Terms of Reference (TOR) (SRP) | Consultancy on documentation of community planning processes and approaches to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs).

Resilience Learning Activity.

Terms of Reference (TOR)

(SRP) | Consultancy on documentation of community planning processes and approaches to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs).

Key Information.

Localization Somalia - Baidoa and Mogadishu.

A. Background:

Mercy Corps leads the implementation in Somalia of the ACDI/VOCA-led regional and country levels Resilience Learning Activity (RLA). Somali Resilience Partnership (SRP) platform is part of USAID regional Resilience Learning Activity (RLA) program in the HoRN of Africa which provides a platform for sharing practices and coordinating actions between implementing partners of USAID and other donors e.g., Foreign Commonwealth Development Organization (FCDO) and Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC). The coordination between these donors is used to inform and leverage resilience and humanitarian activities by applying USAID’s collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) principles together, with an emphasis on providing opportunities at a granular level using sequencing, layering, and integration (SLI) approaches for implementation.

RLA currently is at the beginning of its Financial Year five (FY5) of implementation. Facilitating resilience learning is a top priority for the RLA-S program. RLA-S is planning to work with SRP members to formulate and document processes and approaches to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs). RLA-S will be identifying key SRP activities (Programs) to collect and document different modalities as well as the existing community action plans. RLA will report on the findings of this question entering Q3 of FY5.

RLA will hire a local consultancy firm to conduct the documentation of community planning processes and approaches to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs). The successful consultancy firm will be collecting data from SRP partners in Mogadishu and in Baidoa where interviews and feedback will be generated from the field-level staffs as well as active members of the SRP platform during the data collection processes.

B. Purpose.

Under RLA’s Objective 1 and the Intermediate Result 1.1 (Partnership meetings and collaboration in-between meetings) and activity 1.1.3 (Collecting the Main Communities' Action Plans (CAPs), these terms of reference details how the RLA team will be working with SRP members to collect and document the main Communities' Action Plans (CAPs) of SRP stakeholders. RLA-S will engage a local consultancy firm to identify key SRP activities (Programs) to collect, document and consolidate different modalities as well as the existing community action plans. Once the consolidation ends, RLA will generate reports based on the documented CAPs. This effort will help SRP partners in Somalia to point out their stakeholder priorities, need gaps in SRP operating areas. The documented CAPs will help operationalize the sequencing, layering and integration modalities at granular level by guiding partners identify and understand pressing community needs that can support community resilience capacities. Also, the documented CAPs will be stored in a centralized repository where future SRP partners can refer to the harmonized CAPs and use the resources for their proposal writing. In addition, the CAP repository will be critical in driving the process into more meaningful collaborations discussions among SRP partners which will result collective impact at the community and district levels. This will also spark collaboration and collectively generate lessons that will be used to formulate best practices and intervention packages that are critical for resilience building in the Somalia CDCS target zone.

C. Objective.

In pursuit of this purpose, the RLA team will hire a local consultant firm to conduct an assessment to collect and document the different community action plans by SRP partners stakeholders and document them. This assessment will also help shape a pilot, based on RLA partners’ needs and aspirations in that space.

Specific objective.

a)    Identify different SRP CAPs available in the SRP targeted locations.

b)    Conduct an assessment to collect, document and consolidate the CAPs by identifying their commonalties and differences.

c)    Conduct data collection in the SRP target locations in Mogadishu and Baidoa.

D. Approach.

a)  Preparation:

The proposed documentation of community planning processes and approaches to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs) assessment will be used to collect data from selected SRP partners programs and consolidated. After the completion of the CAPS processes and approaches, the consultant will consider having a representative sample from SRP partners through key informant interviews.

Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used by the consultancy firm to document and consolidate the findings. The consultant will be responsible for developing the sampling methodology and preparation of the technical documents with support from the program team.

This process will be undertaken in close collaboration with the relevant RLA-S project staff.

The MEAL team will be responsible for the direction and management of the process.

The Final report is to be completed by 30th  April 2024

Phase 1: Documentation of community planning process.

•      Conduct desk review of community planning process and approaches in Somalia.

•      Conduct interview with partners to understand key principles, approaches and processes used in the development of community action plans at different levels i.e., community, district.

•      Collect, review, and analyze all the necessary documents used in the preparation of the CAPs.

•      Map out existing CAPs within the Somalia Resilience Partnership members through effective engagement.

