Terms of Reference

Consultancy Services - Assessment on Deployment of Decentralised Renewable

Energy (DRE) Solutions for Powering the Agriculture Sector in Guinea

(a) Introduction

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental

organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy
future, and serves as the principal platform for international co-operation, a centre
of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial
knowledge on renewable energy. IRENA promotes the widespread adoption and
sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy,
geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy, in the pursuit of
sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon
economic growth and prosperity.

Energy is the catalyst that enhances development; extending universal energy

access is imperative and needs to be taken up from many fronts. IRENA works to
accelerate the pace of off-grid energy deployment, as one of the approaches to
extend access, through various platforms, engaging with regional partners,
facilitating capacity building and develop knowledge products, country and region
specific, that capture the current and relevant topics of interest.

(a) Background
A strong and enhanced agriculture sector enables countries to meet their SDG 2
goals, paving the path to achieve food security and ensure sustainable farming
practises. Energy (power & thermal) has proved to play a catalyst role in
transforming traditional (manual) practises to mechanization, improving crop
yields and assisting sustainable practises. The energy use in current food systems
use about 30 percent of globally available energy, heavily dependent on fossil
fuels and this energy accounts for about 30 percent of agri-food systems
greenhouse gas emissions1. Renewable Energy (RE) technologies provide a clean
and scalable fuel option, serving equally well for small rural communities off the
grid as it provides a carbon mitigating option for large food processing units.

Decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions for rural communities serve

well, providing sustenance and small holding farmers improved agro based
livelihoods, where energy entry along various stages of the agri-food chain in: 1)
primary production activities such as irrigation 2) post-harvesting activities

1
https://www.fao.org/energy/home/en/- Key Facts

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 including agro-processing and food preservation for storage and transport through
drying, milling, pressing and cooling, and 3) food preparation and cooking2.
The Republic of Guinea, a member state of ECOWAS, is a coastal country in
West Africa with the Atlantic Ocean to its west. Given its extensive hydrographic
network and being home to major rivers that flow across the Sahel countries, the
country is termed as the “water tower of West Africa”. As per FAO estimates,
about 1.45 million hectares of the land is under cultivation, using 60% of its total
land mass for agriculture. The sector provides livelihoods for 85% of its working
population and remains its key economic pillar (FAO, 2022). About 64% of the
nation’s population live in rural areas and farming practices are primarily for
subsistence, cultivating on very small plots, raising rain fed crops. Productivity is
low, with rural communities having poor access to basic services and lacking
awareness on sustainable and resilient methods with no mechanization (IFAD
2019). The changing climatic conditions resulting in erratic rain fall has increased
the vulnerability to the agri-food value chains production (IPCC WG-II report,
2022).

IRENA’s support on the assessment on deployment of DRE solutions for

powering the agriculture sector in Guinea comes from the country’s request and is
pursued with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
IRENA intends to procure the services of a consulting agency to carry out the
required assessment as per the scope given below in Guinea.

(b) Objectives
 Identify energy entry points and support its powering through tailored
DRE solutions by carrying out an energy gap analysis of existing farming
practices and the processing stages of crops in select agricultural
zones/value chains (where strong eco systems exist for agriculture and
related market linkages). Recommendations would be based on the techno-
commercial viability of the DRE systems.
 Provide the government of Guinea and its development partners with
information useful to plan and implement strategies for powering irrigation
and agro-processing systems through DRE; support local entrepreneurial
activities towards it by attracting investments.

(c) Scope of Work

1. Assessment of energy use – baseline and projected demand: Primary data
collected from the agri zones selected (and the food crops identified) and
complemented with existing and most current secondary data to assess energy
use, energy intensity of agro processes. Energy demand for projected energy
intensive processes would also be estimated.

