Senegal: Action Against Hunger - WARO - Consultancy for the development of a tip sheet for the definition of Minimum Expenditure Baskets

Development of a tip sheet for the definition of Minimum Expenditure Baskets

Consultancy - Terms of Reference

Context

Following the emergence of « Multipurpose Cash grants », more and more actors have embraced the concept of Minimum Expenditure Baskets as a tool to inform programme design and quality. Although it is a relatively new concept, first used in humanitarian assistance circa 2011, MEBs have been developed in a range of different contexts, with various approaches used to define it. To date, actors have used pragmatic, context-specific methods, building on available capacities, information sources and resources. Some organizations have started to develop tools to support and progressively harmonize the calculation of MEB, like WFP’s guidance. The Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) published, in 2018, a case study documenting the work done in West Africa, and has facilitated several webinars on the topic.

At this stage of practice for MEB, practitioners and donors, supported by CaLP’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG), have identified the need to collect and consolidate knowledge accumulated to date in different contexts to help field actors navigate different MEB methods. In consultation with various partners, CaLP has drafted an outline of what this resource would look like. Rather than developing guidance that would promote one specific approach, this would constitute a tip-sheet (on the model of CaLP and CRS’s market support tip-sheet), listing the common key steps and critical factors that must be taken into account when developing an MEB, and how methodological options vary according to context. It is also expected that the development of this tip-sheet will be used to inform a separate piece of work CaLP is developing, on Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) coordination.

Action Contre la Faim, on behalf of the Cash Learning Partnership, and with the generous support of USAID / OFDA, is recruiting a consultant to work on the development of this tip-sheet on MEB definition.

Objectives of the consultancy

Based on the outline developed by CaLP and the Technical Advisory Group, the consultant will:

· Lead a literature review of tools, experience and resources available on defining MEBs

· Finalize the outline of the tip-sheet based on the literature review

· Through questionnaires and key informant interviews, identify and collect experiences from a large range of contexts and different types of responses where MEBs have been defined, with support from CaLP’s TAG and the CaLP task team supervising this work,

· Write the tip-sheet under the technical supervision of the CaLP task team

· Review the draft version with inputs collected from the TAG and CaLP

· Submit a final version to CaLP for piloting

· Contribute to dissemination opportunities, particularly a webinar and CWG meetings.

The “final version” developed by the consultant will remain an intermediate version that will be piloted in an operational context by a CaLP member to assess its relevance and identify any gaps. Once the pilot is complete and feedback collected from the field, further improvements of the resource could be done either internally by the CaLP team or through another consultancy, to be advertised at later stage.

Indicative timeline is attached to this TOR, to inform applicants’ technical and financial propositions.

Deliverable

· Bibliography including all resources used for the literature review of tools

· List of contacts of key informants

· Collection and collation of MEB experiences feeding the tip-sheet

· Finalised outline for the tip-sheet

· MEB tip-sheet

The MEB tip-sheet should be a practical tool addressed to field practitioners who are planning / engaged in the calculation of an MEB, covering the whole cycle of MEB calculation. The format should follow the model of the market support tip-sheet, with short, synthesising narratives for general guidance / explanation, field examples from different contexts to illustrate key steps and compare approaches, graphs and design for easier reading. Final design of the tip-sheet will be done separately by a designer contracted by CaLP. The overall document should be a good balance between the necessary information and a format which is appropriate for implementing actors who have very limited time to read extensive resources. Depending on the final volume of information and collected evidence, some annexes could be included, addressed to advisors sitting in HQ or regional offices in charge of providing technical back-up to field implementers, who could be interested in more in-depth technical information.

Contract

The selected consultant will be contracted by Action Contre la Faim on behalf of CaLP. Terms of payments will be as follow: 20% upon contract signature, 40% after literature review and collection of evidence / experience, 40% upon CaLP’s approval of final version.**Requirements** The selected consultant will have:

• Strong knowledge of cash and voucher assistance

• Excellent understanding of MEB with experience of defining / using it in more than one context

• Excellent understanding of different dynamics and challenges (on policy and practice) around Minimum Expenditure Baskets

• Field experience in delivering humanitarian assistance in an emergency context

• Previous experience in developing operational tools / resources for humanitarian practitioners

• Excellent writing skills in English

• Spoken skills in French, Arabic and / or Spanish would be desirable

Timeline

Number of days are indicative. Including more days or additional tasks in the technical proposition should be justified in a short narrative.

Detailed timeline avalible here: https://www.accioncontraelhambre.org/sites/default/files/tor_wadk00568_development_of_a_tip_sheet_for_the_definition_of_minimum_expenditure_baskets.pdf

To apply, consultants should submit a technical and financial proposition, and an updated CV clearly referring to similar experience and highlighting relevant skills and expertise, before 17 March 2019 midnight (Dakar time) to lmbodj@wa.acfspain.org cc ncissokho@cashlearning.org. Technical proposition should include:

• A paragraph describing the understanding of the purpose of the piece of work and its added-value,

• The methodology to develop the piece of work

• A detailed timeline (in line with maximum number of days indicated in the ToRs). The financial proposition should clearly indicate the breakdown of days and daily rate for each step of the consultancy.

https://www.accioncontraelhambre.org/es/licitaciones-tenders-appel-doffres