Global LEAP-RBF Monitoring & Evaluation Telephone Survey Verification

DUE DATE:

Request for Proposals 

Global LEAP-RBF Monitoring & Evaluation Telephone Survey Verification


Proposals should be submitted via e-mail to Asif Hassan at ahassan@clasp.ngo.  

RFP #: 1-18 

Post Date: February 8, 2018 

Due Date: March 30, 2018 

Topic: Global LEAP-RBF Monitoring & Evaluation Telephone Survey Verification 

Region: Bangladesh

 

INTRODUCTION

CLASP improves the energy and environmental performance of the appliances and equipment we use every day, accelerating our transition to a more sustainable world. CLASP is an international and impartial nonprofit organization that develops and shares transformative policy and market solutions in collaboration with global experts and local stakeholders.

CLASP’s Clean Energy Access program focuses on using energy efficiency to drive and accelerate the affordability, and social and environmental benefits, of access to clean energy throughout the developing world. CLASP serves as the Operating Agent for several programs of the Global Lighting & Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP), an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), to catalyze and support commercial markets that deliver clean energy access products and services to un- and under-electrified communities throughout the developing world.

Global LEAP does this by developing product quality assurance frameworks, promoting demand-side super-efficiency, and encouraging collaboration among donors and other institutions.

A forthcoming second round of the Global LEAP-RBF program will provide results-based financing incentives to encourage off-grid energy companies to purchase and market efficient off-grid appliances.  In support of this program, CLASP is seeking to engage one or more organizations to implement robust, multi-faceted monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities in Bangladesh. These M&E activities are critically important to the success of the program, and the implementers will be an essential component of an integrated multi-national program team. Customer verification is an integral part of this M&E process.

Information on the background, scope of work, reporting, and timeframe for implementation of the project is provided below, along with instructions for proposal submission and evaluation.

 

BACKGROUND

Distributed (“off-grid”) clean energy technologies – such as solar portable lanterns (SPLs) and light kits, solar home systems (SHSs), and renewable mini-/micro-grids – offer cost-effective, high-quality, and reliable modern energy services to the billions of under-electrified consumers at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP). These modern energy services displace dirty, pre-modern fuels such as kerosene and diesel, driving positive global health and environmental impacts, as well as socioeconomic development.

Quality assured, highly energy efficient, and appropriately designed off-grid appliances such as light emitting diode (LED) lighting, televisions (TVs), fans, and refrigerators accelerate markets for off-grid clean energy systems such as SHSs and mini-grids. High quality off-grid appliances create demand for clean energy systems, while energy efficient appliances reduce energy supply costs and maximize the usefulness of every unit of energy generated. As such, these appliances are essential to the development of off-grid markets.

Despite the potential of appliances to spark off-grid markets and provide enhanced and greater energy services to BoP consumers, the market for these appliances is underdeveloped, disorganized, and difficult for off-grid market actors to access and navigate. Both off-grid energy companies and appliance manufacturers experience challenges related to price sensitivity of BoP consumers, lack of information about products and/or the market itself, and other barriers to market entry. These market failures inhibit the development of an appliance market that meets the needs of the global clean energy access challenge.

To address these and other market failures and help jumpstart a badly needed competitive global market for outstanding off-grid appliances, Global LEAP, Energising Development, the International Finance Corporation and CLASP are partnering on a multi-year program with four core components:

  1. A series of Global LEAP Awards competitions to identify a pool of high-quality, super-efficient, best-in-class off-grid appliances (anticipated to be fans, televisions, and refrigerators);
  2. Results-based financing (RBF) incentives directed at SHS/mini-grid companies in key off-grid economies (Bangladesh and East African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda) to encourage quick procurement of and clear paths to market for these appliances, as well as to foster productive long-term business relationships between SHS/mini-grid companies and appliance manufacturers;
  3. Industry matchmaking and market development to heighten program engagement and accelerate its outcomes, as well as to address policy, financial, and institutional barriers to market development; and
  4. Monitoring and evaluation to validate RBF incentive payments, track the outcomes of the program, and inform program refinements.

The Global LEAP RBF procurement subsidy program requires the following verifications to be carried out for all participating companies:

  1. Visit the company’s warehouse or facility to verify that the off-grid appliances have been purchased and are in the company’s possession; and
  2. Verify accuracy of reported end-user data from appliance retailers through a statistically significant sample of surveys conducted through a combination of SMS, phone, and in-person. 

