Tender Reference number: 8303921

Title: Consultancy to conduct BRCiS Market systems-Based Approach, Somalia

Organization: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Critical interfaces: BRCiS Consortium

Terms of Reference

Background:

Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) is a consortium of national and international organizations – Action Against Hunger (ACF), CESVI, Concern Worldwide (CWW), GREDO, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), KAALO, Save the Children, and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as lead agency. BRCiS’ objective is to work across the humanitarian-development divide, supporting marginalised communities in disaster-prone, rural Somalia to become more resilient to shocks and stressed, including as a result of climate change. BRCiS approach is contextually adaptive, focused on the specific shocks, needs, and priorities of individual communities. BRCiS was established in 2013 and is now implementing projects funded by multiple humanitarian and development donors in more than ten regions of Somalia.

As a continuation of BRCiS’ emergency, drought-response activities begun in early 2022, BRCiS is currently implementing a six-month (April – September 2023) project jointly funded by FCDO, USAID, and QFFD – the HARBS Emergency Response Programme – Phase Two. Through BRCiS, all three donors contribute to a shared theory of change that IF marginalised communities in disaster-prone, rural Somalia have access to humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs (Outcome 1 – primarily funded by FCDO and QFFD) AND IF commercial and domestic food producers and local food processors better meet community nutritional needs (Outcome 2 – primarily funded by USAID) THEN BRCiS will contribute to reduced severity of humanitarian needs and displacement in Somalia (Impact). Rather than operating as parallel projects, each donor’s priorities and resources are layered for a comprehensive service at the community level, captured in a central measurement and reporting framework .

Consultancy rationale:

Outcome 2 of the HARBS Emergency Response Programme – Phase Two centers on a Market –system Based Approach (MBA) to sustainably increase the supply of and demand for nutritious foods in communities . BRCiS Members have varied experiences applying market-based approaches with BRCiS piloting specific activities under the first phase of the HARBS Emergency Response Programme. As this is an emergency project with a short duration, BRCiS focuses on supporting and strengthening local markets rather than large-scale market system development. As part of BRCiS’ commitment to taking previous MBA pilots to scale (including through implementation by additional BRCiS Members, expansion into new geographic areas, engagement with additional market system actors), BRCiS now seeks the support of a qualified individual consultant or firm to guide the BRCiS Consortium Management Unit (CMU) and BRCiS Members teams throughout the implementation and to design a dedicated learning approach, as well as to document the interventions.

The consultant(s) will deliver part-time technical assistance that is flexible and responsive to the needs of BRCiS Members in addition to a few fixed deliverables*.*

General Responsibilities of the Consultant(s):

• Advise and guide Members through the implementation and harmonization of MBA activities under Outcome 2 of the HARBS Emergency Response Programme – Phase Two, including routine engagement with all BRCiS Members implementing MBA activities, including leading the finalization of the intervention design development of intervention specific guidance documents
• Apply initiative and a spirit of teamwork/collaboration in day-to-day problem solving with the BRCiS CMU and Members.
• Work closely with the CMU M&E team and Programme team in the design and implementation of MBA monitoring and evaluation plan and development and use of adapted tools and processes, including capacity development for CMU staff and other management staff to secure ongoing support for MBA initiatives.
• Review existing tools and guidelines prepared by BRCiS Members (including NRC-specific tools) and propose new analysis tools and approaches to determine which should form Minimum Standards for all BRCiS MBP activities under the current project and in future.
• Train and mentor staff in market systems approaches to ensure successful programme implementation and support them to access additional professional development and technical capacity, building as required.

Specific Outputs

• Development of MBA capacity strengthening plan for BRCiS Members capacities that is validated by the Consortium within two weeks of signing of contract and includes a schedule of training to be delivered by the Consultant(s). The plan will consider the capacity strengthening needs of various stakeholders involved in the consortium (field project staff, Consortium and Member management, MEAL personnel etc.).
• Development of written MBA programme implementation guidance based on specific MBA activities planned by BRCiS for the project period (more information on activities will be available to the selected consultant). These materials to complement and not replace training of field teams under the above bullet point. An example of key guidance required is documenting for Members how to structure a private sector partnership in a way that is truly a partnership and not a contractor relationship.
• Contribution to planned BRCiS project learning exercise (that will include MBP components as well as other aspects of the emergency response project that are not market-based) including review of MBP learning tools (qualitative), support to rollout, and review of information/qualitative synthesis (timeline TBC by BRCiS CMU).
• Preparation of good practice and lessons learned documentation and other inputs for reporting to USAID and the other project donors as well as the wider humanitarian community.
• Review the project Result framework (impact and outcome indicators) and suggest any necessary changes
• Support designing the learning strategy of the project (Research questions, required assessments, etc)
• Support designing the quantitative and qualitative tools to evaluate the project impact and address the knowledge gap mentioned in the learning strategy

Competencies

Generic professional competencies:

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in Agricultural Economics, International Development, International Relations, Business Management or another relevant field, or a bachelors’ degree with significant additional field-based experience.
• At least five years of experience with systems programming (with a focus on markets) in humanitarian or fragile, conflict affected contexts.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal), with proven experience explaining complex concepts simply to diverse audiences with little or no native English proficiency.
• Proven track record of remote training and technical support, including mastery of Microsoft Teams suite of remote meeting and coordination tools (Teams, Sharepoint, etc.).
• Advanced knowledge and skills in designing and implementing MBA. This includes experience in planning, organising, and implementing market system assessments, mapping, and analysis.
• Experience in institutionalising MBA and addressing structural barriers to market systems adoption.
• Knowledge and experience in developing and facilitating trainings in MBA.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal; fluency in Somali is a significant added value.

Context/ Specific skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts (experience in contexts with high levels of inflation would be desirable).
• Strong strategic thinker with demonstrated capacity to translate concepts into action, with proven ability to be accountable for all components of the programme.
• Curiosity about the root causes of market failure, and instinctive ability to compile multi-actor collaborations in response.
• Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising diverse workload.
• Proven ability to work effectively across cultures, in sensitive environments and with stakeholders.

Application Requirements

Interested consultant(s) should submit a bid, which must include the following:

• Proposal of maximum 3 pages in length, including outline of approach and methods to be applied, proposed time frame, work plan and any comments on the TOR – proposals should include a breakdown of availability based on an average number of days per week from the week of 15 June until 30 September. As this is a part-time consultancy BRCiS is not seeking more than 1-2 days per week on a consistent schedule.
• Outline of consultant(s) experience in similar work.
• Cost proposal- Detailed budget breakdown
• CVs of core team proposed (if independent consultant, then single CV will suffice – there is no preference for teams vs. individuals).
• At least 2 examples of similar work undertaken with references.
• Proof of registration from the country of origin as a limited liability company or as a sole trader/self-employed.