Request for expression of interest for selection # 1212397
This Request for Expression of Interest is for a Firm Selection. Please log in as a valid Firm User if you
wish to express interest in this selection.
Selection Information
Assignment Title
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Firm for Gateway Academy
Publication Date
03-Feb-2016
Expression of Interest Deadline
10-Feb-2016 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
Language of Notice
English
Selection Notice
Assignment Country

No Countries Assigned
Funding Sources
The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment/services under:

BB - BANK BUDGET
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TF018959 - Gateway Academy
Individual/Firm
The consultant will be a firm.
Assignment Description
SELECTION FOR CONSULTANTS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Electronic Submissions through World Bank Group eConsultant2
https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
Assignment Title: 1212397 - Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Firm for Gateway Academy
INDIVIDUAL / FIRM PROFILE
The consultant will be a firm.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The World Bank now invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested
firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures,
description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills
among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all
attachments should be less than 5MB. Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications.
Interested firms are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest.
Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through World Bank Group
eTendering (https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html)
NOTES
Following this invitation for Expression of Interest, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to
submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding.
CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) is a global partnership of 34 leading organizations that
seek to advance financial inclusion. CGAP develops innovative solutions through practical research and
active engagement with financial service providers, policy makers and funders to enable approaches at
scale. Housed at the World Bank, CGAP combines a pragmatic approach to responsible market
development with an evidence-based advocacy platform to increase access to the financial services the
poor need to improve their lives. CGAPs mission is to improve the lives of poor people by spurring
innovations and advancing knowledge and solutions that promote responsible, sustainable, inclusive
financial markets.
About the Gateway Academy
Staff capacity at financial service providers (FSPs) has long been a challenge for financial inclusion
efforts. Without strong staff, FSPs are limited in their ability to innovate and extend their outreach to
the nearly 2.5 billion people who are excluded from the formal financial system. New applications of
technology are bringing about massive change in the field of professional development and training.
These approaches have the potential to dramatically expand the accessibility of high-quality content at a
lower cost than traditional training models and thus boost much-needed capacity in the sector.
Gateway Academy is an innovative learning project that will offer both on-line and blended courses and
cultivate communities focused on financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Gateway Academy will
work with training providers, financial service providers and on-line learning experts to generate highquality course content, build communities of practice and conduct on-going research to understand user
needs.
Gateway Academy is building on the reputation of the Microfinance Gateway (the Gateway) to support
innovative approaches to build capacity of financial inclusion professionals. With fifteen years
experience promoting knowledge exchange and professional development for the microfinance and
inclusive finance sector, the Gateway is a trusted resource and the Gateway Academy is a natural
extension of this strong foundation.
To build on this foundation, Gateway Academy is intended to:
Create a transformative impact on financial inclusion by increasing the reach of high-quality training
content;
Capture a significant audience by offering a solution that meets the audiences needs in terms of user
experience- e.g. the technical aspect of the platform are adapted to the target audiences environment;
Create lasting impact for those working to advance financial inclusion.
We expect to see a significant number of users engaging in on-line learning and communities, gaining
skills that are relevant to their jobs and helping them advance in their careers.
Consistent with CGAPs approach of creating demonstration projects and facilitating market
development, CGAP will rapidly prototype and alpha-test options for delivering on-line learning testing
format, content, delivery channels, incentives, constraints and other factors. Gateway Academy will
begin to engage in this alpha testing before a course or a site is built and before the pilot and beta
stages. This testing will continue throughout the life of the project.
Role : Duties, Accountabilities, and Deliverables
The firm will work with the Gateway Academy Team on the following:
1. Facilitate the development of a learning agenda for the Gateway Academy within 30 days of the
award of the contract. This will encompass:
Deep dive into the project and the projects objectives.
Development of thorough knowledge of the Academy.
A facilitated retreat/workshop with project team and major stakeholders to determine the MEL needs at
multiple levels and how it can be extensible over time.
Co-developing appropriate questions to be approached throughout the various stages of the project and
tested/researched through implementation.
2. Propose a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) plan that incorporates the learning agenda
within 60 days. This will include:
A monitoring, evaluation and learning plan for one year that is extensible for the life of the project. It
should include a plan for baseline data collection, both qualitative and quantitative. Note that learning
questions in the beginning of the project will likely look at modes/methods, audience and content.
Feedback loops and continuous learning should be part of the plan and built into project activities. The
team is open to new and different methods including developmental evaluation.
3. Once the proposed learning plan is agreed on by the TTL, the firm will support the implementation
the monitoring evaluation and learning plan. This will include:
Working with partners, the platform and other aspects of the project to monitor, collect data, analyze
data and evaluate.
Co-facilitating (with the Academy Team) learning events such as the annual learning workshop with
partners. (It will not include logistics and other event management.)
Ensure that the learning agenda and Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plan take into
consideration the MasterCard Foundation (MCF) learning strategy.
http://www.mastercardfdn.org/learn/
The learning events will serve dual functions to both disseminate project lessons and examine the
broader environment of training and capacity building. In addition to the programmatic component of
these workshops, we will also use the opportunity to convene a broader group around training and
capacity building. This will bring together other interested parties, including human resource
professionals, speakers to discuss innovations in e-learning and m-learning, other training service
providers not directly involved with the e-learning platform.
The objective is to obtain insights from the monitoring which will regularly inform the programs design
and approach and also to design a strongly results-oriented initiative, where it will be critical to capture
outcomes, benefits and learnings primarily for CGAPs use. The secondary audience will be MCF and
broader dissemination. A rigorous learning agenda and MEL methodology will be the basis of achieving
this objective, including:
Clearly identified outputs (deliverables), outcomes (resulting shifts) and impact (goals);
Strong MEL framework for evaluating learning programs including indicators, baselines, data collection
methods, sources, frequency of reporting, defining measures of effectiveness, performance and impact;
A robust method for tracking data in place before the programs are rolled-out to allow comparisons pre
post action; staggered rollout to allow leveraging ongoing learnings.
Quantitative and qualitative monitoring will be ongoing and will be based on data from a number of
sources that could include site analytics and usage data, surveys of users, higher management of FSPs
and training providers. Together, the data will provide insights into participant performance and
learning approaches as well as user satisfaction with the platform and its content and tools. In addition
to regular monitoring, the program will conduct an annual evaluation to analyze the programs outcome
on financial service providers staff skills and the potential impact on financial service providers
themselves.
Qualifications/Experience
The MEL team must be comprised of qualified experts in monitoring, evaluation and learning, with a
demonstrated track record.
It is expected that at least one member of the team have specific qualifications or credentials in eLearning or knowledge management evaluation.
It is expected that at least one member of the team have specific qualifications or credentials in
developing learning agendas, survey development, administration of interviews and workshops.
It is expected that the team possess technical knowledge of training, knowledge management and/or
online learning with reference to developing countries, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa.
It is expected that team have significant experience in cross country multilingual survey and qualitative
research design, validation, data collection and analysis.
The evaluators must be strong communicators, in both written and oral English, with ability to adapt
style to suit a diverse mix of stakeholders.
We encourage bids that include local staff from Sub-Saharan Africa in their proposals.
References and examples of past work are required and should be included in the proposal.
Qualification Criteria
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1. Provide information on the technical and managerial capabilities of the firm. *
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2. Provide information showing that they are qualified in the field of the assignment. *

3. Provide information on the qualifications of key staff. *

4. Provide information on their core business and years in business. *