Country: South Sudan
Closing date: 16 Apr 2016
1. Project Background
International Rescue Committee (IRC) in collaboration with Universal Intervention and Development Organization (UNIDO), local NGO partner, is implementing a European Union (EU) funded Pro-Resilience Action (PRO-ACT): building resilience through crisis prevention and post-crisis response strategy. This two year duration project which commenced from December 25, 2015 is being implemented in Panyijiar County and targeting 36,000 individuals (4500 households). The project aims to support poor, food and nutrition insecure communities in South Sudan to cope to crises and to strengthen their resilience and coping capacity. Food insecurity and lack of a nutritious diet is having a disproportionate impact on women and children, denying children the food and nutrition they need to reach their cognitive and development potential.
The project includes Food security, Nutrition and Disaster Risk Reduction sectors.
Objective: To improve the food and nutrition security situation of vulnerable population groups especially women and children in conflict affected areas of Panyijiar County in Unity State, South Sudan.
The specific objective of the action is:
To enhance the capacities of vulnerable groups to sustainably produce and access food.
The underlying achievement of these objective is to enhance the capacity of individuals in vulnerable households (those households whose resilience has been reduced by the conflict and the impact of weather but are still able to engage in agro production and other livelihood options) to diversify production and livelihoods for improved food access and dietary diversification and improved income by introducing basic agricultural techniques and increasing access to extension services and inputs.
Expected Results:
The project expects to achieve the following results:
· Increased household food availability through improved agricultural productivity and storage (through transfer of sustainable agricultural practices and technologies)
· Increased household income through enhanced access to market systems (market linkages) and financial services
· Increased dietary diversity through improved food access and utilization
· Increased community capacity to mitigate and enhance resilience to natural shocks and stresses
The project log frame will be made available once the desired consultant has been identified.
2. Rationale for the Baseline Study
The IRC PRO-ACT project has clearly defined its targets and indicators in its log frame but baseline of several of the projected targets are currently unavailable. Therefore, in order to create the benchmarks, a baseline survey is necessary to come up with baseline indicators for each of the target set. These baseline indicators will be the guiding pillars to measure project’s achievements and outputs towards the end. This will also help devise appropriate monitoring tool for M&E of project interventions to reach the stated outputs & achievements. Furthermore, the baseline survey will generate and develop an information base comprising of the detailed relevant information of the general and targeted beneficiaries of the project’s working areas. This information will guide us to plan effectively and coherently in materializing the project goal in a systemic way.
Objectives of the Baseline Study
The main objective of the baseline study is to prepare a pre‐project / baseline information of the target beneficiaries (vegetable producers, cereal producers, fish producers and nutrition intervention beneficiaries) as per the indicators of project objectives, specific objectives and expected results specified in the project document and the project log‐frame.
The specific objectives of the baseline study are the following:
a) Determine the baseline values for all impact and outcome level performance indicators in the targeted program locations.
b) To collect and analyze the relevant information of existing situation of project’s targeted beneficiaries (including disadvantaged households and females), service providers, and/or related stakeholders.
c) To collect and analyze relevant information in terms of sources and level of income, food security situation, access and control to available productive resources and malnutrition.
d) To determine infant and young child feeding practices amongst children under the age of two including pregnant and lactating women
The study will utilize a wide range of appropriate tools and methodologies to measure the status of social, economic/financial, physical, natural and human assets of targeted communities/households (HHs), market actors and market system components within the framework of PRO-ACT and as spelled out in the project document. The study findings will be primarily used by IRC and its implementing partner in comparing pre and post project status of the market systems and communities with whom it works. The baseline information will also be used by the relevant project stakeholders and donors.
4. Suggested Approaches and Methodologies
The study will be based on data and information gathered from both primary and secondary sources. Secondary sources would comprise relevant project documents and county wise database.
Primary data will be collected from a sampled beneficiaries and market actors in each of the project payams/Bomas.
