Practical Action
Technical Lead Consultant for Kericho CEP Development and Clean Cooking Knowledge Product Development in Kenya
Introduction
Practical Action is an international development organization putting
ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems.
Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent
gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious,
lasting, and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste
management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works
with others, so answers that start small can grow big.
We are a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK
registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin
America, an independent development publishing company and a technical
consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact
and help shape a world that works better for everyone.
Context
In recent years, Kenya has emerged as a prominent player in the global
effort to address energy challenges and promote sustainable development.
These includes development the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)
Action Agenda and Investment Prospectus, the bioenergy strategy and the
Energy Efficiency and conservation Strategy among other initiatives. As
the country experiences economic growth and a rapidly expanding
population, the demand for energy continues to surge. To meet these
growing needs, it has become imperative for Kenya to develop
comprehensive and well-structured energy planning strategies at both the
national and county levels. Strengthening energy planning is not only
crucial for securing a stable energy supply but also for fostering
socio-economic progress, environmental sustainability, and energy
security in the nation.
The Energy Act 2019 consolidates the laws relating to energy, to provide
for National and County Government functions in relation to energy. The
Act has further provided the legal framework for
integrated energy planning as defined in the INEP (Integrated national
energy planning) Framework that provides the guidance for development of
national and county energy plans.
Devolution, which grants substantial powers and responsibilities to
county governments, presents a unique opportunity for localized energy
planning tailored to specific regional needs. Each county possesses
distinct energy resources and challenges, and an individualized approach
will enable a more efficient and inclusive energy sector. Through
enhanced county energy planning, there is potential for increased
community involvement, localized job creation, and improved energy
service delivery. Additionally, engaging local communities and
stakeholders in the planning process can lead to better acceptance and
support for energy projects, thus contributing to sustainable
development across the entire nation.
The county energy planning process also provides a good opportunity to
prioritize clean cooking which has hitherto not been at the center of
energy policy, strategy and planning in Kenya. Prioritizing clean
cooking in energy planning is crucial for Kenya's sustainable
development. It not only improves public health, mitigates climate
change, and empowers women but also contributes to economic growth and
aligns with global sustainability goals. By transitioning to cleaner and
more efficient cooking methods, Kenya can create a healthier, cleaner,
and more equitable future for its citizens while making a positive
impact on the global fight against climate change.
In an effort to strengthen County level energy plan, strategy and
policies on clean cooking, Practical Action in partnership with other
stakeholders will be providing technical assistance to support the
development of inclusive and integrated energy plan for Kericho county.
In this regard, Practical Action is therefore seeking the services of a
consultant to provide support in the development of Kericho County
Energy Plans (CEP).
Consultancy Objective
The main objective of this consultancy is to:
Coordinate the following pending activities:
i. Envisioning workshop to understand the priority sectors for the county.
ii. Key Informant Interviews.
iii. Focus Group Discussions.
iv. Community engagement workshops.
v. Solution Development.
vi. Additional cooking market study; and
vii. CEP write up.
Consultancy scope
The consultant will be assigned to the county to provide technical
leadership in the development of a County Energy Plan. The work to be
conducted by the consultant is described in five work packages below:
Work package 1:Baseline survey execution
Under this work package, the consultant will:
i. Collect primary data through a sample survey in the county to
understand the status of energy access for households, community
facilities and enterprises. Primary data gathering will be used to fill
any data gaps remaining after the literature review, and to help
triangulate findings, for example, where secondary data from the
literature is less recent.
ii. Carry out qualitative surveys too get deeper insights on the context
opportunities and challenges within the focus sectors through a range
of data gathering activities on the ground including Key Informant
Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs).
iii. Conduct an in depth survey to understand the status on cooking
energy in the county focusing on the market for both cooking
technologies and fuels
iv. Support the county to complete baseline analysis and prepare for community needs assessment
In conducting these activities, the consultant shall pay attention to
ensuring inclusivity of minority and marginalised groups(special
interest groups) e.g., people with disabilities, youth, religious
communities, female headed households.
Work package 2: Stakeholder Engagement and needs identification at community and sector level
Under this work package, the consultant will:
a. Work with the county CEP team to assess and establish the true needs
and expectations of the local community in terms of development, welfare
economic activities, health care, education etc and the role of energy
in meeting these needs. This will be done through.
