RFP-004EBL21-Developing Economic Recovery Program Targeting Model

Terms of reference
Research & Development Project: Development of beneficiary targeting model for economic recovery program in Iraq
Country Office
Danish Refugee Council Iraq Program Approximate Research Timeline
1 October 2021 to 30 November 2021 Proposed locations
Diyala, Ninewa and Dhouk
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
An estimated 4.1 million Iraqis remain in need of humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the 2014-2017 conflict with Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), including 2.4 million experiencing acute humanitarian need.1 Over 4.8 million people have returned to their areas of origin, with 1.19 million remaining in displacement, both in and out of camp settings2. Of those who continue to require assistance, over two-thirds are returnees, with vulnerabilities amongst returnees closely linked to delays in reconstruction and recovery in areas of return as well as a lack of progress on large-scale social cohesion programming, service provision, and security. Livelihood opportunities are not readily available, and this—coupled with limited access to essential services—exacerbates social tensions among different population groups and presents obstacles to return for those who remain in displacement.
DRC ECONOMIC REOCVERY PROGRAM IN IRAQ
DRC is a longstanding INGO in Iraq, with an extensive program providing consumption and economic recovery support to conflict affected populations across the country. The beneficiary profile of the economic recovery program includes all categories of population, i.e., IDPs, refugees, returnees, and host communities. The program portfolio on economic recovery is divided into two major areas, i.e., relief and recovery.
i. Relief: Under this, DRC provides consumption support to extremely vulnerable displacement and conflict affected population. The assistance is provided through multi-purpose cash grants to households who are selected based on the criteria measured using proxy means text methodology (PMT)
ii. Recovery: Through its economic recovery interventions, DRC uses multiple programming approaches which are further divided into two areas: i. self-employment, and ii. wage employment. To support durable solutions, DRC applies a socio-economic vulnerability model to beneficiary identification, which implies a departure from a status-based approach and ensures that intervention strategies for target
1 Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan 2021
2 http://iraqdtm.iom.int/MasterList#Returns
populations are well defined. Here, DRC defines vulnerability as a set of specific characteristics that might influence the likelihood of an individual or household experiencing material hardship, which could result in increased poverty and reliance on negative coping strategies to meet basic needs.
DRC’s program is designed to serve as a bridge between humanitarian assistance and longer-term recovery and development strategies by identifying entry-points to assistance for households at different vulnerability stages: addressing basic needs and reducing reliance on negative coping strategies for extremely vulnerable households, and job creation and income generation for vulnerable households for sustainable livelihoods. This will result in participants having improved capacity to start their own business and generate sustainable income and/or improved work skills and access to the labor market through wage employment. This continuum of support allows the extremely vulnerable to graduate from basic consumption support to sustainable livelihood opportunities in the form of wage employment and self-employment, thus strengthening the overall resilience and the self-reliance of crisis-affected communities.
Figure: DRC Economic Recovery Durable Solutions Program
CONSULTANCY PROJECT OBJECTIVE
OVERALL OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the consultancy is to review the existing approach and develop a new targeting model for DRC livelihood support program in Iraq including self-employment and wage employment aims at durable solutions. Develop a households/individuals’ targeting model with socio-economic variables, using an AGD lens, to determine eligibility for inclusion into economic recovery support interventions.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE CONUSLTANCY ASSIGNMENT
Evaluation of current targeting model
• Conduct a review of the existing household/individual targeting model currently used by DRC in its livelihood support program (self-employment, wage employment, graduation program) to find its relevance and appropriateness.
• Review the existing vulnerability data with key variables used currently, with the aim to identify their accuracy for selection of households/individual for different economic recovery interventions, exclusion/inclusion error rates, and defined eligibility thresholds.
• All data to be reviewed and analyzed with age, gender and diversity (AGD) lens.
Development of livelihoods support program targeting model
• Conduct field level interviews (quantitative/qualitative) to explore variables, including age and gender, which are drivers of socio-economic vulnerabilities in the developing context. This field level exercise is to refine, in addition to other indicators, the negative coping strategies (including protection-related strategies) and develop coping strategy index with related level of intensities in relation to economic hardships.
• Identify household characteristics which are significantly associated with indicators for socio-economic vulnerability, including due consideration of age, gender, and social protection elements of vulnerability.