In order to ensure that the sample households interviewed for the baseline survey are representative of the project’s target households, the total number of interviewed households should represent at least 10% of the projects target households, constituting proportionate representation of the all sub‐sectors, viz., vegetable hhs, cereals hhs, fish hhs, etc and also covering all the payams/Bomas
The detailed methodology and field work schedule will be worked out in consultation with IRC, partner organizations and the consultants. However, the following steps will be ensured by the consultants:
a) Visit IRC South Sudan country office in Juba and meet core team to get acquainted with project, its activities and the proposed work.
b) Prepare a detailed methodology including questionnaires for household survey and checklist for group discussion, focus group discussion and key informant interview as per the project document and project log‐frame mainly focusing on indicators but also covering other related issues of poverty reduction of smallholder farmers.
c) Pre‐test draft questionnaire and checklists and incorporate the inputs in final questionnaire and checklist.
d) Share and circulate final version of baseline questionnaires and checklist and incorporate comments (if any).
e) Prepare a detailed plan of action/schedule covering orientation to enumerators, field work, data collection, analysis, interpretation, draft and final report preparation with concerned project staff.
f) Share draft report and obtain comments/inputs and incorporate the same into final report and
g) Prepare final report and submit (hard copy and electronic version in word format) to IRC South Sudan
5. Responsibilities of Consultants/Scope of Work
THE CONSULTANT ANSWERING TO THIS PARTICULAR EOI CALL WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING A BASELINE IN PANYIJIAR COUNTY IN UNITY STATE IN SOUTH SUDAN
The composition of the study team is left up to the consultant/ organization based on their internal system. However, IRC recommends that the team comprise one Team Leader (TL) to coordinate/conduct the overall study and liaise with IRC. To collect information from the field, adequate number of Field Enumerators (FEs) will be deployed in facilitation of IRC's Project Officers at the payams/Bomas. Supervision of the field work and quality (reliability and validity) of the data/information collected from the field is the primary responsibility of the TL. The TL will work closely with the Project Team. In each step and process, consultation with the ERD and Nutrition Coordinators and Program Managers at the field will be highly encouraged. The Consultancy/ consultant team will be primarily responsible to:
a) Develop/design baseline study including questionnaire for HH survey and checklist and tools for group interaction including FGD with target beneficiaries at County /Payam/Boma/Village levels.
b) Share study design including process, methods and questionnaires/checklist with project team, collect feedback and finalize the study design.
c) Pre‐test questionnaires and other tools in one of the project Bomas/Villages.
d) Submit inception report.
e) Debrief/discuss with project team about effectiveness of questionnaire, checklists and other tools used in pre‐test, collect feedback and finalize them.
f) Orient, train and supervise the enumerators.
g) Carry out field work together with enumerators.
h) Ensure the quality of information collected from fields, cross check with the validity of information collected and verify/revise where needed.
i) Update progress of the study on weekly basis to ERD and Nutrition Coordinator
j) Analyze data and prepare quality report.
k) Give presentation of draft report to IRC, and
l) Submit final report (a compiled version of the report ‐ both hard copy and electronic version in word format) to the project after incorporating the feedbacks and suggestions from IRC.
6. Deliverables
The following deliverables are envisioned under this ToR:
a) Collected information of all 10 payams under Panyijiar County
b) Hard copy of the final Baseline report.
c) An e‐copy of raw data and final version of the report
7. Eligibility Criteria
The consultancy / consultant team should have experience on qualitative and quantitative research; clear understanding on research methodology and experiences on using different social research tools and techniques. The team leader and any key consultants must be holders of at least Master’s degree qualifications in agriculture, food security studies, social sciences, development studies or statistics, with no less than 5 years of proven experience of research in food security, market systems and/or public health nutrition.
It is highly desirable that the team leader and, or key consultants have experience in conducting research in South Sudan or have worked on European Union funded projects research in a similar context
8. Work Schedule
Details will be worked out jointly with the consultant team and project staff. However, the work is expected to commence from, 1st April 2016 for an estimated 20 days period.
9. Evaluation Criteria
Consultant will be evaluated based on following criteria: The weight for technical portion of the proposal will be 70% and financial 30%. The key factors stated below will be taken in consideration during the evaluation process
· Previous work experience
· Methodological/technical aspects of carrying out the study
· Financial aspects (consultant fees, breakdown of activity costs etc)
How to apply:
http://chm.tbe.taleo.net/chm03/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=IRC&cws=1&rid=13486