Terms of Reference
Consultant for Development of IAT Portal
1. Objective:
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), under the Development Strategy and Governance Division, New Delhi (IFPRI-SAR), intends to hire an agency to engage for the design and development of a comprehensive portal on Inclusive Agriculture Transformation (IAT). This initiative is part of the FASTR Project, which is being implemented in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmersโ Empowerment (DAFE), Government of Odisha.
The objective of this engagement is to develop a dynamic, AI-enabled, open-source digital portal that integrates advanced visualizations and automated analytics capabilities to monitor and analyze key IAT indicators. The portal will serve as a critical component of the departmentโs existing Decision Support System (DSS), offering functionality to assess individual indicators or explore interrelationships among indicators of inclusion, resilience, and agricultural transformation.
The platform should:
Dynamically visualize multi-dimensional data through maps, charts, tables, and narrative text formats.
Enable seamless data integration from primary and secondary sources (e.g., Situation Assessment Survey, Periodic Labour Force Survey, Enterprise surveys, Open Street/GIS Road Map, Remote sensing).
Facilitate the association and analysis of multiple indicators for deeper insights.
Be compatible with and integrable into existing government platforms, including DAFE/ADAPT portals, with support for API generation and data exchange.
Support internal use by IFPRI and potential public deployment in later phases.
The agency will also be responsible for designing the underlying architecture of the portal, including data models, security protocols, and user interface standards, while ensuring compliance with best practices in data management, user experience, and cybersecurity. The engagement also includes documentation of workflows, codebooks for each process layer, and the production of self-explanatory training materials, including videos for demonstrations and capacity building.
Additionally, the consultant/firm will provide user training for IFPRI and DAFE staff, support integration with the DAFE portal, and offer maintenance and technical assistance throughout the duration of the assignment until October 2026.
2. Period of Assignment: The contract period will be from July 01, 2025 to October 31, 2026.
3. Supervisor: The agency will be responsible for your work and report to Dr. Mamata Pradhan (Research Coordinator) and Dr Devesh Roy (Senior Research Fellow) or their designees. You will be required to perform the job as per the attachment.
4. Service Fee:
ยท Indian Income Tax: Please note that payment of Resource Fee will be subject to deduction of prescribed Indian Taxes, as applicable, at source by IFPRI-SAR.
ยท Notice Period: This service agreement may be terminated by either side (IFPRI or staff) by giving notice in advance in writing.
5. Key Responsibilities:
ยท Improve the portal/portal with multiple functionalities (dynamic graphic features and use of AI), user friendly, and compatibility with the existing portals such as Krushak Odisha and ADAPT Portal. The portal should have the capability to get integrated and update the data from time to time from the portals having primary/secondary data like Situation Assessment Survey, Periodic Labor Force Survey and other databases.
This will facilitate visualization of data dynamically and their relationship (association of multiple indicators) to users. The dynamic portal will have AI features and enhanced animations/advanced visualization techniques. This automated portal for IAT indicators will display data in various forms (geo-spatial maps, charts, tables, text, GIS dataset).
This will facilitate easy demonstrations with IFPRI partners or stakeholders.
ยท The agency needs help in the facilitation of API integration with the existing government portal (Krushak Odisha Portal and ADAPT Portal) to access and integrate into the existing portals.
ยท The agency needs to share the website development codes / portal codes with the IFPRI team and update/integrate the portal updates on periodic basis.
ยท The agency needs to extend their support to maintain the portal for its smooth functioning till Octโ26.
Conduct meetings with IFPRI and provide technical support (website development/integration/portal) to IFPRI staff wherever required.
6. Technical requirements
The agency should have the capability to:
ยท Design modular, scalable portal architecture using open-source technologies.
ยท Integrate and visualize structured and unstructured datasets including spatial, temporal, and socio-economic data.
ยท Enable automated analytical processes using AI/ML models and should have experience with predictive modeling, analytics automation, and Python libraries/programing.
ยท Implement GIS-based mapping for inclusion and transformation indicators.
ยท Develop a responsive UI compatible across devices (mobile, desktop, tablet).
ยท Ensure API-based integration with platforms like Krushak Odisha and ADAPT.
ยท Follow best practices in cybersecurity, data encryption, and user authentication.
ยท Maintain detailed documentation and support version control (Git-based repositories).
ยท Ensure periodic maintenance, upgrades, and stakeholder support until Oct 2026.
7. Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Required Qualifications
Company Registration
Registered company under Indian Companies Act.
Experience in Similar Projects
At least 5 years of experience in developing dynamic data dashboards, AI/ML solutions, or GIS-enabled portals.
Government Collaboration
Proven experience working with central/state government departments or international development organizations.
Relevant Past Work
Minimum of 3 completed web portal projects (preferably open-source) with advanced data visualizations and/or geospatial data integration.
Technical Manpower
Dedicated in-house team with the required skillsets listed below.
Financial Capacity
Annual turnover of at least INR 1 crore in each of the last 3 financial years.
8. Deliverables and Payment Schedules:
S. No.
Broad Activities
Associated/Sub-Activities
Time Frame
% Budget Allocated
1.
Design the architecture of the data portal/portal (flowcharts, ER models, backend logic)
ยท Ensure the design and data adheres to best practices in data management, security protocols, and user experience.
ยท The dynamic portal will have AI features and enhanced animations/advanced visualization techniques. This automated portal for IAT indicators will display data in various forms (geo-spatial maps, charts, tables, text, GIS layers).
ยท The agency will create a video showcasing the entire data architecture process (for internal training and public understanding), from data extraction to dissemination, featuring animations and other advanced visualization techniques (including spatial data) and AI/ML techniques.
October 2025
30%
2.
The agency will integrate the automated portal with the government portal of DAFE, Odisha.
The agency will develop user Manuals / Codebooks/Codebase (well documented for each step and create self-explanatory videos) and technical documentation for DAFE, Odisha for using and maintaining the portal. The agency will also assist IFPRI in the modeling before integration into the portal.
Create a portal at two levels:
ยท Internal use by IFPRI and at later stage it may be available on the public domain
ยท Integration with the DAFE/ADAPT portal and generate API of the same along with its documentation.
ยท Agency will develop technical manuals and user guides for DAFE and IFPRI.
ยท Training sessions and materials (including recorded videos).
March 2026
50%
3.
Maintenance and Cloud Usage Charges
ยท The agency will do the necessary updates or changes as per the feedback received from the stakeholders.
ยท The agency will provide maintenance and cloud usage services for the platform.
Till the project Cycle
20%
Note: As part of the initial implementation phase, the agency will develop the first draft of the automated portal featuring 2โ3 key IAT indicators (refer Deliverable #1). This version will demonstrate the core functionality of the platform, including data visualization and interaction features. The first draft of the portal is expected to be ready by July 31, 2025 and will serve as a foundation for further iterations and stakeholder feedback.
9. Duration: July 01, 2025 to October 31, 2026
To Apply: Please provide the CV of the individual who will be the lead, company information and a detailed budget.
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