STTA Database developer

1. Introduction

The purpose of the Iraq Governance Performance and Accountability (IGPA/Takamul) project is to advance effective, accountable, and transparent governance in Iraq. This USAID effort, implemented by DAI, is working with the Government of Iraq (GOI) at all levels to better respond to citizen needs by supporting reform initiatives and Iraqi change agents on inclusive governance and public-sector transparency, accountability, and economy. Reform initiatives include support to improve service delivery functions, public financial management, and open government initiatives. IGPA/Takamul will support the GOI and the citizens of Iraq in forming partnerships and collaborative efforts to solve problems jointly. IGPA/Takamul has four (4) objectives:

1. Enhance GOI service delivery capacity
2. Improve public financial management
3. Strengthen monitoring and oversight of service delivery and public expenditure
4. Support Iraqi change agents (cross-cutting objective)

 

1. Background

The Kurdistan Development Management System (KDMS) is the official tool of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Planning (MOP) for public investment and external aid management. It helps the MOP with adequate planning, management, and monitoring of the capital investment budget by covering the entire cycle of public investment projects (PIP), from project ideas to evaluation results. KDMS has been upgraded in the past year to enable line ministries to access the system to upload their capital project information directly.

 

The KRG MOP needs further to develop its public investment management (PIM) functions and is planning to create a database with key service delivery statistical information that is important for identifying capital investment needs and potential projects for the service delivery sectors such as electricity, water resources, agriculture, roads, and bridges.

According to the region’s development plan, this will result in better investment planning based on statistical information for key service delivery sectors and more effective resource allocation.

 

• Objective

 

To prepare the TOR to develop a database that can provide data related to the level of service provided in different sectors by province and district. Having a consolidated data bank that can show the current state of services provided in a particular area for each sector will assist the KRG in making a better-informed decision on which projects have high priority for monitoring the service delivery level of each sector. In addition, this Service delivery database would complement the KDMS.

Additionally, reliable and credible data on sectoral service delivery levels would highlight gaps and priority issues in local communities at the district level and enable more informed and targeted planning of capital investments in key urban and rural areas. This will result in more efficient and effective allocation of resources for capital investments that  are more closely aligned with the KRG government‘s development plan.

 

1. Key Tasks and responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the STTA Database developer expert, working under the direction of the Public Financial Management team lead, will include, but not be limited to:

Task 1 – Project kick-off/inception

Task 2 – Interviews, data gathering and review of existing data

Task 3 – Develop a TOR for a database with key service delivery statistical information that is important for identifying capital investment needs and potential projects for the service delivery sectors such as electricity, water resources, agriculture, roads and bridges.

Task 4 – Presentation of TOR to the KRG MOP Investment Directorate staff at a one-day workshop

 

Task 5 – Final Report

 

In executing these tasks, the STTA Database developer expert must comply with the relevant requirements specified under the IGPA Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) component^[1]. (See Attachment 2 for more detail.)

 

 

1. Specific Tasks

 

The STTA database developer expert’s responsibilities, under the direction of the PFM team lead, shall include, but not be limited to the following specific tasks:

 

Task 1 – Project kick-off/inception

• The STTA database developer expert with the Regional Technical Coordinator shall meet with the MOP Capital Investment Budget Directorate^[2] to confirm the scope of the assignment and identify a Change Agent and MOP counterpart staff to support the activity.
• At this kick-off meeting, any existing policies and/or desired strategies or goals relating to the Database and KDMS should also be identified and recorded to ensure that this database complements KDMS.
• Within one week, the STTA Database developer expert will submit an implementation plan, along with a list of required data relevant to the assignment. The implementation plan should consist of the following components:
  • a brief description of how the project will be executed, indicating the tasks and the proposed deliverables under each phase (in line with this SOW)
  • an estimated timeline for each task
  • a communication protocol that describes how communication will be managed

The implementation plan should consist of no more than five (5) pages, excluding attachments.

 

Task 2 – Interviews, data gathering, and review of existing data

• The STTA Database developer expert, in collaboration with the IGPA Regional Technical Coordinator, should undertake interviews and meetings with relevant MOP-KRG staff to:
  • Solicit data and documents required to prepare the TOR for the database, such as current indicators of service sectors, the population of each governorate, and the current structure for service distribution.
  • understand the status and relevance of the KDMS specifications to determine how the database will complement KDMS

 

• Follow-up on the collection of data by communicating with the (Capital Investment Budget Directorate) in MoP-KRG and interviewing relevant staff when necessary regarding the status and usage of the data they gather from different areas on both sectorial and in each governorate, and any significant issues relating to the process of gathering data.
• Collate the data, review the data, and record findings, noting:
  • any differences in collecting data from one area to another.
  • any existing forms which are deemed to be redundant
  • any additional data which are deemed to be necessary

Task 3 –Develop a TOR for a database to access information on public service delivery levels.

