1. BACKGROUND:
The World Bank has been a key partner in the government’s effort to expand and strengthen the
social protection programs and systems, particularly through its support to different national
programs: The National Social Safety-Nets Program (NASSP, P151488), Youth Employment and
Social Support Operation (YESSO, P126964), Community and Social Development Program
(CSDP, P090644) and the recently approved Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic
Stimulus (NG-CARES P174114). These programs, particularly the YESSO and NASSP,
supported the development of the National Social Register (NSR) and launched the country’s
flagship cash transfer program for the poor (Household Uplifting Program).
The NASSP has played a key role in strengthening social protection in Nigeria in the recent years.
The NASSP, approved in June 2016 and closing in December 2022, after a six-month extension,
was designed to contribute to the government’s vision of lifting over 100 million poor and
vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty. The project launched the regular-CT program in all 36 states
and the FCT and reached about 2 million households by June 2022. The NASSP project also
strengthens the institutionalization of social protection by improving the social protection
coordination platform at the federal and state levels, supporting capacity building, and improving
the policy environment. In addition, the NASSP project, along with the recently closed YESSO,
strengthens the payment mechanism, Management of Information Systems (MIS), and Monitoring
and Evaluations (M&E) systems of social assistance programs. The program has promoted
gender and social inclusion interventions (including ensuring that a vast majority of program
beneficiaries are female). The project facilitated the empowerment of women and other vulnerable
groups in accessing program benefit as well as household decision making dynamics, especially
on the use of cash transfer. Citizen’s engagement and social accountability is another major area
where the program established a system to facilitate accountability measures in the delivery of
the program intervention. Third-party monitoring implemented through independent Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs) and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) were successfully rolled out.
The implementation of NASSP provides valuable lessons towards improving social protection in
Nigeria. This includes: (i) the importance of linking project design to the country’s long term vision
and priority, and national policy and strategy framework; (ii) the importance of investing in the
delivery systems and making it accessible to other programs and interventions; (iii) the need to
mainstream program delivery into the existing government structures and institutions to improve
sustainability; (iv) the importance of instituting strong accountability mechanisms including
citizens engagement, social accountability mechanisms, and GRM in the context of large-scale
programs with highly decentralized service delivery; and (v) the need to take advantage of
investing in digitized delivery mechanisms to improve the targeting and payment systems.
The NSR serves as a foundation for delivering social assistance in Nigeria, especially in rural
areas. It uses a combination of geographic and community-based targeting to identify the poor
and vulnerable households, with their poverty and vulnerability status further validated through a
Proxy Means Test (PMT). The program was initially designed and launched in 24 states and
gradually expanded to cover all 36 states and the FCT. The coverage of the NSR has grown
steadily in recent years reaching 13.5 million households (56.8 million individuals) as of November
2022. 75 percent of the households in the NSR are from rural areas. Overall, the NSR covers
about 28 percent of the national population (31 percent in rural areas, 10 percent in urban areas),
with higher coverage in areas vulnerable to climate shocks (refer to Annex 5 of the Project
Appraisal Document (NASSP – SU PAD)). In the context of NASSP regular-CT targeting, the
PMT scores in the NSR classifies three quintiles of these households as being in the bottom 6
deciles of the national consumption distribution. The NBR captures the beneficiaries of the regular
CT program and keeps records of the payments provided to the beneficiaries. There are three
criteria for a household to be included in the NBR: (a) the households must be included in the
NSR; (b) households must have a welfare score, proxied by the PMT score, below the sixth decile;
and (c) the household designates the main beneficiary, typically a caregiver and preferably a
woman. The cash transfer for regular-CT covered 36 states including FCT with more than 1.9
million Households. Due to the nature of its rollout, the coverage of the NSR is higher in poorer
Local Government Areas (LGAs) and states. Many safety-net programs, including the regular-CT
of the NASSP, use the NSR to target support to the beneficiaries. Annex 2 of the PAD provides
further details on the NSR.
Between March 2020 and March 2021, less than 5 percent of urban households received support
from social safety net programs in the form of direct cash transfers from either federal, state, or
local government. During the same period, the social registry lacked sufficient coverage in urban
areas thereby limiting the ability of the government to provide quick relief to its citizens in response to COVID-19.1 The World Bank, therefore, supported the expansion of the registry through a
restructuring of the NASSP in April 2020 to establish of the Rapid Response Registry (RRR) in
selected urban and peri-urban areas based on which the government supported 1 million
households through a COVID-19 cash transfers (COVID-CT) program. The focus of the
restructuring on urban areas reflects the larger effect COVID-19 has had in the urban economy
as well as the lack of a social registry to identify the poor and vulnerable in urban areas.
