Terms of Reference for communication deliverables

Terms of Reference for communication deliverables

August 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS                      

Background

Specifications of the Service required. 2

Objectives. 2
Key target audiences. 3
Guiding principles and strategic change goals. 4
Approaches to communicating our work. 5
Scope of work. 6
Time frame. 8
Reporting.. 9
Requirements. 9

9.1 Eligibility of the firm   9

9.2 Qualifications, Experience and Team Composition   10

9.3 Proposals  10

Accessing relevant information.. 11

1.   Background

The Development Fund of Norway (DF) is a Norwegian Non-Governmental Organization registered internationally and nationally.

DF has been supporting Civil Society Organizations under various programmes in both Somaliland and Puntland to address vulnerabilities to climate change and climate related shocks. There are currently two main programmes supported by DF; one programme is funded by Norwegian Agency for Development (Norad), while the other programme is funded by Darwin Initiative. The two programmes are implemented through five partners in Somaliland (HAVOYOCO, Candlelight, ADO, NAFIS, Amoud University) and two partners in Puntland (KAALO, NODO).

In accordance with the grant agreement with Darwin Initiative, we are looking for a vendor to deliver Information, Education, Communication (IEC) materials and provisional Videos/ Photos to communicate the impact of the project on one hand, and on the other spread pertinent knowledge in the project participants. Hence, we would like to invite provisional vendors to submit technical and financial proposal for this service provision by (Date). 

About the project: The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme for biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction activities in eligible low- and middle-income countries. This project (Climate resilience, food and livelihood security for agro-pastoralists) is being implemented by the Development Fund of (DF) Norway in partnership with four local organizations: HAVOYOCO, ADO, and Amoud University in Somaliland and KAALO in Puntland.

Climate resilience, food and livelihood security for agro-pastoralists project aims to strengthen climate resilience, food, and livelihood security for agro-pastoralists through 1) establishment of Community Seed Banks (CSBs) with all necessary equipment, training, and management structures, and further strengthening of the existing CSBs so as to ensure delivery of improved quality seeds, 2) CSBs Supported selling their seeds in markets outside their local communities, 3) 2,500 smallholder farmers have improved access to water for agricultural use, 4) 2,500 smallholders have new agricultural skills and access to improved quality soil and 5) the capacity of public officials to draft, enact and operationalize seed policy in Somaliland and Puntland is strengthened. The project focuses its seed security and land reclamation actions in five agro-pastoralist communities while using previous experiences of Darwin initiative round 24 to engage relevant stakeholders including line ministries, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders at the policy level. The five target villages are Beer, Midhisho and Galooley villages in the Togdheer, Sanaag, and Maroodi-jeex regions respectively of Somaliland: and Dulcadale and Cuun villages in the Bari and Nugaal regions respectively of Puntland state of Somalia.

The project also works closely with the Puntland Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoE&CC) as well as the Somaliland Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD), Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC).  

Specifications of the Service required.2.    Objectives

Overall objective of the communications component in the project: The entire communication activities in the project are particularly aspired to highlight and share the achievements of the project to ensure that the project participants, implementing partners as well as the other stakeholders are interactively exchanging knowledge/information, capturing lessons learnt and effectively communicating project results through:

• Promoting a better understanding and awareness of the project on one hand, and on the other DF and partners work in Somaliland/Puntland and how they work together to support local communities to address food security and agro-biodiversity.
• Improving the established two-way communication channels between the project and the project participants.
• Employing different communication methods tailored to different audiences.

Strategic aim ‘‘External’’

• To ensure that Darwin Initiative, DF and partner’s mandate in the Project are clear
• To widely communicate and share the impact of the project in Somaliland, Puntland and internationally.
• To highlight the efforts of Darwin Initiative, DF and partners to reduce the vulnerability of communities and households to climate related shocks, disasters, and the positive progress in the target locations in achieving this goal.
• To increase (local) resource mobilisation and strengthen partnerships.
• To further, utilise different media platforms in communicating the project interventions in Somaliland and Puntland.

‘‘Internal’’

• Better and maintained communication between Darwin Initiative, DF and implementing partners.
• To further improve quality of programming by documenting and sharing lessons learned.
• To serve as a knowledge sharing mechanism and to contribute to more harmonized community resilience interventions in Somaliland and Puntland.
• Provide channels for sharing information.

