Consultants – Livelihood Market Survey at Premiere Urgence Internationale (PUI)

Premiere Urgence Internationale (PUI) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organization. Our teams are committed to supporting civilians’ victims of marginalization and exclusion, or hit by natural disasters, wars and economic collapses, by answering their fundamental needs. Our aim is to provide emergency relief to uprooted people in order to help them recover their dignity and regain self-sufficiency.

PUI has been implementing humanitarian activities in Nigeria since April 2016, supporting population with food security, nutrition, health and protection project in Maiduguri and Borno State.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant – Livelihood Market Survey

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Start Date: Mid of September 2020
Source of funding: FFP
Author(s): FSL Coordinator, revised DHoM-P

Background

PUI’s on-going Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) programme is being implemented in Bollori II, one ward in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State, with funding from the United States Govt. (Food for Peace-FFP). This programme has two components, a Cash and Voucher Assistance targeting a total of 5,835 households and a pilot Livelihoods component which supports 635 households to start a small business.
PUI intends to build on this pilot Livelihoods component for future Livelihoods interventions in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC). For this purpose, a better understanding of livelihoods and self-employment opportunities for vulnerable people is required.

Food Security and Livelihoods Activities in Maiduguri, Nigeria
The current Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) programme is an 18 months intervention that started in June 2019 and will end in November 2020. The overall objective of the project is to provide emergency food assistance and stabilization of conflict-affected population through an integrated response. This will be achieved through an integrated approach comprised of the following elements:

Improved Food Security: through the continuation of the e-voucher programme for a duration of 12 months to vulnerable populations in order to meet their basic food needs;
Livelihoods Restoration and creation of economic opportunities: through the establishment of Income Generating Activities (IGA) to promote self-reliance and reduce dependency on humanitarian assistance.
Enhanced Nutritional Status: Through community sensitization on malnutrition with strong focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF);
Reduced Protection risks associated with potentially damaging coping mechanisms resulting from to economic limitations (integrated protection). Individuals being exposed to protection risks or having suffered rights violation incidents in result of food and nutrition insecurity or lack of access to livelihoods are identified by PU l’s Protection team through an outreach approach, internally referred to PUl’s FSL team and enrolled into the e-voucher assistance.

Here below are details of the Food Security and Livelihoods components of the programme:

Outcome 1Goal: To improve the food security, nutrition status and sustainable livelihoods of the conflict-affected population (IDPs and vulnerable host communities) in Borno State Northeast Nigeria.
Outcome 1: Improved Food Security for the most vulnerable households in the target area.
Output: IDPs and host communities affected by the ongoing crisis in target areas are supported with food assistance.

Main Activities
Identification and registration of the beneficiaries:

Currently, 5835 households have been selected and registered for food assistance in Bolori II, one ward in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council. These households are split in the following caseloads:
- Regular caseloads: 4047 households
- Protection caseloads: 934 households
- Livelihoods caseloads: 635 households
- Influx caseloads: 219 households

Vendor selection and participation in the project:

47 vendors were selected within the 9 sub-wards of Bolori II where the programme is implemented.

Distribution of e-voucher:

Each selected beneficiary received an e-voucher that allows the beneficiary to redeem the food and cash assistance entitlement.

Cash Transfer:

Every month, beneficiaries receive on their e-voucher a sum of money that they redeem from the partner vendors. The amount is calculated based on the size of the household and is enough to cover 70% of the Minimum Expenditure Basket of the household. This money is redeemed in two forms; 50% of the value is redeemed as food commodities that the beneficiary is free to choose and the remaining 50% as cash.
Regular and Protection caseloads have received a monthly disbursement since December 2019 and will be assisted until the end of the programme. Livelihoods caseloads were entitled to 5 months food assistance while they are setting their small business. As there were some delays in the launching of the livelihoods component of this project, it was agreed with the donor to provide 3 additional months of food assistance to the Livelihoods beneficiaries. Therefore, the livelihoods caseloads got their first disbursement in January 2020 and will get their last disbursement in August 2020. As for the Influx caseloads, they were supposed to receive 2 months assistance only which they got from December 2019 to January 2020. In March 2020, it was proposed to the donor to prolong the assistance until the end of the programme. Donor approval was granted and in April 2020, monthly assistance to the Influx caseloads resumed.

Post Distribution Monitoring:

Post distribution Monitoring is done after every 3 disbursements. A first monitoring was done in March 2020 and a second is planned in July 2020.
Outcome 2: Reduced vulnerability to food insecurity through promoting livelihood opportunities
Output: Targeted households are supported with income-generating activities

Mains Activities
Developing of business idea:

Each of the 635 livelihoods beneficiaries proposed his own business idea. The project team helped each beneficiary to thoroughly study his/her business idea and assess its feasibility.

Training of beneficiaries on IGA management:

The project team attended a training of trainers on small business management. This training was conducted by an external trainer. After this training, the project team adapted the training modules received to the level of beneficiaries. The livelihoods beneficiaries were then trained on marketing a product, estimating costs, incomes and prices as well as on bookkeeping and managing finances.

Provision of start capital:

Each beneficiary will receive a start capital not exceeding 250 USD as a start capital. The capital will be granted in July 2020 based on the list of material and inputs that are required to start the proposed small business.

Monitoring on the utilization of the grants:

After provision of the start capital the project team will monitor how the beneficiaries used the received money. The project team will accompany the beneficiaries through mentoring and coaching during the implementation of their small business to increase chance of success.

Assessment Objectives
Overall Objective:

To identify livelihoods and self-employment opportunities for vulnerable people in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.

