Recruitment of a consulting firm for the establishment of the labor market information system in Benin

Bid Reference: BJ-ANPE-477353-CS-CQS
Procurement method: Consultant Qualification Selection
World Bank project No. : P170425

SOLICITATION OF EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST REGARDING THE RECRUITMENT OF A FIRM FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LABOR MARKET INFORMATION SYSTEM IN BENIN

Country: Benin

Project Name: Youth Inclusion Project

STEP Reference: BJ-ANPE-477353-CS-CQS  

SIGMAP Reference: PI_ANPE/ProDIJ-C1_103102

Funding: GRANT No. D755-BJ, Credit No. 6809-BJ 

SMI No. BJ-ANPE-477353-CS-CQS dated 07/03/2025

1. This request for expressions of interest follows the Procurement Plan (PPM) which received the No Objection Notice (ANO) from the Bank on January 9, 2025, and version 1 of the PPM ProDIJ 1,3,4 published on SIGMAP on February 7, 2025.

2. The Government of the Republic of Benin has obtained financing from the International Development Association (IDA) “GRANT No. D755-BJ” and “Credit No. 6809-BJ” to finance the Youth Inclusion Project (ProDIJ) under the supervision of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Employment Promotion (MPMEPE).

It plans to use part of the funds from this credit to finance services related to the recruitment of a firm for the establishment of the labor market information system in Benin.

Indeed, one of the missions assigned to the AnpE is to contribute to the development of indicators on employment, unemployment, vocational training, and to improve information on the labor market, as well as the development of a regular communication strategy for labor market information.

To carry out this mission, AnpE wishes to equip itself with an information system (development of a platform) on the labor market (SIMT).

3. The services to be provided by the firm include, among others: (i) designing a centralized and innovative platform, (ii) ensuring inclusive accessibility, (iii) guaranteeing interoperability with existing systems, (iv) ensuring operational deployment, (v) forming users and administrators, (vi) providing ongoing technical support, (vii) promoting analysis and transparency, (viii) documenting provisions, procedures, and institutional mechanisms.

The Terms of Reference containing the detailed mandates of the mission are attached to this notice of expression of interest.

4. The Youth Inclusion Project invites interested firms to provide information demonstrating that they possess the relevant qualifications and experience required to carry out the mission.

The application file must include:

• a letter of expression of interest written in French addressed to the Director General of the National Employment Agency / Coordinator of the Youth Inclusion Project;


• proof of qualifications related to this Notice of Expression of Interest;


• proof of legal existence (commercial register, tax identification, etc.);


• reference experiences in the areas of expertise supported by original copies or notarized copies of certificates of good completion of work.

5. The criteria for evaluating expressions of interest are as follows:

The selected firm must possess the following qualifications:

• be a structure specialized in the development, integration of computer applications, in the establishment of digital platforms, in offering digital monitoring solutions;


• justifying at least five (05) years of experience in the field of development, integration of computer applications, establishment of digital platforms, offering digital monitoring solutions;


• having carried out at least three (3) missions for the design of web applications or platform development in the past five (5) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of good completion of work, or service completed, along with copies of purchase orders or copies of the contracts.

The firm must set up a team of experts with the following profiles:

Project Manager:

• Holding at least a BAC +5 degree in management information systems, engineering systems, or any related field (telecommunications, computer engineering, information systems, web application development, IT): provide the diploma;


• Justifying at least five (05) years of professional experience in the area (strong>provide the diploma);


• Having participated or carried out at least three (03) missions for the development of a platform or application development, during the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year proved by certificates of good completion or service performed or work certificates;


• Having mastery of one of the following technologies proved by a certificate or training certificate:
  
  
  
  • Languages and frameworks: Flutter, JavaScript, Python, PHP, Node.js, etc...
  
  
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server 2012 or earlier.
  
  
  • Languages and frameworks: JavaScript, Python, PHP, Node.js, as well as environments like Microsoft C# 2015 and Microsoft Light Switch 2015.
  
