Terms of Reference

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO CONDUCT THE PROJECT ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY:

Transforming Eastern Province through Adaptation (TREPA) Project.

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1. Background

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union comprising both State and non-State Members. Created in 1948, it is the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of six commissions, and its more than 1,300 Member organizations and some 17,000 experts. IUCN finds pragmatic solutions to the world’s most pressing environment and development challenges and works with governments, partners, and the international community to mobilize and implement an ambitious global program aimed at restoring the functionality, productivity, and ecological integrity of landscapes for the benefit of people and nature. IUCN’s current programming is focused on three areas (i) Valuing and conserving nature; (ii) Effective and equitable governance of nature’s use and (iii) Deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food, and development.

The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The current ESARO programming is composed of a suite of mutually interrelated programs and projects designed to address some of the most profound challenges affecting people and nature in the region. Among the projects implemented by IUCN’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office is the TREPA Project – Transforming Eastern Province through Adaptation. It is a six-year project, based in IUCN Rwanda Country Office, and funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The TREPA Project intends to restore 60,000 hectares of drought-degraded landscapes into climate resilient ecosystems through re-forestation, agroforestry, restoration of pasturelands, and soil erosion control measures in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. In addition, irrigation infrastructure projects in the targeted landscapes of the eastern province will be climate-proofed by the TREPA Project. These projects under MINAGRI could include Export Targeted Modern Irrigation (ETI) in Mpanga (600 hectares) and Mahama (1200 hectares), Kayonza Irrigation and Integrated Watershed Management Project in Kayonza (2000 hectares), Warufu- Mugesera in Gatsibo and Ngoma as well as Rurambi dyke in Bugesera.

The TREPA Project will finally support the national and local institutions to effectively plan, manage and monitor climate adaptation outcomes from improved land use at national and decentralized levels.

The TREPA Project is implemented by IUCN (accredited entity) together with the Rwanda Forestry Authority and Enabel as executing entities in partnership with ICRAF, World Vision, and CORDAID. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for chairing the Project Steering Committee and ensures coherence with national strategies and policies.

For implementation of the TREPA Project, three components will be considered namely:

Component 1: Restored landscapes that support climate resilient agro-ecological systems and livelihoods in Eastern Province.

Component 2: Market and value chain development for climate resilient agricultural and tree products linked to financial products and services for sustainable management of agro-ecological systems.

Component 3: Strengthened enabling environment to effectively plan, manage and monitor climate adaptation outcomes from improved land use at national and decentralized levels.

To ensure that the project activities are implemented in the respective Components, the Executing Entities will enter relevant subsidiary and/or procurement agreements with Service Providers and suppliers of Goods and Services and in respect of Component 3, relevant TA Provider(s) for the relevant Activities.

2. Purpose

TREPA is, in nature, designed to strengthen climate resilience of forest landscapes, people and markets, and subnational institutions. By employing a paradigm shift approach to deployment of  nature-based solutions, TREPA hypothesizes that adoption of these NbS within 100 landscape (each landscape comprising of 400 ha of agroforestry adjacent to protected forest, public forest, smallholder private forest and pasturelands) will positively impact livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers and the health of their lands while creating environmental co-benefits. To monitor progress towards these positive impacts, the project will be conducting annual surveys. The first survey is planned this year (2024) and will require technical assistance/support from an external consultant. The purpose of the technical assistance is, on the one hand, to conduct the annual survey to determine quantitatively the project’s outcomes at household and landscape levels. Specifically, it will assess socio-economic condition and adaptive capacity (and resilience) at household level alongside biophysical parameters of their landscapes. While such annual surveys measure the changes observed year, for FY 2023, the survey will be a reference for future targets and constitute the basis to measure the project performance in future years.

This technical assistance will, on the other hand, build the capacity of the project team and participants (beneficiaries and local leaders) to competently conduct participatory monitoring and evaluation of ecosystem restoration and locally led climate adaptation actions. It is assumed that future annual surveys will be conducted in a participatory manner by project team and participants. Therefore, the technical assistance will establish necessary survey protocols and tools that will be tested and piloted in FY 2023 while establishing ex-ante and ex-post status of key biophysical, socio economic and environmental parameters of the project results.

