Foreign economic-aid-related services

Tender description

This is a prior information notice (PIN) only for a potential programme of work subject to final funding approvals; publications and a call for competition will be conducted once the scope of work is finalised and approved. DFID proposes to procure a programme, the UK Centre of Cities and Infrastructure (name in development and to be confirmed), designed to tackle five key barriers across the infrastructure and urban sectors: 1) Lack of prepared, financeable, infrastructure projects; 2) Inadequate infrastructure governance and policy; 3) Limited fiscal autonomy and poor financial management in cities; 4) Lack of effective urban planning and land use; 5) Limited capacity to support clean growth. Components, that will work together to maximise impact. The aim of the CCI will be to: (a) provide a demand-led technical assistance facility that will enable DFID and UK government to design new programmes and deliver interventions focused on cities and infrastructure; (b) provide technical oversight of up to 6 major partnerships (anticipated to be fewer) that DFID will contract and fund directly; (c) successfully run a series of grant calls for small and medium sized organisations; (d) manage both a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Fund that will provide independent monitoring and evaluation, ensuring shared learning across all CCI components, and a Strategic Opportunity Fund (SOF) that will provide flexibility for the CCI to support developing priorities; (e) potentially manage further priorities that may be identified, in agreement with the Suppler and DFID after the first 18 month review point.