CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO UNDERTAKE THE BASELINE EVALUATION FOR THE SOMREP, SOMALIA ENHANCED RESILIENCE THROUGH INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC/MARKET SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE SMART APPROACHES

Contents

1 Project Summary. 3

2 About SomReP. 5

3 SERECA Project Description. 5

4 Project Indicators. 1

5 Baseline description. 1

5.1 Baseline objectives. 1

5.1.1 Specific Objectives. 1

5.2 Key Baseline Questions. 1

5.2.1 Benchmarks. 1

5 Study Population, Scope and Methodology. 2

5.2 Study Population and Sampling Frame. 2

5.3 Survey Design and Evaluation Methodology. 2

6 Logistics. 2

7 Ethical and Technical Requirements. 3

8 Roles and Responsibilities of Baseline Stakeholders: Consultant 3

8.2 Consultant scope of work. 3

8.3 Consultant Deliverables. 3

8.4 Consultant criteria. 4

9 Roles and Responsibilities of Baseline Participants: World Vision staff / SomReP / partners. 4

10 Project timeframe. 5

11 Instructions to bidders and selection criteria. 5

11.2 Mandatory Requirements. 5

11.3 Technical Evaluation. 5

11.4 Financial Evaluation. 5

12 Reference Documents. 6

Glossary

ANCP

Australian NGO Cooperation Programme

DAN

Diversity Action Network

FGD

Focus Group Discussions

FMNR

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

GBV

Gender Based Violence

HH

Household

iMSD

Inclusive Market System Development

KII

Key informant interview

LNGO

Local Non-Governmental Organization

PWD

Persons with Disability

SERECA

Somalia Enhanced Resilience through Inclusive Economic/Market Systems Development and Climate Smart Approaches

SME

Small and Medium Enterprises

SomReP

Somali Resilience Programme

TOR

Terms of Reference

VSLA

Village Saving and Loan Association

WEE

Women Economic Empowerment

WVA

World Vision Australia

WVS

World Vision Somalia

1. Project Summary

Project Name

: SomReP Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Economic Inclusion for Resilience

Country and district(s)

: Somalia, El Afweyne and Dollow Districts

Start date

: 1st July 2022

End date

: 30th June 2027

Total Project Budget

: USD 4,500,000

Project goal and outcomes

: The project main goal is to support women, persons with disabilities, agro-pastoralist and pastoralists to have access to market -systems and inclusive financial and business development services, engage in a variety of opportunities, in a diversity of market systems in a sustainable manner on fair and equitable terms and enable food security and economic and social advancement.

To achieve the goal, the project will focus on 3 outcomes:

Outcome 1: Most vulnerable groups (women entrepreneurs, people with disabilities, agro-pastoralists and pastoralist) supported to engage in market driven opportunities

Outcome 2: Supported, inclusive and accountable resource management institutions at community, district and member state levels enable social cohesion and climate adaptation

Outcome 3: Improved capacity of and support to most vulnerable and excluded individuals and groups to engage in civic and economic life

Estimated Beneficiaries (Direct)

Without disability

With disability

TOTAL

Men

Women

Boys (u18)

Girls (u18)

Men

Women

Boys (u18)

Girls (u18)

765

735

706

678

191

184

177

170

3606

The Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) requires the services of a consultant to undertake Baseline Evaluation for the Somalia Enhanced Resilience through Inclusive Economic/Market Systems Development and Climate Smart Approaches (SERECA) project.

1. About SomReP

The Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) is a resilience building consortium which aims to address the underlying causes and impacts of vulnerability to climatic shocks and other related stressors. Following the Somali famine of 2011, NGOs and donors came together to share best practices to develop a multi-sector, multi-year, area-based program with graduation pathways which bridge the humanitarian-to-development nexus. The consortium undertakes layered and sequenced interventions which build absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacity at household, community, state and system levels. The program targets the ultra-poor across livelihood groups, including agro-pastoralists, pastoralists, fisher-folk and IDP and host communities with a special emphasis on women, youth, persons with disabilities and the marginalized.