3. Objectives and Specific Tasks

The assignment has a twofold objective of assisting the project team and participant to determine quantitatively the project results at the household, farm and firm level in FY 2023 while building their capacity to conduct annual socio-economic survey in subsequent years. Both the measurement and capacity building efforts will emphasize the indicators set out in the project logical framework and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Plan. The specific tasks of the assignment include:  

1. Design and train project participants on the annual survey framework with appropriate methods, sampling protocols, data collection tools, analytical framework, and reporting template.
2. Undertake the annual survey and determine the values of the key socio-economic indicators (refer to indicator table below) before and after restoration activities that started in October 2023.

Note: *Indicators required to be measured using Land Degradation Surveillance Framework

        ** Indicators required to be measured through project activities

       *** New indicators not initially part of the result framework

3. Determine the ex-ante values of the following metrics of results of project interventions:

4. Methodology

The consultant will design the most appropriate and efficient study design, methodology, sampling and data collection approaches, and analytical framework for discussion and agreement by the project team. The study design will employ a quantitative household survey for socio economic, resilience and knowledge related data. In addition, the design will prioritize the experimental or quasi experimental methods that will allow determination of ex ante and ex post values of the project indicators. Moreover, the desk review of relevant project documents, land degradation and food security diagnostics and secondary data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) or other public institutions related to household, land, and forestry within the project’s selected landscapes. It is envisioned that, to be representative of the target, the sampling approach will consider stratification by type of restoration measure (e.g., Agroforestry, PFMU, Silvopastoral, …), and randomization of households and landscape/sites.

The major activities  will include (but not limited to) the following:

• Documentation Review
• Develop an appropriate  study design: Experimental design (Randomized Controlled Trials – RCTs), or Non-experimental methods or Mixed methods, Sample size and Power calculations; sampling and allocation into treatment and control groups.
• Develop data collection tools.
• Train the i) project team on the annual survey process, protocol, and tools and ii) enumerators on data collection tools
• Field work to supervise and deploy enumerators and ensure high data quality.
• Analyze data, write survey report, and integrate comments from the project team in the final report Develop project learning plan/questions detailing what stakeholders (per category) need to know, how and when, general and specific learning questions, learning activities, audience and timing for each activity.
• Review and include in the report the Project MEL Matrix to show clear indicator definition, calculation/computation mode (as at baseline), needed disaggregates, baseline values, MTR, and overall targets. 
• Disseminate findings.

5. Deliverables/Outputs of the Assignment

Three main deliverables are expected:

(i). Inception Report: During the inception phase, the consultant will undertake consultative calls and meetings combined with review and analysis of documents, which will culminate in the development of the inception report which will be submitted to IUCN within 7 days of contract signing. This report will describe in detail the Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) for Annual Survey consisting of the approach, sampling in treatment and control areas, methodology and workplan to be used in executing the assignment. The report will also include the proposed outline of the annual survey report. The consultants will convene an inception meeting/workshop to discuss the inception report with a view to making comments for improvement and validation of the Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) for Annual Survey. 

(ii). Training and training Report: The focus of the training of the project team involved in M&E activities will be the Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) for Annual Survey. After the training, a report with a comparative narrative of the pre- and post-training capacities of trainees will be developed to showcase the acquired knowledge and capacity to independently conduct further annual surveys using the protocol, tools (data collection and analysis) and templates developed during and after the inception phase. The must be submitted to IUCN within 16 days after contract signing, and shall recommend among others, a possible learning plan that will guide the monitoring, evaluation and learning in the subsequent years, as well as the remaining gaps to be filled throughout the project lifetime.