• The new database should track Sector Profiles and Area Profiles along with project and investment data.
• Each sector and area profile will contain data about social-economic indicators of that particular sector/community and result indicators that will be linked to specific outputs and outcomes of projects and activities.
• The system will also feature a reporting interface for enabling data analysis, such as classifying sectors and communities into priority lists according to indicator ranking. There should be a list of priority governorates, cities, and districts where the investment gaps will be highlighted for each sector. Thus, more effective planning of development activities will be possible.
• The draft ToR of the Database should be agreed upon with the IGPA PFM Lead before issuing.
• The final ToR and new specifications shall be submitted to the IGPA PFM Lead for review.
• The following data should be tracked in the system but not limited to:

 

1. Sector Profile
2. Area Profile
3. Strategic Plan
4. Needs and Priorities
5. Ongoing and Planned Projects (the project data will be synchronized with KDMS)
6. Expected Outputs and Outcomes
7. Indicators of Progress

• Upon receipt of any comments, the STTA Database developer shall consider these comments in collaboration with the IGPA team and the MOP counterparts, agree on the appropriate revisions necessary, and update the relevant documents.

 

Based on collected data, the TOR should require that the database system be able to produce reports and dashboards on:

 

• Sector Performance – sectors that show positive performance will be prioritized for continued funding, while those that lack progress will be highlighted for further attention and corrective measures.
• Investment Impact – the results of each investment program and project will be monitored and evaluated through various indicators showing the contribution to the overall national development agenda.
• Scorecard Reports on Investment Priorities – a balanced score will be calculated for each sector and area to identify gaps and needs, making the investment planning process more informed.
• Forecasts and What-If Scenarios – comprehensive analytics on capital budget investment scenarios. System will simulate various program and project investment models to assist the KRG in effective decision-making for the capital investment budget.

 

Task 4 – Presentation of Results and workshop for MoP-KRG

• The STTA Database expert shall present to the MOP Capital Investment budget directorate the following:

1. The database ToR will result in more efficient, data-driven capital investment planning. The information on sector profiles and area profiles will allow to move away from project-based public investment approaches towards a more integrated, holistic methodology of national development management.
2. Present database structure through providing sufficient information regarding the relation between service sectors and geographic areas
3. Explain the relation between the service need with regards to population size.
4. Explain the current status of services infrastructure in the Kurdistan region.

 

 

Task 5 – Final completion report & project close-out

 

• The STTA Database developer expert shall submit to the IGPA team a Completion Report of no more than ten pages, excluding attachments and photographs, summarizing the work undertaken by activity and achievements.
  • the report shall be submitted in English
  • one hard copy and a soft copy (MS-Word and PDF format) is required

 

• As a minimum, the following shall be included as attachments to the Completion Report:
  • a new Database term of reference (in English only)
  • all workshop materials and records in English.

1. Required Deliverables

Note: The deliverables below are indicative and will be confirmed at the time of contract finalization and inception report approval, respectively.

 

Tasks / Sub-tasks	Deliverables*
Task 1 – Project kick-off / inception	Mobilisation, project kick-off meeting, inception phase, and activity work plan   ·       Minutes of meetings held (PDF document) ·       Implementation plan (Word / Excel) ·       List of data requests (Word document)
Task 2 – Interviews, data gathering, and review of data	Interviews, data gathering, and review of data   ·       List of existing data forms & proposed new data-gathering forms (Word document) ·       Minutes of meetings (Word documents) ·       Records/outcomes of any workshop ·       Any presentation material prepared (PPT slides) ·       Any questionnaires/datasheets (Word / Excel) ·       Site visits to facilities (photographs) ·       Weekly progress reports (Word documents)
Task 3 – Develop a ToR for a database to access information and efficient public investment budget on available public service	Design/ Develop a Database ToR to access information. Draft recommendations for Database ToR for KRG ·       Prioritized list of data forms gathering (Word document) ·       Minutes of meetings held (Word documents) ·       Draft TOR of the Database (Word documents) ·       Draft recommendations for future expansions (Word) ·       Weekly progress reports (Word documents)
Task 4 – Presentation of Results and workshop for MoP-KRG	Presentation to planning directorate in MoP ·       Presentation material (PPT slides) Workshop for MoP-KRG ·       Names of MOP change agents (TOT’s) ·       All workshop material (Word, Excel, PPT documents) ·       Records of workshops (Word, photographs) ·       Weekly progress reports (Word documents)
Task 5 – Final Completion Report & project close-out	Final Completion Report & final documentation ·       Final Report with attachments (Word document) ·       One printed copy of TOR of the Database plus soft copies, in English only (Word and PDF) ·       All other Presentation material prepared (PPT slides)

