Job Description

Terms of ReferenceInformal settlement management optimization through systems integrations - Informal Settlement s System, Proximity to Basic Services System , and Housing Inspection System . Pilot project for Kigali City

1. General information

1.1. Work description

The objective of this consultancy service is to facilitate the integration of three distinct software systems: the Proximity to Basic Services system managed by RSA, the Informal Settlements system overseen by the Rwanda Housing Authority, and the Housing Inspection system managed by the City of Kigali. The selected consultant will be responsible for seamlessly integrating these systems to generate comprehensive insights regarding informal settlements within the City of Kigali.

1.2. Duration

The duration of this contract is six months.

1.3. Expected start date

The starting date of this consultancy is the date of the contract signature.

2. Project Background

Like most of Africa’s cities, unplanned and informal settlements have been a significant source of concern in Kigali and across the nation. Kigali has been expanding at a rate of 4-7% each year. The expansion of informal settlements is attributed to the pursuit of jobs and business by citizens born outside of Kigali City, who account for up to 65% of Kigali's unplanned and informal communities. Furthermore, Rwanda's population density will rise from 415 people per square kilometer in 2012 to 1,000 people in 2050. According to Rwanda Housing Authority projections, the nation needs at least 5.5 million housing units, up from 2.5 million in 2019 to house a projected 22 million people in 2050. In addition to this gap, the issue of housing affordability remains high in Kigali City. Therefore, the issue of informal and unplanned settlements, as well as affordable housing, must be addressed to ensure the sustainable use of land resources as well as access to essential infrastructure such as water, electricity, and transportation, while protecting urban forests and wetlands.

In order to address this issue, the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), the Ministry of Environment (MoE), the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), the National Land Authority (NLA), and the City of Kigali (CoK) have jointly initiated a framework to help monitor and mitigate the proliferation of informal settlements in the CoK specifically and across the country in general, that are also encroaching urban forests and wetlands, and therefore leading to the increase of urban population in highly vulnerable areas. While the current system issuing building permits is being upgraded, various suggestions have been made to support the system to continue to improve settlement and housing in Rwanda through technology. In collaboration with RSA and MININFRA, with the support of the World Resources Institute (WRI), an integrated approach is being conceptualized and set for development to ensure proactive management of informal settlement proliferation. The latter would prevent development in high-risk zones and protect urban forests and wetlands.

To address the challenges of informal settlements and the concentration of population in high-risk zones effectively and sustainably, a clear understanding of the causalities of informal settlement development in the City of Kigali is crucial. Such an understanding also helps decision-makers and the city leadership to understand the impact of all the efforts invested in addressing this issue over time.

Through its deep dive program, WRI is partnering with RSA and MININFRA to understand the urban dynamics of informal settlement in Kigali City for the past 20 years and develop an automated system based on satellite imagery and machine learning that will optimize the management of the use of lands in the City of Kigali, as a first step. Within this partnership, WRI intends to support RSA technically and financially for the integration of key systems.

As part of the deep dive program framework, this consultancy aims to integrate three systems developed by the RSA, the City of Kigali, and the Rwanda Housing Authority within the context of informal settlement management. The goal is to enhance data coherence and improve decision-making processes for stakeholders.

3. Objectives of the consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to integrate the 3 systems into one system to optimize decision making, data coherence, institutional collaboration, and data storage. Access to the system will be customized to the need of each beneficiary to support them fulfilling their mandate.

Scope of work

• Consultant will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the three systems to understand their architecture, data structures, functionalities, and current integration points.
• The consultant will design a detailed integration plan outlining the strategy, technologies, and tools that will be used for integration.
• The consultant will collaborate with stakeholders to gather detailed requirements for integration and identify data flows, systems integration points, and system dependencies.
• The consultant will perform end-to-end integration testing to ensure seamless data flow and communication between the systems.
• The consultant will perform data migration tasks to transfer existing data to the integrated systems. Ensure data integrity and accuracy during the migration process.
• The consultant will deploy an integrated system to a production environment.
• The consultant will provide accessible and detailed documentation of the integration process including architecture, tools, and data flow of the integrated system.

Stakeholder Engagement

The consultant/firm will conduct several stakeholder engagement sessions to ensure effective communication and understanding of project. These sessions aim to:

• Enforce understanding of the product's capabilities and benefits.
• Help stakeholders visualize the integration process with different systems.
• Gather feedback and insights from stakeholders to tailor integration strategies.

