Value Chain Consultant at ZOA

Value Chain Consultant

TTERMS OF REFERENCE

Value Chain Study

SECURITY, PROTECTION AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT (SUPREME) PROGRAMME IN ARUA, MADI OKOLLO, OBONGI AND MOYO DISTRICTS

Table of Contents

II OBJECTIVES 3
III METHODOLOGIES 4
IV DATA COLLECTION 4
V SCOPE 5
VI MAJOR TASKS 5
VII DELIVERABLES 6
VIII QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE 6
IX STANDARDS OF ETHICS AND CHILD PROTECTION 7
X PRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSAL 7
XI HOW TO APPLY 9

I Description of the project
The project’s Theory of Change rests on the premise that financial inclusion and social cohesion are necessary preconditions for economic self-reliance of vulnerable populations. Financial inclusion is essential because it facilitates effective and efficient engagement in markets and enhances access to key financial services and inputs, including savings, credit and financial safety nets. Social cohesion is necessary to ensure inclusion of least resilient households, to create mutually beneficial connections between host and refugee populations, and to facilitate group-based economic activities. These are essential as vulnerable populations are frequently unable successfully to engage with markets on an individual or household basis. These two preconditions are synergetic and can be developed simultaneously and complementarily through small community group-based approaches. The action will have 25,000 direct beneficiaries (women, men and youth). These will be made up of: Direct participants in 1,000 SDCs, which have an average membership of 25 people each (25,000 people in total). The wider target group will include the households of the 25,000 SDC participants. Based on an average household size of 5.5, this equates to 112,500 indirect beneficiaries (women, men, and children) (25,000 x 5.5 = 137,500 minus 25,000).
One of the aim of the action is to support small holders refugees and host communities engage in viable agro-enterprise and value additions activities to increase income and improve their wellbeing. An ERI approach will be used to build the business and technical skills of refugees and the host. In Module 3, households will conduct participatory market assessment to evaluate market opportunities and select an enterprise they want to run both at group and household level. However, agro-enterprises by small holder farmers face numerous challenges in the agricultural value chain, including high cost of input, poor access to financial services and inability to access to profitable market and limited financial and marketing skills. Moreover, the value chain of agricultural product is long and complex with a lot of middle men and other actors play a role; taking a disproportionately large share of profit margins at the expense of the farmer.
ZOA seeks to hire a qualified consultant to conduct a value chain study for selected enterprises to understand the constraints small holder face to access to profitable market and provide recommendation to empower the weakest end of the value chain to get their fair share of the profit margin. In addition, high flyer (motivated) individuals will be selected from the SDCs and supported to engage in value addition and high value crop production.
II Objectives

The objectives include:
(1) Conduct a gender specific assessment of target areas, beneficiaries and their socio-economic context; capacity to participate in the market and recommend livelihood options suitable for the beneficiaries and the measures (push) necessary to link them to the market
(2) Identify/revise strategic commodities for each district
(3) Conduct value chain study and market assessment of the selected agricultural commodities, identify what factors drives and limits female and male farmers’ inclusion in the value chain and provide recommendations to address the constraints. Some of the basic value chain processes or steps include (but not exhaustive) – Mapping of core processes, including input supply, primary production, postharvest handling, storage, processing, trading, retail ( wholesale), Specify demand for varieties, quality standards, seasonality of demand and supply, Identify main actors, including information on gender specific information on roles, responsibilities, opportunities and constraints in the various value chain functions, Mapping of horizontal linkages (farmer associations, cooperatives), Mapping of flows of product, Mapping knowledge and flow of information, Volume of products, number of actors and jobs, Mapping of geographical flow of the product, Mapping the value (profitability) and price at different levels of the value chain, Mapping services/jobs that feed into the value chain, Mapping enabling environment and Mapping constraints and opportunities/potentials.
(4) Provide recommendations which involves interventions required to empower small holder farmers (refugees, host) to benefit from the value chain through access to consistent and lucrative market (including off takers, processors and exporters) appropriate to the beneficiaries and their capacities, Reduce layers of middlemen between farmers and the ultimate sales of the product to enhance farmers’ share in the profit margin, including the use of mobile or technological platforms and Identify profitable value addition activities and off farm jobs, emerging markets and other livelihood opportunities that small holders can leverage through project interventions
(5) Facilitate exit participatory meetings involving all identified actors to discuss on identified constraints and recommendation and agree on action plans by the actors on inclusive and coordinated value chain
(6) Determine the impact of COVID 19 on market system and value chain development
III Methodologies

