Invitation To Bid For Consultancy for Third Part Monitoring (TPM) for SOM BHA 2022-23 Integrated Response in 3 Areas-2023. 86 views

• BACKGROUND

Somalia is in crisis with all indicators confirming an expected famine declaration. Somalia is facing widening food gaps and a water crisis affecting the areas currently supported by the USAID/BHA-funded project due to prolonged drought conditions, which have affected 7 million people so far. The 2022 March-May rainy season did not materialize and was the driest on record, devastating livelihoods and driving sharp increases in food, water, and nutrition insecurity. The impact of the drought and increasing economic pressures are deepening the severity of needs and driving the country to the brink of famine. In addition, the ongoing conflict with non-state armed actors continues to impede humanitarian access in some locations. As a result, nearly 50 percent of the population – 7.7 million people – require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, this is up from 6.1 million in May, and over 805,000 people are displaced.15 For the first time since 2017, pockets of catastrophic food insecurity have been confirmed, affecting more than 213,000 people. As of the end of August, the world is waiting for the release of updated assessments and projections (FEWS NET/FSNAU), which are expected to indicate a fifth failed rain is possible, if not likely, while the number of people expected to be living in IPC-5 (Catastrophe/Famine) conditions will tragically only rise from the current 213,000 estimates.

Based on the extensive and growing needs in Somalia, and the expectation of a fifth failed rainy season, Save the Children is proposed a second modification to its USAID/BHA-funded program SOMALIA II, to extend the program by 8 months and scale critical lifesaving and resilience activities to respond to the crisis and facilitate an agile and adaptable response. Save the Children proposed a continuation of the integrated multi-sectoral current program for an extension to a total of 18 months, with a total projected cost of $38.5 million USD for this second modification. The total includes resources to extend activities from 10 to 18 months, and scale critical interventions across the five existing sectors, with four proposed additional sectors (Agriculture, Economic Recovery & Market Systems, Disaster Risk Reduction & Policy Practice, and Multi-purpose Cash Assistance). The extended activities mirror the scope and design of the original and initial cost modification, with significant and impactful scaling to meet response needs and set a supportive foundation for early recovery activities. The proposed 2022-23 program, has been adapted to accommodate increased targets for critical sectors and activities, reflecting the current needs driven by the dire circumstances in Somalia/Somaliland and the deeply concerning projections for the project period. Notable increases in program targets and scope include 41,030 additional beneficiaries targeted with Food Assistance core program activities, not including the MPCA sector where increases have also been proposed, and an additional 86,644 Nutrition beneficiaries.

1.1.     Project Locations

Save the Children continued support of the health facilities (One mobile health clinic and two integrated health facilities) in the southwest state (Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle regions) with 7 districts and the surrounding villages as below:

1. GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE EVALUATION

The overall objective of third-party monitoring is to improve accountability and provide detailed information on the project progress and verify whether the project activities are being implemented in line with Save the Children cash transfer Standard Operating Procedures and code of humanitarian standards.

2.1.       SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The third-party monitoring will specifically provide feedback on the following areas of implementation:

1. Beneficiary selection and identification:

• Document the beneficiary selection process specifically community participation including women and marginalized groups in the selection and verification of beneficiaries.

• Document the process of selecting beneficiaries, community committees, and the role of the committee members and SCI staff in the selection and verification of project beneficiaries.

• Assess the appropriateness of the targeting criteria, the extent to which it was followed, and the overall fairness of the process
• Determine any issues related to the payment process or diversion of assistance. Diversion of cash through voluntary or involuntary taxation or forced contribution should be properly scrutinized and reported.

• Collect case studies and success stories on unconditional cash transfers.

1. Mobile cash transfer system:

• Determine how targeted project beneficiaries have benefited from the mobile cash transfer system in which they’ve received their unconditional cash transfer.

• Gather general feedback from project beneficiaries between the advantages and disadvantages of using a mobile cash transfer delivery system.

• Information sharing and community participation:

• Assess the extent to which the beneficiaries, including girls and boys, women, men, persons with disabilities, children with disabilities, and other marginalized groups, are informed and aware of key project information, such as project objectives, activities, timelines, entitlement, number of cash payments, SGBV response services, expected results and targeted beneficiaries and criteria for selecting beneficiaries.

• determine whether beneficiaries, including girls and boys and persons and children with disabilities, have been informed and are aware of activities, project durations, allocation, and entitlements

• Generate information about how beneficiaries, including girls and boys and persons and children with disabilities, would like to / are participating in the project implementation.

