The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. We protect displaced people and support them as they build a new future.
NRC has been present in Ukraine since 2014 and after the escalation of the war in 2022 it significantly scaled up operations in Ukraine as well as setting up operations in Moldova, Poland and Romania, including a regional office based out of Warsaw. NRC is one of the largest international NGOs working in the region. NRC works across emergency response and early recovery specialising in cash assistance, protection, shelter, education, legal assistance, and livelihoods to reach internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and returnees as well as others affected by the conflict. Partnerships with local organisations and other actors are at the forefront of our response.
On behalf of the regional office, the Norwegian Refugee Council in Poland seeks a qualified consultants/firms to provide services for the following services:
Assessment of NRC’s wage and self-employment programming in Central and Eastern Europe
Background on the context
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. With a history dating back to World War Two, NRC operates in over 40 countries, addressing new and protracted crises. NRC specializes in six core areas: Livelihood and food security, education, shelter, Information counselling and legal assistance, protection from violence, and water, sanitation, and hygiene. As an organization, NRC is committed to advocating for the rights and dignity of displaced individuals, both within local communities and on the global stage.
NRC globally is implementing its portfolio across several Core Competencies (CC), one of which is the Livelihood and Food Security (LFS) core competency. NRC identified the need for displaced people to become self-reliant and secure durable solutions as a global priority in its 2022-2026 strategy , anchored in its medium-term vision, articulated as our ambition for 2030 .
NRC Central and Eastern European (CEE) regional office has prioritized LFS programming in its regional strategy aiming to increase self-reliance and access to durable solutions of people affected by the war in Ukraine, as well as refugees and asylum seekers fleeing to and transiting through Central and Eastern Europe. The focus of LFS programming is on building longer-term livelihoods programming in the region.
Business, Entrepreneurship and Employment (BEE) promotion is an important pillar of our livelihood programming in the CEE region. The related interventions are aligned to our global theory of change on BEE. The activities can mainly be split into two large categories, (1) self-employment and (2) wage employment.
Learning around the effectiveness and impact of programming related to wage and self-employment across the region in Ukraine, Poland and Moldova, will provide valuable information to inform the future strategic direction and design of our livelihoods portfolio in the region, as well as contributing to our global learning. There are several ongoing projects which will be the direct subject of this study, such as business grants and the skillslab pilot in Ukraine; skills development, job placement and business grants in Moldova; and skills development and job placement in Poland. Relevant information on the ongoing initiatives related to self- and wage employment will be shared with the prospective consultant, such as project proposals, programme design, results frameworks, outcome monitoring reports, etc.
The background for this consultancy is to review NRCs regional wage and self-employment portfolio to determine what has worked well, with a focus on disaggregated lessons for refugees, IDPs, returnees and conflict affected people. We encourage learning from direct and partner led implementation, the role of and opportunities for women and youth, and local or regional context and variations impacting our programming. Further focus on what has been the impact of our work, what were the key challenges and success factors, which areas of self- and wage employment programming are under-represented or need further exploration (piloting) and what could NRC’s role be to develop (or not) these areas? An analysis and reflection on the appropriateness and effectiveness of various self- and wage employment interventions in our portfolio vis-a-vis the different geographies of the ongoing conflict (frontline, semi-frontline, non-government-controlled areas (NGCA), de-occupied, urban, etc.). Lastly, we expect a basic cost per project participant analysis and break down of different cost-drivers for each intervention or cluster of interventions under the NRC self- and wage employment portfolio. If possible, cost per participant will be compared to sector best standards and benchmarks where available.
The purpose of this consultancy will be to:
· Review the impact, success factors, barriers/challenges and cost per participant of the ongoing response by NRC to support displaced people in Ukraine, Moldova and Poland to secure wage and self-employment. The review should be contextualised for each country and aligned with the stage of the conflict in various geographical locations (e.g. frontline, NGCA, urban/rural…);
- Provide country specific recommendations to NRC for each programming area under the wage and self-employment portfolio, tailored to the various target populations of NRC (refugee, IDP and conflict affected people), in line with the response phases (emergency, transitional, (early-)recovery) and with a specific focus on opportunities and barriers for youth and women.
- Review available documentation from after action reviews (AARs) and external evaluations across NRCs global operations for the success and impact of wage employment on the project participants (displaced people/displacement affected people). Also look at available documentation for the same from outside NRC, with a special focus on displaced people.