SomReP works in the sectors of disaster risk management, climate smart agriculture, productive assets development, natural resource management, basic health/nutrition services, shock responsive safety nets, green technologies, economic empowerment and market systems development. It is an iterative, learning consortium which measures the impact of resilience interventions and employs evidence to adapt approaches, scale effective interventions and promote understanding of best practices at local, regional and international levels with civil society, government and academia. The consortium hosts the Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL), an outward-facing innovation brokerage which convenes NGO, private sector, and government challenge-holders and local, regional and global solution-providers to identify innovations and adapt them to solve Somali problems.

1. SERECA Project Description

The Somalia Enhanced Resilience through Inclusive Economic/Market Systems Development and Climate Smart Approaches (SERECA) 5 years project will further the development of SomReP 2019 to 2023 strategy through: (i) strengthening the intensity of engagement with consortium-supported economic groups and peace/resource management committees to build adaptive and transformative capacities for resilience; (ii) develop, standardize and scale “pull” interventions within the wider consortium, including (a) inclusive market systems development (iMSD) and (b) social cohesion/conflict mitigation methods as well as mainstream women economic empowerment (WEE) and empowerment of persons with disabilities; (iii) integrate two new specialized Local Non-Governmental Organization (LNGO) partners: (a) NAGAAD: Peace Building and (b) Diversity Action Network (DAN) into the consortium’s membership; (iv) strengthen the capacity of the consortium as a resilience thought leader to influence the agenda in Somalia and globally and position the organization for new finance, and finally (v) enhance World Vision’s reputation as a platform for innovation and nexus programming in Somalia and East Africa.

The SERECA project will support women, persons with disabilities, agro-pastoral and pastoral groups to strengthen adaptive capacity through training in financial literacy, business, and life skills, technical support and mentorship and linkages to formal finance and input supplier network to diversify livelihoods as well as build small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and agricultural enterprises, and adapt new climate-smart and market-facing strategies to enhance food security and enable sustainable engagement with markets. Through linkages to formal finance, the program cohort will access loans and savings services which will increase their business capital as well as formal savings services hence enhance their absorptive capacity. The program will build transformative capacity for women and persons with disabilities, equipping them with advocacy and public speaking skills, and local and district support networks to productively address social and economic barriers which reinforce gender inequality, and limit their agency to participate in decision-making and seize economic opportunities.

The program aims to strengthen the traditional role of women in natural resource and peace management institutions as well as raise awareness of conflict-induced trauma as a barrier to sustainable peace and contributing factor to gender based violence (GBV). Moreover, the program will seek to transform the dynamics within specific value chains through the strengthening of pro-poor financial products (credit and insurance), services (climate-smart input supply networks), and technical skills transfer (local manufacturing of surprise soap). The project will partner with two LNGOs: (i) NAAGAD for peace-building; (ii) DAN for disability inclusion to mainstream awareness, skills development, and linkage to basic service networks. The consortium will assess the core capacities and monitor the performance of LNGO partners, develop Capacity Improvement Plans, provide training in areas of weakness with the aim of building their capacity to the level whereby they can be enrolled in the consortium as full members. The gender, peacebuilding and disability mainstreaming technical approaches developed through the SERECA project will be scaled across the consortium’s 8 existing members and integrated through other grants into its area-based programs in 22 districts.

1. Project Indicators

The table below provides the key outcomes and indicators of the projects.

Results chain

Indicator

Overall Objective

To support women, persons with disabilities, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists to have access to market-systems and inclusive financial and business development services, engage in a variety of opportunities, in a diversity of market systems. in a sustainable manner on fair and equitable terms, and enable food security and economic and social advancement.

1. % change in people with access to markets systems (disaggregated by household head gender, PWD, vulnerability type, and livelihood zone)
2. % change in people using formal financial services (disaggregated by household head gender, PWD, vulnerability type, and livelihood zone)
3. % of targeted households with little to no hunger as measured by Household Hunger Scale. (disaggregated by household head gender, PWD, vulnerability type, and livelihood zone).
4. % of households having acceptable food consumption scores (disaggregated by household head gender, PWD and vulnerability type, livelihood zone)
5. % of target households who have positive coping strategies as measured by the reduced coping strategy index (rCSI) (disaggregated by household head gender, PWD, vulnerability type, and livelihood zone).

