Letter of Invitation Requesting EOIs

Nairobi

21/11/2019

Re: Baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use, in Puntland State, Somalia.

Dear Madam/Sir:

1. Veterinaires Sans Frontieres-Germany (VSF-G) has received financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (“IFAD”) and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this grant to eligible payments under this contract, for which this Request for Expression of Interest is issued.
2. VSF-G invites Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from legally constituted consulting firms and no-profit organizations (not individual consultants) to provide the consultant services referenced above. More details on these consultant services are provided in the Terms of Reference (ATOR). This REOI is open to all eligible entities (“Consultants”) who wish to respond.
3. The Client intends to hire a consulting firm not individual (the “Consultant”) to provide consultancy for baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use, in Puntland State, Somalia.**

Location: Bari and Nugal regions, Puntland State of Somalia

Anticipated Start Date: January 2020

Duration of Assignment: 30 days, beginning from 23^rd January to 21^st February 2020.

1. Before preparing its EOIs, the Consultant is advised to review the Abridged Terms of Reference attached hereto as Annex 1, which describe the assignment in detail, and Annex 2, which delineates how the technical qualifications of the Consultant shall be evaluated.
2. A firm will be selected under Selection Based on the Consultants’ Qualifications (CQS) method in accordance with the procedures set out in the IFAD Procurement Handbook which are provided on the IFAD website[1].
3. Submission Procedure: Please submit your EOIs using the forms provided for this purpose. Your EOIs should comprise one (1) original copy each of the EOI Forms.
4. Procedure: The Client will evaluate the EOIs using the criteria provided in Annex 2. The Consultants who attain the highest (minimum of 3 and maximum of 6) total points (who also attain the minimum technical score required to pass) shall be shortlisted.
5. Any request for clarification on this REOI including the ATOR should be sent via e-mail to the address above no later than 5.00pm EAT of 26/11/2019. VSF G will provide responses to all clarification requests by 5.00pm EAT of 2/12/2019.
6. EOIs shall be submitted to the address below no later than 3.00pm EAT of 9/12/2019.

VSFG Regional Office in Nairobi

Piedmont Plaza, 670 Ngong Road,

Attn: Maurice Kiboye, Country Director

Or alternatively to the following email address:

recruitment@vsfg.org

Yours sincerely,

Head of Human Resource Management,

VSF-G

Docs can be found on: http://www.vsfg.org/fileadmin/docs-vsfg/careers_tenders/REOI_-_Baseline_…

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Form EOI-1 EOI Submission Form

[Location, Date]

[Authorized Official]

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re: Baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use, in Puntland State, Somalia.

Ref: FSSFS-VSF-G 03

On behalf of my organization, _ , I, the undersigned, offer to provide the consulting services for the above-mentioned assignment in accordance with your REOI dated ___.

I am hereby submitting my firm’s EOI, which will be open for acceptance for a period of ninety (90) days.

I hereby declare that all the information and statements made in this EOI are true and accept that any misrepresentation contained in it may lead to the firm’s disqualification.

We understand you are not bound to accept any EOIs that you may receive.

Yours sincerely,

Authorized Signatory and Organization’s Stamp:

Name and title of Signatory:

Name and Address of the Organization:

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Form EOI-2 Organization of the Consultant

Re: Consulting Services for Baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use in Puntland State, Somalia

Ref: FSSFS-VSF-G03.

Provide a brief description of the background and organization of your firm/entity and of each Associate for this assignment. Include your CV or of consultants to carry out the task for your firm/entity.

The EOI must demonstrate that the Consultant has the individual or organizational capability to carry out the assignment.

The Qualifications document shall further demonstrate that the Consultant has the capacity to carry out work in the field and provide experienced qualified Personnel on short notice.

Maximum 10 pages

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Form EOI-3 Experience of the Consultant

Re: Consulting Services for Baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use, in Puntland state, Somalia

Ref: FSSFS-VSFG A03.

[Using the format below, provide information on each relevant assignment for which you or your firm, and each Associate for this assignment, was legally contracted either individually as a corporate entity or as one of the major companies within an association, for carrying out consulting services similar to the ones requested under the Terms of Reference included in this RCQ. The EOI must demonstrate that the Consultant / firm has a proven track record of successful experience in executing tasks similar in substance, complexity, value, duration, and volume of services sought in this procurement.

Maximum 20 pages]**

Assignment name:

Approx. value of the contract (in current US$):

Country:
Location within country:

Duration of assignment (months):

Name of client:

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment:

Address, and contact details (including email address(es):

Approx. value of the services provided by your firm under the contract (in current US$):

Start date (month/year):
Completion date (month/year):

No. of professional staff-months provided by associated consultants:

Name of associated consultants, if any:

Name of proposed senior professional staff of your firm involved and functions performed (indicate most significant profiles such as project director/coordinator, team leader):

Narrative description of project:

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

Name of Firm: _

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ANNEX 1

Terms of Reference

Baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use (incl. KAP- Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices), in Puntland, Somalia

IFAD and AICS funded Project:

Food Security and Sustainability in Fragile Situations

Project name:

Food Security and Sustainability in Fragile Situations (FSSFS)

Title of the assignment:

Baseline assessment on different techniques/practices for sustainable utilization of rangelands and mapping of resource use.