3.    Key target audiences

The target audiences of the Project (Geographic locations: Somaliland and Puntland) are included the Project participants, the Darwin Initiative, the different local and national administrations (line ministries and other government agencies, relevant platforms and cluster coordination bodies), wider community members and grass root organizations.

Local communities: The communication exercises will assist the transferring of knowledge and information to the respective local community.

The Darwin Initiative: The project is funded by Darwin Initiative with the overarching aim of increasing the resilience of communities in Somaliland and Puntland. The Darwin Initiative branding will be important in all communication deliverables.

Similar agencies and relevant platforms: The project will share its successes and lessons learned with other organizations and agencies that are operating on the ground. The project will use existing sector-wise cluster systems and inter-agencies coordination meetings (mainly Food Security Cluster Coordination-FSC and Resilience Working Group) as a platform for displaying successful achievements.

Local NGOs and relevant government ministries: Local NGOs and relevant ministries are important part of the project. As such, the Climate resilience, food and livelihood security for agro-pastoralists project will strive to strengthen their capacity in terms of delivering results related to reducing the vulnerability of local communities and enhancing their resilience. In particular, the communication activities will communicate project results and will embrace local NGOs and relevant Government ministries to take a vital role in the implementation phase.   

Diasporas community: The Diaspora is a vital target audience and participant of the project. The project will communicate with the diaspora community through social media and other virtual means of communication. The project will engage Diaspora communities hailing from the two zones of Somaliland and Puntland on delivering some initiatives and components of the project. To this end, appropriate messages and materials will be developed to tap into the diaspora resources.

4.    Guiding principles and strategic change goals

This communications exercise should focus on three strategic change goals that will facilitate to achieve the overall objective of the project:

1. Better management of climate-related shocks and disasters is being achieved through strengthening the capacity of target communities and local institutions.
2. Enhancing target communities’ livelihoods and food security that will reduce the vulnerability of communities and households to climate related shocks and disasters
3. Climate related shocks and disasters affecting the target communities in Somaliland and Puntland are raised in different platforms.
4. The importance of Agro-biodiversity enhancement in the food security and livelihoods across the two regions.

The communication exercises is also guided by the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS):

• Core Humanitarian Standards: DF and Implementing partners considered all relevant Humanitarian standards in this communication plan.
• Rights-based approaches: DF and Implementing partners ensured that all the work done is primarily aimed to promote rights of individuals and groups benefiting from our resilience work.
• Integrated program approach: DF and implementing partners ensured that resilience interventions are coherent and linked with other sectors such as Agriculture, Water and Livestock.
• Community ownership & partnerships: DF and Implementing partners ensure that the work they do in Somaliland and Puntland is delivered with and through local organizations and communities. We believe that local actors are capable and best placed to attain sustainable results.
• Cross-cutting and mainstreaming: In this project DF and Implementing partners seek to integrate and mainstream cross-cutting themes including gender justice & social inclusion, conflict sensitivity/DNH and economic justice.

5.    Approaches to communicating our work

DF, implementing partners and the selected vendor shall develop and use different communication products and methods that facilitate to publicize and widely share the impacts and achievements of the project through these two main approaches:

• Creative and clear means to convey the impacts: being proactive and assertive in getting clear, accurate, positive, and relevant information across to various targets internally and externally through public media and partners and DFs social media, DFs website, and publications of different products.
• Collecting successes stories: recording the innovations, best practices and lessons learned through standardized high quality documentation, analysis and delivery techniques that add value to DF and partners implementation methods.

6.    Scope of work

The work is decided into two assignments demanding two separate areas of expertise. The assignments may therefore be divided between two different vendors. Vendors may compete on both deliverables or just one of them.

Assignment 1:

The successful vendor will deliver the deliverables we listed below: 

• Consultation on communication and branding for the project partners
  • Brochures to wrap up project to highlight good practices, learnings and to highlight the successes of this approach.
    • One Informational brochure showcasing our aims and results within local seed policy work, to be distributed in meetings with government.
    • Information material describing the benefits of using local seeds to be distributed to local food producers.
    • Information material showcasing the projects results and how we got there on improving soil health and building capacity on new agricultural techniques, including two case stories from program participants.
    • Informational material showcasing the projects result on water infrastructure, including two case stories from program participants.
    • Information/educational material showing an overview of the most common challenges facing local food producers and what they and local NGOS can do to address the challenges. Ex. Pest management.
  • Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials (posters and billboards) to raise the awareness of the community on the utilization of the complaint and feedback mechanism established for the project.
    