Result 1

Improved capacity to engage in strategies for sustainable livelihoods and economic growth to enhance food security and enable sustainable market entry

1. % increase in household incomes (data disaggregated by household head gender, vulnerability type, and livelihood zone).)
2. % of households engaging in multiple income generating activities as measured by participation index[1]. (disaggregated by household head gender, vulnerability type, and livelihood zone)

Result 2

Capacitated, inclusive and accountable resource management institutions at community, district, and member state levels to enable social cohesion and climate adaptation

1. % change in perception of effectiveness of local leaders/institutions in issues of livelihoods, FMNR, conflict mitigation and natural resource management

Result 3

Improved capacity of most-vulnerable and excluded individuals and groups to engage in civic and economic life

1. % of households with greater involvement by women, PWD or marginalized groups in local planning and decision-making processes.

Outcome 1.1

Most-vulnerable women entrepreneurs, PWD, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists capacitated to engage in market-driven opportunities

1. Percentage increase in people with improved financial literacy (disaggregated by most-vulnerable women entrepreneurs, PWD, Livelihood zone)
2. Percentage increase of individuals who have received training on the livestock and crop related business operation and management training reporting enhanced job opportunities.
3. Net additional, full time/part time/short term/seasonal equivalent jobs created in target enterprises as a result of the program or intervention, per year and cumulatively.

Outcome 1.2

Most-vulnerable women entrepreneurs, PWD, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists access sustainable financial services, market supports, to enter markets on fair and equitable terms and safeguard HH health

1. Percentage increase in access to productive economic resources of women, youth and persons with disabilities participants in programs designed to
2. Percentage of households aware of available group-based savings, micro-finance, lending, or insurance programs.
3. Percentage increase of annual sales of producers and firms participating in the programme [livestock and crop systems].
4. Percentage of women, youth and persons with disabilities with access to improved animal services and inputs (livestock, feed and fodder, crop seed).

Outcome 2.1

VSLA, agro-pastoralist and pastoralist groups capacitated to engage in resource-based conflict resolution and contribute towards and enabling environment for growth of markets.

1. Percentage of people aware of natural resource and climate-based conflict resolution mechanisms.
2. Percentage of people reporting meaningful participation in decision-making regarding economic activities and governance (Disaggregated by gender, PWD, and minority entrepreneurs)

Outcome 2.2

Natural resource management practices strengthened through application P/FMNR methods

1. Percentage of communities adopting Pastoral Rangeland Management plans and practices.

Outcome 3.1

Excluded women, youth and PWD capacitated to engage in collective advocacy to enable market entry and participation in decision making

1. Percentage of households reporting joint decision-making on various economic activities.
2. Percentage of women, PWDs in leadership positions that manage formal/informal conflict resolution and resource management mechanisms.
3. Percentage of men, women, youth and persons with disabilities reporting positive change in attitude towards social norms/gender and disability barriers that influence equal access to resources and opportunities.

Outcome 4.1

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning systems in place for informed vulnerability, conflict and market sensitive analysis to enable decision support and strategic nexus programming with learning generated and shared with other relevant stakeholders

1. Number of learning products developed and shared.
2. Number of technical approaches developed and integrated in consortium.
3. SomReP Phase III strategy integrates gender, disability and social cohesion.
4. Baseline description
5. 1. Baseline objectives

The overall objective of the Baseline is to collect up-to-date data/information for the project on the outcome indicators indicated in the results frameworks/logframe. This will serve as a benchmark for analyzing the impact and effectiveness of the interventions/project by comparing the data and information gathered during midterm and final evaluations. Furthermore, the baseline will provide information for engaging partners and stakeholders in the development of inclusive market systems, women’s economic empowerment, social cohesion, and disability mainstreaming.

