Country:                                  AFRICA
Name of Project:                    AAU CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR THE
REVITALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS PHASE
II (AAU-CADRE PHASE II)
Consulting Services:              MID-TERM EVALUATION OF PROJECT
Grant No.:                               285
Expression of Interest:          AAU/CADRE-II/PROC/MTR/2015

1.0 Background

The Association of African Universities (AAU) is a non-profit organization based in Accra, Ghana that aims at promoting higher education on the African continent by supporting the main functions of universities including teaching, research and community engagement. Specifically, the AAU promotes cooperation and exchange of ideas on higher education issues through research, training, curriculum development, and dissemination of information. The Association therefore plays a critical role in networking universities and building capacity to help its member universities carry out their functions effectively. As a non-government organisation, which does not receive statutory subvention from any government in or outside Africa, the AAU relies on membership subscriptions and the generous support of its development partners to implement its activities.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are expected to play a pivotal role in socio-economic development. However, due to long periods of neglect, the brain drain, poor infrastructure and other challenges, universities in Africa are unable to adequately deliver on this role. The AAU Secretariat which is supposed to be the facilitator for collaboration among HEIs on the continent also has some capacity constraints that inhibit it from adequately delivering quality services to its members. These include inadequate technical skills, weak leadership and management skills, poor ICT access, low research capacity, and weak university-industry linkages.

Against this background, the AAU Capacity Development Project for the Revitalization of Higher Education Institutions Phase II (AAU-CADRE PHASE II) was launched with sponsorship from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) to address the capacity gaps identified.

The Association of African Universities (AAU) has received a grant from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) toward the cost of the AAU-CADRE Phase II Project, and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this grant to eligible payments under the contract for Consultancy Services to review its performance and impact.

2.0.      Objectives of the Assignment                

The aim of this consultancy is to assess the progress of the AAU-CADRE Phase II against stated outputs and outcomes as outlined in the project’s initiation documents since its inception in January 2013 to the present period, as well as identify issues and recommend adjustments. It will also highlight issues and challenges affecting effective and efficient implementation of outputs and their contribution to project outcomes and impact, and recommend whether results obtained thus far warrant an extension of the project.

The review is being undertaken at the midpoint of project implementation and will pave the way for improved project delivery for the remaining project duration and propose amendments (if any) required in project design, implementation arrangements and/or institutional linkages in order to effectively and sustainably contribute to improved performance of African HEIs and the AAU Secretariat.

The project review exercise expected to be completed within a period of 4 weeks (1 month).

3.0 Request for Expression of Interest

The AAU Capacity Development Project for the Revitalization of Higher Education Institutions Phase II (AAU-CADRE PHASE II) now invites eligible qualified individuals to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services giving a description of similar assignments undertaken

4.0 Qualifications of Consultants

The individual Consultant is expected to have the following minimum qualification and experience:

• The consultant must have at least a doctoral degree in a management related discipline,
• 15 years of experience related to capacity building in higher education, and
• Experience in the evaluation of higher education related projects.

5.0 Selection of Consultants

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the Selection Based on the Individual Consultants Method set out in the African Capacity Building Foundation’s Procurement Guidelines for Grant Recipients (July 2011) which can be downloaded from the ACBF website: https://www.acbf-pact.org.

Expression of Interest clearly marked “Expression of Interest for Consultancy to review Phase II of the AAU Capacity Development Project for the Revitalization of Higher Education Institutions (AAU-CADRE Phase II)” can be submitted as hard copies at the address below on or before 1000 hours local time (GMT) on August 6, 2015.

The Coordinator, AAU-CADRE Phase II, Tel: +233 302 761588, Fax: +233 302774821

Or through email using the following address: jcmba@aau.org copy: acorletey@aau.org