INCEPTION REPORT

Establishment of Central South East College Project

Madalitso Elisa Mukiwa

BACKGROUND INFORMATION and INCEPTION PHASE

Introduction

A vision to establish Central South East Africa College (C-SEA) was hatched by a
multinational based in Malawi and the United States of America. Here in Malawi, the project
is being led by Mr. Sunganani Kalilangwe. The aim this consultancy work guide the
registration of C-SEA College as Diploma granting institution; and later on upgrade it to a
University level status in order for it to offer various Degree programs in the field of
Tourism, Aviation, Computer Science, and Commerce. As stated earlier, this work will
concentrate on the first phase of the project which is to establish a college which should offer
Diploma course in the following fields; Accounting, Human Resources Management,
Marketing, Procurement, Community Development and other related programs. It is
envisaged this will enable relevance to be attained; hence, the ability to contribute to the
attainment of African Agenda 2063 in general and Malawi Vision 2063 in particular. The
proposed location for the C-SEA College is Mchesi, Lilongwe. The plan is to register the C-
SEA College with National Council for Higher Education (NCHE); therefore, a need to have
all works completed by March 2023. It was against this background that Mr. Madalitso
Mukiwa; herein referred as consultant, has been hired to champion the establishment of the
college. At their meeting which was held at Presidential Hotel on 2 January 2023 both
parties agreed to operate within the Terms of Reference referenced below:

Terms of Reference

Below are the consultants TOR’s in relation to the registration of C-SEA College with the
National Council for Higher Education.

1. To provide Strategic, Communication, Administrative and Technical Advice

(Financial, Infrastructural and Academic) on all matters relating to
registration of the C-SEA College

2. To develop a Implementation plan for activities leading to the registration of the

C- SEA college

3. To develop all the required documentation for the registration of C-SEA

Project Objective

The objective of the project is to produce documentation leading to the registration of C-SEA
College in Mchesi, Lilongwe, Malawi by end of 31 March 20223.

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The objective of the project, will be achieved through the following outputs:

Output 1. Formulation of guiding principles in form of vision, mission, core values,

objectives of the college

Output 2. Development of governance framework to be guided by the college’s constitution,

public disclosure in form of organogram, brochures, prospectus, mandates
guiding the council or board, executive leadership, senate, faculty,
departments, deans and heads of department

Output 3. Development of Governing policies and procedures in the following areas:

Strategic plan, Qualification Framework, Risk Policy, Safety and Health,
Disciplinary procedures, Code of Ethics, Procurement procedures, Code of
ethics, Public accountability (publication of information such as academic
calendar, mission and vision); and other policy documents (Quality
Assurance, Academic program, Terms and condition of employment,
Financial management, Research and publication, Consultancy,
Student handbook, Assessment, Conduct and Regulations of Examination,
Library rules and regulations, Staff Development plan, HIV/AIDS, Gender,
ICT, and Corporate Social Responsibilities policies)

Output 4. Develop Financial and Material Resources (templates) such as: Annual Budget,
Departmental Budget allocation, Fee Structure, Institutional Assets, Banking
facility, Transport facility used for administration, teaching and research
support.

Output 5. Provide recommendation on the best way to layout physical facilities in line with
expectation of the regulator in the following areas: building drawing and
design, support for persons with physical disabilities challenges, Library and
Learning Resource Centre, ICT Infrastructure, Security of the premises,

Output 6. Provide recommendation on the best way to implement of water and sanitation
facilities in the following areas: water supply, waste water collection and
disposal system, toilet and bathrooms

Output 7. Provide recommendation on the best way to achieve student support services in
the following areas: Accommodation, Cafeteria, Recreational facilities, Health
support services, and Academic Support.

Output 8. Design academic programs and recommend the best way to register the
programs, deliver the programs, link the programs to industry, admission of
students into the program, and academic assessment guidelines

Output 9. Develop guidelines on the best way to achieve quality enhancement in the
following areas: regular curriculum review, internal moderations and
assessments, external examination moderations, capacity for institutional
capacity, student evaluation of courses, annual evaluation of programs,
appraisal system of support and academic staff, commitment to institutional

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 mission and values, evidence research based teaching, audits, processing and
security of certificates.

Inception Phase

The project’s inception phase marks the launch of implementation of the “Central South East
College project” Project and covers approximately 3 months’ time period from mid-January
2023 to end March 2023 , beginning with the project team’s recruitment, and payment of
initial deposit MK200,000.00.

Changes in the Project Environment

The projection inception agreement has been made within the prevailing operating
environment. However, legal and political changes will be seriously monitored to ensure
timely alignment in case of changes. The gravity of the environmental changes may
necessitate adjustment for the consultancy work

Reporting and Monitoring & Evaluation

Project monitoring and evaluation will be conducted in accordance with established

procedures agreed between the consultant and the contractor. In this context, Reporting and
Monitoring & Evaluation activities are presented below.