Locations of the assignment:

Puntland State of Somalia, Nugal and Bari regions

Duration of the assignment

30 days

Background

The European Committee for Training and Agriculture (CEFA) is an International Non-Governmental Organization established in 1972 and active in 10 Countries in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. CEFA’s medium- and long-term interventions in agricultural, environmental and Human Rights sector are focused on the sustainable development of the communities, achieved by involving local counterparts and by promoting the active participation of the beneficiaries.

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Germany (VSF-G) is an international Non-Governmental Organization, providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to pastoralists and vulnerable communities in areas where livestock is of importance. Its support is in animal health, livestock related agriculture, marketing, food safety, drought responses and mitigation, capacity development of communities and governmental institutions, peace and conflict management with the ultimate aim of food security and strengthened livelihoods of livestock dependent communities.

Overview of the project

The overall goal of the project is to sustainably improve food security, nutrition and livelihoods and to build resilience among vulnerable households and their communities. The development objective is to increase targeted households’ income through improved agricultural production, mainly focusing on the palm dates value chain, and livestock productivity.

The following outcomes are expected:

a. Irrigation Infrastructures are constructed/rehabilitated as well as properly managed, and climate-smart technologies are adopted (in both Yemen and Somalia).

b. The production of selected crops is increased and processing and marketing of palm dates in Somalia and vegetables in Yemen is sustainably improved.

c. Rangeland and small ruminant productivity in project areas of Puntland is increased.

The project consists of the following activities grouped under three components. The components summary descriptions are as follows:

Component A: IRRIGATION AND CLIMATE-SMART TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT

· Support to the sustainable management of the irrigation infrastructures.

· Construction and Rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructures.

· Application of climate smart technologies for irrigation infrastructures.

Component B: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT

B1: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT

· Training farmers on sustainable agriculture practices and techniques, with a specific focus on the palm dates value chain.

· Support in developing a private sector led supply of inputs.

· Value chain capacity building for private sector traders, businessmen and producers.

· Establishment of a date processing unit.

B2: SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT

· Value chain capacity building for private sector traders, businessmen and producers

· Introduction and adoption of a ‘Holistic Natural Resources Management’ (HNRM) approach for sustainable management of rangelands

· Increase small ruminant productivity through genetic improvement and feed technology.

· Capacity building for public (Veterinary Officers) and private (CAHWs – Community Animal Health Workers) and public veterinary service providers on disease control.

· Deployment of a methodology for Livestock Body Condition Scoring –aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Livestock to be fully able to monitor the general body condition of the Livestock.

Component C: CAPITALIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

· Promote and strengthen collaboration with agricultural extension service providers and local authorities through short courses, workshops and provision of critical research inputs

· Capitalization of knowledge and Documentation of Best Practices

Scope of the assignment.

VSF Germany is looking for a consultant (individual/Firm) to conduct baseline survey and evaluate existing natural resources and utilization of the rangelands to support livelihood and food security in project target areas. The aim is to establish sustainable approaches to natural resources and possible harmonization of traditional and conventional management practices including tools to reinforce holistic natural resources management approach. The consultant will work closely with Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry (MoLAH) and other relevant sectors in Puntland to achieve the objectives of this task.

Objectives of the consultancy

The overall objective of the consultancy is to establish existing practices, techniques used by communities in management of their available natural resources and map out resource use plans of communities in place in project areas of Puntland State of Somalia, through a participatory process of key stakeholders and the communities and analysis of gathered data.

The specific objectives of the study are:

a) Assess and produce a robust and evidence-based mapping of the rangeland’s potential.

b) Explore and ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practices of communities and relevant government departments to sustain their rangeland resources.

c) Identify existing customary laws and policies that govern the management of natural resources.

d) Provide a systematic analysis of management practices in each target location.

e) Identification of active Environment Management committees and their reach within the target communities

f) Identify capacity building needs of communities/ Environment Management Committees and local government for HNRM.

g) Assess viability of community resource persons Holistic Natural Resources Management (HNRM).

h) Disseminate the findings of the assessment to local stakeholders for feedback study findings.

Specific tasks to perform.