2
https://www.irena.org//media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2016/
IRENA_Decentralised_solutions_for_agrifood_chain_2016.pdf

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 2. Provision of DRE solutions for select zonal area crops and their food value
chains – Analysis of the techno-financial feasibility of the solutions – design
of RE systems, costs and respective pay back periods on investment;
deliberations on the processing machinery required, issues faced in deploying
DRE and operation and maintenance of the machinery and make suitable
recommendations, including optimal efficiency measures of such units;
deployment of solutions, providing suitable business models where relevant
for operations of such systems

3. Engagement with relevant government agencies, ministry counterparts and

development partners – Coordination efforts in consultation with the IRENA
team with focal points of identified ministries, local agencies working on
energy and agriculture in the selected agri zones, development partners and
those stakeholders whose inputs provide value to the study. (Such
engagements will continue through the entire study cycle, during data
collection, analysis and in supporting and providing inputs during validation
workshops.)

(d) Deliverables
1) Inception report including the approach, methodology and work-plan to
conduct the assessment. This also include secondary data analysis on the
current agri situation in Guinea and energy intervention in the sector. The
report should also cover briefly similar programmes and projects completed,
on-going or planned in the country.
2) Identification and selection of assessment sites (of the zonal regions) in
consultation with Guinea government counterparts and IRENA. Provide clear
rationale and basis for selection. (IRENA may plan a mission to Guinea to
engage with the government officials and other stakeholders in the country.
Consulting firm is expected to accompany IRENA during the consultations).
3) Define and submit data collection approach, including (but not limited to) data
collection templates, survey questionnaires – individual, Key Informant
Interviews (KIIs), Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) and other foreseen
bilateral engagements with key stakeholders
4) Undertake primary data collection in the identified sites and from nodal points,
report on tasks to IRENA (supervising manager) on progress made and any
issues faced.
5) Analyse to provide suitable technical solutions pertaining to DRE for agri
processes, its technical and financial feasibility, cost benefit analysis,
including environment, economic and social benefits, relevant processing
machinery, efficiency measures and issues foreseen.
6) Submit draft report on the study, help coordinate, conduct and respond to
queries on the validation workshop reviewing the report. This includes

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 preparation of slide deck to present the analysis to the relevant stakeholders
during the validation workshop.
7) Address comments, feedback and concerns raised during the validation
workshop from relevant stakeholders to submit the final document for
publishing.
Regular reporting, whose frequency and mode will be agreed upon during inception
meeting will be part of the deliverable commitments

(e) Staffing
The consulting firm/research institution must showcase an all rounded expertise
that would be required to undertake such a study. These include but are not
limited to undertaking desk-based literature review of related topics, collate and
analyse primary data and information gathered, identify and engage with relevant
partners including government across the country. The make up of the team,
defined in broad terms shall consist of a project manager who will serve as the
focal point to communicate with IRENA and undertake all coordination activities.
Subject experts with strong country level experience on agricultural practises,
energy audit, renewable energy driven processing solutions, RE finance expert
with sound knowledge of off grid financing, and an adequate staff for
communications and writing support.

(f) Estimated Completion Dates of Deliverables

The estimated completion dates in the table below are provisional and are subject
to confirmation in the Contract. There is a difference between the estimated
duration of the Contract implementation and the actual working days (man-
days)3.

Estimated completion in Payment milestones

No. Deliverables
weeks
One week from the date of
Submission of inception report to IRENA
contract award.
Submission of a brief on identification of
Four weeks from the date
1 assessment sites; in consultation with Guinea
of contract award.
government counterparts and IRENA.
Completion of primary data collection from
Eight weeks from date of
2 assessment sites; in parallel, review and
contract award.
collation of relevant secondary data
Submission of a draft report on findings, Twelve weeks from date of
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analysis and proposed DRE solutions contract award.
3
E.g., The duration of the work to be completed may be 6 months, but the actual working days from the
implementing company would be 60 man-days of all their expertise.

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 Coordinate and support IRENA in
Fourteen weeks from date
4 conducting the validation workshop on study
of contract award.
findings and recommendations
Eighteen weeks from date
Submission of the final draft of the DRE of contract award, after
5 solutions report incorporating validation receiving and addressing
comments, to IRENA comments from Validation
Workshop.

