BRIDGES Program Consultant for Data Collection

BACKGROUND

BRIDGES is a job creation programme funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by First Consult PLC. It envisages supporting the creation of close to 600,000 jobs for the youth (80% women) and 15,000 MSMEs, with 300,000 unemployed youth trained through supporting IP job creation initiative and market linkage between IPs and MSMEs.

The BRIDGES Programme will address two fundamental, immediate and complementary challenges to unlock the potential for job creation within IPs and their surrounding ecosystem. (1) Making the industrial workforce markets work (2) Making the IP business linkages (MSME) markets work to enhance domestic manufacturing value-added (MVA) for every given dollar of export. This will be done by substituting the currently-heavy import-dependent operations – itself a constraint on the factories - via local suppliers (MSMEs) in a number of ways.

Labour market: BRIDGES will scale-up proven and successful worker recruitment and retention interventions to additional industrial parks (to be selected in consultation with GoE and other development partners) increasing the total number of IPs that BRIDGES works with to ten. The worker recruitment intervention helps provide platform for factories and workers to create smoother linkage which will help address the quantitative and information mismatch problems in workers recruitment. Once in employment, factories will be supported to provide soft skills training as a key element of induction and managing job expectations. The training modules will use a standardized soft skills curriculum aimed at addressing the “Soft” elements of the transition that stems from workers moving from a village-based, family/community-based and agrarian life to an alien environment in the industrial, individualistic living of an urban setting.

MSMEs market: BRIDGES will work with MSMEs to enable them tap into major market opportunities around 10 major IPs and Anchor Enterprises outside IPs. The work will involve a major information, coordination, capacity development and access to finance initiatives to be undertaken in partnership with key IP, AE and MSME stakeholders at various levels including Demand (IP markets), Supply (MSMEs), Linkage (information, transaction and payment platforms) and Ecosystem (macro and other meso level actors).

The key departure from prior MSME development efforts will be to leverage the demand side to be more than just a passive or reactive customer at the end of the process and to facilitate the linkage at the beginning in a demand-driven way. BRIDGES’ facilitation will enable to bring the AEs, MSMEs and necessary public and private stakeholders together and de-risking the initial rounds of technical assistance and business linkage transactions. In order to ensure the marketability of the various types of BDS delivery as well as outreach, BRIDGES is proposing to create a win-win Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Access to finance: The Access to Finance BRIDGE targets both direct workers within industrial parks as well as Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by facilitating initiatives through MSME finance programmes, credit guarantee, leasing, supply chain financing, de-risking credit losses, fintech solutions and others.

A2F mainly focuses in bridging the supply and demand side gaps by facilitating linkages, bringing innovative means, building the capacities of both the demand and supply sides and working in policy and rule changes to narrow the financing gap.

A2F envisions to increased access to finance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the improved capacity of financial institutions meeting the needs of the MSMEs market in outreach, products and innovative solutions, resulting in an increased access to finance and creation of dignified and fulfilling jobs for Ethiopian youth.

PURPOSE

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) department of the BRIDGES programme conducts regular monitoring and evaluation assessments and studies that aim to validate programme results; identify the contribution of the programme towards achieving its impact, and capture learnings to inform both ongoing and future interventions of the programme. The first step in achieving this is the collection of continuous, high-quality quantitative and qualitative data in areas targeted by the program. Given this, BRIDGES is recruiting a consulting professional firm to conduct continuous data collection, under the technical supervision of the BRIDGES MERL team.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant is expected to bring its experience, judgment and best industry knowledge to complete the following tasks and activities;

• Review the survey tools developed by BRIDGES and provide feedback to the Client.
• As part of each assignment, participate in briefings with BRIDGES MERL team.
• Provide training for supervisors and enumerators/data collectors.
• Seek out respondents who fit the suggested profiles in assigned location and collect data based on the questionnaires developed and supplied by BRIDGES.
• Gather, accurately record responses, ensure that questionnaires have been thoroughly checked and completed.
• Conduct data entry using a format/template provided by BRDGES.
• Develop data quality protocols to guide data collection/ entry, including spot checking protocols.
• Review initial data entry to ensure data quality and consistency (preliminary checks conducted before data entry completed.
• Report data collected and entered on the first day of each data collection assignment to BRIDGES for validation.
• Recognize and give account of problems in obtaining data; provide useful feedback from data collection activities and prepare data collection report.
• In addition to the internal quality control mechanisms of the data collecting firm, the firm in consultation with the focal person of BRIDGES is also required to jointly quality assure the data collection process.
• Work with the BRIDGES MERL team prior to and as much as possible during the data collection, data entry and reporting, to ensure key deliverables are completed as per expected timelines.

METHODOLOGY

Clearly outline in the data collection plan the detailed data quality assurance procedures in data collection and entry, including a precautionary strategy to avoid issues around non-response and missing data.

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

• BRIDGES will lead and coordinate the assignment, including availing target population contact information, linking consultant with regional coordinators and service providers, and facilitating access to assessment research proposal.
• The contract is based on a “need for work” and remuneration will be based on the tasks carried out.
• The service provider may not work or be reimbursed for days beyond the maximum work/travel allotted for the task by BRIDGES.
• The focal persons for this assignment to whom the company will be reporting to is BRIDGES MERL team.

BUDGET

The service provider is expected to propose a daily rate for the team members and related accommodation and expenses considering the proposed geographical areas. The total budget in the financial proposal should be put with a detailed breakdown including applicable government taxes. All costs should be stated in ETB.

EVALUATION

BRIDGES will review the submitted proposal in accordance with the specific qualification and experience requirements and specific tasks stated above. Bidders should clearly indicate their experience and previous engagements in line with the specific requirements listed.

This service is required for Addis Ababa and regional cities of SNNPR, Sidama, Amhara, Oromia, and will incorporate other additional regions that could be reached by the programme during the contract duration.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAME

Description of each deliverable 

1. Submit Technical and financial proposal - December 27, 2021
2. Deadline for Questions on ToR Submit - December 22, 2021
3. Contract award - To be Communicated

These timelines are indicative and bidder should include more detailed delivery timeline in their proposal.

Job Requirements

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

• The consulting firm for this assignment should possess the following minimum competencies and qualifications;
• The consulting firm should have at least 5 years of proven experience in conducting surveys, quality primary data collection, report writing and project management.
• Experience of working on donor funded projects with multiple stakeholders
• Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify constraints and provide a clean data on the given samples
• Demonstrated ability to deploy and manage field staff and experts with relevant aptitude and communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills
• Firm with good understanding of M&E frameworks and terminologies is desirable

How to Apply

APPLICATION PROCESS

The bidder is expected to incorporate the following in to the proposal 

Technical proposal (Maximum 6 pages)

• Company profile
• Understanding of the ToR
• Proposed methodology

Financial proposal

• Detailed breakdown of cost structure including daily rate for enumerators and supervisors.

Company profile of the organization (separate attachments)

• CVs of consulting team
• Currently renewed Business License and Registration of Value Added Tax (VAT) Certificate
• Recommendation letters from previous work

Applicants should email their proposal (technical and financial) to bids4@firstconsultet.com with the relevant information detailed in technical and financial section of a proposal. For any queries relating to this assignment please contact Kalkidan Alemseged via: kalemseged@firstconsultet.com

NB: The subject of the email should say BRIDGES Program Consultant for Data Collection. Proposals must be received no later than 5 PM on December 27, 2021.

For any queries relating to this assignment please contact Kalkidan Alemseged via: kalemseged@firstconsultet.com till December 22, 2021.