Terms of Reference on Project Completion Report

I.Background

The USAID Agricultural Extension Support Activity (AESA) is a five years US$ 19 million project funded by USAID under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-388-A-13-00001 between USAID and Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM). The project is being implemented by Dhaka Ahsania Mission through partnerships with CARE-Bangladesh and mPower from October 2012 to February 2018.

The Project works in the central and southwest areas of Bangladesh (Barisal, Dhaka, and Khulna divisions) to implement capacity building and support creation of a farmer demand-driven agricultural extension system, synergized by use of information and communication technology (ICT). The goal of the project is to strengthen the existing agricultural extension system in 12 districts within USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF) zone in Bangladesh in order to sustainably improve food security and nutrition for 110,000 smallholder farmers.

The major objective of the project is to enhance access to and utilization of agricultural extension services by smallholder farmers – both men and women. The project objectives are realized through the implementation of activities organized under the following three project components:

i)Enhance access to and utilization of agricultural extension services by smallholder farmers (with an emphasis on women farmers);

ii)Expand and strengthen ICT mechanisms to increase access to agricultural market information, knowledge and technologies;

iii)Strengthen capacity of agricultural extension service agents (public and private) to proactively respond to the needs of small holder farmers (including women farmers).

Project implementation approaches have been incorporated into the overall project implementation strategy that include:

  • Farmer Producer Group (FPG) formation as an approach to give small holder farmers (and women) a voice and to enable agricultural extension agents to work with small holder farmer groups;
  • Focus on Public and Private Extension Agents realizing that many small holder farmers informally use input providers as extension agents, the project is building capacities of input providers and other informal extension agents in addition to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) extension agents;
  • Information Communication Technologies (ICT) is a key focus of the project in expanding and strengthening channels through which farmers and extension agents access technical agricultural information;
  • FtF Collaboration is an underlying assumption whereby the project has started collaborative activities with other FtF projects on areas of mutual interest and benefits across projects.

Key project beneficiary targets include:

  • 110,000 small holder farmers including 30% women;
  • 3,850 Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs);
  • Each FPG focused on one of six selected value chains;
  • 1,000 Agricultural Extension Agents (approximately 65% government extension agents and 35% private / informal extension agents).

In response to different implementation initiatives, innovations, and to meet the beneficiary targets, project has taken initiatives to develop various reports and data analyses. Along with these reports, three quarterly reports and one annual report are also being written each year. As the project is reaching its end, a short term consultant will be hired to write the project completion report within a stipulated time period.

II.Objectives of Assignment

To prepare and submit Project Completion Report.

III.Typical work activities

  1. Information Collection and analysis of the database from all the project staff who collected data from field;
  2. Reviewing final progress report of the three regions (Khulna, Jessore, Barisal).
  3. Review of the drafts ofcompletion report from all three regions.

IV.Deliverables

  1. Submission of the draft version of Project Completion Report.
  2. Finalization and submission of the final report.
  3. Submission and acceptance of the final report.
  1. Payment Schedule

The AESA project, Dhaka Ahsania Mission will make all payments by account payee cheque. Tax and VAT (if applicable) will be deducted as of government and USAID rules. The payment will be made after satisfactory completion of assignment as per above mentioned deliverables.

The payment schedule will be as following:

  • 1st Payment: 50% will be paid of total payment after signing the contract;
  • Final Payment: 50% will be paid upon submission and acceptance of all deliverables
  1. Duration and Timeframe

The period of completing this assignment will be from 01 March, 2018 to 30 April, 2018.

  1. Reporting

The Consultant will report directly to Dr. Ehsanur Rahman, Executive Director, Dhaka Ahsania Mission. He is the key contact person and is responsible for monitoring the performances of the consultant under this agreement.

  1. Submission of the Proposal

The consultant is requested to submit a proposal that includes scope of work, work plan and budget by 11February, 2018. The proposal will be submitted by email to HR Department, USAID Ag. Extension Project; email: .

“DAM is an equal opportunity organization”

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