ARIAS SOCIETY

Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society (An Autonomous Body under Govt. of Assam) Project Management Unit (PMU) of the World Bank financed Assam Citizen-Centric Service Delivery Project (ACCSDP) Agriculture complex, Khanapara, G.S. Road, Guwahati-781022 (Assam, India)

Tel: +91 361-2332125; Fax: +91 361-2332564; website: www.arias.in; email - spd@arias.in

Draft Indicative Terms of Reference (ToR) for Procurement Management Executive (PME) Background and Objective of the Project:

1. The Govt. of Assam has created the Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services (ARIAS) Society in November 1998, as an autonomous body, headed by the Chief Secretary, Assam as its President (Project Guidance Council) and the Agriculture Production Commissioner, Assam as the Chairman (Governing Body). The Project Management Unit (PCU) is headed by a State Project Director. The key mandate of the Society is to function as an apex autonomous body of the Govt. of Assam for monitoring, coordination and/or implementation of World Bank or any other externally financed/aided Projects or other Projects of any department as may be authorized by Govt. of Assam from time to time.

2. The Society has successfully completed two World Bank aided projects (ARIASP: 1995-2004 and AACP: 2005-2011 including AACP-AF: 2012-2015) and the World Bank has rated performance of these projects as Satisfactory. The Society contributed in mainstreaming many of the good practices that emerged from the projects into various schemes of the State Government. ARIAS Society has proved to be a path finder and innovator in the areas of targeting the intended beneficiaries, employment generation, reaching out to the vulnerable and the disabled and overall good governance and social accountability.

3. The Government of Assam (GoA) is committed to improve governance in the state and public sector performance. It has already embarked upon a number of specific initiatives to support this objective. They include: the Right to Public Service Act (RTPS), RTI, a public grievance redress system, e-District, Common Service Centers, and establishment of State e-Governance infrastructure.

4. Affordable access to public services, especially for the poor people, is one of the key imperatives for inclusive growth. The Government of Assam (GoA) is committed to improve governance in the state and public sector performance and has recognized the need to strengthen the delivery of citizen-centric service, and had therefore enacted the Assam Right to Public Services Act, 2012 (ARTPS) to ensure citizens access to public services in timely, efficient and accountable manner. The Act enables the citizens of Assam to get notified public services within a stipulated timeframe and also fixes responsibilities on public servants to provide these services in a time-bound manner. GoA has also embarked upon a number of specific initiatives to support this objective, a public grievance redress system, e-District, Common Service Centers, and establishment of State e-Governance infrastructure.

5. To strengthen and deepen these initiatives, GoA has received a $39.20 million loan from the World Bank financed towards the Assam Citizen-Centric Service Delivery Project (ACCSDP) *Project ID: P150308, IBRD Loan No. 8754-IN]. The ACCSDP aims to improve citizen access to targeted services under the ARTPS, particularly in remote areas. Citizens, especially the rural communities who are heavily dependent on government services, will be the principal beneficiary group of the project. The project will place citizens at the center of the service delivery process by strengthening feedback mechanisms and grievance redress.

6. ACCSDP will facilitate implementation of the ARTPS Act with efficiency and accountability for better delivery of citizen-centric services under ARTPS Act and will support the line Deptts. A high-level delivery unit will be established to monitor the implementation of the ARTPS Act. A blend of technological interventions and administrative reforms for 18 key services will be taken-up initially under the project in four Govt. agencies, viz. Transport, Revenue & Disaster Management, and Welfare of Plain tribes & Backward Classes (WPT&BC Deptts). and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation. The project will assist implementing line departments/agencies in restructuring business processes so that citizens can access services digitally within the given timeline of ARTPS Act.

7. The Project Development Objective is to improve access in the delivery of selected public services in Assam. ACCSDP also aims to strengthen institutional operations and improve citizen awareness and participation in order to expand access to services to benefit the rural poor. This inclusive approach will contribute to access improvements in four key ways: (i) by expanding the number of Right to Public Services Act (RTPS) services which are digitized and available on-line; (ii) by improving connectivity infrastructure especially in underserved areas to enhance citizen access to services; (iii) by engaging local populations in service delivery (through both participatory and digital approaches) so that targeted priority services for the rural communities are accessible; and (iv) by rationalizing and strengthening service delivery by front-line institutions. This project design is pivoted around four interrelated components: (i) strengthening RTPS implementation; (ii) improving service delivery processes in targeted departments; (iii) setting up one-stop-service centers to receive requests for RTPS services and electronically deliver select services to the citizens closer to their homes; and (iv) promoting citizen engagement.

