Short-Term Consultancy: Digital M&E Specialist to Implement Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS) in Tanzania

– Experience in M&E, IT, Data Visualization and GIS skills required –

A. BACKGROUND

The World Bank Group (WBG) support to Tanzania is guided by the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the period 2024-2029. The CPF focuses on three mutually reinforcing high-level outcomes: (i) enhancing human capital to boost labor productivity, (ii) catalyzing private sector-led growth, and (iii) enhanced resilience to shocks and climate impacts. Progress in these areas is underpinned by two cross-cutting priorities: increased empowerment of women and youth and improved government effectiveness with more efficient, transparent, and accountable institutions. The CPF is aligned with the Government of Tanzania’s Development Vision 2025, the Third Five-Year Development Plan for 2021/22-2025/26, and Zanzibar’s Development Vision 2050. Consultations with the Government on the Tanzania Development Vision 2050, which is currently under preparation, also informed the CPF.

To deliver on the CPF objectives, the World Bank is implementing a large and growing portfolio, which includes 36 IDA-financed projects worth $10.0 billion (29 national operations ($8.8 billion) and 7 regional operations ($1.2 billion)). The portfolio is focused on support to Infrastructure (48%), People (26%), Prosperity (12%), Planet (13%), and Digital (1%). The investment portfolio combines Investment Project Financing for public physical and social infrastructure​; Development Policy Financing providing budget support for policy reform and institutional actions​; and Program-for-Results financing supporting program design and implementation with emphasis on strengthening institutions, systems, and building capacity.

The portfolio is implemented in all parts of the country, including both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, and is designed to address distinct challenges in specific geographical contexts with a focus on ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. To underpin implementation of the portfolio, the CPF has a specific focus on enhancing project oversight and capacity building, strengthening fiduciary management and safeguards compliance, and enhancing strategic and technical monitoring of the portfolio.

The World Bank is now seeking to recruit a Digital M&E consultant to support the strategic delivery of the CPF and implementation of the project portfolio through enhanced portfolio monitoring. Specifically, the consultant will be engaged to lead the roll-out of Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS) throughout the CMU. This will involve creating a customized digital M&E system to enhance the transparency and accountability of the CPF and project implementation, including through real-time remote supervision, adaptive risk management, and portfolio mapping for coordination across projects and partners. This will further involve strengthening capacity among clients, partners, and teams to leverage field-appropriate, low-cost, and open-source technology for digital real-time data collection and analysis.

The GEMS initiative is currently being implemented in 100+ countries to systematically enhance project M&E for clients as well as for World Bank portfolio supervision. The GEMS method enables project teams to use open-source tools for in-field collection of structured digital data that automatically feeds into a centralized M&E system such as Kobo Toolbox. The integrated data can include any kind of indicators, based on tailor-made forms; photos, audio, videos; time and date stamps; and GPS coordinates that allow for automated geo-mapping of the information. Using these tools systematically allows operations to enhance the transparency and accuracy of M&E and increase the accountability of third-party monitoring (TPM). Moreover, the GEMS method provides task teams and CMUs with a platform for remote supervision, real-time safeguards monitoring, and portfolio mapping for coordination across projects and partners.

B. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK

The main objective of the assignment will be to coordinate and oversee the portfolio-wide implementation of the GEMS method by the client and CMU, for enhanced operational supervision, M&E, safeguards monitoring, and portfolio mapping. This role entails developing a harmonized, digital data collection template in KoboToolbox based on CMU’s inputs, sensitizing Project Implementation Units (PIUs) on regular use of the template to capture field-specific data on World Bank-financed projects, managing the CMU’s digital data collection platform, and conducting customized geospatial analyses and developing interactive dashboards to provide insights on portfolio performance. A particular emphasis will be placed on supporting CPF indicators monitoring, and environmental and social risk/safeguard monitoring. The consultant will also assist in portfolio geo-mapping to provide a spatial overview of the portfolio and indicators related to beneficiaries and project performance.

The consultant will be responsible for regular follow-up engagement and technical support to Bank teams and the client especially for projects with an MS rating for M&E components. This will include delivery of GEMS capacity-building training for PIUs, project task teams, safeguards, GBV specialists, FM specialists and select partners in Tanzania. Additionally, support may include reviewing and providing input as relevant on Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), M&E frameworks, TORs, etc. and any documents necessary to the full deployment of the GEMS method in a project, sector or administration.