Reporting

The timely preparation and the presentation of the following reports will be the
responsibility of the Project Leader, with her team.
Table 3. Reporting Plan

Report Type Responsible Time Frame Aims/Explanations

Inception Report Project Team leader Draft report is The IR includes a
Project Consultant discussed and more detailed
finalized and narrative of the
presented by mid- deliverables, and
January 2023 work plan.
Periodic Project Team leader Monthly Short report
Status/Progress Project Consultant outlining main
Reports updates in the
project progress will
be provided
monthly to the Team
leader based in
Lilongwe, Malawi.
The report will have
a maximum of 150
word short reports
focusing on
activities rather than

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 impact and
achievements
Project Terminal Project Team leader At least one month This will be a
Reports Project Consultant before the project comprehensive
terminal Project Terminal
Report and will
summarize the
results (objectives,
outcomes, outputs),
lessons learned,
problems met and
areas where results
may not have been
achieved. It will also
lay out
recommendations
for any further steps
that may need to be
taken to ensure
sustainability and
replicability of the
project’s results.
Technical Reports Project Consultant On demand This will be
Project Team leader At the end of the comprehensive,
project specialized analyses
of clearly defined
areas within the
framework of the
project. These
technical reports
will represent, as
appropriate, the
project's substantive
contribution to
specific areas, and
will be used in
efforts to
disseminate relevant
information and best
practices at affecting
local, national and
international levels
the project owners.

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Monitoring and Evaluation
Project monitoring and evaluation will be conducted in accordance with established
procedures between the consultant and project team leader. Monitoring and Evaluation
activities are listed in the table below:

M&E Type Responsible Time frame Aim/Explanation

Internal Monitoring and Evaluation
Inception Report Project Team Meeting and Aiming at effective
Project Consultant subsequent implementation of
discussion has document, the IR
already been held has outlined key
result areas of the
project
Measurement of Project Consultant Start, mid and end Daily monitoring of
Means of of project (during the project
Verification of evaluation cycle) implementation
project results and as when process within the
required framework of the
Work Plan and will
be the responsibility
of the Consultant
Measurement of Project Consultant Monthly prior to IR Daily monitoring of
Means of and to the definition the project
Verification for of annual work implementation
Project Progress on plans process within the
output and framework of the
Work Plan and will
implementation
be the responsibility
of the Consultant

External Monitoring
Audit Project Team leader Monthly The audit will be
conducted as the
guidelines

PROJECT MANAGEMENT and COORDINATION

Project Arrangement

The project will be managed by the Consultant while working hand in hand with the local
project committee. The consultant will develop/formulate all documentation/logos and
advise the project owners according and in line with the expectations of the National
Council for Higher Education. In order to ensure ultimate accountability for project results,
consultant’s decisions will be made in accordance with standards that shall ensure

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attainment of development results, best value for money, fairness, integrity, transparency
and effective international competition.

Project Implementation Unit

The project implementation will be in the hands of the local team leader and his team. They
will be responsible for all financial obligation requiring the implementation of the project.
This will include but not limited to document printing cost, cost of registration, and
infrastructure improvement requirements.

PROJECT’S WORK PLAN

Proposed Deliverables, Approach & Methodology

As per the requirement of the assignment, the consultant is proposing to produce main (4)
tangible deliverables from this assignment based on the scope of work, his understanding of
the requirements, and his experience in strategic analysis, institutional assessment and
institutional reorganization for capacity building. These deliverables fulfil and even exceed
the terms of reference.

Deliverable No. 1 Inception Report

This report will outline key areas to be addressed during the
consultancy and will include
 Benchmarked organizations and best practice
instruments for comparative analysis
 Include a detailed work plan including tasks,
assignments, and time tables for completions and
support requirement from the client
Approach to producing The consultant will use 2 methods to prepare for this output. 1)
Deliverable No. 1 team work sessions, 2) team leader preparation for the report
Deliverable No. 2 A draft Report detailing all documentation required for
registration of C-SEA College
This report will include:
 Proposed organogram, job description, and costing of
the proposed college
 An analysis and assessment of the scope, operability,
effectiveness, success and sustainability of the proposed
college
Approach to producing The Consultant will produce Deliverable 2 through
Deliverable No. 2  Desk study of guidelines, standards and models, and
emerging issues in higher education management.
 Best in class benchmark to ascertain best practices in

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 academic organization
 Analysis of pertinent white papers and case studies with
regard to the scope of the consultancy and related
regulation in benchmarked instruments and institutions
Deliverable No. 3 A power point presentation indicating the process used, key
findings, conclusions and recommendations for comments
The report will
 Emerging trend in the management of institutions of
higher learning
 Key finding from primary data, secondary data, internal
reports, records, minutes, as deemed relevant
 Provide best practice and recommendations for
management of colleges and a framework for
improvement of operations should the project go
ahead.
Deliverable No. 4 FINAL REPORT
This report will be a consolidation of all the Deliverables No. 2 and No. 3. It will also
incorporate all the comments received. Finally, it will include
 Key roles and responsibilities that should be performed to fulfil the establishment
of the college
 An appropriate organization structure that aligns with the required functions and
responsibilities of the C-SEA College and the regulators
 Key functions to be performed by all team members to implement priorities of
each component of the project
 The staffing levels and minimum requirements for each position for staff to
perform those functions and the gaps therein to be filled in the near future
 Comprehensive staff performance management system.
 Proposed competitive salaries and benefits for all positions
Approaches to  Streamline the Data obtained from Deliverables No. 2
producing Deliverable and No. 3 and incorporate information obtained from
No. 4 other components of the consultancy
 Team sessions to produce the final report including
organization and presentation of the relevant data

SECTION 5: TIME FRAME

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 Month 1 Month 2 Month 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Inception Report
Field work
Draft Report
Presentation
Final Report

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