Integration with Different Systems

• Assess existing systems and their compatibility with Service.
• Develop integration plans and strategies based on stakeholder inputs and system assessments.
• Implement integration solutions that enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Conduct testing and validation to ensure seamless integration.

Requirements Collection and Analysis

Effective requirements collection and analysis are essential for understanding project objectives and deliverables. The consultant/firm will:

• Gather detailed requirements through workshops, interviews, and documentation review.
• Analyze collected requirements to identify dependencies, constraints, and priorities.
• Document requirements in a clear and structured format to serve as a basis for project planning and execution.Top of FormBottom of Form

4. Expected deliverables

• Integration plan and timeline

The consultant will provide a comprehensive project plan outlining all phases of the integration, including key milestones, timelines, and responsible parties. This plan should show milestones for each phase as well as the start and end date of the integration phase. Additionally, the consultant will provide detailed documentation of the technical requirements and system specifications to ensure compatibility and integration of the three systems. The integration architecture design will feature data flow diagrams as well as system interaction models.

The deliverables from the consultant/firm will include:

• Stakeholder engagement reports summarizing feedback and action points.
• Integration plans outlining system compatibility, strategies, and implementation timelines.
• Requirements analysis document detailing project objectives, scope, and prioritized requirements.
• Implementation and Testing

The consultant will be responsible for the development and deployment of integration components, ensuring seamless data flow and data migration to the integrated system. Testing plans and test cases will be developed and executed to ensure the integrated system meets all technical and functional requirements. The results of these tests will be documented, along with any issues identified and their resolutions. User acceptance testing will be conducted to gather feedback and ensure the system meets user needs.

• Final report

The consultant is expected to submit a final report that will provide a comprehensive summary of the integration process, including an executive overview of the project objectives, scope, and key milestones achieved. It will detail each step of the integration, from planning to implementation. The report will assess system performance using key metrics and summarize stakeholders’ feedback from testing and post-implementation reviews. It will document challenges faced, resolutions implemented, and lessons learned, offering insights for future projects. Recommendations for future improvements will be included, focusing on enhancement opportunities, sustainability, and scalability.

5. Institutional arrangement and reporting

The consultant will report directly to the deep dive project manager in Rwanda, WRI Africa, with a steering technical committee of the RSA and Mininfra.

6. Required qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field. A master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in IT consulting.
• Proven track record of successfully integrating multiple software systems, preferably in the context of informal settlements or urban development.
• Strong understanding of database management systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL) and data mapping/transformation techniques.
• Familiarity with software systems used in informal settlements, urban planning, or related fields.
• Ability to develop and execute detailed project plans, timelines, and budgets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to collaborate with stakeholders, gather requirements, and provide training. Demonstrated previous experience in collaborating with government institutions in Rwanda.
• Experience working with local government stakeholders preferred.
• Exceptionally good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in writing and speaking English.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of team, including actively contributing to team discussions.
• Ability to use time efficiently, and work under pressure to ensure the timely completion of project deadlines.

7. Selection criteria

Proposals received from Applicants will be evaluated based on its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference and against the following criteria:

#

Criteria

Max. Score

1

Technical Proposal

Demonstrated understanding of the assignment with clear approach to implement the activities and timely meet the objectives of the assignments defined in the Terms of Reference

30

Demonstrated evidence of having previously conducted similar/related assignments in collaboration with government institutions

15

Is the proposed team composed of thematic experts with pertinent qualifications and demonstrated experience in the required fields

15

Workplan- schedule of activities

10

2

Financial Proposal:

Clea budget/cost structure (personnel, material, travel, and other costs)

20

Clear outlined allocation of budget to various actions.

10

TOTAL

100

8. Mode of payment

• Upon submission of the integration plan and timeline40%
• Upon completion of implementation and testing 40%
• Upon validation of the final report/dashboard 20%
  

9. How to apply

The consultant is encouraged to apply as a team/individual to ensure all qualifications required are available. The firm should fulfill the following conditions:

1. RDB certificate of incorporation as enterprise
2. Providing team of 3 engineers at least this team compose by API engineer, frontend and backend engineer
3. Familiar with agile methodology

Interested applicants can submit electronically to these addresses: [email protected] and [email protected], the following:

• A technical proposal incorporating a methodological approach to conduct the assignment based on the understanding of the ToRs. The proposal should also incorporate the updated CVs of all the proposed team members.
• A financial proposal to conduct the assignment.

The applications are to be made before September 13rd, 2024 at 05:00 pm Kigali time.