* Duration of the deliverables includes waiting time for receiving comments from
IRENA and the Guinea government counterparts and the entire period to not be taken
as time available for delivery by the consulting agency. The timeline mentioned is a
tentative timeline and can be changed by IRENA with prior information to the
consulting entity.
** All expenses pertaining to conducting of validation workshop should not be
budgeted at time of financial submissions. Workshop expenses will be met by IRENA
in accordance to the organization’s policy and procedures.

(g) IRENA/OECD style requirements

Reports, working papers or other documents prepared for IRENA must conform
to IRENA/OECD style requirements. All IRENA publications must strive for
clarity and accuracy, consistent with building an evidence-based narrative in line
with the mandate to promote renewable energy worldwide. Crucial style details
include English-UK spelling, Harvard-style source citations, and full explanation
of abbreviations or acronyms.

IRENA provides a template Microsoft Word document (attached) for the drafting
of reports and papers in a suitable format for IRENA-branded publications. Texts
that do not meet IRENA’s stipulated style requirements will be returned to the
commissioned writer or partner entity with a request for revision.

IRENA reserves the right to withhold payment to a commissioned writer or

partner entity until any such revision is satisfactorily undertaken.

(h) Anti-plagiarism policy

Plagiarism will not be tolerated whatsoever in IRENA publications. Any report,

working paper or other document prepared for IRENA must constitute original
work, in which all sources for information or data receive complete and accurate
attribution. Passages taken from prior publications or other works must either be
presented as direct quotations (marked “…”) or paraphrased, with the source
clearly stated in a Harvard-style citation in either case.

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IRENA uses plagiarism-detection software to review all draft publications.
Passages found to resemble existing publications too closely may require
rewriting and more explicit source citation. Passages copied from prior
publications (by IRENA or other publishers) cannot be accepted as original work
and may be returned to the commissioned writer or partner entity for further
revision. IRENA reserves the right to withhold payment to a commissioned
writer or partner entity until any such revision is satisfactorily undertaken.
Plagiarism, including either copy-and-paste text production or failure to cite
sources, may result in rejection of the draft with no financial obligation on the
part of IRENA. Figures used need to have the permission to be used in our
publications.

(i) Evaluation Criteria

IRENA requires the consulting agency/research institution with proven experience
and capacity to provide the required activities and outputs as described above. The
qualitative evaluation criteria elaborated below, shall be followed in selection of the
agency.

1.1. Qualitative Evaluation Criteria

The qualitative evaluation will be based on:

Weight Scoring Guide (internal use

Criteria
(%) only)
(i) Years of experience of
The agency’s expertise and years of proven
organisation in overall related
sectoral experience in (i) country specific
areas (15 points)
agricultural practises of selected food crops,
improved and sustainable methods (ii)
(ii) Relevant project experience in
conducting and gathering data based on surveys
agri-energy nexus, suitable DRE
– sampling and statistical methods,
50 solutions (25 points)
understanding of social and cultural influences
(iii) decentralized renewable energy –
(iii) Relevant project experience
technologies, business models for provision,
in agri-energy nexus in Guinea
financing, country specific policy and
(10 points)
regulatory norms

Technically sound and clear methodology for

undertaking the assignment (particularly
highlighting but not limited to fair coverage of
(i) Proposed methodology and
assessment sites in the zonal regions under
20 workplan (20 points)
study, methods of data collection, and related
analysis) and elaboration of a concise workplan
proposed in accordance with the requirements
laid out in the TOR

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CVs of all staff to be involved with the project
elaborating individual roles. Team consisting of
a minimum of:
Qualification and experience of
- Senior energy specialist with experience in
assigned staff:
decentralised renewable energy for agricultural
sector, business models for energy provision
(i) Project team-leader (10 points)
and services who would also be acting as
(ii) Data collection specialists (10
project team-leader 30
points)
- Data collection and enumeration specialists
(iii) Agriculture specialist (5
with 10+ years of work experience working
points)
with rural communities
(iv) Communications staff (5
- Agriculture specialist conversant with country
points)
farming practises
- Support staff for communications and writing
related tasks