Terms of Reference (ToR) for Midline Assessment of the Resilience Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices for USAID Somalia CDCS focal zone participating stakeholders

Project/Consultancy Title: Midline Assessment of the Resilience Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices for USAID Somalia CDCS focal zone participating stakeholders

Project Location(s):USAID-funded, Resilience Population-Level Measurement Activity, Somalia Mercy Corps.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. Mercy Corps firmly believes that this better world can be realized by embracing and nurturing diversity and a profound sense of belonging within our team. Mercy Corps understands that our teams perform at their best when they are composed of a rich tapestry of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and when every team member experiences a profound sense of belonging. Mercy Corps commitment to diversity is a cornerstone of our approach, enabling us to grow stronger and have a lasting impact. Mercy Corps has been operating in Somalia since 2008. With a staff of around 100 and programs operating throughout the country, Mercy Corps’ country goal is building a peaceful and prosperous Somalia where all people feel secure, are economically empowered, and are meaningfully engaged. Mercy Corps’ current portfolio in Somalia focuses on humanitarian response and resilience; inclusive economic growth; enhancing trust and accountability between communities and their government; and improving youth livelihood and education opportunities. All Mercy Corps interventions in Somalia are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.

Background

Mercy Corps is implementing the five-year USAID-funded Somalia Resilience Population-level Measurement (RPM) Activity. This Activity is a Mercy Corps and ACDI/VOCA - implemented program designed to collaboratively explore and test solutions for user-centered resilience measurement in Somalia USAID’s CDCS focal zone. The program uses population-level resilience measurement and a participatory approach to facilitate the use of resilience-oriented results frameworks as a common entry point to unpack resilience learning questions. RPM works with USAID implementing stakeholders to better align their interventions in support of a shared resilience vision - strengthening the foundations for collective impact in Somalia’s recurrent and protracted crisis context. RPM’s goal is to inform and improve stakeholder activities in a way that better contributes to resilience capacities that support their common resilience objectives and reduces humanitarian need. This is achieved through two objectives: 1). Participating stakeholders can estimate individual contributions to collective resilience capacities, and 2). Population level change in resilience is assessed through an innovative mixed-method approach.

As a result, RPM is a catalyst for Resilience Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (RCLA) that enables resilience foundational learning among partners and adaptation of Activities to better build resilience to shocks and stresses by stakeholders in the CDCS target focal zone.  The evidence generated from objective 2 enables learning of the Activities as well as pivots to further advance the resilience outcomes in the face of changing needs and conditions exacerbated by the increasing frequency and severity of shocks and stresses.

Project/Consultancy Description

This consultancy seeks the services of individuals or firms to conduct a midline assessment to understand the shifts in  knowledge, attitudes, and practices of participating stakeholders in relation to resilience, resilience measurement and activity adaptations as well as gather the baseline indicator metrics to monitor Activity progress. The results will be used to inform resources including adaptations of the Resilience Learning Journey curriculum, track progress in building resilience MEL capacity over time, identification of outstanding population level resilience learning needs and identification of areas where further support is needed for the participating stakeholders. The specific objectives include;

●        Identify resilience MEL gaps and opportunities from the participating stakeholders.

●        Understand how participating stakeholders are currently applying resilience knowledge gained through participating in a resilience learning journey.

●        Identify opportunities for improving resilience collaboration, learning, and adaptation among stakeholders.

●        Gather data & information to inform development of effective resilience decision support tools to support resilience MEL.

●        Track progress in integrating Resilience MEL to Activities over time by participating stakeholders.

●        Generate baseline metrics for select outcome indicators.

●        Provide recommendations on how to best incentivize participation of stakeholders in RPM activities.

●        Examine the RPM mixed-methods measurement system design and stakeholder participation.

Linked to the stated study objectives, the assessment will make use of the data /information from the participating stakeholders, collation of the data will be done to inform indicator metrics which will inform the indicator baseline values. The indicators include;

●        Percent of participating stakeholders who adjust their interventions or strategies after participating in and engaging with RPM products.