The consultant will support strategic delivery of the CPF through development of an interactive web-based platform for monitoring CPF indicators. This will be achieved through harmonization and retrofitting, as needed, of project indicators into CPF indicators, geographic disaggregation of CPF indicators where possible, populating CPF results from ISRs and other sources, maintaining an auto-updated spreadsheet of results through APIs to World Bank project operations portal, and designing an interactive dashboard through PowerBI to monitor CPF indicators.

The digital M&E specialist will be hired as short-term consultant (STC) to support the Tanzania CMU and work closely with the PIUs. The consultant will be based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and will oversee the roll-out and implementation of GEMS within the Tanzania CMU. The consultant will also provide GIS analytical support to internal and external clients, including on administration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related data platforms, as well as development of static/interactive maps and performing spatial data analyses as required by the CMU or TTLs. This will include the responsibility to proactively liaise with technical counterparts, gather and process geospatial information, and create visualizations and technical analyses that supports project designs, understanding geographic footprint of the portfolio, poverty mapping, climate vulnerability mapping, geographic targeting and suitability analysis among others.

The performance of the consultant will be continuously evaluated based on the specific work program agreement with the Tanzania CMU. The CMU-specific work program will be provided to the consultant and the specific tasks in relation to the work program will be discussed in detail with the consultant as per this TOR.

C. DELIVERABLES

The consultant will be responsible for the following main deliverables:

• Harmonized digital data collection template for monitoring CPF indicators with complete mapping of project indicators to the CPF as well as API data sourcing.
• Portfolio mapping digital template for use in mapping out geographic footprint of the portfolio for the CMU, for all active and pipeline projects.
• Administrate the CMU’s GEMS platform, based on a KoboToolbox platform and granting rights to different task teams and PIUs to access, validate, edit and delete project data where possible. Monitor that the platform is being regularly updated for all projects with accurate data, and if not, identify the causes and provide support to the task teams and the PIUs to rectify.
• Deliver GEMS capacity building trainings to project task teams, clients, PIUs, and select partners in the CMU. These trainings may comprise online and/or in-person delivery and extends to follow-up and hand-holding support of the PIUs.
• Leverage GIS and geospatial analysis and proactively develop static/interactive maps for the CMU and task team. These include maps on performance of the portfolio, monthly briefing notes and posters, geographic disaggregation of the CPF among others.
• Interactive dashboard and web-based platform for monitoring project-level performance, CPF performance, project disbursements, beneficiaries, and geographic data layering
• Review or support the digitalization of data collection questionnaires and methods for specific clients and projects.
• Regularly record statistical data on training participants and trained/supported projects in a centrally provided database, including information on specific use cases by projects. Recordings are expected immediately after any trainings and provided project support.

D. SELECTION CRITERIA

The ideal candidate will have expertise in Digital M&E, GIS, ICT and Data Visualization as well as familiarity with World Bank operations, policies and procedures. S/he will be familiar with ways in which technology can be applied to monitor projects and other dynamics on the ground and will be identified based on the following selection criteria:

1. Master’s degree in either engineering, geography, geospatial, computer science or related field.
2. At least 5 years of experience in issues related to M&E, ICT, geospatial analysis or development/humanitarian work, with a clear demonstration of the ability to apply technologies to solve the challenges of development/humanitarian interventions and increase development effectiveness.
3. Advanced GIS skills and proven experience with geospatial data and analysis (through ArcGIS, QGIS, R, and/or Python)
4. Proven experience in using mobile data collection tools, such as KoBoToolbox, ODK, ONA, Survey Solutions, SurveyCTO, etc.
5. Proven track record in developing and hosting web-based interactive dashboards (Python, R-shiny, PowerBI, Tableau, or ArcGIS Enterprise/Online)
6. Demonstrated initiative, leadership skills, innovation and drive for results including ability to undertake a diversity of tasks within a rapidly changing and demanding environment on short deadlines.
7. Excellent communication skills, with an ability to adapt to an audience that is operational, but not necessarily knowledgeable of ICT issues.
8. Fluency in English, enabling the consultant to conduct interactive technical trainings and to produce high-quality written outputs in English.

E. ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

The selected consultant will be contracted by the World Bank for a period of 40 days in FY25 with possibility of extension into FY26 based on satisfactory performance. The consultant will operate under the direction of the Operations Manager in Dar es Salaam and GEMS TTL in Washington D.C. and will be fully embedded in the GEMS team within the World Bank’s Fragility, Conflict, and Violence Group. S/he will also be supported by GEMS lead for Horn of Africa based in Nairobi and will collaborate closely with other units of the WBG, as needed, particularly the Geospatial Operations Support Team (GOST).

The contract will comprise the Fiscal Year 2025 (until June 30, 2025). The consultant will be based in Dar es Salaam and will be expected to travel within the country.