Project VIE/029 “Technical Assistance” (TA) towards “Developing Business with the Rural Poor in Cao Bang” started on 16 November 2009 with the arrival of the CTA. This TA is to support the implementation by Department of Planning and Investment (DPI) province-wide programme in the Cao Bang province, northern Vietnam. This programme is predominantly designed by- and financed through- loan support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The overall IFAD programme amounts to approximately 26 million USD spread over a six-year period which has been cut into two phases (Phase I : 2008-2011 and Phase II : 2011-2013).
The purpose of IFAD’s provincial programme, which already started in 2008, is to empower poor households in targeted rural communities to organise themselves for profitable market participation along value chains, in a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable manner. Enabling policy environment, increased private investment and provision of business development services would be essential instruments for achieving this objective.
A large share of scope, content and financial support by Luxembourg’s involvement through Lux-Development relates to the organisation and management of TA and training and corresponding to the three major programme components described in IFAD’s Appraisal Report:
1.Improving Business and Investment Environment
- Raising Provincial Competitiveness
- Improving Efficiency and Impact of Equitised Enterprises
- Environmental Planning
2.Rural Business Development Services
- Value Chain Development Services
- Farm productivity Improvement Services
- Rural Finance
3.Amplification of Market Access for the Rural Poor
- Enhancing Common Interest Groups (CIGs)
- Participatory Planning and Investment Prioritisation
- Commune Investments
IFAD’s three “components” are supposed to lead to the specific objective of “rural poor people empowered” to benefit from an enhanced market participation in Cao Bang province.Since the IFAD programme is situated at provincial level, the leading actor is the Provincial People’s Committee (PPC) while the core-implementing actor is the Department of Planning and Investment (DPI), which will be in charge of project coordination.
The Luxembourg TA support to this programme will have a clear focus on strengthening the local actors in terms of coordination, planning, budgeting and implementation, and the provision of specific complementary TA where necessary towards the local institutions in order to achieve objectives and results in a most efficient and effective manner. In other words, the implementation of TA under the programme will be hands-on, practical, proactive, demand-responsive and flexible. The key role of the Lux Development TA is to recognise what knowledge, skills and attitude needs to be transferred to the PPMU enabling this management unit to implement Phase II of the project with certainly less TA support than Phase I.
Management structure:
The coordination and implementation of the DBRP is the responsibility of Department of Planning and Investment (DPI) – in practice this is effected through the establishment of a Provincial Program Management Unit (PPMU) that is based on the premises of the DPI. In terms of TA, the core PPMU team is supported by the Lux-CTA with its major responsibility to capacitate the PPMU to implement the DBRP project. Relevant line agencies (e.g. DARD, DONRE, DOI, Women’s Union, Farmers’ Union, etc), support the PPMU in planning and implementing the program.
The Cao Bang DBRP M&E system with the support from M&E International Expert in good operation. In the view of using M&E system as an input into programme management, the M&E unit should be able to provide more information on activity and output monitoring. The DBRP M&E system collects data to monitor progress on the following levels: i) impact, ii) outcome, iii) outputs and iv) activities.
We are looking for the consultancy on M&E refresher training [1]. The proposal (both technical and financial) is made in English and Vietnamese with one original and two copies each respectively. Deadline of proposal submission is by 09h00, Friday 15 March 2013. The proposals must be sent to the following address:
Pham Truong Ky
Project VIE/029, Department of Planning and Investment of Cao Bang province, No. 30 Xuan Truong Street, Hop Giang Ward, Cao Bang Town.
(Telephone: (84-26)3956 786/Fax: (84-26)3956 788 & Email: [email protected] [2])
Commencement date and period of completion: From 20 March to 10 April, 2013;
Application Deadline: Friday, 2013-03-15