●        Percent of participating stakeholders who report significant change in their capacity to communicate how interventions and individual activities contribute to resilience progress in Somalia.

●        Percent of participating stakeholders who identify shifts in their learning agenda to incorporate a resilience lens.

●        Percent of participating stakeholders that are using data from Activity and/or population-level resilience measurement systems to review/reflect on collective resilience outcomes.

●        Percent of participating stakeholders reporting increased use of RPM research for adaptive management

●        Percent of participating stakeholders able to uptake findings from the population level panel survey to assess their contribution to resilience capacities that matter.

●        Percent of participating stakeholders that utilized the Recurrent Monitoring Survey (RMS) findings and products to inform their interventions.

Methodology

The proposed methodology for this assessment is a qualitative inquiry designed to establish a baseline for the Resilience Population-Level Measurement (RPM) Activity from those USAID implementing partners. The primary goal of this assessment is to inform ongoing progress and to make necessary adaptations to RPM products to better align them with the resilience learning needs of stakeholders. To achieve this, the assessment will employ a qualitative research approach, which will encompass document review, key informant interviews with individuals designated as resilience champions from USAID implementing partners. The data collected through these methods will be systematically analyzed to gain valuable insights into stakeholder perceptions, practices, and the effectiveness of resilience-related interventions. The key components of this methodology are as follows:

Qualitative Research Approach: The inquiry will utilize a qualitative research approach, which will be well-suited for capturing nuanced information about RPM Activity and its perceived impact on stakeholders.

Data Collection Methods: The assessment will employ two primary data collection methods:

a)    Document Review: Comprehensive examination of relevant documents such as project workplans, progress reports, the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP), stakeholder engagement plan, overarching strategic communication strategy, panel & Recurrent Monitoring Survey (RMS) study protocol, and other pertinent materials.

b)    Key Informant Interviews: Interviews will be conducted with resilience champions from USAID implementing partner organizations to gain their insights and perspectives on the RPM interventions. This will help in understanding the pivots and perceptions change of Activities that have already undergone the Resilience Learning Journey (RLJ) and establish a baseline of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) for impending partners.

Analysis of Data: The collected data will be thoroughly analyzed to extract meaningful resilience focused insights  regarding stakeholders' knowledge, attitudes and practices. The analysis will also involve the quantification of qualitative data through a systematic process to tease out the required metrics out of the frequency counts and percentages.

Stakeholder Inclusion: The study will involve all USAID Somalia implementing partners operating within the CDCS focal zone geography. These partners include;  IRiS, BRCiS, RECOVER, Nabadoon, UPG, TIS3, ELMI, AGES,STEP,BAB,PCG,Danwadaag, Immunization Response and IOM Durable Solutions.

Document Review as a foundation: Prior to data collection, the consultant will conduct a comprehensive review of Activity and other related documents. This review will not only inform the design of the Key Informant Interview (KII) tools but will also help create a deliverable checklist for the participating stakeholders. This checklist will be used to track and monitor progress and achievements.

Objective fulfillment: The assessment aims to fulfill the objectives by providing insights that will be used to refine the Resilience Learning Journey, better tailor research initiatives to better respond to stakeholder needs to make evidence-based decisions, and adapt strategies as required as they strengthen the overall approach to resilience-building within their Activities.

Deliverables

The deliverables from this consultancy will be the tangible outputs, reports, and materials that will result from the cross-sectional study and the associated activities. This will culminate into a baseline assessment report that will also have constituent sub-deliverables as follows;

a)    Resilience Learning Journey (RLJ) recommendations:  a set of recommendations for refining the RLJ curriculum based on the assessment findings.

b)    Indicator tracking table: Submit an indicator metrics table.

c)    Data analysis and presentation: A summary of the data analysis, including charts and visual representations to help stakeholders easily understand the key findings.

d)    Adaptation strategies: Recommendations on how to adapt RPM’s research products and strategies to better align with stakeholder resilience learning needs.

e)    Progress and achievement checklist: A deliverable checklist for the implementing partners to help RPM track and monitor their progress and achievements.

f)     Summary presentation: A concise presentation summarizing key findings, recommendations, and potential actions to be shared with USAID Somalia and other stakeholders.

g)    Data collection tools: The tool used for conducting key informant interviews, which may include a structured set of questions and guidelines for the interviewers.

h)    Appendices: Any additional materials, documents, or supplementary information that supports the findings and recommendations

Timeline

The total duration of the consultancy is 20 days. The estimated timeframe of this consultancy is January 2024 to March 2024.

