Publication reference: 23/ 116/ OPTI / GAZA
Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.
That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Together we save, protect and rebuild lives. When disaster strikes, we help people build better lives for themselves, and for others. We take on issues like land rights, climate change and discrimination against women. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can enjoy life free from poverty.
We are an international confederation of 19 organizations (affiliates) working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.
All our work is led by three core values: Empowerment, Accountability, Inclusiveness. To read more about our values please click https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/about/how-we-fight-inequality-end-poverty-injustice
Oxfam is requesting competitive proposals from qualified firms or individual consultants interested in conducting livelihood potential verification assessment**.**
Please note, when reviewing proposals, Oxfam will consider both technical and financial evaluation for the received proposals.
ToR link:
Bidding Process: Timetable is as follows:
Date Time
Publication Date 14th September 2023
Deadline for submitting bids 27th September 2023 14:00
We look forward to receiving a bid from you and thank you for your interest in our account.
General Background and project Description
The Gaza Strip continues to cope with a protracted humanitarian crisis exacerbated by multiple factors. The 16-year blockade, Israeli restrictions, the lingering effects of COVID-19, the May 2021 and August 2022 hostilities, and internal divisions have all contributed to the dire situation. The recent escalation in May 2023 further deepened the crisis, resulting in widespread destruction of infrastructure, mass displacement and limited access to essential services. The already fragile livelihoods and well-being of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been severely impacted as a consequence. The blockade continues to hinder the provision of crucial services, particularly for the most vulnerable communities in the Gaza Strip. Healthcare, education, and sanitation systems are under immense strain, compounding the hardships faced by the local community. 1.3 million residents of Gaza (58 per cent) need humanitarian assistance, with 29 per cent of households categorized as in ‘catastrophic’ or ‘extreme’ conditions, compared to 10 per cent in 2022. Moreover, 200,000 Palestinians, in West Bank and Gaza, have been suspended from WFP food and cash assistance from 1 June 2023 due to severe funding shortfalls. 150,000 Palestinians, mostly women-headed households and persons with disabilities, will continue receiving in-kind food electronic food vouchers until August 2023. After August, all operations will be suspended if WFP does not receive USD51 million .
The prevalent issues of food insecurity and poverty persist, impacting a significant portion of the population. Urgent intervention in the form of food assistance is imperative to ensure the basic survival of the people in Gaza. The food security status in Gaza has worsened, with poverty rates above 50%, and approximately 80% of Palestinian households are receiving some form of social assistance. Food assistance plays a crucial role in contributing towards solving the problem of food insecurity and poverty in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the context of climate resilience. According to the SEFSec 2020 , the food security status in Gaza worsened in 2020, with the share of severely food insecure HHs reaching 40.7%, increasing by 4.9% since 2018. This brings the total number of HHs experiencing severe or moderate food insecurity to 64.4%. In early 2021, poverty rates were above 50%, and approximately 80% of Palestinian HHs received some form of social assistance. This enabled scarce cash resources to be spent on other essentials, preventing further deterioration of food security and livelihood status and reducing the impact of negative coping mechanisms. Following the hostilities, the poverty rate in Gaza increased to 59.3%, and 62% of its population (or 1.4 million people) was food insecure (World Bank, 2021). The labour force survey (2021) shows that the unemployment rate in Gaza was 50.2% (68.6 for females and 44.6% for males). According to UN-OCHA’s Critical Needs and Funding Requirements as of May 2023, the humanitarian organizations in the occupied Palestinian territory face an impossible situation.
This leaves the response to the most critical needs at stake. In May, the humanitarian community undertook a rapid review of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan to re-prioritize activities and identify the most time sensitive funding requirements. While humanitarian actors were able to effectively respond to the most recent escalation in Gaza, their ability to continue programming and to ensure their ability to respond to subsequent escalations is in question.
- Objectives
Generate well-informed recommendations regarding the most effective strategies for synergizing livelihoods enhancement interventions with ongoing humanitarian responses.
The specific objectives as per the TORs are:
The consultant is expected to achieve the following objectives:
- Explore existing interventions/ efforts to support livelihood by other actors are doing in this regard, through the relevant clusters and working groups
- Desk review of the available research on the benefits of linking cash assistance and livelihoods support intervention
- Review and analyze the available data of households targeted with humanitarian assistance in Oxfam’s FSL, cash and protection responses to initially find out any potentials for involvement in livelihoods activities
- Draw out general HHs socio-economic profiles based on desk review of data
- Examine the cost efficiency of involvement in livelihoods activities for each profile
- Provide recommendations on best approaches to link livelihoods improvement interventions with basic humanitarian responses
- Provide concrete examples from Oxfam’s interventions on good practices in taking livelihoods potential into account in humanitarian response
- Comprehensive stakeholder mapping to conduct a validation/ endorsement of results, recommendations, and approaches presented with these stakeholders
- Minimum qualifications
The ideal consultant/ consultancy team will have at least 7-10 years of relevant experience. The consultant/ consultancy team should have the following skills and competencies:
- Preferred International consultant/ team leader (could be done remotely)
- Good knowledge and experience in the humanitarian sector with special focus on livelihoods
- Good knowledge and extensive practice applying participatory approaches and analysis methods
- At least 7 years of proven experience in working practically in the field of livelihood
- Relevant geographical/ contextual experience in the Gaza Strip, ideally including previous work in the Gaza Strip and familiarity with gender and social inclusion issues
- Preferably a team leader with international/ multi-context experience
- The ideal team shall include a data analyst or a statistician, a livelihood expert and a researcher
- Ability to communicate fluently and write strong reports
- Ability to work with a diverse team and under pressure to produce agreed deliverables in a timely manner
- The consultant must be collaborative, willing to share thoughts, ideas, and take constructive criticism.