The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

a) Develop and submit a proposal detailing research methodologies of the baseline assessment;

b) A desk-review of relevant project documents with focus to the logical framework and other relevant documents prior to the implementation of the study;

c) Provide an inception report detailing the understanding of the concept of the assignment.

d) Develop the tools for the assessment in consultation with project staff;

e) Train research assistants/enumerators on data collection tools and undertake a pre-test of the questionnaire

f) Quality control of data collected by enumerators to ensure accuracy and viability before analysis.

g) Prepare and discuss with the Consortium partners a draft report with sufficient details on findings and key recommendations.

h) Make presentation of the study findings to consortium partners and stakeholders at a workshop for validation of the findings.

i) Incorporate the comments from Consortium partners into the final report;

j) Prepare and submit a final report of the study.

Duration and Timeline

The duration of the assignment is 30 calendar days, beginning from 23^rd January 2020.The foreseen assignment is part of the inception period, conducted in order to establish the benchmarks in community knowledge, attitude and practices as determinants of sustainable management of locally available natural resources .It will also pave ways for involvement of cal authorities and stakeholders from onset of the project in effort to embrace holistic natural resources management as a tool for sustainable utilization of the rangelands to enhance food and livelihood security.

Description of the Proposed Activities

The proposed activities to be implemented are as follows:

1) Mapping and categorization of available natural resources.

Desk review and analysis of common natural resources that support food and livelihoods security, management practices by communities and level of threats to sustainability of supporting their livelihood and feed security. Also map out the status of use and threats of each resource identified attributed to their utilization practices. Once the mapping is completed, the consultant is required to work in collaboration with the relevant government departments to validate the findings.

2) Capacity building of community groups and local authorities.

Through participatory processes, the consultant shall establish realistic capacity gaps in approaches and practices among communities and government authorities that need to be addressed. The consultant shall provide realistic steps and activities that the project should take to strengthen capacities of target groups. Such steps should include financial interventions to support community efforts to address specific needs in specific areas, supported by evidence of possible success. This is expected to include both theoretical and practical interventions.

4) Assessment and analysis of existing practices for management of rangeland resources.

The consultant shall use appropriate methodology and tools to conduct interviews and FDGs with communities, government sectors experts and key informants to obtain information of knowledge, attitude and practices employed in sustaining available natural resources.

The consultants shall provide clear analysis of the practices; cite gaps and possible actions to bridge the gaps to ensure sustainable utilization of these resources. In addition, the consultant shall share the findings of the assessment with key government personnel and other actors for validation and concurrence on proposed actions for any improvement. Wherever possible, local government feedback should be incorporated into the final report to inform the course of action and ownership of any proposed interventions.

1. A systematic analysis of existing practices, customary laws and policies in light of holistic natural resources management approach.

The consultant shall undertake analysis of the existing knowledge, attitude and practices through the Holistic natural resources’ management principles. This will also include analysis of existing customary laws and/or policies that govern management of natural resources. The outcome of this analysis should provide any observed alignment and/or disparities between community, Environment management committees, government officials and HNRM practices. The findings should inform what practices and activities the project should put in place, including women’s role, to strengthen community based management of their natural resources.

6. Assess viability of establishing resource persons.

Based on the gaps and needs identified with communities in current practices the consultant shall explore with communities’ possibility of training persons from each community on HNRM as ToT. The role fo such resources persons will be to facilitate establishment of natural resource management committees and conduct training on HNMR approaches and practices. Such finding should recommend appropriate number of resources persons per community, duration and possible topics of training.

1. Disseminate the findings of the assessment to local stakeholders for awareness.

At the end of field work, the consultant shall present the findings of the study to stakeholder ((government ministries, district authorities, traders and NGOs) through a workshop for awareness creation and support. The presentation should clearly show the status of the natural resources, existing practices, and gaps in knowledge, capacity needs and proposed action to strengthen community based management systems of natural resources. Feedback from the dissemination workshops should be incorporated into the final report.

Methodology

The consultant will be required to develop clear methodology and procedure to carry out the task. Such methodologies should clearly show how various activities of the assessment will be carried out for expected output. The Consultant (s)/firm is/are expected to design most suitable data collection tools ensuring inclusion of all the project actors in the livestock value chain assessment process. The methodology will be discussed with VSF Germany to agree on most suitable approaches for the assessment in line with the project objectives.

The consultant(s) will examine all content of project proposal focusing on fishing for each result and output areas of the project and where necessary consult with consortium partners’ staff.

Presentation of the study draft report to all consortium partners at a joint workshop for validation. The consultant will make a presentation of the findings to inform any technical adjustments in the planned approach and activities for fisheries to guide the project implementation. The purpose will be to enable the partners have opportunity to validate the contents of the report and any proposed modifications in line of with baseline findings and provide any necessary input before finalization. The workshop will be organized by VSF-G and partners on a date to be defined.

Finalization of the baseline report; the consultant will incorporate the input from the partners to finalize the above document and present the final products to VSF-G Germany for sharing with other consortium partners (CEFA and MoLAH) and submission to IFAD.