The RRR was developed through two key innovations: (i) geographic targeting based on poverty maps, and
(ii) mobile-based self-registration – where potential beneficiaries were invited to self-register
through an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) application in targeted wards.
The innovative RRR process is undergoing continual improvements through on-the-ground
learning and iterations.
Nigeria needs to further strengthen the social protection delivery system to effectively respond to
current and future shocks, including climate-induced emergencies in the long terms. The following
summarizes the key directions for a more effective social protection system:
1. Stronger coordination and alignment in program design and implementation across
government agencies and administrative levels. Specifically, usage of social registry and
delivery platforms should help with reducing fragmentation.
2. Improved resilience and shock responsiveness of the social protection system through
rapid, robust, and efficient beneficiary targeting, registration, and payment delivery
mechanisms are crucial in effectively responding to shocks.
1 The NSR had a total of 2.03 million households by the end of 2019 which increased to 5.73 million households by
the end of 2020. The rapid increase in the coverage is due to the project activities under NASSP and YESSO which
facilitated increasing coverage, and improved data management practices.
3. Improved data systems. Data integration will need to be actively used to understand the
extend of coverage and gaps to enhance the targeting of safety net programs.
4. Utilization and awareness. The National and State Steering Committees would foster
better linkages of safety net programs across all sectors.
The NASSP-SU, a follow-on operation to the NASSP, intends to build on and scale up the existing
delivery system to provide shock responsive safety nets and to extend regular social assistance
to the poor and vulnerable. The project is designed to offer time-limited cash transfers in response
to recent shocks (food price inflation) in rural as well as urban areas. The project will also extend
the duration of support to the current beneficiaries of NASSP regular cash transfer program – yet
to receive 18 cycles of benefits.
The NASSP – SU Project Development Objective (PDO) is to expand coverage of shock
responsive safety net support among the poor and vulnerable and strengthen the national safety
nets delivery system.
PDO Level Indicators
The following key results will measure the achievement towards the Project Development
Objective (PDO):
1. Beneficiaries of Social Safety Net Program (CRI) (overall, percent female)
2. Beneficiaries receiving shock-responsive cash transfers (overall, percent female)
3. Beneficiaries that have received extended regular-cash transfer support (overall,
percent female)
4. Urban wards covered under Rapid Response Register (RRR)
5. Beneficiaries receiving regular and shock responsive cash transfer payments
through fully digital mechanism (overall percent, female percent).
Project components:
The project builds on the NASSP to provide strengthened social assistance support to Nigerian
citizens.
Component 1 – Economic Shock Responsive Cash Transfer (ESR-CT): provides shock
responsive time-limited cash transfers to poor and vulnerable households in rural and
urban areas, aiming to build household resilience.
Component 2 – Extended Regular Cash Transfer (ER-CT): extends the duration of the
regular cash transfers support to the poor and vulnerable households currently
supported by the NASSP.
Component 3 – Delivery System Strengthening and Program Management: supports the
strengthening of the delivery system to support components 1 and 2 together with broad
improvements to the safety net delivery system. Component 3 also provides support to
program management, monitoring and evaluation.
Figure 1: Project design and relative coverage of project
2.0 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ASSIGNMENT:
Citizen engagement and social accountability represent critical areas where the NASSP project
has established a framework to facilitate accountability measures in delivering program
interventions. The implementation of third-party monitoring (TPM) was carried out by
independent Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) selected through a competitive process, followed
by a performance appraisal determining their contract renewal eligibility. Within NASSP, the
third-party monitoring exercise continues to oversee project delivery in 36 states and the FCT,
encompassing beneficiaries, non-beneficiaries, PSPs, and other stakeholders. Dissemination
meetings were held in June 2021 and September 2022 to present the first- and second-year
annual results scorecards of the project. Highlights from these scorecards demonstrate strong
performance across key result indicators. The project has gleaned valuable insights regarding
beneficiaries’ and non-beneficiaries’ perceptions and understanding of the project, the project’s
adherence to various subcomponents, and potential risks to its overall success.
Guided by the principles of social accountability outlined in the Terms of Reference (ToR) and the
TPM monitoring framework jointly developed by CSOs in collaboration with the NASSP team and
the World Bank, TPMs employed a stratified sampling technique to ensure an accurate and
representative sample of the monitored population. Recognizing that states do not all have an
equal number of beneficiaries to be monitored, each Local Government Area (LGA) was treated
as a subgroup population, with beneficiary household numbers randomly drawn at the LGA level.
