Title: Consultancy – Needs and Readiness Assessment on Digitalization of Supply Chains through Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection
Date: 28/05/2026
Concerned Project(s): Link V2
ToR Reference Number: HULO-TOR-LV2-2026-001
This Call for Interest is open to all eligible consultants, in accordance with hulo’s procedures and principles.
Context of the consultancy:
The Humanitarian Logistics Cooperative, also known as “hulo”, is the first humanitarian European Cooperative Society (SCE) created in June 2021. Hulo now regroups 15 organisations: ACTED, Action contre la Faim (ACF), International Federation of the red Cross and Rd Crescent (IFRC), the French Red Cross (FRC), Fleet Forum, Bioport, Handicap International / Humanity & Inclusion (HI), INTERSOS, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Médecins du Monde (MDM), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam Intermón, Plan International, Première Urgence International (PUI), Solidarités International (SI), and Welthungerhilfe (WHH).
Its objective is to increase the impact of humanitarian aid by strengthening links and solidarity between humanitarian logistics actors and improving performance through the pooling of logistics and supply chain resources and expertise. Hulo’s “Joint Initiatives” are already underway in 7 countries (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Jordan for the Syrian crisis, Colombia, and Chad) and include on the ground: Joint Procurement Initiatives, shared human resources, a digital solution for pooling resources, Joint Transport Initiatives and Joint Environmental Initiatives. At global level (i.e., across Headquarters of hulo member organisations), the hulo activities focus on Joint Procurement Initiatives, and on the development of digital tools. These initiatives save time and money, improve the quality of goods and services provided, and therefore provide more effective assistance to those who need it most.
The IT Projects department team, is composed of around twenty people (in-house staff and contractors) with a range of specialisms (Web Project Managers, Analysts, Technical Lead, UI-UX Design Coordinator, Back-end and Front-end Developers, etc.), responsible for designing, deploying and maintaining the applications made available to humanitarian organisations, including the version 2 of the LINK software package. LINK is a supply chain management solution for humanitarian organisations all over the world. LINK aims to be used by international organisations (iNGO) and by local/National organisations, supporting the professionalisation of the sector, and the localisation of the humanitarian supply chain.
Overall scope of work expected from the Consultant:
The consultant will conduct a qualitative and quantitative data collection to assess the needs of local and national organisaitonsn aiming at understanding their readiness to digitalize supply chain management. This specific activity is part of the larger deployment and integration of LINK v2 project.
The objective of the consultancy is to understand the needs of local NGOs regarding a supply chain management solution, and to make recommendations to adapt the LINKv2 software to these needs.
The consultant will work in close collaboration with the project lead (not in isolation) to design and implement the data collection methodology, including the overall approach, tools, and coordination with participating organizations. The assessment will follow an iterative, co-creative approach.. The focus of the consultancy will be on collecting data from local organisations (particularly by conducting semi-structured interviews and a survey), and analysing this data to make recommendation to Linkv2 project lead.
The Consultant is expected to:
Needs Assessment Design & Implementation
- Propose needs assessment tools, including semi-structured interview guides, surveys, and data collection frameworks, to be refined with the Project Lead.
- Rollout of the needs assessment with participating organisations, with the support of the Project Lead.
Data Collection
- Lead the semi-structured interviews with local and national organisations
- Collect data in a structured, and coherent manner.
- Ensure quality, consistency, and documentation of collected data
Partner Engagement & Coordination
- Engage with participating organisations to ensure their involvement in the process
- Ensure a proper communication with partners (information sharing, scheduling of meetings, follow-ups,…)
Data Analysis & Insights
- Analyse qualitative and quantitative data from interviews and surveys
- Identify key trends, gaps, and insights related to operational capacity, digital readiness, and supply chain practices
Final workshop and final report
- Participate in the final workshop (planned for end of 2026) with all participating organisations, and provide input and feedback
- Prepare a comprehensive final report presenting key findings from the needs assessment, along with recommendations and key observations
Key Priorities and Deliverables:
For each of the objectives listed above, the key deliverables are:
- Workplan: propose a workplan for the assessment, based on the specificities of the project and the constraints of the partners. (2 days)
- Tools and templates for the needs assessment: design tools and templates to support the needs assessment. (3 days)
- Data collection documentation: the consultant is expected to collect data in a structured, concise and usable manner. The consultant will use the validated tools and templates during the data collection process (conduct interviews, consultations, meetings, surveys). All written documents produced during the process will be considered as deliverables and are expected to capture the essence of the discussion, in a concise and organized manner. (10 days)
- Data Analysis & Final report: comprehensive report (minimum 15 pages) to detail the key findings of the interviews and surveys
- Participation in the final workshop: prepare a presentation deck summarising the findings of the assessment and present them during the final workshop. (2 days)
Note: The estimated level of effort (number of days) is indicative and may be adjusted depending on operational needs and the evolution of the assignment. The consultant is expected to remain flexible and adapt accordingly in coordination with the project lead.
Qualifications and Experience:
Interested Consultants should possess the following qualifications and experience:
- Proven experience in needs assessments, qualitative research, and data analysis
- Strong experience conducting semi-structured interviews.
- Experience working with NGOs, humanitarian or development actors
- Familiarity with supply chain, procurement, or digital systems (Desirable)
- Ability to synthesise complex information into clear insights and recommendations
- Ablility to work autonomously and report or alert on its activity.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to work closely with a small team
- Strong writing skills in English is a must.
- Spoken arabic and or Frenchskills is a plus.
Management and Reporting Lines:
The Consultant will be working under the direct line management of the hulo project lead
Schedule:
This consultancy is targeting a maximum of 20 working days within the July – November 2026 period.
How to apply
Application & Contracting Process:
The selected consultant will be contracted by hulo for a duration of 5 months but is not expected to work full time during this period. He/She is expected to outline the main key steps of the process as part of the Expression of Interest (EOI). These tasks can be fully carried out remotely.
Hulo invites applications for the provision of services described above. Interested candidates must submit their EOI outlining their **financial offer (**daily rate with clarifications on other cost covering expectations, plus a proposed overall cost), proposal to meet the ToR, scheduling and CV providing information on capacity and experience, showing qualification for the technical skills required by the scope of work, including:
Deadline & Application information:
Interested Consultants should express their interest by 16/06/2026, by sending an email containing all the above-mentioned documents to link@hulo.coop, mentioning **“HULO-TOR-LV2-2026-001”** in the email title.