  
  
  

          Have the following cumulative assets:

• Demonstrate good project management and coordination capabilities of multidisciplinary teams;


• Master operating systems: Windows Server and Linux. 

Associate Consultant 1: Software Architecture Expert

• Holding at least a Bac +3 degree in computer science, software engineering, or any related field (telecommunications, computer engineering, development of web applications): proven by the diploma;


• Justifying at least one (01) year of experience in the field (provide the diploma);


• Having participated or carried out at least one (01) mission in software architecture design and implementation, particularly for complex information systems, during the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year proved by a certificate of good completion, service performed, or work certificate;


• Having carried out at least one (01) mission of web application development, during the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year proved by a certificate of good completion, service performed, or work certificate;


• Proving mastery of relational database management systems (RDBMS), notably PostgreSQL and MySQL.

          Have the following cumulative assets:

• Good practices regarding security and performance optimization;




• Expertise in standards and interoperability protocols, such as REST APIs and the JSON format;


• Skills in cloud solutions and integration of cloud-based services;


• Good practices regarding software security, performance optimization, and system scalability.

Associate Consultant 2: Web and Mobile Development Expert

• Holding at least a Bac +3 degree in software development, computer science, management information systems, or any related field (telecommunications, computer engineering, information systems, web application development, IT): providing a copy of the diploma or a certification in the aforementioned fields;


• Justifying one (01) year of experience in the area (providing a copy of the diploma or a certification in the aforementioned fields);


• Having participated or carried out at least one (01) mission of web and mobile application development, notably with Flutter during the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year proved by a certificate of good completion, service performed, or work certificate;


• Having developed at least one (01) mobile or cross-platform application, proved by a certificate of good completion, service performed, or work certificate;


• Having mastery of front-end frameworks: Vue.js, Tailwind CSS, Flutter, or any other cross-platform framework (proven by a certificate or a certification);

          Have the following cumulative assets:

• Being able to ensure performance optimization and cross-platform compatibility;


• Being able to configure applications for deployment on stores (Play Store, App Store) and for offline use;


• Having mastery of technologies: Languages: Dart, HTML5, CSS3 or JavaScript;


• Having mastery of technologies: integration with databases: PostgreSQL or Firebase;


• Having mastery of technologies: UX/UI Design: Good understanding of accessibility and ergonomics principles;

Associate Consultant 3: Expert on Labor Market Issues

• Hold a diploma of at least Bac +5 in economics, applied statistics, or any related field (econometrics, statistics): provide a copy of the diploma;


• Have at least three (3) years of experience in the field (provide a copy of the diploma);


• Have carried out or participated in at least two (02) missions for data analysis and indicators related to the labor market, or in the development and monitoring of employment policies over the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;


• Be proficient in statistical tools such as: SPSS, Stata, R, or Python, proven by a certificate or an attestation; 

          Have the following cumulative assets:

• Have experience with international projects, notably with the International Labour Office (ILO), as a consultant or expert for related SIMT projects ;


• Be able to propose methodologies and interpret data for monitoring decent work indicators ;


• Be able to produce analytical reports and strategic recommendations to guide employment and labor policies ;


• Have a good understanding of ILO decent work indicators and other socio-economic indicators ;


• Be knowledgeable in international standards: ILO Decent Work Agenda, SIMT methodologies.

Associate Consultant 4: Functional Analyst

• Hold a diploma of at least Bac +3 in systems analysis, management information systems, or any related field (software engineering, computer engineering, information systems): provide a copy of the diploma;


• Have at least three (03) years of experience in the field: (provide a copy of the diploma);


• Have carried out or participated in at least two (02) functional analysis missions within digital project frameworks, ideally related to online learning or educational systems in the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;


• Have conducted or participated in at least one (01) workshop mission for gathering requirements and drafting functional specifications in the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;

          Knowledge in the following would be an asset:

• Mastery of modeling tools (UML or BPMN) and project management methodologies (Agile or Scrum).


