Malawi: PROVISION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A DECENTRALIZED TEXTBOOKS PROCUREMENT PILOT IN 3 DISTRICTS OF MALAWI

Background

To tackle the urgent need for textbooks in primary schools, while simultaneously building on the initial success of school-based management from the Primary School Improvement Programme (PSIP), MoEST has started to engage in reforming the textbook procurement system with the objective of establishing a school-based procurement of primary textbooks.

Today’s extensive problems of textbook unavailability in primary schools are largely a result of a highly centralised system where MoEST is directing all elements of textbook provision;

a) Strict adherence to intellectual property rights of textbooks by the Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) means that there is no competition on the price or quality of textbooks.

b) MoEST maintains all rights to publish these books, so that printing is centrally tendered and procured internationally, often leading to severe delays of books being delivered, commonly up to two years.

c) MoEST headquarters determines how many books go to each school and oversees distribution based on textbook requirement information from the year preceding. This has been found to cause a mismatch for schools on textbook need and provision.

Given these limitations, MoEST recently decided that the system requires a complete overhaul. Despite the book market not yet liberalized reforms of the current system are currently underway. A pilot project has been designed to review the feasibility of proposed reforms; primary schools procuring their own books, based on the Malawi curriculum, at local level.

During the pilot schools will receive a textbook budget which they can use to procure textbooks directly at local book fairs. The books are expected to be in line with their requirements and distributed directly to schools. The role of MoEST will then revert to dedicating the textbook budgets and monitoring the system.

As highlighted in the recently approved decentralized teaching and learning materials (TLM) guidelines, the proposed reforms on the procurement system has multiple advantages:

• Availability of adequate textbooksat the start of the school year. Currently, schools receive books once every few years, at an unknown time; raising pupil-textbook ratios for several years, followed by oversupply of textbooks in years proceeding.

• Textbook-supply will better matches textbook needs. Primary schools can choose which standards and subjects have the most urgent need for textbooks, based on the prescribed list of approved textbooks by DIAS.

• Ensures textbook durability and ownership as schools have own ‘textbook budget’.

• Leads to local economic development. Once completely implemented the textbook funds will remain in the community, supporting local book shops and vendors.

Specifics of the pilot

In conjunction with UNICEF, MoEST proposes a pilot that allows it to learn how best to institute this new system and offer a catalyst for change.

· Firstly, it aims to evaluate whether providing funding directly to school PSIP bank-accounts offers a reliable and effective mechanism to provide access to textbooks, including for hard-to-reach schools.

· Secondly, the pilot also aims to entice private booksellers to deliver directly textbooks to the schools in order to fill textbooks gaps in a timely manner and reduce the pupil: textbooks ratio.

UNICEF will provide the necessary funding, which will be disbursed to schools through the system of vouchers by each district education manager on behalf of UNICEF. The vouchers will be disbursed at district book fairs to head teachers of the participating schools. Each school will receive two vouchers. The first voucher is 40% of the school’s total amount allocated and shall be paid by the head teacher to the winning bookseller at the beginning of the supply contract. The second voucher amounts to 60% of the school’s allocation and shall be paid after satisfactory delivery of the procured TLMs. MoEST will be responsible for planning and carrying out all logistics and financing of travel required by head teachers, utilising the pilot funds.

At the district book fair, head teachers will inspect available books, select preferred titles and compile their choices of TLMs on a provided order form that matches the school’s initially allocated resources. Because during this period, no Government of Malawi (GoM) certified textbooks will be available from private publishers, the pilot will rely only on MIE books. In order to test prices competition and publishers’ involvement in the system, a limited part of the funds available for the pilot will be reserved for supplementary books to boost literacy and reading. To facilitate price competition in terms of school delivery, multiple booksellers will be asked to take part in the pilot. Head teachers will each select a bookseller, based on Section 81 of the National Education Act and the GoM public procurement regulations. The booksellers will then be responsible for acquiring the school’s chosen books and for book delivery to the school.