 

*Note: All documentation, including completed forms, questionnaires, meeting records, reports, presentation slides, training records, etc. shall conform to IGPA / MEL requirements, which should be obtained from the MEL Director. (See Attachment 2)

 

• Deliverable Timeframe

Task	Deliverable	W1	W 2	W 3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8	W9	W10	W11	W12	W13	W14	W15	W16
Task 1 – Project kick-off / inception	Mobilisation, project kick-off meeting, inception phase, and activity work plan. ·       Minutes of meetings held (PDF document) ·       Implementation plan (Word / Excel) ·       List of data requests (Word document)
Task 2 – Interviews, data gathering and review of data	Interviews, data gathering and review of data. ·       List of existing data forms & proposed new data gathering forms (Word document) ·       Minutes of meetings (Word documents) ·       Records / outcomes of any workshop ·       Any presentation material prepared (PPT slides) ·       Any questionnaires / datasheets (Word / Excel) ·       Site visits to facilities (photographs) ·       Weekly progress reports (Word documents)
Task 3 – Review / update / compilation of Distribution specifications	Design/ Develop a Database ToR to access information. Draft recommendations for Database ToR for KRG ·       Prioritized list of data forms gathering (Word document) ·       Minutes of meetings held (Word documents) ·       Draft TOR of the Database (Word documents) ·       Draft recommendations for future expansions (Word) ·       Weekly progress reports (Word documents)
Task 4 – workshop for MoP -KRG and GD’s of Electricity	Presentation to planning directorate in MoP ·       Presentation material (PPT slides) Workshops for MoP-KRG ·       Names of MOP ‘champions’ (TOT’s) ·       All Training material (Word, Excel, PPT documents) ·       Records of workshops (Word, photographs) ·       Weekly progress reports (Word documents)
Task 5 – Final Completion Report & project close-out	Final Completion Report & final documentation ·       Final Report with attachments (Word document) ·       One printed copy of TOR of the Database plus soft copies, in English only (Word and PDF) ·       Final recommendations for future expansion (Word) ·       All Training material (Word, Excel, PPT documents) ·       All other Presentation material prepared (PPT slides) All other Presentation material prepared (PPT slides)

 

1. Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, master’s degree is preferable.
• At least 15 years of experience in the related technical area. Knowledge draft, design, and implement database systems.
• Experience in public sector service development.
• Ability to conduct classroom training & on-the-job capacity building
• Regional or international experience is desirable, particularly in post-conflict and complex environments.

 

1. Skills

• Strong analytical and research skills, including data analysis

• Excellent writing, reading, and verbal communication skills essential

• English essential; Arabic & Kurdish will be an advantage
• ability to prepare analysis reports
• facilitation skills with persuasion abilities

• Computer skills: proficient in the use of MS Office package

 

1. Location

The duty station for this assignment will be Erbil, with travel within KRI to conduct meetings, site visits and training workshops.

 

1. Reporting

The Database developer expert will report to the Objective 2 team lead and regional coordinator.

 

1. General Statement

Under this SOW, the IGPA/Takamul project will cover all other indirect implementation costs, including air and ground transportation, lodging, per-diem, and phone communications.

For all formal workshops and trainings, for the purposes of contractual compliance, the consultant will be responsible for implementing the relevant requirements specified under the IGPA Projects Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) component, including the submission of all sign-in sheets, photos, agendas, training materials, and reports.

[1] During project implementation of events (e.g., workshops, training sessions, awareness campaigns, on-the-job training, etc.) the technical teams will be responsible to collect project data at the source (i.e. place where event is taking place). This role may be performed by any staff from the technical team or the MEL focal points on the team. In either case, the MEL Specialist should ensure that the relevant staff responsible to collect the data utilizes the appropriate data collection form and understands the data collection process for the specific indicator. Once the data is collected by the technical team representative, the technical staff will submit the completed form and all supporting documents to MEL Specialist within the region. The MEL Specialist will verify the completed form and supporting documents for correctness and completeness.

[2] The IGPA project team shall assist with the arrangements and initial introductions.