• Define socio-economic profiles of different population groups, using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach. Identify relations between different population groups with regards to socio-economic vulnerability indicators.
• Explore the difference in socio-economic vulnerabilities across different geographical areas and defining the vulnerability thresholds.
• Establish the eligibility thresholds with their relevant indicators which can be used to define varying level of vulnerabilities among different population groups, geographical areas and for different livelihoods support activities, i.e., business development support, vocational training, job placement, etc.
• Define the threshold which can categorize the transition of individuals into relief and recovery.
• Develop gender-sensitive tool for household vulnerability assessment, verification tool for the new targeting model and a scoring tool to determine the eligibility of the people for inclusion to
appropriate type of support program. Key questions will also trigger referrals to other DRC sectors such as protection, in order to facilitate an integrated response.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Scope of consultancy
The successful applicant will design and plan the analysis, conduct interviews, oversee the development of additional supporting data collection, as well as draft the final tools and methodology over the course of a two-months period.
Key tasks
The following outputs are to be delivered during the implementation period:
Preparatory activities
• Conducting a desk review and producing a comprehensive written report covering all aspects of existing vulnerability model and showing the results of relevancy and accuracy of existing targeting approach.
• Producing a plan and guide, including a schedule of locations to visit, deadlines for the field research team, mapping exercise methodology, KII/FGD questions, final report format, etc.
• Methodology should include a gender analysis to inform data collection, subsequent analysis and tool development.
Data Collection
• Conduct field level data collection, using a gender-balanced team
• Identifying and providing sex, age, and disability disaggregated analysis of key trends outlined by the data gathered
Final Report
• Product a draft report capturing the result of the work with details of the revised recommended targeting methodology and tools.
• At least one validation exercise to measure the accuracy of the new model
• Presentation of the new targeting approach to DRC senior management and technical leads.
• Final report, following feedback from DRC, with all tools and detailed methodology. The report should cover the whole process of revision with detailed explanation of the indicators, variable definitions, new tools, guidance on how to use the tools, and other relevant categories as agreed during inception between DRC and consultant.
Key Deliverables

1. An inception report with detailed proposed methodology and schedule of activities in line with the objectives stipulated under this TOR.
2. A report on the review results of the existing targeting approach, highlighting key gaps, proposed new model with detailed guidance on the targeting tools.
3. An assessment tool for household/individual level data collection for assessing the household/individual level of eligibility to wage employment, or self-employment support, combined with data verification tool.
4. A scoring tool with defined eligibility thresholds.
5. Presentation of the results and new targeting model to DRC’s senior management and technical leads.

6. Final report, following feedback from DRC, with all final version of tools with detailed guidance on the methodology, tools, and overall targeting approach.
   Methodology & division of responsibilities
   All references to data collection (proposed methodology) referenced are provisional plans; the consultant will be responsible for developing an appropriate methodology and context-specific definition of vulnerability that fits the purpose. A desk review will provide information and analysis, incorporating secondary resources during this initial phase. The methodology will employ primarily qualitative and quantitative techniques, such as field surveys, existing data analysis, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs).
   DRC will also provide the following to the consultant:
   • DRC will provide required support on program needs and research focus areas as necessary. However, the consultant will be responsible to arrange the visas, accommodation, transport, access letters and other logistics for their team related to the assignment.
   • Access to security advisory
   • Required support on targeting relevant areas for research
   • All necessary documents and data as requested by the consultant
   • Pay consultancy fees at a mutually agreed rate.
   The resulting report, recommendations, tools, and methodology description should reflect the need to promote broad participation in, work within and build upon existing systems, spur more inclusive dialogues, and determine what approaches best suit the context at this time.
   Implementation and timeline
   The deliverables outlined above will be implemented by the successful applicant, with support from DRC team as necessary. The consultancy work will begin at start of October 2021 and should conclude by end of November 2021.
   Implementation will include the following components:
   Time allocation (max.) *
   Desk research
   Desk research
   Drafting of research methodology
   Development of the methodology and tools for the field data collection in collaboration with the DRC team. As a minimum, the methodology will include review approach, detailed methods to select vulnerability indicators/variables with the strong reason for choosing those indicators, analysis methodology, draft survey tools for key contacts to be initially interviewed, KIIs and FGDs, and methodology will
   include details on how research will incorporate gender mainstreaming.