This approach enhanced the precision and representativeness of the monitoring population.
Additionally, data collection utilized a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative methods
using the electronic-based Open Data Kit (ODK) for interviews with sampled beneficiaries to
independently verify compliance with NASSP guidelines and principles, and qualitative methods
using Focused Group Discussions to assess beneficiary perceptions, awareness, and satisfaction
with the program. Key Informant Interviews (KII) were further employed to capture unresolved
beneficiary complaints and share the findings with the National Grievance Redress Mechanism
(GRM).
The NASSP – SU Project Appraisal Document (PAD) underscores the importance of engaging
Third-Party Monitors, primarily consisting of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and leveraging
established processes under the NASSP to incorporate social accountability through regular thirdparty
monitoring and the production of an Annual Results Scorecard by CSOs. This initiative aims
to provide independent validation of the processes and procedures employed by the Delivery
Platforms to yield results. The scorecards and reports generated by the monitors will be made
publicly accessible and shared with the NASSP SU team, national and state steering committees,
and the World Bank. Tools such as regular project monitoring, third-party monitoring reports,
annual results scorecards, Beneficiaries satisfaction survey reports, Post Distribution Monitoring
and the GRM monthly reports will inform program implementation by indicating whether project
design or activities need adjustment to address pressing concerns at the local, state, or national
levels.
Citizen engagement will be monitored through various indicators, including (a) beneficiary
satisfaction indicators for each component of the project; (b) an indicator measuring the
percentage of grievances addressed within the specified timeframe in the Project
Implementation Manual (PIM); (c) an indicator assessing the number of states that have
operationalized third-party monitoring; and (d) an indicator tracking the public release of the
annual scorecard published by third-party monitoring.
Considering the substantial advantages of using CSOs as reliable monitors, NASSCO seeks the
services of independent National and zonal CSOs to provide credible information regarding
adherence to the agreed-upon processes and guidelines as outlined in the GRM.
3.0 OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The primary objective of this consultancy is to enhance the monitoring efforts of the program
aimed at achieving greater accountability, effectiveness, efficient resource utilization,
sustainability, and local ownership of the program delivery mechanism throughout the country.
This will be achieved through the engagement of independent National and Zonal Level Civil
Society Organizations (CSOs) as third-party monitors. The National lead will undertake
responsibilities such as developing the monitoring framework, providing strategic guidance,
offering mentorship, coordinating activities, and compiling reports. On the other hand, the Zonal
Level CSOs will focus on monitoring aspects like the timely and transparent delivery of benefits,
the credibility and accuracy of results, the precision of beneficiary targeting, the functionality of
accountability mechanisms (including the management of grievances, complaints, and appeals
from Cash Transfer recipients and the general public), and various other aspects of program
implementation at the state level.
The Third – party monitors will review and report on 4 key areas of NASSP – SU implementation:
(a) process of identification of the PVHHs (CBT and technology driven targeting approaches, (b)
selection of beneficiaries from National Social Register (NSR) and the Rapid Respond Register
(RRR) (c) key processes related to cash transfers payment delivery platform and (d) GRM and
other system strengthening and accountability activities.
Specific objectives include:
(a) Check transparency and compliance with principles of identification of the PVHHs on NSR
and RRR;
(b) Check transparency and compliance with principles of mining/selecting beneficiaries from
NSR and RRR for ESR CT (urban & rural) and Regular CT;
(c) Verify payments of cash transfers to beneficiaries through the different payment
modalities/platforms (including establishing amount).
(d) Verify functionality of the grievances management mechanism and the effectiveness for
managing complaints and appeals
(e) Assess adequacy of education, information and communication mechanisms of the
project at all levels
4.0 SCOPE AND DELIVERABLES OF ASSIGNMENT
The implementation of the NASSP – SU TPM will require the services of a competent National
lead CSO and zonal level CSOs that have demonstrated capacity to deliver, understating of the
local terrain/working experience and similar working experience/working with NASSP as TPM.
The following are set of qualifications and skills requirements the CSOs are expected to
demonstrate:
(a) Possession of basic qualification by the firm relevant to the assignment
i. Registered with CAC (Cooperate Affairs Commission) as NGO/CSO
ii. Must be in existence/operating for a minimum of 5 years
(b) Adequacy of Firm for the Assignment
i. Wide operational coverage is essential in the selection process, companies
are expected to have presence and (or) implemented project in at least 3
states within the zone in which the company has indicated interest.
ii. Ability to have worked with other CSOs/CBOs/NGOs in areas of in Citizen
Engagement, Good Governance and Social Accountability.
