Summary of Role

CLASP seeks to hire a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) contractor(s) to design the verification process required for the HTCC RBF Program and design and conduct impact surveys.

About CLASP

CLASP serves at the epicentre of collaborative, ambitious efforts to mitigate climate change and in the global movement for clean energy access, through appliance efficiency. Our mission is to improve the energy and environmental performance of the appliances & equipment we use every day, accelerating our transition to a more sustainable world. We work hand-in-hand with governments, experts, industry, consumers, donor organizations and others to propel policies and markets toward the highest quality, lowest resource-intensive appliances possible.

CLASP has worked in more than 100 countries since inception in 1999. CLASP is headquartered in Washington, DC, with teams in China, Europe and the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, and Kenya. We are mission-driven and committed to a culture of diversity, transparency, collaboration, and impactful work.

Introduction

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 Global South. CLASP, in partnership with GIZ Uganda and with support from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) launched the Higher Tier Cooking Component, Results Based Financing Program to provide procurement subsidies to manufacturers and distributors of higher tier cookstoves (e-cooking and higher tier biomass stoves). The Higher Tier Cooking Component (HTCC), as part of the larger ‘Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for the Clean Cooking sector’ project, aims to support the development and growth of the higher tier Clean Cooking Solutions (CCS) market in selected countries through access to finance, business development support and strengthening an active and ambitious enabling environment.

Scope of Work

CLASP seeks to hire an M&E contractor(s) to design the verification process required for the HTCC RBF Program and design and conduct impact surveys. The contractor(s) will be expected to work closely with CLASP and other program partners to develop, implement and deliver the following:

1. A thorough, scalable protocol for M&E activities that supports high-level analyses and assessment of the program’s developmental impact.
2. An impact survey design and implementation strategy that leverages all required reporting activities.
3. A consistent reporting template that clearly conveys both aggregate and customer level M&E results.

The Independent verification agent will assist CLASP in implementing a 2-step verification process. The process will involve:

1. Verification of Product Purchase/manufacturer: To verify purchase/manufacture/shipping of cookstove or cookstove components, (e.g., price quotes, purchase orders, bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list evidence of financing, PVOC certification etc.).
2. Verification of Product Sale: To verify sale of cookstoves to end users through SMS and telephonic surveys to a sample of end users/customers from data provided by RBF participants.

Indicative Contractor(s) Activities (finalized in collaboration with the contractor(s))

• Manage an independent monitoring and verification system based on energy data monitoring and management system.
• Sales Verification & Consumer Research: Surveys conducted with a sample of customers from each participating distributor to verify sales and generate unique insights on appliance use.
• Align on the goals and objectives of the research, refine workplan.
• Familiarize themselves with the companies, technologies, and consumer demographics within the scope of the RBF Programme.
• Conduct desk research on additional, relevant consumer impact research methods to ensure that this MEL work is aligned with related efforts in the sector and follows best practices.
• Design appropriate research plans to measure development impacts.
• Consolidate and clean consumer impact survey response data.
• Refine development impact analysis with CLASP.

Required Expertise

The contractor(s) should have experience using sophisticated, sound statistical mechanism to ensure the data collected is robust and minimizes implementation costs. This includes:

• Significant sample sizing for each participating company.
• Strata identification and segmentation.
• Randomization mechanism.

In addition to this, the contractor should have experience:

• Visualizing findings using a dashboard with infographics via Stata software that are easy to read by technical as well as non-technical staff.
• Designing and implementing monitoring and verification activities for electric pressure cookers and other clean cooking technologies in Uganda.
• Conducting consumer verification on a rolling basis and implementing impact surveys that assess income impacts, appliance usage and experience, quality of life changes, and other EPC.
• Conducting qualitative key informant interviews (KIIs) with participating companies.

Special weight will be given to applicants who have all the following experience:

• Impact evaluations, monitoring, primary data collection
• Research in development economics, econometrics, statistics, and survey methodology
• Mixed methods evaluations, qualitative evaluations, and research studies
• Management information systems and knowledge management
• Development and provision of dissemination platforms for policy findings and policy influence
• Training and capacity building
• Management of pilot and demonstration projects for development and poverty alleviation as well as supporting development programs and scaling-up of successful measure

The monitoring and survey design and implementation plan must be easily scalable to match the quantity of cookstove sales that occur in each participating country over the life of the program.

CLASP encourages firms or teams with deep experience related to M&E for development, results-based financing, and/or energy access to submit proposals. Experience with and access to modern M&E software and technology (i.e., tablet-based software with photography and geo-coding functionality) is preferred. Experience with M&E in East Africa’s off-grid solar market is preferred.

Reporting and Deliverables

The M&E contractor or contractors will be expected to work closely with CLASP and other program partners to develop the following:

1. M&E strategy document, which also outlines the justification for the M&E approach presented.
2. Questionnaires for SMS and phone surveys
3. Data collection method and cleaned data.
4. Development impact analysis

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

Timeline

Activities will begin in April 2024 and run through April 2025. CLASP hopes to engage a team for the life of the program.

CLASP anticipates that customer verification activities will commence in April 2024 and will take place on a rolling basis. Teams responding to this RFP should anticipate finalizing the M&E Design no more than one month after contracting.

Submittal

Interested parties must submit their proposals to financing@clasp.ngo by  8 April 2024.

Interested parties should submit separate technical and financial proposals as electronic files. The file should be named as per the following example: “Contractor Name: Customer Verification RFP.” The project proposal is limited to 15 pages. Proposals longer than 15 pages will not be considered.

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
• Detailed proposed timeline of deliverables and milestones for the M&E activities listed in the Scope of Work section above (i.e. items 1 and 2)
• Proposed approach for the Scope of Work

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 that there are roughly 12,000 end users. The verification agent will work with CLASP to determine an appropriate sample size across the stove categories for verification purposes.

Optional At This Stage – Fill Out Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

All contractors must fill out the PQQ before working with CLASP. This can be voluntarily completed at the RFP stage but will be mandatory if a contract is awarded. The PQQ is a thorough due diligence screening aimed at gathering legal and financial information on prospective partners/vendors. Contract awards are conditional upon passing the due diligence screening. Organizations that have already completed the PQQ do not need to complete it again unless the structure of the business has changed. If you are unsure, please email Andrea Testa (atesta@clasp.ngo) to determine next steps.

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CLASP looks forward to reviewing your responses and would like to thank you in advance for your participation in this Request for Proposals. CLASP will notify all respondents who submit proposals when a decision has been made.

CLASP is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. CLASP’s goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. CLASP complies with all federal, state and local employment law in the countries we operate and is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, disability, political affiliation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, genetic information, military or protected veteran status, credit information or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. Each person is evaluated based on personal skill and merit. CLASP’s policy regarding equal employment opportunity applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, job assignments, promotions, working conditions, scheduling, benefits, wage and salary administration, disciplinary action, termination, and social, educational and recreational programs.