Individual consultant for curriculum development and conducting training on advanced statistics for economic analysis employing MS Excel

Project/Program Title: Tajikistan Evaluation and Analysis Activity (TEAA)

Timeframe and number of w/d: 26 w/d between January – April 2024

SUMMARY:

The consultant will prepare training materials in English and Tajik (or Russian) languages (see Annex 1 for tentative agenda), provide short notes (MS Word and PPT) and practical exercises (MS Excel) on Tajikistan agriculture statistics which to be used from available open sources for practical exercises, develop two types of pre- and post-tests, conduct pre- and post-training evaluation and conduct training courses: lecture (10%), practical exercises (90%).

BACKGROUND

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an independent and trusted research institution and the CGIAR's center of excellence for agricultural, food security, and nutrition policy, with a track record of substantive engagement with governments worldwide and credibility among national governments, development partners, and the global research community. IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. IFPRI’s vision is a world free of hunger and malnutrition. Its mission is to provide research-based policy solutions that sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s research focuses on five strategic research areas: (i) fostering climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; (ii) promoting healthy diets and nutrition for all; (iii) building inclusive and efficient markets, trade systems, and food industry; (iv) transforming agricultural and rural economies and (v) strengthening institutions and governance.

IFPRI's on-the-ground presence facilitates close partnership with agricultural and other key government ministries, national policy research institutes, and other stakeholders, enabling the Institute to respond to regional and country priorities and build inclusive policy processes. The International Food Policy Research Institute's (IFPRI) is implementing Tajikistan Evaluation and Analysis Activity (TEAA), a three-year policy research and capacity-building project. TEAA will pursue two objectives: (i) evaluate the status of the agri-food system and the socio-economic status of rural communities, and (ii) build the capacity of key stakeholders to research and prioritize strategic reforms that spur private sector investment in the agriculture sector and improve resource management in Tajikistan. TEAA intends to achieve these objectives by increasing the capacity of national partners, including the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), and other relevant stakeholders, to conduct policy formulation, analysis, and implementation, as well as engage stakeholders in the policy process.

The proposed TEAA will provide the agriculture sector with the necessary research, evidence and knowledge to expand private sector opportunities, enhance household nutrition and resilience, and improve natural resource management. Under TEAA, IFPRI will support the implementation of the new Agricultural Sector Development Program up to 2030 and strengthen the analytical and policy research capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), and other local stakeholders.

Conducted a comprehensive capacity needs assessment (CCNA) of the MoA and TAAS shows staff capacity/knowledge gaps on data processing, data analysis and evaluation, as well as on employing MS Excel (Spreadsheet) and advanced software programs, such as SAS, SPSS, Stata, R-Studio. To address existing knowledge gaps IFPRI plan to conduct for the MoA, TAAS and other institution staff training on Advanced Statistics for Economic Analysis employing MS Excel.

Duties and responsibilities:

· Prepare training materials in English and Tajik (or Russian) languages (see Annex 1 for tentative agenda): short notes (MS Word and PPT) and practical exercises (MS Excel) Tajikistan agriculture statistics to be used from available open sources for practical exercises.

· Developing two types of pre- and post-tests:

1) participant's self-knowledge assessment (pre-training self-knowledge assessment and post-training self-knowledge assessment)

2) quizzes related to the training topics (pre-training quiz and post-training quiz)

The findings of these tests need to be incorporated into the final report (in English and Tajik (or Russian) languages).

· Conduct pre- and post-training evaluation.

· Conduct training courses: lecture (10%), practical exercises (90%)

· Training to be conducted in Tajik or Russian.

Deliverables

· Deliverable 1: Training materials prepared and agreed with IFPRI (Tajik and English languages).

Deliverable 2: Conducting training, including training participants knowledge test (pre- and post-training per developed template in line with training agenda).

Deliverable 3: Report on conducted training, including pre- and post-training evaluation, and further steps.

Supervisory arrangements:

Consultant will work under supervision of the TEAA Country Program Leader.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education:

· Advanced Degree (PhD) in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Math, Statistics or closely related fields

Experiences:

· A minimum of 10 years of working experience in academia or development-oriented organizations

· Experience in delivering lectures/training to a wide range of audiences with different educational backgrounds.

· Experience in teaching statistics, mathematical and econometric modeling methods

Functional competencies:

· Perfect public speaking, pedagogical skills, ability to deliver complex information in simple form to the audience with different educational background and math and statistics skills.

· Strong analytical skills and economic interpretation of results and findings.

· High level of communication and interpersonal skills and experience in working effectively in a multicultural environment.

Language:

· Fluent in Russian and Tajik: knowledge of English would be an asset.

Training Inputs:

· Essential inputs for training (venue, stationary, printed learning materials, etc.) will be provided by IFPRI.

Selection process

Interested candidates needs to submit technical and financial proposals[1].

The contract will be awarded to the candidate who received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria: Technical Criteria weight: 70% + Financial Criteria weight: 30%. Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Cumulative analysis. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract shall be made to the individual Consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

· Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

· Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (70 points out of 100) of the total obtainable technical points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

· Technical proposal (70%)

ü Background (educational and experience): 40%

ü Proposed approach: 30%

· Financial Proposal = 30%

Personal CV indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as current email and telephone contacts.

Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date will not be given consideration. Please note that only applicants who meet the requirements and shortlisted will be contacted.

Annex 1: Advanced Statistics for Economic Analysis employing MS Excel

List of Topics

Lectures

Practical training