Verfahrensangaben

The project "Integrated Territorial Development and Good Governance in Togo" is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It supports the Government of Togo in advancing decentralisation and territorial development in the regions of Kara and Savanes.

Despite progress in decentralisation, regional and local authorities face persistent challenges in exercising transferred competences, delivering quality public services, mobilising local revenues and promoting inclusive local economic development. These constraints are compounded by poverty, climate change, demographic pressure and a fragile security context in northern Togo.

The overall objective is to enable regional and local actors to harness the social and economic potential of their territories to improve living conditions in an equitable and sustainable manner.

The project applies an integrated territorial development approach with capacity development at individual, organisational and institutional levels. It cooperates with national ministries (Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Decentralisation, Ministry of Finance), regional councils and municipalities, the National Training Agency for Local Authorities (Agence nationale de formation des collectivités territoriales, ANFCT), the National Association of Municipalities (Faîtière des Communes du Togo, FCT), civil society organisations and private sector actors. To sustain decentralisation and territorialisation efforts, the project also aims at strengthening socio-economic resilience, in particular of communities in the Northen border regions, and provide economic perspectives, in particular for young people.

Activities are structured around three complementary outputs:

(1) Strengthening the capacities of regional and local authorities to implement transferred competences.
(2) Improving collaboration between public institutions, local authorities, civil society and the private sector for inclusive and conflict-sensitive territorial development.
(3) Strengthening transparent, participatory and accountable local public financial management.

Innovative elements include municipal benchmarking, peer-to-peer learning, digital solutions for local governance, performance-based management and evidence-based decision-making. Gender equality, social inclusion (LNOB), climate resilience, conflict sensitivity and digitalisation are mainstreamed across all interventions to ensure sustainable and scalable results.

The assignment targets 38 municipalities in Kara and Savanes through FCT and ANFCT, with a view to progressive replication towards all 117 municipalities. Benchmarking and peer learning will be designed, piloted and institutionalised to steer capacity development and foster continuous improvement. In addition, specialised technical assistance will complement these mechanisms across the three outputs, including support for implementing transferred competences, facilitating inclusive territorial collaboration and strengthening local public financial management (e. g. participatory budgeting, revenue mobilisation, transparency and anti-corruption), while ensuring digital solutions adhere to recognised standards and are interoperable with national ecosystems.

The objective of the assignment is to provide comprehensive technical assistance supporting the implementation of the project "Integrated Territorial Development and Good Governance in Togo" through institutional development, digital transformation, municipal benchmarking, peer-to-peer learning and specialised technical expertise contributing to integrated territorial development and good local governance in northern Togo.
GIZ seeks to contract a consultancy firm for an implementation period of 24 months. The contractor will provide technical services through two Key Experts and a pool of short-term experts with international, regional and national experience allowing demand-driven mobilisation of specialised expertise throughout project implementation.
The overall contract is expected to require approximately 1.500 expert days, delivered through individual experts and expert pools.
The assignment is organised around four complementary work packages:
Work Package 1: Development and institutionalisation of municipal benchmarking
The contractor will support the development and implementation of a harmonised benchmarking system for municipalities, including performance frameworks, indicators, data collection methodologies, digital data management solutions and institutional anchoring in close collaboration within the National Association of Municipalities of Togo (FCT). The performance assessment on key competences of municipalities through the benchmarking system will provide the basis for mutual learning by identifying individual strengths and weaknesses across municipalities.
Work Package 2: Development and institutionalisation of peer-to-peer learning
The contractor will support the National Training Agency for Local Authorities (ANFCT) in establishing sustainable peer-to-peer learning mechanisms based on the benchmarking results, including learning methodologies, training concepts, organisational arrangements and knowledge management.
Work Package 3: Operational implementation
The contractor will support the implementation of benchmarking and peer-to-peer learning in the target municipalities through data collection and analysis, facilitation of learning events, capacity development, capitalisation of experiences and gradual institutionalisation of the developed mechanisms.
Work Package 4: Provision of specialised short-term expertise
The contractor will provide a pool of international, regional and national experts covering organisational development, digital solutions, benchmarking, peer-to-peer learning, monitoring and evaluation, territorial development, decentralisation, local economic development, public financial management and other specialised expertise required during project implementation.
The contractor will be responsible for providing strategic and technical advisory services, conducting analyses and studies, developing methodologies and digital tools, facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, organising workshops, trainings and study visits, supporting institutional development and delivering monitoring and evaluation activities where required.
The contractor will work closely with GIZ, the Ministry of Local Development (MDDL), regional authorities, municipalities, the National Association of Municipalities (FCT), the National Training Agency for Local Authorities (ANFCT) and other public and private stakeholders. Close coordination with other development partners active in northern Togo is expected where relevant.
Throughout the implementation period, the contractor shall ensure high-quality technical delivery, regular reporting, knowledge management and quality assurance. Innovative, scalable and context-adapted approaches are expected in order to strengthen institutional ownership, facilitate replication and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the mechanisms developed under the project.

see tender documents

GIZ may optionally commission contract amendments and/or increases based on the criteria in the tender documents to the successful bidder of this tender. For details, please see the terms of reference.

According to Article 160, Section 3 of the German Act Against Restraint of Competition (GWB), application for review is not permissible insofar as
1. the applicant has identified the claimed infringement of the procurement rules before submitting the application for review and has not submitted a complaint to the contracting authority within a period of 10 calendar days; the expiry of the period pursuant to Article 134, Section 2 remains unaffected,
2. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that are evident in the tender notice are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for the application or by the deadline for the submission of bids, specified in the tender notice.
3. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that first become evident in the tender documents are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for application or by the deadline for the submission of bids,
4. more than 15 calendar days have expired since receipt of notification from the contracting authority that it is unwilling to redress the complaint.
Sentence 1 does not apply in the case of an application to determine the invalidity of the contract in accordance with Article 135, Section 1 (2). Article 134, Section 1, Sentence 2 remains unaffected.

All communication takes place in English via communication tool in the project area of the procurement portal.

GIZ asks the applicant or bidder to submit, complete or correct documents, within the framework laid down by law.

The execution conditions result from the information given in the contract notice and the tender documents.