Recruitment of Drones Operation Advisor for the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA)

COUNTRY:                       Malawi

NAME OF PROJECT:        Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP)

PROJECT ID:                    P164847

ASSIGNMENT TITLE:      Recruitment of Drones Operation Advisor for the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA)

REFERENCE NO.: MW-MTPW-353844-CS-INDV  

DATE OF ISSUE:              14^th April 2023

1. Introduction:

The Government of Malawi (GoM) has received a credit and grant from the International Development Association (IDA) under the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (Project) to support efforts to reduce trade costs and time, increase access to improved infrastructure, and increase value chain development in targeted corridors of Malawi and Mozambique, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The Ministry of Transport and Public Works intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The consulting services (“the Services”) include Recruitment of Drones Advisor for the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA).

• Objective of the Assignment

To provide direction to the project team in order to guarantee that the management of the Drones project complies with best practices and takes into account the requirement to coordinate with numerous inter-dependent activities, including the acquisition of the equipment, infrastructure, and services.

• Scope of Services

In particular, the Advisor will:

1. Assist the Project Team in all their activities, based on his/her practical experiences gained from prior engagements in the successful accomplishment of Drones’ operationalization in other countries especially for borderline surveillance purposes.
2. Assist the Project Team with development of an overall Project Management Plan and determine milestones and deliverables for a successful outcome for the implementation of Drones in MRA.
3. Aid the project team in identifying and procuring suitable Drones and secure software according to outlined project objectives in the business case.
4. To drill project team on best practices in drone management.
5. Assist the Project Team in developing strategies for Quality Assurance and Change Management Plan in Drone operations.
6. Assist the Project Team with procurement and planning of delivery of other products or services required, e.g. equipment, infrastructure, software, training, publicity, technical assistance etc., including provision of technical guidance in evaluation of tenders.
7. Assist the Project Team with the integration of the Drones to the existing MRA ICT Infrastructure.
8. Monitor the operability of the Drones after implementation and provide necessary guidance during tenure of the consultancy contract.

• Assist the project team with the development of operational manuals, maintenance manuals and any other relevant technical documentation.
• Assist with operationalization of the Drones in line with the governing legal framework and safety protocols.
•  Document all recommendations made in the course of providing the services and track any related issues and actions through to resolution.
• Submit all documents relating to the project to the Project Team for retention.
• Institutional Arrangements

The Advisor will work in full cooperation on a day-to-day basis with the MRA Project Team and on need basis with the World Bank team both global and local.  The language of the project and all reports shall be in English.

The Advisor shall be under supervision of Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP) Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.

• Execution of the assignment

The Advisor will be engaged initially for a total of 12 months, with the possibility for extension depending on funding and need.

The Project Team will provide the Advisor with access to documents relevant to the assignment, and other facilities including scheduling of meetings with key stakeholders for the smooth execution of the assignment. 

The Advisor will be based at MRA headquarters in Blantyre. At times, he/she will be required to travel with the Project Team in execution of relevant project activities outside the working station.

• Key Deliverables for the Assignment
• Assist the Project Team with development of an overall Project Management Plan and determine milestones and deliverables for a successful outcome for the implementation of Drones in MRA- (Deliverable 1).
• Aid the project team in undertaking a market scan and developing a procurement strategy for acquisition of suitable Drones, including proposed operational specifications and secure software – (Deliverable 2).
• Assist Project Team in developing strategies for Quality Assurance and Change Management Plan on drone operations – (Deliverable 3).
• Assist the project team with the development of operational manuals, safety and maintenance manuals and any other relevant technical documentation (Deliverable 4).
• Assist the Authority in all the five phases towards obtaining the remote operator certificate from Department of Civil Aviation- (Deliverable 5).
• Operational advisor to the Authority for a period of 3 months after operationalization of Drones to ensure knowledge and skills transfer –(Deliverable 6).
• Assist withdevelopment of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) in line with Full Time Equivalence (FTE) of FAST operations to monitor performance of the Drones – (Deliverable 7).
• Final Completion Report at end of project. The Advisor will document all recommendations made in the course of providing the services and track any related issues and actions through to resolution – (Deliverable 8).
• Payment terms 

Payments will be made upon deliverable attainment. However full schedule will be stipulated in the contract.

• Qualifications

1. The Advisor will have 10+ years of professional experience as an Advisor or any other equivalent leading position involving Drone or Aircraft Technology.
2. The Advisor will have acted in the role of a Team Leader in at least two projects in the past five years involving Drones/Aircraft operationalization, comprising the definition of the technical and institutional components and/or management of implementation of such a program.
3. The Advisor should have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, engineering, or any related technology field. A Master’s Degree will be an added advantage. Extensive professional qualifications and credentials relating to UAV operations and General Aviation knowledge are a must have.
4. Experience of working with the public sector in developing countries is essential and specific experience of working in public sector projects in Africa with Customs and/or other trade-related government agencies is highly desirable.

• Conflict of Interest

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” dated November 2020 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. 

1. Submission of Expressions of Interest

Interested Individuals meeting the stated requirements should submit their Expressions of interest including updated detailed curriculum vitae (CVs) and copies of professional certificates must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail) by 28^th April 2023 on or before 16:30 hours, local time.

The Chairman,

Internal Procurement and Disposal of Assets Committee,

Ministry Of Transport and Public Works

Attn: Chief Human Resources Officer

Capital Hill, Private Bag 322, Lilongwe 3, Malawi

Tel:        +265 1 789 577

E-mail: andrew.sungitsa@satcp.mw; procurement@satcp.mw; CC: hastings.ngoma@satcp.mw;