5.1.1 Specific Objectives

1. To serve as the first measurement point of all ANCP outcome indicators as set out in the Project Performance Framework/Logframe.
2. To establish the indicators’ targets as set forth in the Project Performance Framework/logframe, through which the project will measure its performance including the end of program evaluation phase.
3. To increase the project’s accountability and contribution of data to all its key stakeholders including communities, partners, donors and supporters.
4. To generate information that can be used for advocacy and policy dialogue to improve the well-being of women, PWD and vulnerable groups in the project target locations and beyond.
   1. Key Baseline Questions

5.2.1 Benchmarks

1. What is the current household level of access to market systems?
2. What is the current household level of access to formal financial services?
3. To what extent are households food secure?
4. What is the current level of household incomes?
5. What is the current level of households engaging in multiple income generating activities?
6. What is the current level of households’ perception of effectiveness of local leaders/institutions in issues of livelihoods, FMNR, conflict mitigation and natural resource management?
7. What is the current level of households’ involvement in local planning and decision making processes?
8. What is the current level of household access to productive economic resources?
9. What is the current rate of households aware of available group-based savings, micro-finance, lending, or insurance programs?
10. What is the current household annual sale of livestock and crop production?
11. What is the current level of household access to improved animal services and inputs?
12. What is the current household awareness rate of natural resource and climate-based conflict resolution mechanisms?
13. What is the current rate of households reporting meaningful participation in decision-making regarding economic activities and governance?
14. What is the current level of community adoption of pastoral rangeland management and practices?
15. What is the current rate of household reporting joint decision making on various economic activities?
16. What is the current rate of women, PWDs in leadership positions that manage formal/informal conflict resolution and resource management mechanisms?
17. What is the current rate of men, women, youth and persons with disabilities reporting positive change in attitude towards social norms/gender and disability barriers that influence equal access to resources and opportunities?
18. What is the current rate of household who have received training on livestock and crop related business operation and management training reporting enhanced job opportunities.
19. What is the current rate of household with improved financial literacy?
20. Study Population, Scope and Methodology
21. 1. Study Population and Sampling Frame

The study population will comprise of 22 villages in the 2 districts (15 in Ceel Afweyne and 7 in Doolow) where the projects will be implemented targeting households, government line ministries focal points, insurance providers, local community committee leaders as well as the different community groups and leaders. The sampling frame will constitute target project beneficiaries, and community governance structures from the two districts, Doolow and Ceel Afweyne. The sample frame will further include strategic partners such as INGO and government departments that will coordinate with SomReP in delivery of project interventions.

1. 1. Survey Design and Evaluation Methodology

The baseline study will use a cross sectional survey research design that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative data collection as well as analysis techniques. The consultant will be expected to propose an appropriate and detailed methodology for delivering this assessment. This includes specifying the data collection methods, data collection tools corresponding to type of information to be collected, sample size for both qualitative and quantitative data together with the calculation formula used to arrive at such. The qualitative data needs to indicate the key stakeholders to be involved in the key informant interviews as well as the focus group discussions.

The consultant will develop data collection tools that will need to be approved by the project M&E team. He/She will ensure that the survey tools designed will cover all outcome level indicators as well as respond to the evaluation questions listed under section 5.2.1 and add more questions to the questionnaire as appropriate.

The Project M&E team recommends that the consultant employs mobile data collection for quantitative data. The consultant will also be responsible for engaging and managing the team of data enumerators during the data collection period. The consultant will make use of SomReP data management platform for the quantitative data collection.

1. Logistics

The consultants will be responsible for their own logistics (i.e. transport and accommodation if necessary). The consultants will also be responsible for their own insurances, vaccinations, health, and security preparedness.