Specific Objective:

OS1: To identify the most favourable IGA for vulnerable people in MMC in terms of sustainable income generation. The market for these IGA should not be over-saturated in the near future.
OS2: To describe the profile of people who are best fit for the identified IGA in terms of vulnerability, age, education, skills, gender, income, etc.
OS3: To assess the barriers for people in MMC to start the identified IGA and to provide recommendations. The barriers can be institutional (e.g.: regulations, tax policy), financial (availability or access to capital) economical (e.g.: market supply and functionality, competition), social (gender, cultural norms) or related to human resources (skills and ability).
OS4: to identify training sources in MMC that provide needed skills to engage in the identified IGA
OS5: To estimate the financial capital necessary to start each identified IGA

Main Tasks
In the frame if this assignment, the consultant will:

Review secondary information, research papers, policy documents, strategic planning documents, assessment reports, etc.
Elaborate the assessment method and data collection tools
Conduct interviews, focus groups discussion (FGD), with the different targets groups (i.e. different socio-economic groups, key informants, individuals households)
Analyze FGD data and individual interviews data
Write the assessment report

Methodology:

The consultant should provide a detailed methodology showing how the objectives of the study will be met. It is expected that the consultant will use a mixed-method including qualitative and quantitative data. The method should demonstrate objectivity and lack of biases.

It should rely on different sources of information:

Reviews of secondary information, research papers, policy documents, strategic planning documents, assessments reports, etc.
Focus Group Discussions with different social-economic groups in MMC
Key informants interviews
Individual interviews

Organisation of the Mission
Composition of Assessment Team:

The Consultant will be under the overall supervision of PUI FSL Coordinator – in charge of the Operation department. The assessment can be led by one consultant or a team of consultants that must however meet the criteria specified in Section 8 (Requirements).

Logistics, Security and Administrative Organisation:

The consultant is expected to respect socio-cultural and security context of the mission and to act in a manner not to affect PUI image in the country.
The consultant is responsible for assessing her/ his needs in terms of human resources and logistics. PUI will provide logistical and administrative support to the extent possible.

Expected Deliverables
Inception Report:

The consultant must provide an inception report that includes:
- Summary of desk review (maximum 5 pages),
- Description of assessment method (maximum 2 pages)
- Data collection tools (as annexes)

Data Set:

The consultant must provide the data set in electronic format for quantitative and qualitative data collected during Focus Group Discussions, Key Informants and individuals interviews.

Final Evaluation Report:

Following the established framework, the consultant should submit an assessment report that includes proposed IGAs, the profile of potential beneficiaries who are fit for each IGA and the requirements (skills and capital) for each IGA. The evaluation report should not be longer than 30 pages and should include the following sections:
- Executive summary
- Background
- Objectives
- Methodology
- Summary of findings describing the identified IGA, the profile of potential beneficiaries who are fit for each IGA, requirements for each IGA
- Recommendations for market-based livelihoods interventions
- Bibliography
- Annexes including full list of institutional and individual contacts developed throughout the assessment
A draft of the report must be presented 1 week before the end of the consultant mission
The report must be provided in 2 hard copies as well as 1 soft copy sent by email to the FSL Coordinator and DHoM-P on the date formerly agreed.
The FSL Coordinator, DHoM-P or Desk Manager can request corrections or modifications within three months after the report is released and the consultant must ensure that s/he is available if necessary.

PowerPoint Presentation:

PPT summarizing the main results and information collected. Prior to the finalization of the assessment report, an oral presentation shall be carried-out in order to collect feedbacks and comments from the Mission.

Budget:

A maximum budget of 3,600,000 NGN is available for this study, however, a competitive selection process is expected to take place.
PUI will provide accommodation for the consultant in team guest houses while in Maiduguri. The consultant will be briefed on the PUI security rules and will have to respect them during all the consultancy duration.
Meals and other incidentals will be responsibility of the consultant.
The consultant will conduct his / her work using his / her own computer.
Other miscellaneous costs directly related to the task that can include photocopying of questionnaires, etc. shall be covered by PUI. Any cost needs to have prior approval from PUI.
The movement of the consultant and team to and from the field will be facilitated by PUI in Maiduguri.
The cost related to travel from/ to Field of the survey teams will be covered by PUI.
Consultant fee payment will be paid in two instalments; First Instalment 30% and the remaining 70% as the final instalment. First instalment will be paid after completion and validation of the survey methodology and final instalment will be paid after the validation of acceptable deliverables as outlined in these ToR.

A financial offer should be submitted, including a budget with detailed section (i.e. all costs related to the assessment, namely airline and other transportation expenses tickets, visa costs, medical coverage expenses and insurance, the cost of food and accommodation, logistics and human resources needed, as well as remuneration of expertise…).

Requirements
Education:

Minimum of Master’s Degree in Development Studies, Development Economics, Socioeconomic Studies, or other field related to Livelihoods. Additional areas of experience could include poverty reduction; economics, business administration or management

Experiences:

Proven experience in livelihoods or market assessment and analysis for humanitarian programming.
Minimum five-years working experience, with a focus on social and economic change / transformation for gender equality and the empowerment of women
Proven knowledge and practical experience in quantitative and qualitative research.

Competences & Knowledge:

Communicating Information and Ideas: ability to initiate and facilitate open communication in the team;
Ability to assess gender and diversity dimensions in livelihoods interventions
Excellent organizational, analytical and communication skills.
Excellent report writing skills.
Experience working in emergency context but having one from northern Nigeria is a plus.

Language Requirements: