons for low response rate, follow-up plans, and

suggested resolutions to achieve the target response rate are required and need to be

approved by MCA-N for each wave of data collection.

o Qualified VET Applicants Survey Instrument. The already-developed Survey Instrument will

be used in this assignment.

o Survey Work Plan* that will at a minimum detail the following:

Complete list of all activities; and

Schedule of all the different activities (including start and end dates).

o An Enumerator Training Plan. Note that the two enumerators have already been trained and

have a good understanding of the survey, the questionnaire, and standard protocols (a

training manual has already been developed to which the Consultant can refer). The

Consultant will be responsible for ongoing support and guidance and for enumerator training

in cases where one or both of the existing enumerators leaves the project.

o Data cleaning rules. The Consultant will follow the already-developed data cleaning

protocols.

The Survey Design Report will be submitted to MCA-N for review. MCA-N will share the deliverable

with relevant stakeholders and return comments to the Consultant on the Draft Survey Design

Report within 2 weeks of receiving it. The Consultant may not begin the execution of data

collection until MCA-N has approved the Draft Survey Design Report that addresses the provided

recommendations to MCA-N’s satisfaction.

Task 2: Survey Implementation (Survey Administration/Data Collection)


Fully implement the agreed Survey Design Report11, which at a minimum will include the

following activities:

o Conduct and oversee all relevant fieldwork;

o Conduct data quality checks and quality control procedures to ensure minimal survey error,

including at minimum the following:

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MCA-N, MCC, and/or the Impact Evaluator may conduct random spot checks during the survey’s administration. On completion of the survey, the data cleaning procedures and methods, variable codebooks, sampling weights and imputations may be reviewed as part of an ex-post check.


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review of all questions and answers in the questionnaire to ensure that there have

been no blanks, skip mistakes, mis-measurements, logical inconsistencies etc.; any

blanks, errors or inconsistencies identified must be corrected in the data cleaning

process;

enumerators should document all non-response, delineating the reasons for non-

response (i.e., if due to lack of availability, document the efforts made to find them,

when and how many additional attempts were made, and contact information of

any people they spoke to about the missing person’s whereabouts; if due to refusal

to participate, the enumerator should document the reason for refusal; in both

cases the enumerator will make at least three attempts to engage the respondent);

and

document errors by question and by enumerator as well as document corrective

action taken.

o The computer-assisted data entry (CADE) system has already been set up using Census and

Survey Processing System (CSPro). The Consultant will not need to update the existing CSPro

data entry system and database as it fully reflects the questionnaire;

o Maintain data entry manuals and the codebook for all variables;

o Conduct all data coding, entry, and cleaning;

o Detailed case field dispositions should be submitted on a weekly basis to help MCA-N track

progress, number of attempts made to contact the respondents and whether they were

successful or not, etc.

o Provide interim progress reports every month during survey administration to MCA-N,

including reporting on any non-sampling error or other quality issues that arise, actions

taken to address them, and response rates12 and producing any requested data13; and

o Collect, organize, and store any and all hard-copy questionnaires from the survey (e.g., due

to computer systems being down).

Draft and submit a Field Survey Report for each wave of data collection within the baseline

round and a final one at the consultancy’s completion that shall at a minimum contain:

o Summary of any non-sampling error issues and actions taken to address them;

o Summary and description of any problems or issues that arose in the course of survey

administration and actions taken to mitigate them;

o Table of response rates, including by full response, partial response, refusals, not found, and

other relevant categories;

o Summary of quality control efforts during survey administration;

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If survey response rates are below 80%, a solution to address this problem must be proposed, and approved by MCA-N, MCC, and the Impact Evaluator before being implemented. 13

The Consultant shall provide the raw data resulting from the first week of data collection promptly to MCA-N, MCC, and the Impact Evaluator for their review and comment.


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o Summary of any adjustments to the implementation plan made in the course of survey

administration and the reasons for this; and

o Lessons learned that should be applied to any future intakes in the baseline round and to

subsequent rounds of the survey.

Task 3: Data Management (Merging and Cleaning)


Merge the datasets from the two enumerators and clean the data14 to create a clean data set.