• Demonstrate excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Associate Consultant 5: Quality Manager

• Hold a diploma of at least Bac +3 in quality management, computer science, or any related field (software engineering, quality assurance): provide a copy of the diploma;


• Have at least three (03) years of experience in the field (provide a copy of the diploma);


• Have carried out or participated in at least two (02) quality management missions for digital projects, including educational or interactive platforms in the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;


• Have conducted or participated in at least one (01) expertise mission in developing and monitoring quality plans, conducting internal audits, and implementing continuous improvement processes in the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;

          Possessing the following cumulative assets :

• Mastery of quality standards (e.g.: ISO 9001, CMMI) and associated tools ;


• Demonstrate rigor, attention to detail, and an ability to work closely with technical and functional teams.

Associate Consultant 6: Training Specialist

• Hold a diploma of at least Bac +3 in pedagogy, educational technologies, or any related field (Community Development, social action): provide a copy of the diploma;


• Have at least three (03) years of experience in the field (provide a copy of the diploma);


• Have carried out or participated in at least two (02) missions for designing and conducting training on digital platforms in the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;


• Have conducted or participated in at least one (01) expertise mission in using pedagogical methodologies adapted for low or uneducated audiences in the last five (05) years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the current year, proven by certificates of successful completion, service attestations, or work certificates;

          Possessing the following cumulative assets :

• Mastery of tools for creating interactive educational materials (videos, presentations, manuals) ;


• Be able to provide training in French, in-person or online, and to adapt to the specific needs of learners.

NB : General experiences will be considered based on the date of diploma deliberation or, if not available, the date of signature or issuance of the diploma, and the number of experiences in similar services will be read through CVs and proven by work certificates or service attestations.

6. A firm will be selected following the Consultant Qualification Selection method in accordance with the selection procedures defined in “the procurement regulations for borrowers requesting funding for investment project financing (FPI) from the World Bank dated July 2016, revised in November 2017, August 2018, November 2020, and September 2023” and open to all bidders from eligible countries as defined in the Regulations.

7. The estimated duration of the mission is six (06) calendar months.

8. Additional information can be obtained at the address below, from 10 / 03 /2025 to 25 /03 /2025 every weekday, from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM and from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

9. Letters of expression of interest must be submitted in two (02) physical copies (01 original and 01 copy), with the mention “Expression of Interest for the recruitment of an accounting consulting firm for the revision of the ProDIJ accounts and support for the financial management team”, along with a scanned electronic version on USB key accessible in a single PDF file, no later than 26 / 03 / 2025 at 10:00 AM (Cotonou time) to the address indicated below;

10. The envelopes will be opened on 26 / 03 / 2025 at 10:30 AM at the address indicated below in the presence of representatives of the firms who wish to attend.

11. The addresses referred to above are :

Address No.1 : Take of the document, Request for information and Receipt of offers

Secretariat at the Coordination of the Youth Inclusion Project (ProDIJ), in Cotonou, located in the Aïdjèdo district, Centre d’accueil Mgr PARISOT street, lot 857 parcel A, second floor facing the building housing the Personal Data Protection Authority (APDP); Tel: (+229) 0121327716 / 0157484194 / 0147594429; Email: secretariat@prodij.bj;  b.elegbede@prodij.bj

NB : the withdrawal of the Terms of Reference (ToR) and the information request will take place every weekday from 08 am to 12:30 pm and from 2 pm to 5:30 pm.

Address No.2 : Opening

Conference Room of the Secretariat at the Coordination of the Youth Inclusion Project (ProDIJ), in Cotonou, located in the Aïdjèdo district, Centre d’accueil Mgr PARISOT street, lot 857 parcel A, second floor facing the building housing the Personal Data Protection Authority (APDP).

Cotonou, March 7, 2025

  The General Director,

Urbain S. AMEGBEDJI