1. Ethical and Technical Requirements

The successful consultant will be responsible for ensuring that data collection and analysis approaches are designed to mitigate child protection risks and protect participants’ privacy and wellbeing by establishing and following credible ethical evaluation principles:

• The lead consultant shall ensure that all research assistants are oriented on research ethics and child protection policy prior to commencement of data collection.
• The lead consultant shall ensure that each member of the research team adheres to research ethics and child protection policies.
• The lead consultant shall ensure that every piece of information collected is treated with all the confidentiality that it deserves.
• The lead consultant shall ensure that survey participants to be involved in the study are well informed of the objectives of the study and their consent is sought prior to starting data collection. Participants will be informed of their rights to decline participation in the evaluation and that they will be at liberty to withdraw from the process if they wish to do so.

1. Roles and Responsibilities of Baseline Stakeholders: Consultant
2. 1. Consultant scope of work

The study is to be conducted by a consultant with the below list of scope of work.

• Acquire all clearances and permissions necessary to collect data in all needed regions where the project will be implemented
• Preparation for the study: planning scope, engagement, logistics and schedule; documented in a clear inception plan together with the work plan including schedule for field work
• Working closely with the project team during design of the tools to be used for data collection
• Identify, train, guide and supervise enumerators during data collection
• Supervise enumerators on the survey tools to be used.
• Undertake internal quality control procedures to ensure data collected is comprehensive, consistent and accurate
• Make visits to data collection sites and lead primary data collection and analysis
• Incorporate feedback from the project team and other stakeholders
• Make Powerpoint presentations of the results and discussions either virtually or through physical meetings with the project stakeholders.
• Preparation and submission of different knowledge products such as factsheets and summary report
• Cleaned survey data (in Excel or SPSS compatible formats), transcripts of the FGDs, KIIs, photographs and ethical approval etc
• Infographics and factsheets outlining the Key Findings
• Writing a final baseline report and executive summary

1. 1. Required Skills, Experience and Competence

SomReP is looking to engage the services of a qualified consultant in undertaking the project baseline evaluation. We are looking for a consultant who has the following skills and expertise;

• Masters degree in Social science, development studies, monitoring and evaluation and international studies, project planning and management and other related fields
• Strong experience in quantitative data collection and statistical analysis
• Extensive qualitative methods experience, and/or experience in balancing mixed method approaches when designing a methodology
• Strong experience in training of enumerators and quality control
• Excellent writing skills in English
• Demonstrated skills in survey design
• Prior experience working in Somalia and relationships with Somali speaking field data collection supervisors and enumerators will strongly be considered.
• Has a minimum of 5 years of technically sound experience conducting baseline, mid-term, and end of project evaluations for inclusive market systems, women economic empowerment, disability inclusion and gender mainstreaming, livelihood project evaluations or Resilience measurements
• Diverse team comprising personnel with the following skills and expertise; resilience expert, M&E expert, statistician/data analyst, Gender expert, graphics designer etc.
• In-depth knowledge and experience of Somalia and its regions including government and community level service delivery structures
• Familiarity with the Technical Assistance to NGOs (TANGO) Resilience measurement framework.
• Familiarity with computation of resilience capacity, adaptive capacity, absorptive capacity and transformative capacity indices.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills
• Ability to produce high quality work under tight timelines

1. Roles and Responsibilities of Baseline Participants: World Vision staff / SomReP / partners

• Ensure that the consultant and his team adhere to research ethics and child protection policy
• Ensure quality assurance throughout the evaluation period
• Provide the selected consultant with necessary documents to enable a clear reporting and understanding of the SERECA program.
• Create linkages with field staff, implementing partners and other stakeholders to ensure effective coordination and implementation of the study
• Review consultants’ inception report and assessment draft reports and provide feedback to ensure consistency with project implementation objectives.
• Arrange key informant interviews and focus-group discussions as per the evaluation schedule submitted by the consultant.
• Liaise with local implementing partners on behalf of the consultants to plan data collection.
• Provide necessary orientation and training to the consultant.
• Review and approve field approaches to be used by the consultant.

1. Project timeframe

The baseline assessment is expected to commence in March 2023 for approximately 30 days inclusive of data collection period and report review. The consultant is expected to provide a detailed schedule listing the different activities to be conducted and their time period.