Calculate sampling weights and conduct variance analysis.

Produce a complete, clean raw data set.

Produce cross-tab tables for key variables. MCA-N, in consultation with MCC and the Impact

Evaluator, will provide specific guidance on which tables to produce but the Consultant is free

to propose additional analyses.

Submit a complete set of Survey Data and Documentation that contains the following

elements:

Element Description

Survey Summary Documentation of survey, including sampling methodology and implementation experience

Descriptive Statistics Tables of descriptive statistics for key variables of interest, complemented by brief summary

“Readme” File A “Readme” file detailing the contents of the data file, listing all included files and documenting the purpose and format of each file provided

Brief Survey Description and basic documentation

A brief text discussion of the survey design, data collection, and editing, imputation, and weighting procedures.

Enumerator and trainer manuals

The already-developed training manual.

Questionnaires The already-developed version of the survey instrument/questionnaire that was used.

Codebook A codebook covering each of the datasets included. This should include variable and value labels, allowing an individual to translate a response on a questionnaire to a value in the appropriate dataset. Variable-specific information should also include type (character or numeric), domain information (population responding to the question), and frequencies (item tallies).

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The Consultant will be required to collect, clean, store, and transfer data according to standards provided by MCA-N, MCC, and the MCC-contracted evaluator to ensure proper warehousing and security of information. Data entry and cleaning rules should be discussed with MCA-N, MCC, and the MCC-contracted evaluator and approved before implementation.


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Data Data should be provided as a set of modular datasets corresponding to the survey’s major units of observation (i.e., individual trainees and non-trainees

15).

The dataset(s) should reflect any cleaning and data quality reviews conducted. Where subjective data cleaning significantly alters statistical results, an original and a cleaned version should be provided.

16 When the data analysis included

the creation of key aggregate variables, these variables should be included in the dataset.

The Consultant will be required to capture and document non-response rates, provide detailed documentation about sampling weights construction, non-response weights, final combined weights, and conduct both weighted and unweighted frequency analysis. The Consultant will be required to provide case dispositions with adequate documentation for each case within the original frame.

Final Documentation Detailed sampling documentation (sample frame, final sampling methods, including documentation of substantial deviations from the prescribed methods, documentation of data cleaning and imputation procedures)

Task 4: Survey Report


Draft and submit a draft Survey Report after completion of the assignment (the report will

cover all results per wave and cumulative results for all waves, and include all summary tables

of survey data); and

Draft and submit a final Survey Report that incorporates the comments of MCA-N, MCC, and

other stakeholders.

Task 5: Data Compilation and Analysis Support to NTA


Perform data compilation and analysis tasks as requested by the NTA for the purposes of

tracking or analysing trends in the vocational education sector and shall draft and submit a

series of related NTA-Requested Data Compilation and Analysis Reports that are responsive

to the request. Up to 25% of the Consultant’s time may be devoted to this task.

6. Reporting structure and requirements (deliverables)

On a day-to-day basis and with respect to the deliverables described in section 5, the Consultant will

report directly to an NTA-based supervisor, to be jointly agreed upon by NTA and MCA-N. The

Consultant will also necessarily liaise with the contract manager assigned by the Director: M&E,

MCA-N’s Director: M&E, the Manager: Skills Development and Study Resources, the Impact

Evaluator, and MCC. Informal, more frequent interaction with the contract manager, the Director:

M&E, MCC, and the Impact Evaluator is encouraged.

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Each to have a unique identifier so they can be tracked through all of the modules and files. 16

In any case, both the original uncleaned data and the final cleaned data should be submitted and the syntax used to clean the data well documented.


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For illustration purposes, a graphic of the reporting structure is provided below:

Ownership and maintenance of work product

All work files and documents generated for and during this contract shall become the property of

MCA-N but may be freely shared with/provided to the NTA, as would be expected in the normal

course of work. From time to time, MCA-N may ask the Consultant to show documents to interested

parties, with prior written approval by MCA-N. The copyright and ownership of all project materials

will remain with MCA-N.

The Consultant shall maintain orderly working files and a comprehensive, computerized log for

correspondence, minutes of meetings and conference calls, data and reports, invoices, contract

documents including amendments, and all other correspondence.