(c) Demonstrate capability to deplore staff with requisite skills and working
experience in field monitoring.
(d) Previous experience in the monitoring developmental/humanitarian program(s)
with a good understanding of Citizen Engagement and Social Accountability (CE &
SA) for a minimum of five (5) year – National Lead CSO and two (2) years Zonal
CSOs.
(e) Experience working with World Bank-assisted or donor-funded program(s) for a
minimum of two (2) years.
For this phase of engagement:
National lead CSO is expected to deliver on the following for a period of one year:
1. Revise the developed NASSP TPM framework to reflect (a) NASSP – SU implantation
components and domains and (b) risk-based monitoring and location based intensive
‘back checks’ sampling techniques
2. Train and build capacity of Zonal Level CSOs to implement the revised framework;
3. Supervise, support and mentor Zonal Level CSOs to deploy the third-party monitoring
framework in the 36 states and the FCT;
4. Provide regular updates on TPM findings to national NASSP – SU steering committee;
5. Produce first and second semester reports using agreed reporting template
6. Produce an annual Results Scorecard
7. Present the Results Scorecard to stakeholders to motivate discussions on findings and
recommendations consistent with project scope and objectives.
Zonal CSOs are expected to deliver the following for a period of one year:
1. Implement the third-party monitoring framework developed by the National Lead
CSO
2. Monitor NASSP – SU implementation reflecting on its components and domain,
and using risk-based monitoring with special focus on high-risk locations identified
during NASSP TPM exercise implementation.
3. Collect quarterly data using result scorecard templates developed by the National
Lead CSO
4. Use location based intensive ‘back checks’ sampling techniques and follow up on
earlier locations with potential risks to the NASSP – SU project
5. Provide regular updates on TPM findings to state level NASSP – SU steering
committees;
6. Flagging urgent situations that require urgent attention using the project GRM
channels of reporting grievances.
7. Produce quarterly reports and submit to National Lead CSO
5.0 APPLICATION CONDITIONS
Interested CSOs/NGOs can submit application for “ONLY ONE LOT SEGMENTATION”, as multiple
applications will be rejected.
S/No Lot Name State(s)
1 LOT 1 – National Lead CSO LOT 1 – National Lead CSO
2 LOT 2 – Northcentral geo-political zone
(Segment 1)
FCT
NASARAWA
BENUE
PLATEAU
3 LOT 2 – Northcentral geo-political zone
(Segment 2)
KOGI
KWARA
NIGER
4 LOT 3 – Northeast geo-political zone (Segment
1)
BORNO
ADAMAWA
YOBE
5 LOT 3 – Northeast geo-political zone (Segment
2)
BAUCHI
GOMBE
TARABA
6 LOT 4 – Northwest geo-political zone (Segment
1)
JIGAWA
KANO
KATSINA
7 LOT 4 – Northwest geo-political zone (Segment
2)
KADUNA
KEBBI
SOKOTO
ZAMFARA
8 LOT 5 – Southeast geo-political zone (Segment
1)
ANAMBRA
ENUGU
9 LOT 5 – Southeast geo-political zone (Segment
2)
ABIA
EBONYI
IMO
10 LOT 6 – South-south geo-political zone
(Segment 1)
BAYELSA
DELTA
EDO
11 LOT 6 – South-south geo-political zone
(Segment 1)
AKWA-IBOM
CROSS-RIVER
RIVERS
12 LOT 7 – Southwest geo-political zone (Segment
1)
EKITI
ONDO
OSUN
13 LOT 7 – Southwest geo-political zone (Segment LAGOS
2) OGUN
OYO
6.0 STAFFING REQUIREMENTS
LOT 1: National Lead CSO
Key
Professional
s
No. Minimum Qualification and Professional Experience Desired
Team Lead 1 Professional qualification at postgraduate level or equivalent in
project management or related discipline
At least 7 – years of relevant experience in project
management and facilitation of service delivery on large scale
contract from government intervention or multilateral and
bilateral organizations and NGOs in Nigeria
Overall supervision, coordination, quality control and focal
point for NASSCO
Efficient and timely communication and reporting skills
Should have good understanding of the local dynamics in
Nigeria
M&E Lead 1 Professional qualification at postgraduate level or equivalent
social sciences, research methods or related discipline
At least 5 – years direct experience in monitoring and
evaluation, good governance, citizen engagement and
social accountability on behalf of government intervention
or multilateral and bilateral organizations and NGOs in Nigeria
Proven capacity to make use of statistical packages, CAPI
software and MS packages
Proven capacity of qualitative research techniques
Data analysis and reporting skills
Fluency in English (excellent writing skill) is essential
Capacity building and facilitation skills
Zonal M&E
officer (1 per
geopolitical
zone)
6 University degree preferably in social sciences or related
disciplines