8. These key components of the project namely digitization of services, ICT infrastructure, citizen engagement, front-line delivery institutions, and change management would be managed through the Project Management Unit (PMU) under the ARIAS Society, led by a State Project Director (SPD) and would have inter alia the following staff/consultants:

Business Process Re-engineering and IT Specialist

ICT Infrastructure Specialist

Social Development and Communication Specialist

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) Specialist

Citizen engagement and Change management

Procurement & Contract Management Specialist

Financial Management Specialist

PMU Support Staff

9. The PMU of the ACCSDP is seeking interested and qualified persons for the position (tentatively three nos.) of Procurement Management Executive hereinafter referred as PME on a full time basis to provide assistance in procurement management function of the Society.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

10. Support Coordination and Management

The Procurement Management Executive will report to the Procurement & Contract Management Specialist of the ACCSDP and in his absence, report to the OSD-cum-Senior Procurement Engineer, ARIAS Society (under the overall command of the State Project Director, ARIAS Society) and provide assistance in procurement management of ACCSDP, including for the following:

a) Assist in development of procurement plans, implementation schedules, and contract supervision plans including contract performance evaluation criteria;

b) Assist Procurement Specialist of ACCSDP/ ARIAS Society throughout the procurement process;

c) Review Requisition submitted by the stake holders of ACCSDP for completeness and compliance with objective of ACCSDP, World Bank procurement policies and procedures, guidelines and best practice;

d) Provide administrative support to the PMU in procurement management and contract administration, disbursement and contract closure;

e) Prepare draft Invitation for Bid/Bidding Document/ Requests for Expression of Interest (REOI)/Request for Proposal (RFP) document/Minutes of pre-bid meeting/Minutes of pre-proposal conference, taking into account applicable policies, procedures, guidelines/ best practice;

f) Prepare draft Bid Evaluation Report/ Technical Evaluation Report/ Combined Technical and Financial Evaluation Report/ Contract document/ Minutes of Negotiation, taking into account applicable policies, procedures, guidelines/ best practice;

g) Prepare Minutes of the Bid/Consultancy Proposal Acceptance Committee meeting of ARIAS Society/ACCSDP, taking into account applicable policies, procedures, guidelines/ best practice;

h) Assist in overall administration of the contracting process including contract requisition, payment processing, contract closure, and maintenance of all contract files;

i) Assist in review invoices/requests for payment submitted for accuracy and process for payment, ensuring that all payment requests are processed on a timely basis;

j) Maintain individual contract files including compilation of all procurement documentation. Maintain a computerized as well as physical filing system to include all contract documentation to support procurement process, contract administration documents, payment requests, contract closure and evaluation. Ensure that all contract files are up-to-date and contract related documentation is readily available upon request;

k) Prepare procurement documentation to ensure the application of and compliance with World Banks procurement policies and procedures applicable for ACCSDP and best practice and assure the integrity of the procurement process;

l) Provide reference and guidance to other Support staff of the ARIAS Society on World Bank procurement policies and procedures and best practice throughout the contract administration process;

m) Assist in finding viable solutions to contract administration issues;

n) Identify operational gaps in contract administration procedures and recommend improvements to existing processes, best practice, tools, and systems to achieve operational efficiency;

o) Conduct initial routine review of procurement documentation to ensure quality of supporting documents and compliance with established standards;

p) Assist during Post Procurement Audit by the World Bank/Consultants engaged for the task;

q) Ensure that any issues and/or deviations from World Bank procurement policies and procedures are highlighted to the Procurement Specialist of ACCSDP/ARIAS Society for necessary action/resolution;

r) Assist in raising awareness within the ARIAS Society on contract administration issues, problems and lessons learned; Assist in development and implementation of any plan to correct identified non-compliance issues;

s) Any other official responsibilities as assigned by the SPD, ARIAS Society/ Procurement Specialist, ACCSDP/ Senior Procurement Engineer, ARIAS Society.

t) Assist in Preparing/Updating the procurement plan (through latest procurement tool of the World Bank viz STEP: Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement) and schedule for the project, in consultation with the Senior Procurement Specialist, by taking care to ensure optimum competition, economy and efficiency and priority of items.

u) Support the PMU in e-procurements

v) Any other tasks as assigned by the SPD, ARIAS Society.

11. The PME will have to attend PMU, ARIAS Society on all working days from 10 AM to 5 PM unless he is on official tour as approved by the SPD. He may also be required to attend office on holidays as and when so desired by the SPD for disposal of urgent matters. However, no extra remuneration will be paid for attending office on holidays.