The Consultant shall establish and maintain a comprehensive inventory, either hard copy or

electronic (preferably both), of all relevant documents made available and collected. The electronic

inventory will be provided to NTA and MCA-N upon request, and all related documents will be

compiled in usable form and delivered in an organized fashion to MCA-N at the end of the contract.

7. Services and facilities to be provided by MCA-N

MCA-N shall provide, or cause NTA to provide the following facilities to the Consultant: a furnished

office at the NTA; a landline telephone and access to facsimile services; and a computer and access

to printing, e-mail and internet services.

8. Qualifications

Applications are invited from consultants who can demonstrate strong experience in: statistics/M&E

in developing countries.

Educational requirements: Bachelors in Statistics; certification in data management would be

considered a plus; a Masters would also be an advantage.

Experience requirements: - Experience in using statistical analysis software packages,

databases, and datasets is a must.

- Five (5) years progressively responsible experience in statistics

work, including sampling, data management, data cleaning, and (not

“or”) statistical analysis using statistical analysis software packages.

Consultant

NTA supervisor MCA-N Director: M&E, MCC, and the

Impact Evaluator

MCA-N contract manager


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- Familiarity with CSPro is a strong plus.

- Demonstrated ability to accurately capture information from interview respondents and/or to supervise such data capture.

- Experience in the construction and management of large datasets would be a plus.

- Experience in quantitative analysis of programmes, monitoring and evaluation, or related work would be a plus.

- Demonstrated promise in data analysis and related report-writing.

- Experience undertaking or being subject to data quality reviews and related improvements would be a strong plus.

- Experience in the education sector is an added advantage.

Required skills and attributes: - Self-driven and motivated with passion for statistical work.

- Commitment to the vision and mission of the NTA. - Proven ability to remain focused and committed while performing

repetitive tasks. Ability to take a methodological approach. - Superior attention to detail. - Commitment to data quality. - Proven ability to organize and analyze data.

- Ability to generate and analyze relevant reports under time pressure.

- Willingness to undertake regular field visits and interact with different stakeholders, especially vocational training providers and trainees.

- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders at various levels.

- Strong computer skills with functional working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (particularly Word, Excel and Power Point) as well as statistical software (e.g., STATA, SPSS).

- Superior organizational and time management skills.

- An assertive personality and an ability to manage multiple priorities/demands/interests under tight deadlines.

- Excellent command of English (oral & written); knowledge of other Namibian languages a plus.

- Outstanding character and integrity.


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- No conflict of interest and commitment to protecting the integrity

of MCA-N’s programme.

9. Payment Schedule

The Contract Price shall be based on a daily fee to be proposed by the Consultant, with the

assumption that the Consultant will work 40 hours per week (with occasional overtime) for three (3)

months: November 2012 to January 2013. Travel expenses at cost and per diems at the Government

rate will be paid in addition to the Contract Price.

The payment schedule will be as follows:

Item

number

Deliverables Due date Payment

amount

(% of Contract

Price)

Payment

amount

(US$)

Survey Design and Planning (applicable at baseline)

1 Survey Design Report 2 weeks after contract effective

date

15 tbd

Survey Implementation (applicable for each wave of data collection within each survey round)

2 Field Survey Report (approx. 8 in total) per agreed-upon work plan 30 tbd

3 Sampling Methodology and Survey

Work Plan (approx. 8 total)

2 weeks after availability of

relevant cohort information

Included n/a

Survey Implementation (applicable at the end of the consultancy)

4 Survey Report (draft) 1 week after the end of data

collection

15 tbd

5 Survey Data and Documentation 2 weeks after the end of data

collection

40 tbd

6 NTA-Requested Data Compilation and

Analysis Reports

as requested Included n/a

Attachment 3: Contract Form

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MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT NAMIBIA

CONTRACT FOR SHORT TERM CONSULTANCY FOR THE SAMPLE SELECTION, SURVEY

SUPERVISION, AND DATA MANAGEMENT FOR THE TRACER SURVEY OF VOCATIONAL

TRAINEES

MCAN/COM/RCQ/5A01013 – E

This contract for independent consultant services (the “Contract”) is made as of [date] by the Chief

Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia ("MCA-N") acting on behalf of the

Government of the Republic of Namibia whose address is:

Atlas House 6th Floor

Corner of Mandume Ndemufayo and Sam Nuyoma Drive

Private Bag 13356

Windhoek

Republic of Namibia

Tel: +264 61 410 400

Fax: +264 61 410 415

and, [Consultant Name] (the “Consultant”) whose address is:

[Consultant Contact Details]

This contract is subject to the applicable provisions of the Programme Implementation Agreement

(the “PIA Agreement”) between the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Government of the

Republic of Namibia, signed in January 2009.

1. DURATION OF THE CONTRACT

This contract is effective as of the date of signing and shall expire on [date], unless terminated

earlier in accordance with Section 7.

It is expressly stated, and the Parties agree, that this Contract is one of an independent consultancy

and not of employment. Therefore, the Parties agree that no legitimate expectation of employment

or renewal of this Contract is or can be created.

2. MANDATE

The Consultant agrees to perform the duties and accept the responsibilities set forth in Terms of

Reference contained in Appendix A of this contract.

3. STATUTE, RIGHT AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE CONSULTANT


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The rights and obligations of the Consultant are strictly limited to the terms and conditions of this

Contract. Consequently, the Consultant does not have the right to any advantage, payment, subsidy,

compensation or pension on behalf of MCA-N except for those expressly provided for under the

terms of this Contract. The Consultant warrants that he has not and will not engage in any activity

that would give rise to a right of termination under Sections 5.8 (a) of the Programme

Implementation Agreement.

4. REMUNERATION

4.1 MCA-N shall pay the Consultant, as full remuneration for providing time-based services

under this Contract, a ceiling Contract Price not exceeding: [contract amount] exclusive of

VAT.

This amount is determined based on the anticipated requirement of [number of days] to

complete this assignment and the rate of [daily rate] per day exclusive of VAT. Contractor’s

invoices shall be submitted monthly and based on the actual effort level during the

respective month. VAT will be paid in addition to the fee if the Consultant should be

registered with the Receiver of Revenue to pay VAT.

4.2 All payments owed to the Consultant under this Contract will be paid directly by MCA into the

account set forth in Appendix B (Wire Transfer Instructions), within 30 working days after the

approval by MCA-N of the invoice for the payment that is due.

4.3 Consultant’s invoices shall indicate a) the date when services were rendered, b) time billable

for the services rendered, c) brief description of services rendered. MCA-N shall approve

only reasonable time billable for the services rendered, which it has commissioned in written

communication to the Consultant.

4.4 Reserved.

4.5 No other remuneration, favours, compensation or subsidy will be paid to the Consultant

under the terms of this Contract.

5. INCOME TAX

The Consultant alone is responsible for the payment of any income taxes that may be owed in

respect of remuneration received in terms of this Contract. MCA-N will not withhold any amounts

from the Consultant’s remuneration for purposes of income tax.

6. INSURANCE

The Consultant shall take out and maintain insurance as is reasonable and customary in the Republic

of Namibia.

7. TERMINATION

Either party can terminate this Contract at any time upon thirty days prior written notice. Except as

expressly stated in this Contract, upon termination or expiration of this Contract, all obligations

under this Contract are terminated.

8. CONFIDENTIALITY


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During the term of this contract and for two years thereafter, the Consultant shall not reveal any

sensitive or confidential information concerning the Consultant’s services under this Contract or the

businesses or the activities of MCA-N without prior written authorization from MCA-N.

9. RIGHTS OF TITLE

Any studies, reports or other material, graphic, software or otherwise, prepared by the Consultant

for MCA-N under this Contract shall belong to, and remain the property of MCA-N.

10. NON PUBLIC INFORMATION

The Consultant shall treat and maintain as confidential all information, communications and documents

received in his capacity as Consultant and relating to his duties, this Contract, or MCA-N’s business or

operations. The Consultant shall not disclose such information, communications or documents, except

on a need-to-know basis and under similar obligation of confidentiality and shall not use such

information, communications or documents other than in the course of performance of his duties under

this Contract. These provisions shall survive the termination or expiration of this Contract.