- Deliverables and time frame:
The consultant is expected to deliver the following in the period by the end of November 2023:
• Desk review of beneficiaries lists and FSL, CASH and protection projects profiles of the last 2 years (500 HHs)
• Develop a matrix of available HHs targeted in the past 2 years in Oxfam’s FSL, CASH and protection projects with clear remarks on initial livelihoods potential
• Develop qualitative data collection tools based on the initial findings of desk review to explore them in-depth with a selected sample (at least 40%).
• A report of the findings and recommendations on best practices to draw linkages between basic humanitarian response and livelihoods improvement potential
• Internal validation workshop for Oxfam relevant staff to get feedback on findings and finalize the report based on inputs.
• A presentation of the assignment and it’s main findings including visual diagrams, to be used for launching withing different circles within and outside of Oxfam.
- Selection and awarding Criteria.
4.1 The awarding of the contract will be on the basis of 70% for the technical offer and 30% for the financial offer.
4.2 Evaluation of technical offers
The quality of each technical offer will be evaluated in accordance with the award criteria and the weighting detailed in the following evaluation grid.
#
Evaluation Criteria
Score
1
International experience in livelihood sector
45
2
Samples of relevant and similar work
20
3
Assessment methodology
25
4
Work plan and timeline
10
SECTION 2: instructions to participants
1. instructions for preparing proposal
general conditions governing this contract as the sole basis of this invitation, whatever their own conditions of sale may be.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that submitted proposal is complete and meets Oxfam´s requirements. Failure to satisfy all aspects of the RFP Dossier may lead to the proposal being rejected without further reason being given. It is therefore essential to ensure that you read this document carefully.
The participation procedure requires submission of the following:
1. Technical proposal
2. Financial proposal.
1.1 Instruction of Preparing Price Proposal
1.1.1 Currency
All prices shall be expressed in EUR including VAT .
1.1.2 Bid validity
Bids shall remain valid for a period of 60 calendar days after the deadline for receipt of bids or until they have been notified of non-award . In exceptional cases, before the period of validity expires, Oxfam may ask bidders to extend the period for a specific number of days.
1.1.3 Bid Presentation
◼ Applicants shall use (Appendix A : Price Proposal From)
◼ Proposed financial offer should be inclusive of all costs required to deliver the assignment, including transportation, taxes, per-diem etc.
2. cost of preparing bids
All costs incurred by the applicant in preparing and submitting the bid are not reimbursable. All such costs will be borne by the bidder.
3. confidentiality
Bidders must treat the invitation to submit a proposal and all associated documentation supplied by OXFAM as confidential.
Appendix A: price proposal form
LIVELIHOOD POTENTIAL VERIFICATION ASSESMENT
Publication reference: 23 / 116/ OPTI / GAZA
Financial Proposal
Task
Number of Days
Unit Cost (EUR)
Total Cost (EUR)
LIVELIHOOD POTENTIAL VERIFICATION ASSESMNET (Including breakdown for tasks if any)
Grand Total
Appendix B: applicant information
LIVELIHOOD POTENTIAL VERIFICATION ASSESMENT
Publication reference: 23 / 116/ OPTI / GAZA
Name:
Address:
Mobile Number:
Email:
Bank account-Details
IBAN
Firm-Company Registration Number
Date of Validity period for Firm- Company Registration
How to apply
- Offers shall be submitted as per the timetable mentioned above.
- Pre-Bid Meeting will be conducted on 25th September 2023 at 10:00 am Jerusalem time as per meeting details below:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89019503875
Meeting ID: 890 1950 3875
Passcode: 600739
- Responses must only be sent to (Procurement.Gaza@oxfam.org) by the 27/09/2023 without copying any other email addresses. Any offers sent through other channels will not be considered.
- Offer shall be sent in 2 separate files – PDF format – (one for Technical Offer and one for Price Offer).
- Email subject must contain the following reference: OXFAM – 23 / 116 / OPTI / GAZA
- Language: All documents shall be submitted in English
