TERMS OF REFERENCE
Title: Research Study on Group Cash Transfers in Sudan
Country: Sudan
Duration: No more than 40 days.
Background information:
Group Cash Transfers (GCTs) have gained traction globally and much more visibly across the Horn, East and Central Africa region as a people-centered, locally led modality for responding to crises. GCTs channel flexible resources to self-mobilizing groups within crisis-affected communities, enabling them to define and address their priority needs. This approach fosters local ownership, promotes trust-based resourcing, and is especially valuable in constrained and hard to access contexts like Sudan.
In the ongoing conflict in Sudan, traditional humanitarian access is severely limited. In this context, GCTs have emerged as a promising solution to the challenge of reaching the most affected populations, particularly in hard-to-reach or besieged areas. Their role in providing life-saving assistance while shifting decision-making power to communities aligns with broader efforts toward locally led people-centered humanitarian cash responses.
Despite positive feedback from facilitating agencies and recipient communities and other means of communicating and shedding light on the positive impact of GCTs, there is limited documented evidence and understanding about the practical implementation, outcomes, learning, innovative approaches, challenges, and risks of GCTs in Sudan. This research aims to fill this gap and contribute to the regional and global evidence base for the effective and accountable use of GCTs.
Objectives:
Overall Objective: To generate evidence, insights, and practical recommendations to improve the quality, accountability, and impact of Group Cash Transfers and scale it up in Sudan.
Specific Objectives:
- Document how GCTs are currently being used in Sudan, including variations in design and implementation.
- Assess outcomes and impact of GCTs on affected communities, with a focus on locally led action, access, and relevance.
- Identify challenges and risks related to quality, accountability, inclusion, and coordination.
- Capture perspectives and experiences of community groups, local/national NGOs, and other key actors.
- Recommend practical actions to improve the design, implementation, and strategic positioning of GCTs in Sudan.
Scope of Work: The research will focus on:
- GCTs implemented in Sudan since 2023 in response to the ongoing conflict.
- Multiple states/regions, including those with limited humanitarian access.
- Both international and national actors facilitate GCT programming.
- Community groups that have received and managed GCTs.
Research Questions Per Specific Objective: To be developed/refined by consultants. Examples include:
SO1. Document how GCTs are currently being used in Sudan
- RQ1.1: What are the common design features of GCTs in Sudan (e.g., transfer value, frequency, duration, type of group, activity focus)?
- RQ1.2: Who are the key local actors involved in GCTs, and what roles do they play in design, facilitation, and coordination?
- RQ1.3: How are community groups identified or selected for GCTs, and what is their role in planning, implementation, and oversight?
SO2. Assess outcomes and impact of GCTs on affected communities
- RQ2.1: How do communities perceive the relevance, flexibility, and accountability of GCTs?
- RQ2.2: What tangible and perceived outcomes have GCTs produced for communities and local systems, including any secondary impacts (e.g., on civil society)?
- RQ2.3: What changes in agency, access, or social cohesion (if any) are attributed to the use of GCTs?
SO3. Identify challenges and risks related to quality, accountability, inclusion, and coordination
- RQ3.1: What challenges or risks (e.g., elite capture, exclusion, mismanagement) have emerged in GCT implementation, and how are these addressed?
- RQ3.2: How are disagreements or tensions between community groups and facilitating agencies resolved in GCT processes?
- RQ3.3: What barriers exist across stakeholders related to quality, accountability, inclusion, or coordination?
SO4. Capture perspectives and experiences of community groups, local/national NGOs, and other stakeholders
- RQ4.1: What are the key lessons learned from GCT implementation from the perspective of different actors (community groups, L/NNGOs, INGOs, donors)?
- RQ4.2: How do community actors compare GCTs to other forms of aid (e.g., individual cash, in-kind, or services) in terms of risks and effectiveness?
SO5. Recommend practical actions to improve GCT design and positioning
- RQ5.1: What are the most promising design features or approaches that should be scaled, adapted, or discontinued?
- RQ5.2: What are the coordination priorities to sustain and scale quality GCTs in Sudan?
- RQ5.3: What has been the effect of international GCT programming on local systems, and how can it be strengthened to reinforce local leadership?
Expected Methodology: The research team is expected to apply a mixed-methods approach, including but not limited to:
- Desk Review: GCT guidance, program documents, situation reports, and existing evidence (not limited to reports, but can also include podcasts, blogs, and other forms of documentation).
- Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): With community group representatives, LNNGOs, INGOs/CCS, donors, CWG members, ERRs, and WERRs.
- Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): With community groups facilitated through facilitating agencies, where feasible and as a priority.
- Case Studies: At least 3 in-depth case studies of GCTs in different Sudanese contexts.
- Participatory tools: Including appreciative inquiry or story-based methods to elevate community voice.
Special attention should be paid to inclusivity of the research methodology, particularly ensuring that community members (especially women, youth, and marginalized groups) can contribute meaningfully. In the event any of the above expected methodology is changed, strong justification must be provided.
Schedule: The research is expected to start in late October 2025
Deliverables & Terms of Payment:
Up to three tranches of payments can be made in line with the delivery of agreed on quality pieces of work with revisions as needed and are signed off by CALP.
30% – Inception Report
Methodology, workplan, tools
40% – Data Collection Report
Summary of field/data gathering phase
Draft Report
Analysis, findings, concrete and actionable recommendations
Validation Workshop
With key stakeholders, including community group reps
30%- Final Report
Incorporating feedback from workshop
2-3 pager Summary & PowerPoint deck
For dissemination
The research will be coordinated with:
- The Group Cash Transfers Working Group (GCT WG).
- The Sudan Cash Working Group (CWG).
- The Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS).
- The Emergency Response Rooms – including women-led (ERRs & WERRs)
- CALP Network for alignment with global learning and guidance.
- Relevant L/NNGO platforms to ensure community voice and local actor leadership.
Qualifications:
Consultant Profile: The selected consultant or research team should demonstrate:
- Primary research lead and/or research team need to be in Sudan and have CVA expertise.
- Proven experience in humanitarian research in conflict contexts, preferably Sudan.
- Strong understanding of CVA and locally led response mechanisms.
- Preferred: experience with GCTs, and CVA programming.
- Experience with participatory research and community engagement.
- Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
- Ability to work with local partners and researchers, preferably based in or with access to Sudan and speak the local language(s).
How to apply
Complete tender documents may be obtained, free of charge, by downloading the documents from the Digital Procurement System (DPS) using this LINK, between the dates: Fri, 03 Oct 2025 15:05 PM and Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:00 PM.
If you have any technical difficulties in accessing the tender documents, please contact the following email address: esa.roprocurement@nrc.no for assistance, considering that NRC will not share the bids via email as all bidders must Register and download the tender documents from the Digital Tendering System.