Terms of Reference for Recruitment of Consultants for Consultancy Service to Conduct Rapid Assessment for Inclusive Community-based Skills Development Kebribeyah and Qoloji areas of Somalia Region of Ethiopia

ETHIOPIAN CENTER FOR DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT (ECDD)

 Terms of Reference for Recruitment of Consultants for Consultancy Service to Conduct Rapid Assessment for Inclusive Community-based Skills Development Kebribeyah and Qoloji areas of Somalia Region of Ethiopia

1. Organizational Background 

The Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) is an Ethiopian non-governmental, non-religious, non-profit development organization established in 2005. ECDD works collaboratively with other organizations to promote, facilitate, and build organizational capacity for “Disability Inclusive Development” in Ethiopia – the inclusion of disability issues and persons with disabilities and their families in mainstream government service delivery and development organization programs. ECDD was re-registered on 17 May 2019 as a local CSO, Registration No. 0321, with the Civil Society Organizations Agency under the Organizations of Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019. ECDD envisions an inclusive Ethiopia, where children, youth, and adults with disabilities, regardless of gender or kind of disability, as well as their parents and families, enjoy the same rights and have access to the same health, educational and social services, training, and work opportunities enjoyed by other citizens.

ECDD has been implementing several Inclusive Livelihood Programs and Projects focusing on benefiting Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in all the regions of Ethiopia. Currently, ILO with its PROSPECTS Project is envisaging to design a comprehensive programme that will exclusively focus on increasing the prospects of PwDs among refugees, IDPs, and their hosting community counterparts in selected areas of Kebribeyah and Qoloji in accessing training and livelihood opportunities, upon satisfaction on the successful delivery of the rapid assessment and program formulation based on the study. To this end, ECDD would like to hire a consultant with the required qualification, expertise, and experience to conduct this rapid assessment.

2. Objectives of the Consultancy

The overall objective of the rapid assessment is to gather relevant information to support program formulation. The assessment aims to achieve the following two specific objectives:

·         To conduct a rapid assessment of the situations and status of PwDs (among refugees, IDPs and host communities) in the Qoloji and Kebribeyah areas, and their access to skills development opportunities;

3. SCOPE OF THE WORK

This consultancy task will have two main components.

I. RAPID ASSESSMENT:

·         Conduct thorough desk review of secondary information about the existing situations and status of PwDs in Qologi IDP Camp and Kebribeyah host community. Review of the literature, reports, case studies, etc. should include, inter alia: the capacities of TVET and CBT institutions as to whether they include IDP PwDs and the host community in the Skills Training they provide in the areas.

 ·         Undertake field research and hold accessible semi-structured Key Informant Interviews (KII) with key stakeholders based in all locations, including, primarily, persons with disabilities. In doing so, identify the actual number of Persons with Disabilities, including their types of impairments. And assess the living conditions, their needs (including their identified learning needs), and the financial situations of IDP PwDs.

·         Document and store contact details, answers, findings, and relevant documents in appropriately structured format, ensuring confidentiality and storing data safely.

4. What the Data Analysis Focus:  

The analysis shall be provided in a way to inform programmatic approaches that focuses on:

·         Increasing awareness on inclusive quality and relevant training and decent livelihood approach related to IDP PwDs and host communities;

·         Building the capacity of training institutions, partners, representatives of IDP PwDs, private sectors, and Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs);

·        Providing relevant support to training institutions necessary to ensure successful inclusion, participation, and completion of PwDs into the skills training and livelihood programmes;

·         Supporting any cost-sharing initiatives especially on ensuring that skills training institutions in Jigjiga and those active in Qoloji, and the planned satellite TVET centre at kebribeyah adopt friendly infrastructural changes that is friendly to PwD for increased accessibility;Ensuring successful transition to the labour market either through self or wage employment through relevant and feasible labour market mediation programmes.

5. METHODOLOGY

1. Desk review of secondary information about the existing situations and status of PwDs in Qologi IDP Camp and Kebribeyah host community conducted by different bodies. A thorough review of the literature, reports, case studies, etc. should include, inter alia: livelihood assessments, the capacities of TVET and CBT institutions as to whether they include IDP PwDs and the host community in the Skills Training they provide in the areas.

2. Mapping of relevant organizations and institutions, rightly identifying who is doing what, including both existing and planned programmes that could be directly or indirectly affecting the skills training which leads to decent livelihood for PwDs from IDP, refugee and host communities.

3. Semi-structured Key Informant Interview (KII) with relevant key stakeholders based in the areas. Representatives of IDP and refugee PwDs, knowledgeable persons in the communities, leaders of skills training institutions, DPO leaders, refugee camp personnel, representatives of Small and Medium Size Enterprises, Bureau of Labour and Skills (BoLS), and BoWSA Officials, and the ILO Staff members.

6. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES   

The consultant is expected to propose feasible interventions for ECDD engagement in livelihood.  The following are key expected deliverables:

·        Detailed analysis on the situations and status of PwDs among the refugee, IDP and host communities in the Qoloji and Kebribeyah areas;

·         Provide prioritized programmatic recommendations for informed and immediate engagement in skills training and decent livelihood opportunities for forcibly displaced persons with disabilities and their host communities in the areas.