Table 1 - Consultancy deliverables, schedule, and estimated Level of Effort (LoE)

Mercy Corps Team Composition and Participation

The individual/firm will be managed by the RPM Chief of Party and technically will report to the Resilience MEL lead. Mercy Corps will be responsible for conducting the following activities:

●        Working with the selected individual or firm to develop the protocol for data collection and data management.

●        Reviewing the weekly progress of the consultancy

●        Reviewing the deliverables as listed in the deliverables section of the SoW

●        Providing feedback on the reports(s).

Required Individual/Firm Experience/Skills 

●        The lead consultant proposed by the selected survey firm or individual should possess a Master’s degree or equivalent experience in social sciences, research, or related field.

●        At least 8-10 years of experience in implementing successful complex qualitative studies.

●        Excellent qualitative data collection and analysis skills.

●        Detail oriented to ensure quality and consistency.

●        Strong work ethic and the ability to work well independently and as part of a team.

●        Ability to travel within Somalia to meet stakeholders as required.

●        Written and oral fluency in English required.

Additional Requirements (preferred)

●        Prior experience conducting research studies in Somalia in the field of resilience.

●        Prior experience with resilience studies for USAID-funded activities

●        Familiarity with Mercy Corps’ and/or USAID’s resilience measurement approaches

Selection Criteria

Application Instructions

The individual/firm should submit:

●        A technical proposal (6 pages maximum) with the following information/documents:

o    Corporate/Individual capability statement

o    Proposed methodology and process for the scope of work

o    Cost proposal, including anticipated LOE and daily rate per proposed staff member.

●        Six-page max resume(s) for key senior and mid-level technical staff/consultants/Individual proposed for this SOW noting their education, abbreviated career history, career level (senior or mid-level), years of relevant work experience justifying career level classification and a list of relevant work in the past 5 years. 

Mandatory Requirements for firms

1. Provide a certified copy of business registration(company/organization) at Federal and/or State levels in Somalia.
2. Provide a certified copy of tax registration in Somalia.
3. Provide certified copies of business license, registrations, and profile of local sub-partner (if applicable as co-applicant)
4. Provide copy of tax registration of the sub-partner/local consultant firm (if applicable as co-applicant)
5. Provide information on ownership structure - name of directors/owners of the company(company/organization) and also for the sub-partner/local co-applicant firm’s ownership structure.
6. Provide References including names and contact information from previous clients who can be contacted regarding relevant experience (At least three similar assignments within Somalia)
7. Successful bidder will be required to sign Mercy Corps Supplier Code of Conduct form.

Mandatory Requirements for Individuals

1.     Provide a certified copy of tax registration in Somalia.

2.     Provide References including names and contact information from previous clients who can be contacted regarding relevant experience (At least three similar assignments within Somalia)

3.     Successful bidder will be required to sign Mercy Corps Supplier Code of Conduct form

Logistics, Security and Communication Protocols

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. Mercy Corps will provide relevant information as per its applicable policies. The lead firm/ individuals and support firms are expected to comply with key policies of Mercy Corps were deemed necessary. Mercy Corps shall be kept in the loop in key communications pertaining to the consultancy to government and/or other third parties while in operation. Mercy Corps will assign staff based in the field to offer guidance and cooperate for its business. All decisions of Mercy Corps in Somalia are made by the Country Director, including security and safety matters.

.Proposals should be directed to [email protected].

Advertise period is 12 days from 20th -31st  December 2023.