Scope:
The study will cover wage and self-employment interventions in all 3 current countries in the Central and Eastern Europe region: Ukraine, Moldova and Poland. The work is expected to be completed within 2 months after the contractual agreement and will focus on:
- Review of all data and information related to the recent NRC global wage employment programming;
- Review of all existing data and information related to the NRC wage and self-employment programming in the CEE region;
- Analysis of the impact, performance, strengths and weaknesses of each intervention, with a specific focus on the opportunities and barriers for women and youth, opportunities and constraints for locally led (partnerships) and hybrid implementation modalities (e.g. direct implementation, partners led and services providers) in the CEE region;
- Grounding of the review and analysis to inform recommendations via a review of contextual secondary data and analysis related to the programming area in each country in CEE region;
- Formulation of lessons learned to inform the regional and global NRC portfolio on wage and self-employment;
- And recommendations to inform future programming on self- and wage employment in the CEE region.
Methodology
The consultant is expected to design and propose a suitable methodology, including adequate techniques, tools and sampling methods to ensure representativeness and robustness of the assessment and recommendations, as well as provide clarity and rigor on the limitations of the design.
The proposed methodology will be vetted by the regional LFS advisor and global LFS lead and forms an important aspect of the screening stage.
We encourage application of mixed methods, underpinning triangulation, and the overall robustness of the assessment, which can include:
Desk Review of existing NRC’s global wage employment portfolio, as well as the wage and self-employment programming in the CEE region;
Desk Review of existing NRC’s wage and self-employment programming in the CEE region;
Review of external secondary sources to inform the context in each country related to the wage and self-employment programming;
Review of programme outcome and output indicators, monitoring, evaluation and learning reports in NRC and broadly in the humanitarian sector used to measure and ground the impact of our wage and self-employment programming in the CEE region;
Analysis of the cost per beneficiary for different components of the NRC wage and self-employment programming in the CEE region;
Primary data collection through KIIs, FGDs, surveys or other methods with a diverse range of participants and stakeholders in NRC and externally where feasible and of considerable value add in relation to potential data and information gaps in secondary sources. Remote consultative processes are encouraged where feasible to enhance both speed and cost efficiency of the assessment.
The prospective consultant is expected to supplement secondary data with primary data where feasible. This might require in-country presence for related data collection, but we encourage appropriate remote or light footprint approaches to collecting primary data.
Expected Deliverables
The prospective consultant is expected to present the following deliverables:
- Inception report. Including an inception meeting with key members of the NRC steering committee and containing as a minimum:
- a brief literature review of the context for wage and self-employment programming in each of the targeted countries (UA, PL & MD)
- Refinement of the methodology and related tools
- Detailed workplan
- Final assessment report (max 50 pages)
Including a comprehensive context analysis, comprehensive review of the different NRC wage and self-employment projects in the CEE region, including a cost per beneficiary analysis. and recommendations for future programming in CEE, as well as lessons learnt to inform the global NRC portfolio on wage and self-employment. - Preparation of a summary slide deck and virtual presentation of the assessment to an internal NRC audience (2 hour session)
Expected Timeline and Plan
The consultancy is estimated to be completed, reviewed and endorsed by NRC by December 31st, 2024 latest.
This is a fixed price, defined output based consultancy. Fees will be paid according to the work-plan and deliverables agreed in the contract and based on the written authorization from NRC stating the satisfactory receipt of the deliverables.
The prospective consultant is expected to provide a clearly detailed workplan, including key milestones and deliverables linked to an amount of working days.
Consultant Skills and Qualifications
NRC seeks expressions of interest from consultants with the following skills/qualifications and expertise:
- The Lead Consultant should be a senior humanitarian professional with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience. The team should have a diverse composition, including technical experts, finance analysts, and MEL specialists, to effectively deliver on the ToR requirements. Experience in the CEE region, particularly in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, is highly preferred.
- Consultants should have proven experience and success in conducting similar consultancies with a strong focus on Business, Employment, and Entrepreneurship programs. Demonstrated experience in the humanitarian sector, particularly in livelihoods programming, and competencies in both quantitative and qualitative research, including costing and cost-per-beneficiary models, are essential. Please provide references and examples as an annex to your proposal.
- A clear and robust approach to data collection, triangulation, and analysis is required to effectively address the lines of inquiry. The work plan should include well-defined activities, milestones, and achievable deadlines in line with the ToR requirements.
- A successful track record in past projects, supported by recommendation letters, preferably from international companies or organizations, is crucial. The consultant should demonstrate the ability to work constructively, collaboratively, and professionally with stakeholders from various perspectives, while maintaining a high level of professionalism and operating under strict deadlines.
How to apply
Procurement Time Table
- RFQ Issue Date : 12th September 2024
- Clarification Deadline : 26th September 2024, 14:00 CET
- Information Session : 20th September 2024, 14:30 CET
- Bid Submission Deadline: 30th September 2024
Complete Tender documents can be obtained, free of charge from the 12th September 2024 until the 26th September 2024 14:00 CET , by accessing the following Link :
If you have any technical issues, please contact us at pl.procurement@nrc.no , considering that NRC will not share the bids via email, as all bidders must register their interest using the above-mentioned link.