The consultant (s)/firm is expected to take all necessary steps to ensure that the security and dignity of the respondents and any persons participating in this assessment is not compromised and that disruption of their on-going activities is minimized. The role of VSF-G and consortium partners is to provide the Consultant (s) with all the necessary logistic support and documentation to facilitate the smooth baseline study process.

Expected Deliverables

The expected deliverables to be provided under the initial contract are as follows:

a) An inception report submitted to VSF-G within 5 days of the assignment detailing, the methodology, sampling frame and data collection tools.

b) Draft report of the baseline assessment submitted to VSF-G within 20 days of the assignment; ONE soft copy only (35 pages excluding annexes) for review and comments.

c) Dissemination of findings at a workshop of the consortium partners in power point.

d) Final baseline assessment report within 1 week after receiving comments from client and not more than 35 days of duration of the assignment; in 3 hard copies and ONE soft copy (max.35 pages excluding annexes).

e) A folder of photos taken during the field work in electronic form (ONE CD).

NOTE: Further works or revisions of the report may be required and if the final report does not meet the requirements of the TOR, it may not be accepted, and the client will be at liberty to reject it with service provider bearing the liability.

All reports should be submitted in Microsoft Word format, in UK English [amend as appropriate]. All text should be unformatted. Graphs or other graphical devices should be editable (i.e. not pictures). All references must be cited according to convention, and detailed in a bibliography, using the Harvard system as set out in the UNESCO Style Manual. All verbatim quotations must appear in quotation marks and must not be of excessive length. All data collected under the consultancy must be submitted with the deliverables, in a widely recognized format such as Microsoft Excel.

Everything submitted to VSF-G and CEFA must be the original work of the consultants. Any plagiarism in any form, or any other breach of intellectual property rights, will automatically disqualify the consultant from receiving any further payments under the contract by VSF-G, and VSF-G will seek to recover any payments already made.

All participants in any study or other interaction will be fully informed about the nature and purpose of the interaction and their requested involvement. Informed consent must be obtained for any photographs, audio or video recordings, etc., in accordance with VSF-G and CEFA’s policy on consent. In addition, the consultant will follow an ethical framework for research in working equids by observing 4 principles: non-maleficence, beneficence, autonomy and justice for participation of equids owners.

Methods of Payment and Installments

· 1^st installment – 20% of the total amount will be paid upon submission of the inception report.

· 2^nd installment – 40% of the total amount will be paid upon submission and review of draft report by client

· 3^rd installment – 40% of total amount shall be paid upon completion, submission and approval by VSF-G and CEFA of the final report.

The payments will be made in A/C payee cheques/or direct bank transfer in the name of the consultant or firm as indicated in the signed contract. VSF-G will deduct with-holding tax at source as per the rules of taxation governing VSF-G operations and it will be deposited directly to the custodian of such tax. No other benefits shall be admissible beyond what is stipulated in the contract nor does it guarantee a regular position in VSF-G.

The Consultant will be responsible for their own Insurance during the period of the contract, and CEFA and VSF-G will not be responsible for any injuries or damages incurred during the assignment. The contractor will also meet their own communication and incidental costs (e.g. hot drinks during the assignment). The cost of consultancy submitted must exclude all anticipated expenses on: cost of visa processing, transport (air and /or land) to locations of assignment, transfer costs, local transport in assignment sites in both Somalia and Kenya, meals and accommodation, and security limited to securing the services of local guards to accompany the consultant and VSF-G and CEFA staff to field as required by the VSF-G and CEFA regulations.

Profile of consultant(s) to be deployed by the firm must meet the requirements below.

· Minimum a master’s degree in Natural Resources Management, Rangelands Management, Environmental Science, Agricultural, Livestock Production, Sociology, Development Studies, development Rural Development, Animal Husbandry or other related fields.

· At least five years professional experience in assessment and capacity building in field of natural resources, environmental Science, Rangelands management, including relevant field experience, especially in ASAL areas.

· Demonstrated experience in working with NGOs and government institutions and other stakeholders in a multi-stakeholders’ programs.

· Vast experience in the area of Holistic Natural Resources management, Community based natural resources/environmental management approach,

· Autonomous, working with minimal supervision.

· Result-oriented, team player, exhibiting high levels of enthusiasm, diplomacy and integrity.

· Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and professional skills in interacting with communities and development partners;

· Skills in facilitation of stakeholder engagement/workshops;

· Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments.

· A mix of experiences in agro-pastoral and pastoral production systems and social research methodologies.

· Extensive experience in the specific fields related to the ASAL and, particularly in Somalia context will be required.

· Excellent communication skills as well as demonstrated writing and presentation skills

· Familiarity with pastoral setting and livestock value chain analysis.

· Experience of conducting capacity assessment, monitoring and evaluation at field level.

· Experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis.

· Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required.