1. Feedback and response mechanisms:

• Determine whether beneficiaries’, including girls and boys and persons and children with disabilities are informed Save the children Feedback Response Mechanism which they can give feedback or make complaints to SCI (how to give feedback or raise concerns about activities, what they can complain about, whom they can complain to, how and where they can complain, and issues of confidentiality).
• Assess the acceptance and level of confidence that beneficiaries have in the existing SCI feedback and response mechanisms.
• Assess how SCI and Partner have succeeded in responding to the feedback and complaints received.

1. METHODOLOGY

The consultant will employ a mixed-method approach to assess the quality of service and community satisfaction based on the above indicators and the scope of work in project-targeted areas. The consultant will also apply a participatory approach during data collection to ensure a positive learning process. The consultant will work with the advice and directions that will be provided by the Save the Children technical team. The consultant will design a sampling approach to appropriate data collection instruments. Save the

Children is a child-sensitive organization therefore, Girls and boys will be consulted by using child-friendly and gender-sensitive methodologies; special attention needs will be put into ensuring that boys, girls, women, and persons with disabilities (both adults and children) will be able to participate. Everybody’s participation will be voluntary, meaningful, safe, and inclusive.

Rather than the above-mentioned methodology the consultant should fully understand the nature of the assignment and propose/develop a compatible data collection methodology and tools based on the project objective and result framework. the consultant should also justify their proposed methodology and explain why he/she/they prefer it.

The primary data and data analysis process will be disaggregated by gender, age, and disability by using Washington Group short-set questionnaire. Draft findings will be presented to the project team and key partners to validate.

1. Consultant role and expecting deliverables
2. Preparing an Inception report.
3. Develop study design and data collection tools including (qualitative and quantitative data collection tools).
4. Calculate the sample size for activities to be monitored (both cluster level and individual sample size)
5. Data collection, cleaning, and analysis.
6. draft of evaluation report produced.
7. A finalized end-line evaluation report including case studies, existing gaps, and recommendations.
8. Data sets (Excel, Stata – for all collected data (quantitative and qualitative). Qualitative data should be transcribed for future use by Save the Children Country Programmes. The data sets should be in an appropriate format (SPSS, Excel, and Word) and will be submitted together with the third part monitoring report.
9. PowerPoint presentation, summarizing the key findings from the third part of monitoring submitted together with the final report.
10. Evidence photos with GPS coordinates for the assessed location.

4.1.        TIME FRAME

The consultancy work will last approximately 30 days including induction and travel days. The days will start by the date the contract is signed.

4.2.        TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Consultancy fee: The consultant will come up with his/her own rate which will be subject to negotiation within the bounds of donor requirements and set standards of SC in Somalia the consultant is expected to estimate all relevant costs for the exercise, including costs for data collectors, vehicle rent, venue, stationary, standardization test and accommodation while undertaking activities related to this assignment.

1. CODE OF CONDUCT

Save the Children’s work is based on deeply held values and principles of child safeguarding, and it is essential that our commitment to children’s rights and humanitarian principles is supported and demonstrated by all members of staff and other people working for and with Save the Children. Save the Children’s Code of Conduct sets out the standards to which all staff members must adhere, and the consultant is bound to sign and abide by the Save the Children’s Code of Conduct.

A contract will be signed by the consultant before the commencement of the action. The contract will detail terms and conditions of service, aspects of inputs, and deliverables. The Consultant will be expected to treat as private and confidential any information disclosed to her/him or with which she/he may come into contact during her/his service. The Consultant will not, therefore, disclose the same or any particulars

thereof to any third party or publish it in any paper without the prior written consent of Save the Children.

Any sensitive information (particularly concerning individual children) should be treated as confidential.

An agreement with a consultant will be rendered void if Save the Children discovers any corrupt activities have taken place either during the sourcing, preparation, and implementation of the consultancy agreement.

1. ETHICS AND CHILD SAFEGUARDING

The consultant is obliged to conduct the research in an ethical manner making sure children are always safe. The consultant should seek the views of various stakeholders, including children. Efforts should be made to make the research process child-centered and sensitive to gender and inclusion. The consultant must respect the rights and dignity of participants as well as comply with relevant ethical standards and SC’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. The research must ensure voluntary, safe, and non-discriminatory participation and a process of free and un-coerced consent. Informed consent of each person (including children) participating in data collection should be documented.

A contract will be signed by the consultant before the commencement of the action. The contract will detail terms and conditions of service, aspects of inputs, and deliverables.

Intellectual property rights:

All data that will be collected should be considered as SCI properties and can’t be used for other purposes. All products developed under this consultancy belong to the project exclusively, guided by the rules of the grant contract between BHA and Save the Children. Under no circumstances will the consultant use the information of this survey for publication or dissemination without official prior permission (in writing) from Save the Children.

Skills and Qualifications