    

DFs country office will provide information for each brochure. The consultant will work with the material and make it ready for design. Depending on the selected consultants competency the task may also include design of the final brochure and billboards. If this is outside the consultants scope of competency, DF head office will assist on this task.

Assignment 2:

Producing high quality photos and videos from the project. The photos will be used to showcase success stories and developments resulting from the project implementation.  The photographer will travel with a representative from partner organization.

• Place: Somaliland and Puntland
• Assignment: collect stories, photo and video material from program participants in relation to their fight against climate change, climate adaptation solutions, seed systems and histories of change – challenges met and how they have overcome them with contributions from the project.

• Photo stills: 15 shots per beneficiary – specific shot list will be provided. Approximately 8 beneficiaries (2 per day). Interview will be done by partner representative collaborating with the photographer.
• Photos of 4 trainings/activities (seed banks, water management, sustainable agriculture training) and 4 intervention sites.
• A photo album consisting of a selected 10-20 photos from the stills taken, including descriptive captions with names of beneficiaries, activities, location etc.)
• Video material:
  • One 3-minute video showing the story of change/human-interest story of one of the program participants. All stories will highlight concretely the impact of the project on the beneficiary and will include quotes.
  • One 1-minute video of an activity in the project or an interview with a project participant.
  • One 1-minute video of a water infrastructure site in the project, including quote from a project participant illustrating the situation before and after the implementation.

7. Time frame

The successful vendor in assignment 1 will work with DF and implementing partners for approximately two months (Detailed timeframe will be decided in discussion between DF and the successful vendor).

The successful vendor in assignment 2 will work with DF and implementing partners on a 4-day photography assignment in the field. The chosen vendor will have three weeks to work on the material and finalise photos and video deliverables after concluding the assignment in the field. (Detailed timeframe will be decided in discussion between DF and the successful vendor).

8. Reporting

The successful vendor is required to submit:

• nception report: to communicate service provision methodologies, cost and timelines.
• Final report: to communicate the services provided across the contractual period.

Requirements9.1 Eligibility of the firm

Vendors or firms who will fulfil the following requirements are eligible to submit the proposals

1. Holding renewed business license
2. Holding renewed Practicing Certificate

The competing vendors must be completely impartial and independent from all aspects of management or financial interests in DF and partners. The vendors should not, during the period of service provision, be employed by, serve as director for, or have any financial or close business relationships with any senior participant in the management of DF and partners. The vendor should disclose any relationship that might possibly compromise his/her independence.

9.2 Qualifications, Experience and Team Composition

The vendor shall assign a team of staff with appropriate professional qualifications and suitable experience. The vendor shall also provide the Development Fund with CV's of the partners or other persons who are responsible for the service provision. The vendor or firm shall provide a list of references with contact information.

Interested firm shall submit both technical and financial proposal before (Dates).  The technical proposal shall demonstrate at least the following:

1. The eligibility of the firm,
2. Understanding of the requirements for the service provision,

• Proposed approach, methodology, timing, and deliverables,

1. List of Proposed team and their CVs
2. Estimated time to submit both (inception and final) report.
3. Portfolio of previous work

Note: Financial proposal shall disclose all pricing information relative to performing the exercise. The total inclusive fee to be bid is to contain all direct and indirect costs including all out of pocket expenses. Travel cost, and other out of pocket expenses should be given separately as a lump sum. Conditional cost is not acceptable.

The Development Fund will not be responsible for expenses incurred in preparing and submitting the technical proposal. Such costs should not be included in the proposal.

The proposal shall be submitted in two separate envelopes, one containing technical proposal and the other financial proposal, clearly marked and should be wax sealed in one envelope and must be marked “Delivering Communication Services FOR DF” and delivered in person to the following address:

The Development Fund

Manasoor Hotel 2nd Floor

Or email to : [email protected]

 Deadline: 05th October 2023