12. Duration of Assignment

a) The contract period with PME is intended for entire duration of the project and coterminous with the project period of ACCSDP. However, continuity of the PME beyond one (1) year from the date of signing the agreement will depend upon his performance. The decision of the SPD will be final and binding in this regard.

b) The contract with PME may be terminated by either side at any point of time during the contractual period by serving a 30 days notice without assigning any reason and without thereby incurring any liability to the Govt. of Assam/ PMU/ ARIAS Society. The assignment is purely contractual in nature and will not, under any circumstance, be extended beyond the ACCSDPs closing date. The ARIAS Society or the Government of Assam will not undertake any responsibility for subsequent deployment of the consultant.

c) The PME shall not assign or sub-contract, in whole or in part, his obligations to perform under this Contract, except with the SPDs prior written consent. The PME will have to serve the ARIAS Society on full time basis under overall command of State Project Director, ARIAS Society and provide services from the PMU at Khanapara, Guwahati. The resignation/termination shall be as per HR Policy of the ARIAS Society.

d) The PME may be required to undertake field-visits and tours as per the project requirements, with prior approval of the SPD.

13. Essential Qualifications & Experience

a) Graduate/ Post Graduate from any Govt. recognized University in any subject with in-depth knowledge and understanding of World Banks procurement guidelines and procedures. Atleast 4 years of experience in supporting procurement related functions in any World Bank/ Externally aided project or similar Govt. of India/National level projects, with minimum 1 (one) year in Govt. projects.

b) Computer Skills: Advanced skills in Microsoft Office software including in MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point, etc., and Internet, email etc

c) Proven practical skills in the area of procurement and contract administration aspects

d) Demonstrated knowledge of World Bank procurement policies, best practice, systems and tools

e) Demonstrated strong conceptual, analytical skills with clarity of thought process and problem-solving skills;

f) Excellent organizational skills;

g) Excellent accuracy with keen attention to detail;

h) Self motivated, high level of zeal and enthusiasm in all endeavours, unblemished integrity, ability to check quality of own work and ability to organize and prioritize own work to meet deadlines;

i) Ability to work both independently and as well as in a team;

j) Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly and concisely convey necessary information, explain reasoning, and support conclusions using data and facts;

k) Good command over English language, and oral communication skills;

14. Age: The candidate shall not be of more than 40 years of age as on 1st August2017. However, in case of exceptionally talented candidate having wide relevant experience this requirement may be relaxed.

15. Remuneration and payment terms:

a) Depending on the qualifications, experience, competency and also the remuneration/ CTC of the last assignment, the consolidated fixed annual Cost to project (CTP) of the PME will be determined and mutually agreed with the successful candidate, which would be in the range between Rs.4.20 lakh to Rs.6.18 lakh per year. The agreed annual CTP shall be inclusive of remuneration, performance-linked-incentive, communication allowance, health/service related allowance, all taxes, cost of accommodation and food at Guwahati, conveyance to attend the PMU, etc.

b) The remuneration will be given in equal monthly installments and the performance-linked-incentive will be given on quarterly basis based on the performance and achievement against the mutually agreed deliverables by the PME. Taxes as applicable shall be dealt with as per applicable laws. The remuneration may be enhanced on an Annual Basis, based on the HR Policy of the ARIAS Society.

c) Travelling, Boarding, Lodging and Food expenses for approved official tours outside Guwahati will be reimbursed as per the HR Policy of ARIAS Society and as provided in the contract agreement. For travel outside the State, the Travelling and Boarding & Lodging expenses will be reimbursed as per the HR Policy of the ARIAS Society and as provided in the contract agreement.

16. Travel Requirements: The PME may be required to undertake field-visits as per the project requirements, with prior approval of the SPD and the travel costs will be reimbursed as per the HR Policy of the ARIAS Society

17. Reporting and Performance Review

The PME will report to the Senior Procurement Specialist and in his absence, report to the Senior Procurement Engineer, ARIAS Society. The quality of service and performance of the PME will be reviewed on a quarterly basis and the annual performance review will be done as per the HR Policy of the ARIAS Society

18. Facilities to be provided by the PMU: The PMU, ARIAS Society

a. Will be given access to all documents, reports, correspondence, contacts available and any other information as deemed necessary for smooth accomplishments of tasks assigned.

b. Will be provided with one office cubicle in the PMU along with computer, printer, computer/office consumables, and internet access.

c. Will pay the fixed monthly remuneration as per the contract agreement. No house rent allowance or any other allowance shall be paid by the PMU. No other payment whatsoever (except reimbursement of travelling expenses and project allowance) shall be paid, except as agreed with the PME and by the SPD, ARIAS Society.

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