• Key informant interviews with actors from key sectors while taking a
value chain wide approach to include producers, aggregators,
transporters distributors end users…
• Focus group discussions on specific sectors to further scrutinize the
views and priorities from the perspective of energy as an enabler
• Sectoral workshops to further interrogate the priorities derived from
KIIs and FGDs linked to wider sectoral priorities and plans
b. Develop a long list of priorities based on the baseline survey
findings. The long list will be based on the following structure:
• Needs at household level focusing on lighting, cooking, heating,
productive use in cottage activities, education for children, security
• Needs at the community level for a range of community services such as
health, education, access to credit, or community services related to
economic activities (access to water, street or marketplace lighting,
storage capacities, to training and sensitisation)
• Needs at the County level focussing on the macro-economic development
(e.g agriculture, trade and industry) and the resulting need for
development of energy sources. This shall help the counties to develop a
vision for the energy plan and priorities to be implemented for the
next 10 years. It will also identify the short-term priorities to be
developed for the next 3/5 years and the medium-term priorities to be
sketched and included in CIDP/ADPs
Work package 3: Development of energy solutions including mainstreaming of clean cooking in the CEPs
Under this work package, the consultant will guide the county to draft
solutions that respond to the priority needs identified particularly
those ones to be developed/answered by the first generation of CEPs.
Other priorities will be developed in subsequent versions/revisions of
the CEP (after 3 years). The process of solutions development will be
guided by the INEP Frameworks stages 6-10
The solutions should cover the following aspects:
• Electrification for households, institutions and businesses(Grid and off grid options)
• Clean cooking
• Bioenergy
• Energy efficiency and conservation
Solutions development will further include:
• Identifying policies, programmes, and projects to be implemented in order to achieve the county vision and energy goals
• A financing strategy showing the financial requirements for different
types of actions, potential financing sources and mechanism (grants,
debt, Results Based Financing.
• Establish operational responsibilities.
• A risk analysis framework
• A plan for performance measurement and reporting.
Work package 4: CEP write up
Under this package the consultant shall;
• Coordinate the write up of the CEP involving compilation of inputs
from different work streams and aligning these to the CEP template
provided under the INEP framework.
• Present the draft CEP for review and validation by the County CEP Technical committee
Work package 4: CEP write up
• Develop at least three ICS/ sector knowledge products (booklet, audio or video).
Time Frame and Key Deliverables
Overall, the assignment shall be undertaken and completed within 40 days upon signing of the contract.
Selection process
The bidders shall submit a technical proposal responding on the following:
• The profile and experience of the bidders including demonstration of the eligibility criteria.
• Maximum 15 pages technical concept and approach excluding annexes on
how the tasks listed in the section above (section 2) shall be delivered
and achieved.
• Consultant’s CV showing relevant experiences.
Requirements Technical Lead Consultant
• Minimum of a master’s degree in a field related to renewable energy,
environmental planning, environmental studies, natural resources, social
sciences/ development studies.
• At least 7 years’ experience in clean cooking and bioenergy, renewable energy, energy planning, research
• Demonstrate experience in energy planning (demand assessment, solution design, modelling) and research and analysis.
• Experience with energy delivery model approaches(desirable)
• Experience in developing tools and templates.
• Experience engaging with counties governments is an advantage.
Costing requirements
As the contract to be concluded is a contract for works in line with the
deliverables, the bidder should offer a lump sum price that covers all
applicable costs but should be provided for each deliverable/milestone
as illustrated in the table below. The price bid will be evaluated based
on the specified lump sum price per deliverable.
Administrative and logistical support
Practical Action will cater for all travel, accommodation and
subsistence incurred by the consultant during the assignment. Any
additional costs must be agreed with Practical Action in writing. This
will be done in line with Practical Action policies and upon approval of
costs by the Project Manager.
A detailed TOR can be accessed on Practical Action Website using this link- https://practicalaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Terms-of-Reference-Technical-Lead-Consultant-for-CEP-Knowledge-Development.pdf
How to apply
Interested and qualified consultants are invited to submit complete proposals to recruitment@practicalaction.or.ke with subject line “Technical Lead Consultant for County Energy Planning (CEP)” to reach Practical Action on or before 28th January 2024. All information/data given will be in the strictest confidence and will only be used for recruitment purposes.
Qualified and interested consultants should submit the following:
- A cover letter outlining relevant experience in planning and managing similar assignment.
- Detailed technical and financial proposals in Kenya Shillings.
- CVs of the consultant (s).
- Tax compliance certificates.
Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups. We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
We are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-contracting checks.
The successful applicant must have the pre-existing right to both live and work in Kenya.
Only shortlist candidates will be contacted.