11. DISCLOSURE

The Consultant will reveal to the MCA-N any business or professional employment or activity in

which it has been/will be engaged before or during this Contract. These activities shall not be

incompatible with provision of the services required under this Contract and shall not create, or give

the appearance of creating, a conflict of interest.

12. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

12.1 The Consultant will perform the services under this Contract faithfully, diligently, in

accordance with the highest standards of professional and ethical competence and

integrity, and in a timely manner in order to advance MCA-N’s interests.

12.2 The Consultant shall not engage in any activity incompatible with MCA-N’s interests. The

Consultant will avoid any action, including, without limitation, any kind of public

statement, which will compromise the integrity, independence and impartiality which are

required for the Consultant’s relationship with MCA-N.

12.3 The Program Assets are not intended for personal use and shall therefore only be used by

the Consultant in the performance of his official duties under this Contract, except for

incidental use and as otherwise provided under any policies and/or procedures adopted by

MCA-N from time to time.

12.4 The Consultant affirms and agrees that no payments have or will be received by any official

of MCA-N or any other Government official in connection with the Consultant’s

employment, and no payments have been made by the Consultant to any third party in

connection with the Contract in violation of any applicable Namibian law or MCA-N’s

policies and procedures on conflict of interest and ethics. The Consultant affirms and

agrees that no payments have been or will be received by the Consultant in connection

with the Consultant’s performance of his duties under the Contract, except for payments

specified in Section 4 of this Contract.

12.5 The Consultant agrees that he shall not participate in the selection, award, or administration of

a contract, grant or other benefit or transaction financed in whole or in part by MCC funding, in

which (i) the Consultant, members of the Consultant’s immediate family or household or the

Consultant’s business partners, or organizations controlled by or substantially involving the


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Consultant has or have a financial interest, or (ii) the Consultant is negotiating or has any

arrangement concerning prospective employment, unless the Consultant has first disclosed in

writing to MCA-N the conflict of interest and, following such disclosure, MCA-N has agreed in

writing to proceed notwithstanding such conflict and, if requested by MCA-N, the Consultant

will promptly recuse himself or herself from such participation.

12.6 The Consultant agrees that he shall not (and shall seek to ensure in his role as the

Consultant that no other person or entity involved in the selection, award, administration

or implementation of any contract, grant or other benefit or transaction financed in whole

or in part by MCC Funding), (i) solicit or accept or offer a third party or seek or be promised

directly or indirectly for himself or for another person or entity, any gift, gratuity, favour or

benefit, other than items of de minimis value and otherwise consistent with MCA-N’s

policies and procedures on conflict of interest and ethics, or (ii) engage in any activity that

is, or gives the appearance of being, a conflict of interest.

13. RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES; MCC STATUS

13.1 The Consultant acknowledges that MCC is neither the individual employer nor a joint

employer of the Consultant. The Consultant understands that the performance of his

duties will be dictated by MCA-N and not by MCC.

13.2 MCC is a United States Government corporation acting on behalf of the United States

Government in the implementation of the Compact. As such, MCC has no liability under

the Contract, and is immune from any action or proceeding arising under or relating to the

Contract. In matters arising under or relating to the Contract, MCC is not subject to the

jurisdiction of the courts in Namibia or any other body in any other jurisdiction.

14. APPLICABLE LAW AND LANGUAGE OF THE CONTRACT

This contract shall be governed by Namibian law and the language of the contract is English.

15. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Any complaint or disagreement related to the execution of this Contract which cannot be resolved with

amicable discussions will be subject to arbitration in accordance with the Professional Arbitration and

Mediation Association of Namibia arbitration rules in force as of the date of this Contract. I have reviewed

and understood the details of this Contract (which, for the avoidance of doubt, includes the appendices).

SIGNATURES

For the MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT: For the CONSULTANT:

……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………

Penny Akwenye

Chief Executive Officer

……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………

Witness Witness


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APPENDIX A: TERMS OF REFERENCE


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APPENDIX B: WIRE INSTRUCTIONS


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