(iii). Draft Annual Survey Report: The draft report will clearly indicate the results obtained and the utilized methodology specifications listed in Section 4 above and the  values for the key indicators. The values should be in the units of measurement indicated in the project documents (e.g., indicator reference sheets). The draft report will be submitted to IUCN within 40 days of contract signing, and must include the following sections:

• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Context (Project background and objectives of the study)
• Methodology
• Analysis of the main results (preferably by indicator and/or index, with all appropriate disaggregates)
• Proposed learning agenda/plan

Conclusion and recommendations

(iv). Final Annual Survey  Report: Project stakeholders will review the draft report and provide feedback that will inform the subsequent update of the draft report to final report. The final  annual survey report will be presented to the project management and coordination  committee for their adoption or approval. The final report will be submitted to IUCN within 45 days of contract signing.

(v). Data sets: All data sets and supporting documentation such as code books, data dictionaries will be submitted to the IUCN.

6. Reference Documents

Relevant documents that IUCN will share with the Consultant include (but not be limited to) the following:

• GCF Accreditation Master Agreement (AMA)
• Funded Activity Agreement (FAA)
• TREPA funding proposal (including ESMF)
• Project Revised logical framework.
• Project Monitoring and Evaluation plan
• Project Implementation plan
• TREPA Project Feasibility Study
• Map of the targeted landscapes/villages
• Project gender action plan
• Restoration Opportunity Assessment Methodology Report
• Preliminary Baseline Report
• Annual Progress Report FY 2022
• Annual Work Plan FY 2023

7. Required Experience, Skills and Competencies - The Consultancy firm/team.

The consultancy firm will work independently in collaboration with the IUCN Monitoring and Evaluation Office providing overall coordination.

The consultancy firm will meet the following conditions:

• Proven experience in conducting socio-economic studies, food security and livelihoods assessment;
• Having undertaken annual outcome surveys in Rwanda, preferably the Eastern Province
• Experience in designing ex-post impact studies with demonstrated application of various evaluation designs - experimental non-experimental designs, sample size and power calculations;
• Capacity to plan, manage and collect socioeconomic and food security data with a management system to ensure quality, robustness and rigor throughout the data collection.

The consultancy firm is expected to provide a pool of experts to implement the outlined tasks. The key skills and competencies of team members include:

• A relevant post-graduate degree at or above MSc level in Agricultural, Natural Resource and Rural economics, Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition or a related discipline;
• At least five (5) years’ experience in experience in socio-economic and food security assessment, and livelihoods assessment;
• Proven experience conducting evaluations (baseline or midterm) and annual outcome studies for bilateral and multilateral donor funded projects; experience with GCF/GEF-funded projects is desirable;
• Previous experience in the development and analysis of monitoring metrics and indices, preferably food security scores, KAP scores, scorecards and resilience index;
• Clear understanding of research methodologies and experience using a range of research tools and techniques with regards to outcome measurement in the areas of climate change resilience.
• Fluent in spoken and written English;
• Knowledge of Kinyarwanda language is desirable.

8. Timeframe of the Consultancy

The assignment will be conducted within a period of 45 days between January 22^nd, 2024, and February 25^th, 2024.

 9. Technical Evaluation Criteria

The technical evaluation will be made using the following criteria and maximum points:

10. Evaluation of Technical and Financial Proposals

The total score will be calculated as the weighted sum of both technical score and financial score.

The relative weights will be:

         Technical:       80%

          Financial:        20% 

11. Applications

Interested consultants or consulting firms, should email Technical and Financial proposal (in Rwandan Franc) detailing the proposed approach, methodology and workplan for the assignment. The proposal should be accompanied by (i) detailed CVs outlining the consultant’s academic qualifications, previous relevant experience, contact information, etc.; (ii) documented evidence e.g. copy of study reports previously developed or certificate of work completion and (iii) and conflict of interest statement.

All proposals (Technical and Financial) should be password protected. One day after the application deadlines, applicants are requested to send the passwords on the same email used while applying. Applications entitled: “TREPA Technical Assistance for Annual Survey­ Full names of Consultants/Consultancy Firm” should be sent electronically by email tenders.rwanda@iucn.org   no later than January 15, 2024, at 05:00p.m, local time in Rwanda. 

During the course of this procurement, i.e. from the publication of this RfP to the submission of bids/applications, if you have any question, please, address all correspondence and questions to the tenders.rwanda@iucn.org.