Given that decentralised procurement of books in primary schools is a new system, extensive capacity building for the implementers of the new system has been planned to ensure smooth transition and effective implementation. UNICEF is thus calling upon interested parties to submit a consultancy proposals for the same.

The overarching objective of the consultancy is to build the capacity of the implementers of the pilot project in 100 schools across three districts (Nkhata Bay, Dedza and Machinga) of Malawi and assist the MoEST in the logistic organization of the district book fares.

The specific objectives of the consultancy is therefore to:

· Develop a capacity building plan based on the pilots objectives and specifics.

· Build capacity for system end users (teachers and head teachers; DEMs) and ministry officials involved in supervising and monitoring activities.

· Ensure that the revised standard operating procedures for textbooks procurement are observed in the 3 pilot districts;

· Review implementation guidelines and design a scale up strategy based on the outcome of the pilot;

Scope of Work

The scope of work involves the following:

1^st Deliverable

Inception report inclusive of an overall work-plan, capacity building plan and regional analysis of textbooks market

2^nd Deliverable

Successful training for head teachers and district officials including head teachers on decentralized textbooks procurement and familiarization with the handbook guidelines

3^rd Deliverable

Successful organization and actualization of 3 district book fairs in pilot districts

4^th Deliverable

Final report. The final report should include:

· A complete review of the entire process;

· An assessment of the piloted reforms, challenges, results and any relevant issues arising from the pilot design, implementation and monitoring.

· A scale up strategy

Deliverables and payment schedule

Deliverables will determine the payment as per following terms:

• 1^st payment (25%) upon approval of the inception report and work plan (deliverable 1);

• 2^nd payment (25%) upon completion training for Head teachers and district officials on decentralized textbooks procurement and familiarization with the handbook guidelines and district book fairs organization (deliverable 2 & 3);

• 3^rd payment (25%) on completion and submission of final report (deliverable 4);

Note:

· Feedback on submitted deliverables will be given after ten working days.

· Payments will require a minimum processing period of ten working days from the time UNICEF acknowledges the receipt of the payment invoices from the consultant

Management and oversight

· The proposal from the consultancy will include all costs including fees, DSAs for delivering, except the cost of workshops, which will be paid by UNICEF. The consultancy should provide own computer and transportation.

· Fees are payable upon satisfactory completion of the contract deliverables. Standard UNICEF procedures will apply for invoicing and all other financial management requirements set out in the contract. Standard UNICEF penalty clauses will apply for late and poor quality deliverables. The Advisory Group will provide the consultant with the criteria for the evaluation of the quality of each deliverable.

Qualification requirements

a. Master degree in Social sciences, international relations, development studies or any other relevant field. A bachelor degree together with additional 3 years of relevant working experience is also acceptable;

b. At least 5 years of experience in the education sector, notably sector policy implementation. Experience in implementation of sector decentralization reforms is an asset;

c. An excellent understanding of the Malawian book/education system, particularly the new decentralized procurement system regulated by the Guidelines for the Management of Teaching and Learning Materials;

d. Demonstrable expertise in pre-press, press, post-press, distribution and the workings of a book chain;

e. Demonstrable experience in book chain training;

f. Experience in working with donor funded book projects;

g. Excellent knowledge of English is required;

Evaluation criteria:

To identify the most suitable candidate, applications shall be evaluated by the Advisory Group according to the following scoring, ranging from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) points:

1. a maximum of 60 points for the technical proposal, and
2. a maximum of 40 points for the financial proposal.

The consultant should provide his/her own computer and transportation. All UNICEF conditions for technical assistance/ consultants apply to this position.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and Personal History Form via e-mail address: hrmalawi@unicef.org on or before 19 February 2016.

(Personal History Form (P-11) can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html)

NOTE:

· UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff; well qualified candidates, particularly females are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Only shortlisted applicants will be acknowledged.
• Applications sent through the post office or hand delivered are not accepted.