A suitable and detailed methodology in line with the objectives of the study should be provided by the consultant at the inception. This will involve both quantitative and qualitative methods applied at the various points in the exercise and with different sampling units (individual, household, group, private sector players’, partners, government stakeholders etc.).
IV Data collection

(1) The consultant should present participatory ways of collecting gender specific data. Methodologies include participatory value chain mapping, Focus Group Discussions (with youth, women, men, refugees and HC), interviews with key informants and in depth interviews with key actors and service providers in the selected value chains. The consultant should include a data collection protocol that is sensitive to local COVID-19 Regulations.

(2) To ensure data quality is maintained throughout the processes, it is strongly recommended that the consultant shall:
• Ensure that all data collection tools are translated in local language (both in host and refugee communities)
• Ensure that all research assistants are adequately trained prior to commencement of data collection exercise. Women should be at least 50% of the research assistants.
• Equal representation of women and men among research assistant
• Ensure that data collection tools are pre-tested and refined accordingly based on the feedback from pre-testing
• Ensure that there is consistent supervision of research assistants throughout the data collection process.
• Ensure that data collected is reviewed consistently and corrective measures are put in place and implemented
V Scope

The scopes will be:
(1) The study will focus on oil crops (sesame, sun flower. Soya beans), tuber crops (cassava), vegetables (Onions, tomatoes, cowpeas and okra etc) and cereals (sorghum). The consultant will revise the list and include new commodities
(2) The study will also focus on identifying profitable value addition activities suitable for small holder refugee and host community farmers, including specific opportunities for youth and women.
(3) The study will cover 4 districts – Terego, Madi Okolo, Obongi and Moyo districts covering Odupi, Omugo, Uriama, Ewanga, Rigbo, Itula, Gimara, Palorinya, Moyo Town Council, Lefori and Metu Sub Counties.
VI Major Tasks

The consultant shall execute some of the main tasks given below
(1) Develop inception report before the commencement of the study and discuss it with ZOA and other partners Include feed backs and revise the inception report
(2) Desk review of previous studies or activities done by other NGOs and government, SUPREME proposal and log frame, Agricultural Sector Strategic Plan (ASSP) and other relevant Uganda national strategy documents
(3) Select and train enumerators
(4) Conduct scoping meetings involving the private sector, government office and other development partner to Identify and select commodities with high potential for value chain and profitable
(5) Conduct value chain analysis of the identified strategic commodities. This will involve field visits to collect data, conduct focus group discussions and key informant meetings.
(6) Analyze the data
(7) Provide reports

VII Time
The consultancy is expected to be executed in the month of June/July and is planned to take 22 working days to collect field data.
VIII Deliverables

Deliverable include
(1) Inception Report: The consultant shall submit an inception report 3 working days after signing of the contract. The inception report shall explicitly provide details on the survey methods, tools and work plan. The outline of the inception report shall be as follows: Introduction, Methodology including Sample sizes and Tools (Justification of each), Work plan including schedule for field work
(2) Inception report review meeting: The consultant will send inception report to partners and organize a meeting for feedback (virtual meetings)
(3) Draft report. The draft report is expected from the consultant before final report. The report will be written in good English language and must be comprehensive.
(4) Dissemination workshop. Presentation of the key field findings (with disaggregated data) to partners
(5) Final report. The consultant shall submit a final report in both hard copies and including data sets in soft copy

IX Qualification and experience

The consultant should demonstrate they have the following experience and qualifications
(1) Extensive experience in value chain and market study of agricultural commodities, business development services and financial inclusion
(2) Experience with refugees or previously worked in refugee context
(3) Experience in West Nile region, particularly in Terego, Madi Okolo, Obongi and Moyo districts
(4) Experience in organizing and deploying multidisciplinary teams
(5) Experience in working with relevant local government offices
X Standards of Ethics and Child Protection