•      Collecting all the CAPs developed partner to help in the development of repository.

•      Develop a guidance note describing the approaches and process behind the CAPs collected from partners as well as noting key areas of commonality and differences in the CAP development process.

Phase 11: Development of Community action plan Products.

•      Develop indexed list of CAPs collected and acknowledge sources.

•      Develop summarized CAPs collected – Template harmonization, approaches/methodology used to develop the CAPs by the SRP Partners.

•      Propose an interactive dashboard for hosting CAP repository that is easily accessible.

This process will be undertaken in close collaboration with the relevant RLA-S project staff.

The MEAL team will be responsible for the direction and management of the process.

The Final report is to be completed by 30th  April 2024

E.  Learning deliverables:

•      Inception Report – to be submitted within three calendar weeks of the date of contract signing. This report will include a fully elaborated plan including the approach and proposed survey instruments, sampling frames, and sampling methodology, interviewing method, number of FGDs and the number of participants and locations, draft questionnaires and other survey tools, data processing and analysis methodology, outline of the final report and schedule of activities.

•      Consolidated CAPs Report – to be submitted within two calendar weeks of the submission of the Inception Report. This report will provide an overview of the key thematic areas and CAPs priorities and need gaps and demonstrates how CAPs are utilized and who utilizes them.

•      Draft Reports – for both Mogadishu and Baidoa to be submitted within three calendar weeks of the date of contract signing.

•      Final Reports – to be submitted after four calendar weeks of the date of submission of draft learning agenda survey report. The final reports should be written in a clear and simple style, documenting the results of the study in accordance with the above terms of reference. The report will be written based on the submitted and approved outline during the preparation phase.

•      Final dissemination workshop – within one calendar week of the submission of the learning Report, the findings should be presented to RLA-S staff and representatives of different SRP partners and stakeholders. The consultant will be providing excusive summary presentation for SRP partners once the final report is completed.

The Final Report will be submitted in English language. The report and data collected must be provided to the project, together with copies of all questionnaires, audio/video recordings.

(if any), transcriPercent and all other relevant material and information collected or generated during the survey.

F.   Required Qualifications

•      Contractor’s personnel (i.e., expert to be mobilized by the Contractor to deliver the Assignment) that have a crucial role in implementing the contract are referred to as key personnel. CVs, copies of diplomas, and relevant certifications of key personnel should be included in the Technical Proposal.

•      CVs must list and indicate all the relevant activities for the entire time period mentioned in their CVs as years of experience.

Specific requirements:

•      Academic: Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a master’s degree related to data analysis, Monitoring, evaluation and learning, project planning and design or Environmental disciplines.

•      Theoretical knowledge: Sound foundational knowledge of MEL, data analytics, USAID CLA framework, including developing learning Agenda principles, practice, and application. Expands and maintains knowledge in the field through literature.

•      Software skills: Advanced knowledge of Data analysis tools such as Microsoft Power BI; advanced knowledge of data collection tools, Microsoft Office including Excel; knowledge of R, or equivalent statistical software an advantage; knowledge of Graphic designs, particularly InDesign for reporting.

•      Knowledge of the context is required.

•      Strong experience conducting major research exercises in support of major development programs – preferably in the sectors of resilience program – in challenging operational environments, previous experience in Somalia is desirable.

•      A strong approach to assuring quality assurance of data collected.

•      A strong ethical approach to data collection – while still being able to meet the objectives of the consultancy.

•       Knowledge of strategic and operational management of humanitarian operations and proven ability to provide strategic recommendations to key stakeholders.

•      Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations and to prepare well-written reports on time.

•      Demonstrated experience in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis techniques, especially in emergency operations.

•      The firm is expected to have strong skills in survey form design for mobile data collection (ODK, Ona or Commcare)

•      Experience with evaluating USAID/BHA-funded projects.

•      Good interpersonal skills and understanding cultural sensitivities.

•      Readiness to travel to Southwest state in Somalia and conduct direct standard assessment activities as well as field visits to program sites. Having a presence in Mogadishu is desirable but not essential.

•      Fluency in English is required.

Consultants/firms that meet the requirements mentioned above are invited to submit a detailed technical proposal and financial proposal as per selection criteria on or before 21st March 2024 and should be addressed to [email protected] referencing ‘Consultancy on documentation of community planning processes and approaches to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs) in the subject of the email.