 

SCOPE OF WORK

CLASP seeks to hire an M&E contractor or contractors to perform telephone survey verification in Bangladesh. The contractor(s) will conduct the verification of 10% of an approximate total 200,000 fans, TVs, and refrigerators that participate in the RBF program across Bangladesh.

The consultant(s) will use a pre-existing sound statistical mechanism to ensure the data collected is robust and minimizes implementation costs. The proposal must include the following:

  • A thorough, implementation strategy to conduct the telephone survey;
  • A rough estimate of survey timeline based on duration of each survey, number of surveys per day etc.;
  • A rough estimate of survey costs based on phone surveys administered to 10% of the approximate 200,000 households that have purchased eligible products; &
  • A consistent reporting template that clearly conveys the outcome of the survey results.

The survey will be conducted over a period of 12 months. Survey questions and customer data will be provided by CLASP.

Firms or teams with deep experience related to M&E for development, results-based financing, and/or energy access are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. Experience with and access to modern M&E software and technology is preferred. Experience with M&E in Bangladesh’s off-grid solar market is preferred. The team or teams selected must be diligent, detail- and task- oriented, and committed to the highest professional ethics and integrity.

 

REPORTING AND DELIVERABLES

The M&E contractor(s) will work closely with the CLASP team and other program partners to develop a reporting template based on the outcome of each telephone survey verification. The report will include a meticulous comparison of customer data received from the companies and survey outcomes as well as a detailed description of qualitative findings from the survey.

The contractor(s) can also expect to provide occasional support to CLASP’s program reporting efforts.

 

TIMELINE

The second round of the program was launched in late fall of 2017 and will run through the end of 2018. CLASP hopes to engage a team for the life of the program.

CLASP anticipates that customer verification activities will commence in early 2018, and will take place intermittently as SHS companies submit incentive claims. Teams responding to this RFP should anticipate starting the telephone survey no more than one month after contracting.

 

EVALUATION & CRITERIA

A committee will evaluate project and budget proposals received from respondents. Selection of qualified experts will be based upon the following criteria:

Qualifications, including:

  • Familiarity and experience with monitoring and evaluation methodologies;
  • Familiarity with off-grid appliance markets, regions and cultures in i.e. South Asia;
  • Thorough understanding of off-grid consumers, products, and market characteristics and needs, and of the Global LEAP initiative and affiliated global clean energy access and development stakeholders; and
  • A thorough grasp of this program’s scope, objectives, and goals (current program documents will be made available upon request).

Cost proposal

Proposals will be evaluated using a Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method, with weights of 65 percent towards team and organization experience and qualifications, and 35 percent towards proposed costs. Additional information about CLASP’s selection process is available here.

 

SUBMITTAL

Interested parties should submit separate technical and financial proposals as electronic files. The file should be named as per the following examples: 

Contractor Name_RFP1-18_Technical Proposal
Contractor Name_RFP1-18_Financial Proposal

The Project Proposal must include the following elements:

  • Biography or organizational profile;
  • Examples of relevant, related work and associated references;
  • Evidence of organizational ethics and anti-corruption policies and practices;
  • CVs and related summaries of experience and qualifications of applicable staff; and
  • Detailed proposed timeline of deliverables and milestones for the telephone survey activities listed in the Scope of Work section above (i.e. items 1 and 2).

The Financial Proposal must include the following elements:

  • Detailed budget that includes a breakdown of costs for staff time, expenses, and incidentals for the M&E activities listed in the Scope of Work section above (i.e. items 1 and 2)

For the purposes of budgeting, timelines, deliverables, and milestones, please assume thirty (30) total incentive claim submissions each year with the M&E activities required for each claim, as listed in the Scope of Work section above.

If necessary for the selection process, CLASP may request additional information from any applicant.

Proposals should be submitted via e-mail to Asif Hassan at ahassan@clasp.ngo.  

The deadline for proposal submission is March 30 2018. Proposals submitted directly to anyone at CLASP will not be accepted.

All questions may be addressed to Jeff Stottlemyer at jstottlemyer@clasp.ngo or Asif Hassan at ahassan@clasp.ngo. The last date for submission of questions related to this RFP is March 26, 2018. We request all inquiries be made by e-mail and not by phone.

CLASP recommends that interested teams request and read the original program proposal, which provides ample context for these M&E activities and the contractor role within the program team.

 

 

 

 

 

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