The lead consultant will be responsible for ensuring that data collection and analysis approaches are designed to mitigate child protection risks and protect participants’ privacy and wellbeing by establishing and following credible ethical evaluation principles:
(1) The lead consultant shall ensure that all research assistants are oriented on research ethics and child protection policy prior to commencement of data collection.
(2) The lead consultant shall ensure that each member of the research team adheres to research ethics and child protection policies.
(3) The lead consultant shall ensure that every piece of information collected is treated with all the confidentiality that it deserves.
(4) The lead consultant shall ensure that survey participants to be involved in the study are well informed of the objectives of the study and their consent is sought prior to starting data collection. Participants will be informed of their rights to decline participation in the evaluation and that they will be at liberty to withdraw from the process if they wish to do so.
(5) The consulting Firm must read, understand and sign the Safeguarding Principles that have been set by World Vision/ZOA. The firm has to demonstrate their understanding of the behaviour protocols and procedures to follow when conducting research in the field to both adults or children and should be open for any screening in relation to this and be able to abide by the Safeguarding Policy.

XI Presentation of the Proposal

A proposal is selected on the basis of cumulative analysis; the total score is obtained by combining technical proposal and financial proposal points. The total score assigned to the technical proposal is 75 points and to the financial proposal is 25%.
The proposal should include (not limited to) the following sections:
(1) Understanding of the assignment (20 points): This section should summarize the bidder’s understanding of the task to be accomplished, the important aspects to focus on as well as the main challenges.
(2) Approach & Methodology (30 points): In this section, the bidder should provide a detailed approach to carry out the task in line with the ToR specifications and objectives of the baseline. This includes a detailed description of the methodological tools, their rationale, the specific tasks, indicative work schedule, and resources to be used as well as quality assurance procedures and risk mitigation strategies.
(3) Work Plan and Timelines (10 points): The proposal should have a clear workplan, dates, and realistic reporting framework.
(4) Consultancy Competencies (15 points): This part should include the curriculum vitae of the proposed team members, detailing how they are aligned with the required tasks and the qualifications specified in this ToR. These will include:
(5) Qualifications of the Service Provider: The Service Provider must describe and explain how and why they are the best entity that can deliver the requirements of ZOA by indicating the following:
• Profile – describing the nature of business, field of expertise, licenses, certifications, accreditations;
• Business Licenses – Registration Papers, Tax Payment Certification, etc.
• Latest Audited Financial Statement – income statement and balance sheet to indicate Its financial stability, liquidity, credit standing, and market reputation, etc.;
• Track Record – list of clients for similar services as those required by World Vision, indicating description of contract scope, contract duration, contract value, contact references;
• Certificates and Accreditation – including Quality Certificates, Patent Registrations, Environmental Sustainability Certificates, etc.
• Written Self – Declaration that the company or individual is not in the UN Security Council 1267/1989 List, UN Procurement Division List or Other UN Ineligibility List.
(6) Proposed Methodology for the Completion of Services
The Service Provider must describe how it will address/deliver the demands of the assignment; providing a detailed description of the essential performance characteristics, reporting conditions and quality assurance mechanisms that will be put in place, while demonstrating that the proposed methodology will be appropriate to the local conditions and context of the work.
(7) Qualifications of Key Personnel
The Service Provider must provide: Names and qualifications of the key personnel that will perform the services indicating who is Team Leader, who are supporting and in which area are they supporting the assignment etc.; CVs demonstrating qualifications must be submitted if required by ZOA and written confirmation from each personnel that they are available for the entire duration of the contract.
(8) Financial Proposal (25 points):
The financial proposal should present clear budget well aligned with detailed execution plan with further stipulation of how they would prefer funds transferred to the organization under each deliverable. Points will be awarded based on reasonableness of costs within the budget, level of details, compatibility with technical proposal.

SECURITY, PROTECTION AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT (SUPREME) PROGRAMME IN ARUA, MADI OKOLLO, OBONGI AND MOYO DISTRICTS

We very much appreciate the opportunity we now have to review your skills and experiences against our current needs. With this automatic reply we confirm that we have received your application. We will take your application in consideration and will carefully look at it and evaluate it.

The closing date is on 25-06-2021. We aim to inform candidates as soon as possible and at least within 4 weeks after the closing date of a vacancy.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the HR department by email: ugandavacancies@zoa.ngo

Kind regards,

ZOA Uganda