   Field level data collection
   HHs/Individuals’ survey, KII and FGDs
   Review data
   Field data and writeup of initial findings completed
   Draft report
   Writing up draft report, developed tools and methodology
   Validation exercise
   Conduct validation of the revised methodology
   Final submission
   Feedback used to make final revisions to the draft report, tools, methodology, before finalizing.
   *Applicants to provide the time-allocation for each activity.
   Research Consultants
   Administrative Evaluation
   A bid shall pass the administrative evaluation stage before being considered for technical and financial evaluation. Bids that are deemed administratively non-compliant may be rejected. Documents listed above shall be submitted with your bid
   Technical/financial Evaluation
   Technical Score: 100
   Minimum passing technical score 50 The technical criteria for this consultancy and their weighting in the technical evaluation are:
   Technical criteria # Technical criteria Points to be awarded Weighting in technical evaluation 1 Technical quality of the research proposal 20%
   1.2 Demonstrated understanding of the methodology and requested deliverables, all important components of the ToR are sufficiently addressed and considered
   1-10
   15%
   1.3 Style, language, sophistication, and presentation
   1-10
   5% 2 Expertise and access 45%
   2.1 Demonstrated previous experience of working in Middle-East (prior experience in Iraq is preferable)
   1-10
   15%
   2.2 Demonstrated experience in evaluating, developing and valdiating targeting models on economic recovery support programs. Appliants are requested to share the sample of such reports as part of the technical proposal.
   1-10
   15%
   2.3 Must have access to or presence of a field team for data collection in Iraq and a team of researchers available in country of assignment with English language and Arabic language skills; applints must mentioned about their presence and in-country capacity in the proposal
   1-10
   15% 3 Personal Qualifications 35%
   3.1 University degree on economics, social sciences or other relevant subjects
   1-10
   10%
   3.2 Specialized training on statistical methods/tools, economertircs metodologies and tools
   1-10
   15%
   3.3 Must have a minimum of 5 to 8 years of experience in related work in similar context
   1-10
   10% Total Maximum Score 100%
   For each part of the weighted technical criteria defined in the scoring matrix, a point between 1-10 shall be given on the following basis:

   1 point = does not meet requirement
   4 points = slightly below requirement
   5 points = meets requirement
   7 points = slightly above requirement
   10 points = significantly above requirement
   Thereafter, the average score for the technical criteria is calculated and inserted in the evaluation report together with the percentage weighting. The report will thereafter automatically calculate the overall technical score of each bidder. An average technical score of 5.00 or higher is required to proceed to the financial evaluation.
   The next stage is the financial evaluation, where the technical score is weighted against the financial offer. The offer receiving the highest weighted score is considered the best value for money for the organization and shall be awarded the contract. REQUIRED PROFILE
   DRC is seeking the following profile to deliver the outputs detailed above:
   • Companies and individual consultants are both eligible to apply. Where a company is applying, the specific researcher(s) to be used for the project should be named in the application, along with the provision of CVs for each proposed consultant
   • Individuals’ applicants need to have tax registration documents.
   • Demonstrated experience conducting in-depth work on evaluation and development of targeting approaches for recovery and development programs, including management and delivery of supporting survey activities (FGDs, HH survey, KIIs)
   • At least 5 to 8 years’ experience working on Socio-Economic Empowerment programming, or other related fields
   • Fluency in English is essential (reading and writing)
   • Working knowledge of Arabic (reading and writing) is desirable for the lead consultant, and mandatory for the field level research team.
   TERMS & CONDITIONS
   The terms and conditions of service will follow DRC terms of consultancies. Payment will be done according to the finance procedures of DRC. The consultant should make sure to include all costs in the budget since DRC will not make any payments outside the agreed budget.
   GENERAL
   Commitments: DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html)
   APPLICATION PROCESS
   9 Interested applicants who meet the required profile are invited to submit an expression of interest including:
   i. A suitability statement including CV of participating consultants with details of qualifications and experience.
   ii. One piece of previous similar work on development of targeting model with all relevant tools.
   iii. Technical proposal that summarizes understanding of the TOR, methodology and tools to be used.
   iv. Financial proposal providing cost estimates and consultancy fees
   v. References – contacts of three organizations that have recently contracted you to carry out similar assignments.