·        Identification of existing gaps of training institutions and other relevant stakeholders.  

·        Mapping of different actors (who is doing what) and identify ECDD comparative advantage

·        Spell out coordination roles for ECDD from a sustainable point of view

Main Deliverables

1. Detailed study design, including draft data collection tools for a rapid assessment, to be included in the consultant’s Expression of Interest;

2. Desk Review of existing assessments and conducting rapid assessment on selected areas for programmme formulation for further interventions on livelihood;

3. Conduct accessible, Semi-structured Key Informant Interview (KII) with Persons with Disabilities and other relevant key stakeholders based in the areas.

4. Map relevant organizations and institutions, identifying who is doing what, including both existing and planned programmes.

5. Organize and analyze data, prepare and submit the first draft report

6. Review of the first draft report

7. Incorporate comments and submission of the final report.

8. Submission of hard and electronic copies of the entire assessment documents in English.

7. ECDD Role and Responsibilities

ECDD will have the following responsibilities:

·          Monitor and assess the quality of the rapid assessment study and its process

·          Provide guidance and technical support to the Consultant;

·          Facilitate the Consultant’s access to key stakeholders, assessment areas and specific information or expertise needed to perform the assessment;

·          Ensure that all stakeholders are informed of the assessment;

·         Participate in a study findings workshop

·          Receive and provide feedback on the draft report provided by the Consultant;

·          Receive and approve the final report;

·          Pay the consultant based on the agreed terms and conditions specified in the Contract.

 8. Consultant Role and Responsibilities

The rapid assessment will be conducted by an independent consultant who will work in close collaboration with ECDD and other relevant stakeholders. Persons with disabilities must be involved in conducting the rapid assessment to best assess the inclusion of the proposed project components. The rapid assessment must also be made accessible to persons with disabilities, and reasonable adjustments must be carried out to ensure their participation in conditions of equality.

 The Consultant will have the following responsibilities:

·         Design the feasibility study methodology, submit an inception report

·         Collect and analyze data and information

·          Produce and submit a draft report

·          Produce final assessment report

·          Submit to ECDD all the products of the rapid assessment at the end of the assignment and upon approval of the final report.

9. Qualifications of the Consultant

The Consultant should have the following attributes among others:

·          Extensive expertise and experience in Skills Training including in TVET and CBT for in Ethiopia or other countries;

·         Experience with skills training for forcibly displaced persons

·          Knowledge of national policies and guidelines with regards to PwDs

·         Knowledge of international instruments and national statutes concerning persons with disabilities;

·          Ability to conduct high-quality research, meet deadlines, and respond to requests and feedback in a timely and appropriate manner;

·          Experience in undertaking research with marginalized communities, experience in disability-inclusive skills training and employment or issues that relate to persons with disabilities will be an asset.

·          Excellent track record in designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative research, analysis and evaluation in Ethiopia;

·          Ability to provide strategic recommendations to key stakeholders;

·         Extensive experience in programme/project design

·          Excellent interpersonal and communication skills the including ability to work with persons having different types of disabilities;

·           Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings;

·          Ability to draw practical conclusions and to prepare well‐written reports in a timely manner and available during the proposed period;

·          Able to speak Amharic, Somali, Arabic, and English languages.

 10. Expression of Interest

An interested consultant is expected to submit an Expression of Interest letter; to include both a Technical and a Financial Proposal based on this Terms of Reference (ToR) as well as a detailed work plan for the entire assignment to ECDD. The consultant should also submit with the Expression of Interest a profile of the firm and all necessary documents pertaining to registration, licenses, etc. as well as the CVs of all proposed study team member(s).

Furthermore, the company shall confirm in writing that it is an independent firm from the ECDD and does not have any conflict of interest to conduct an independent rapid assessment for the proposed project. Statutory documents such as renewed license, tax clearance, or VAT certificates are mandatory. It is expected that applicants for this assignment show all costs related to the rapid assessment including taxes according to the rules and regulations of the Ethiopian tax authorities.

 11. Selection Criteria

The Technical and Financial Proposals will account for 80% and 20% respectively of the selection criteria, broken down as follows:

12. Time Schedule

The study is expected to start on 06 December 2021, and lasts until 27 January. An itemized action plan (indicating description of activities in chronological sequence and dates for each activity) should be submitted with the Expression of Interest, as per the table below:

13. Budget/Term of Payment

The Consultant will indicate in the Expression of Interest the study team’s daily rates for the assignment. ECDD will negotiate the final fees in line with the budget available for the rapid assessment and based on the experience of the chosen Consultant.

14. Schedule of Payment

·         First Installment of 20% of Contract amount upon signing the Contract

·         Second Installment of 30% of Contract amount upon submission of draft Report

·         Final Installment of 50% of Contract amount upon submission and acceptance of the Final Report by ECDD, including datasets and PowerPoint Summary, upon receipt of the final invoice from the Consultant.

·         Taxes will be deducted and paid by ECDD according to government rules.

Mode of Payment

·           ETB via bank transfer/Check Payment