Terms of Reference for Hiring a Consultant (Individual or Consortium) to Conduct a Comprehensive Environmental and Social Audit of Sampled Infrastructure Projects Against the Safeguarding Criteria in 5 Districts of Rwanda

P.O. Box. 6252 Kigali, Rwanda – Tel: (+250) 0788309583

Toll free: 2641 (to report cases of corruption) – Email: info@tirwanda.org

Website: www.tirwanda.org

Terms of Reference for hiring a consultant (individual or consortium) to conduct a comprehensive environmental and social audit of sampled infrastructure projects against the safeguarding criteria in 5 districts of Rwanda.

1. Background and rationale

Transparency International Rwanda is a civil society organization created in 2004 and became accredited as a national chapter of the Transparency International global movement in 2011. The mission of TI-Rwanda is to contribute to the fight against corruption and promote good governance through enhancing integrity in Rwandan society. Our vision is zero tolerance to corruption in the Rwandan society.

In the framework of implementing the project dubbed ‘’Indi Ntambwe mu Kwiyubakira Igihugu (translating as ‘’An Extra Mile in State building’’), abbreviated INKI, in partnership with NPA and other civil society organisations, TI is upholding the responsibility of duty bears in service delivery while considering a strong culture of safeguarding the design and implementation of locally-led public and other national large-scale infrastructure projects while accounting for liabilities to fully take shape.

Taking decentralisation as an entry point of engagement towards the desired future state whereby the design and implementation of policies (on gender, climate and or planning as well as other relevant issues) are more inclusive, effective and accountable, INKI project seeks to contribute towards addressing three long-standing policy issues among many others that Rwanda is currently faced with.

On the one hand, there is the issue of limited compliance, by central and local government institutions alike, with the national decentralization principles amidst increasing decentralization tendencies. On the other hand, INKI will address the issue of fragile knowledge and understanding of government policy choices in sectors that matter most to citizens. Finally, it will focus on the issue of a limited culture of environmental and social justice safeguarding while designing and implementing locally led and large-scale public infrastructure projects. The Project intends to establish that duty bearers, right holders and other relevant stakeholders increasingly embrace a culture of value-based environmental and social safeguarding and subject themselves to accountability dialogue for unmet liabilities.

 It is against this scope that TI-Rw is hiring a consultant to conduct a comprehensive environmental and social audit of sampled selected infrastructure projects in 5 districts namely Karongi, Musanze, Gisagara, Bugesera and Gasabo. The social audit will be conducted to assess whether citizens have the skills, capacity and tools to effectively monitor and evaluate their governments and decision-makers to claim better compliance with the safeguards by different duty bearers as pathway to better access to environmental and social rights. This assessment will therefore focus on environmental and social justice safeguarding across public infrastructure development projects. It is in this framework that Transparency International Rwanda wishes to contract an external consultant individual or consortium to undertake a comprehensive environmental and social audit of sampled infrastructure projects against the safeguarding criteria in 5 districts of Rwanda.

2. Objectives

The primary objectives of the assignment are as follows:

1. Examine various environmental policy decisions, keeping in view stakeholder needs and priorities, particularly of those marginalised people (rural poor, women, People with disability…);
2. Mapping public infrastructure development projects against established environmental safeguarding criteria in selected districts;
3. Analyse the level of awareness and practices among beneficiaries and service providers of environmental and social justice safeguarding across public infrastructure development projects;
4. Measure the level of public participation at all stages of the implementation of public infrastructure development projects;
5. Evaluate the level of transparency and accountability in the implementation of public infrastructure development projects against established environmental safeguarding criteria in selected districts;
6. Measure both negative and positive social impact and vulnerability associated with the implementation of infrastructure development projects on beneficiaries’ livelihood;
7. Identify areas for institutional and bureaucratic reforms of institutions while implementing public infrastructure development projects;
8. Evaluate the design and implementation of the infrastructure projects to determine its suitability in minimizing environmental and social impacts;
9. Identify existing mitigation measures and adherence to best practices and assess their effectiveness;
10. Formulate actionable recommendations to enhance environmental and social justice safeguarding in the implementation of public infrastructure development projects in Rwanda.

3. Scope of Work and methodology

The assignment will encompass the following key components:

1. Development of ESIA Audit Tools:
   • Review existing safeguarding criteria and standards (e.g., World Bank Environmental and Social Framework, IFC Performance Standards, and national standards).
   • Develop a comprehensive ESIA audit framework tailored to the specific context of the selected projects.
   • Design audit tools, including methodology, sampling, checklists, questionnaires, and other data collection tools.
2. Selection of Sampled Infrastructure Projects:
   • Identify and select infrastructure projects based on criteria such as size, type, location, and potential impact.
   • Ensure that the selected projects represent a range of environmental and social contexts.
3. Data Collection and Analysis:
   • Conduct site visits to gather primary data through observations, interviews, and surveys with stakeholders (e.g., project developers, local communities, regulatory bodies).
   • Review project documentation, including environmental impact assessments, social impact assessments, mitigation plans, and monitoring reports.
   • Analyze data to evaluate compliance gaps, technical suitability and areas for improvement.
4. Assessment of Technical Suitability:
   • Evaluate the design and construction of the infrastructure to determine its suitability in minimizing environmental and social impacts.
   • Assess the effectiveness of implemented mitigation measures and adherence to best practices.
   • Propose technical improvements or alternative approaches to enhance the technical suitability of infrastructure projects.

5. Reporting:
   • Drafting of audit reports, including findings, conclusions, and recommendations

4. Deliverables include:

1. Inception Report with detailed work plan, methodology, and timeline.
2. ESIA Audit Tools: Customized audit framework, checklists, questionnaires, and data collection templates.
3. Interim Report: Preliminary findings from fieldwork and data analysis.
4. Final Audit Report: Comprehensive report detailing the audit findings, technical assessments, and recommendations and Executive summary for dissemination to a wider audience.

5. Team Composition and qualification

The consultancy team should comprise:

• At least master’s degree in Social science or environmental studies.
• Environmental and social specialists with experience in infrastructure projects with more than 5 years of experience.
• Technical expert in civil engineering or relevant fields.
• Data analyst
• Assistant researchers for community engagement and stakeholder consultations.

6. Timeline

The assignment is expected to be completed within four months, with key milestones as follows:

• Month 1: Preparatory phase and development of audit tools,
• Month 2: Fieldwork and data collection.
• Month 3: Data analysis and interim reporting.
• Month 4: Final reporting and presentation of findings.

7. Budget

A detailed budget will be developed, covering personnel, travel, fieldwork expenses, and report production.

8. Reporting and Communication

Regular progress updates will be provided to Transparency International Rwanda, with formal presentations of the interim and final reports. All communication will be documented and archived.

9. Confidentiality and Ethics

The audit will be conducted in adherence to ethical guidelines, ensuring confidentiality and respect for all stakeholders involved.

10. Submission of the documents

Interested candidates shall provide a detailed technical proposal and updated CV (with relevant certificates of similar work completion) with a financial offer separately, in a sealed envelope, by not later than 20^th June 2024 at 5:00 PM. The submission will be done physically at TI-RW’s office located in Remera, near Grand Legacy Hotel or via TI-RW’s email: info@tirwanda.org. The selected candidate will be invited at the TI-RW Office for contract negotiation. For further clarifications, do not hesitate to contact on +250788309563 during working hours.

Done at Kigali, on 06th June 2024

Apollinaire Mupiganyi

Executive Director TI-RW