At least 3 – years direct experience in monitoring and
evaluation, good governance, citizen engagement and
social accountability
Proven capacity to make use of statistical packages, CAPI
software and MS packages
Knowledge of local culture and languages that are spoken in
each of the geo-political zone is essential
Proven capacity to make use of CAPI software and MS
packages
Capacity building and facilitation skills
Proven skills in conducting FGDs, KIIs and supportive
supervision
LOT 2 to 7: Zonal Lead CSOs
Key
Professional
s
No. Minimum Qualification and Professional Experience Desired
Zonal Team
Lead
1 Professional qualification at postgraduate level or equivalent in
project management or related discipline
At least 5 – years of relevant experience in project
management and facilitation of service delivery on large
scale contract from government intervention or multilateral
and bilateral organizations and NGOs in Nigeria
Overall supervision, coordination, quality control and focal
point for National lead CSO
Efficient and timely communication and reporting skills
Should have good understanding of the local dynamics in Nigeria
State Team
Lead
1 University degree in social science or its equivalent in related
discipline
At least 3 – years of relevant experience in project
management and facilitation of service delivery on large
scale contract from government intervention or multilateral
and bilateral organizations and NGOs in Nigeria
Overall supervision, coordination, quality control and focal
point for the National zonal & National lead CSO
7.0 DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT
The assignment is to last for a period of twelve (12) months subject to renewal based on the
outcome of performance management appraisal to be conducted in the tenth month of the
Efficient and timely communication and reporting skills
Should have good understanding of the local dynamics of the
state
State M&E
Coordinator
1 Professional qualification at undergraduate level in social
sciences, or its equivalent in research methods or related
discipline
At least 3 – years direct experience in monitoring and
evaluation, good governance, citizen engagement and
social accountability on behalf of government intervention
or multilateral and bilateral organizations and NGOs in Nigeria
Proven capacity to make use of statistical packages, CAPI
software and MS packages
Proven capacity of qualitative research techniques
Data analysis and reporting skills
Fluency in English (excellent writing skill) is essential
Capacity building and facilitation skills
Senatorial
Liaison &
technical
Facilitator (3
per state)
3 Preferably university degree or its equivalent in social
sciences or related disciplines
At least 2 – years direct experience in monitoring and
evaluation, good governance, citizen engagement and social
accountability
Proven capacity to make use of statistical packages, CAPI
software and MS packages
Advocacy, sensitization and mobilization skills
Receive, report and support in investigating and resolving
grievances as they come
Knowledge of local culture and languages that are spoken in
the state
Proven capacity to make use of CAPI software and MS
packages
Capacity building and facilitation skills
Proven skills in conducting FGDs, KIIs and supportive
supervision
contract. A recommendation to renew the contract and or terminate MUST be made by the tenth
month of contract implementation to avoid the firm running out of contract.
8.0 REPORTING SCHEDULE
The consultant is expected to submit 2 hard copies and a soft copy of the following reports to
NASSCO at the stated times:
1. First and second semester reports one week after end of each semester;
2. Draft of final/annual report (Results Scorecard) no later than two weeks after end of one
year of assignment.
3. Final Results Scorecard no later than two weeks after receiving NASSCO/NCTO and World
Bank feedbacks.
9.0 PAYMENT SCHEDULE
30% of contract sum upon signing of the contract and another 20% upon submitting an
inception report will state the understanding of the ToR and the combination of risk/time
base monitoring framework/targets and the plan to cover the entire Nigeria as National
CSO and comprehensively spell out how the national Level CSO will undertake the
assignment
20% of the contract sum upon submission and acceptance of first semester report – six
(6) months into the contract
20% of the contract upon submission and acceptance of second semester report – on the
tenth month of contract.
10% of the contract upon submission and acceptance and publication of NASSP TPM
final/annual results scorecard
10.0 METHOD OF SELECTION
CQS
Please, click on the link below to download the entire document.
NASSP SU TPM ENGAGEMENT TOR FINAL