1. Instructions to bidders and selection criteria

The Selection of the consultancy firm will be made based on cumulative analysis (i.e., mandatory requirement and technical qualifications as follows:

• 1. Mandatory Requirements
• Provide a certified copy of business registration(company/organization)
• Provide a certified copy of tax registration
• Provide information on ownership structure – name of directors/owners of the company(company/organization)
• Provide references including names and contact information from previous clients who can be contacted regarding relevant experience (At least three similar assignments in a similar context)
• Successful bidder will be required to sign World Vision Supplier Code of Conduct form, DFAT guidelines for Child Protection as well as World Vision International guidelines of Ethical Principles
  1. Technical Evaluation

Applicants need to clearly articulate on the following, but not limited to: –

• A cover letter outlining the suitability of the consultant in undertaking the assessment, motivation and summarizing relevant experience (Not exceeding one page)
• Consulting firm profile (Not exceeding one page)
• Business registration certificate to undertake data collection or related services in the project implementation regions
• Precise technical proposal that should include proposed methodology, sampling size and design to be adopted, quality assurance and data analysis plan to be used (Not exceeding 5 pages)
• Clear work plan including outputs/deliverables and time frames (One page)
• Detailed CVs of key personnel (including any formal qualifications) should be provided
  1. Financial Evaluation
• Financial proposal: A detailed budget indicating total costs in USD as per man day rates, work plan and any other logistical costs anticipated in undertaking the assessment and production of the final report. Applicable tax amount must be clearly stipulated and separated from the base costs.
• Payment Terms
• Credit Period

Financial proposal should not be part of the technical proposal; it should be a separate document.

1. Instructions to interested bidders

• Both international and national consultancy firms are invited to bid.
• The deadline to submit your bid is set on the 2 March 2023.
• Bid should be submitted in English and include the following:
• Technical offer including the following:
  • Proposed methodology (not exceeding 5 pages)
  • Detailed proposed workplan
  • CV of the consultant firm (not exceeding 2 pages)
  • Roles and responsibilities of evaluation team member (including level of effort)
  • Summary CV of evaluation team members detailing similar experience (not exceeding a quarter page per team member)
  • Full CVs in annex (not exceeding 3 pages per CV)
  • Three Samples of previous similar pieces of work undertaken within the last 3 years
  • Contact of references and 3 referee letters for similar work completed within the last 3 years
  • Written confirmation of availability during the indicated timeframe
• Detailed financial offer in USD currency describing consulting fees, international and national travels, costs of research supervisors and enumerators, transport within the project locations and other logistical costs to be incurred. Please note that the successful consultant will be responsible for their own logistics including insurance, vaccinations, health and security preparedness

1. Reference Documents

Background documents to the project will be shared with the successful consultant after signing the contract.

Submission

Submit your bid via email to somo_supplychain@wvi.org by 8 March,2023

Please note that proposals should be submitted in three distinct/separate attachments, namely Mandatory Requirements, Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal (Bidders who will combine both technical and financial proposals shall be disqualified)

The subject in the email should read: BASELINE EVALUATION FOR THE SOMREP, SOMALIA ENHANCED RESILIENCE THROUGH INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC/MARKET SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE SMART APPROACHES

Bids received after the deadline shall not be considered.

[1] Participation index is created through the Rural Income Generating Activities (RIGA) methodology; this indicator reports the number of income generating activities (IGA) actively participated by the family. The index is at household level and ranges from 0 (no IGA) to 1 (the household participates to the entire set of IGA included in RIGA).

How to apply

Submission

Submit your bid via email to somo_supplychain@wvi.org by 8 March,2023

Please note that proposals should be submitted in three distinct/separate attachments, namely Mandatory Requirements, Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal (Bidders who will combine both technical and financial proposals shall be disqualified)

The subject in the email should read: BASELINE EVALUATION FOR THE SOMREP, SOMALIA ENHANCED RESILIENCE THROUGH INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC/MARKET SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE SMART APPROACHES

Bids received after the deadline shall not be considered.