Call for Consultancy Proposals: Baseline Evaluation for Urban Community Resilience Building Project, Kenya Red Cross

1. Summary of the survey
   • Purpose: To measure current knowledge, attitudes and practices towards disaster risk, and disaster preparedness for climate related risks and including negative coping mechanisms for societal vices in targeted informal settlements in Nairobi and Mombasa Counties providing benchmark statistics that will enable tracking of project results.
   • Partners: Kenya Red Cross, Danish Red Cross and County governments
   • Duration: The baseline survey will be carried out by an independent consultant, and is expected to take 30 calendar days
   • Estimated Dates: 18^th July 2022 – 15^th August 2022
   • Geographical Location: Nairobi (Mukuru and Mathare) and Mombasa (Tudor and Miritini) counties informal settlements
   • Target Population: Community members and stakeholders within targeted locations.
   • Deliverables: Proposal detailing the methodology, data collection tools, data sets, draft report, presentations and final report
   • Methodology: Inception report, data collection tools, data sets, draft report, presentations and final report.
   • Evaluation Management Team: KRCS M&E and program representatives, and DRC representative

2. Background Information

The Urban Community Resilience Building Project plays a significant role in building target communities’ resilience within the informal settlements by enhancing their skills so as to promptly address the risks facing them. The project seeks to contribute to the building of long-term resilience for the most vulnerable communities in the urban informal settlements by strengthening the community capacities to anticipate, prepare, respond, cope and recover from multi-hazard threats in both Nairobi and Mombasa urban informal settlements. The project runs from January 2022 – 2025 December with funding from the Danish Red Cross seeking to reach a total of 41,815 persons directly. The project is informed by lessons from DRC/KRCS implemented urban resilience program in Nairobi Mukuru informal settlement from 2017 to 2021 and will be upscaled in other informal settlements in Nairobi and Mombasa while phasing out from Mukuru.

The geographical target area is Mathare and Mukuru informal settlements in Nairobi. The selection of the wards is based on records of a high number of risks and hazards exacerbated by climate change that are facing communities living within the informal settlement which include fires, floods, insecurity, disease outbreaks, poor hygiene and sanitation practices and gender-based violence cases. The specific project target area is two informal settlements in Nairobi targeting approximately 750,000 people. These sites were chosen to build on the gains made from the previous work done in the communities including but not limited to urban resilience project, Covid-19 Vaccine project, Youth Exchange programme, community inclusion currency, Covid 19 Cash Assistance, EU safety net programme and digital identities implemented in both Mukuru and Mathare.

The project focus area in Mombasa will be Jomvu in Miritini sub county and Tudor in Mvita sub county. The two areas have had a high number of reported cases of SGBV, crime and violence with youth as the most affected as the perpetrators and the victims. The KRCS has been working in both Mombasa and Nairobi on various urban interventions and significantly contributed to urban programming, this project aims at building on previous and existing work in these communities (including active community disaster management committees (CDMC), Red Cross Action Teams (RCAT) and volunteers who previously have been engaged in Project, Programme and emergency response, Cholera MNCH project in Jomvu, Conflict Prevention Peace and Economic Opportunities for the Youth in Kenya (CPEYK) in Mombasa, Covid-19 Vaccine roll out project in Mvita, Dengue Fever Response and the normal KRCS programmes) so that the youth are further engaged to address these issues in the societies.

Impact: Long -term resilience for the most vulnerable communities in the urban communities (informal settlements) is built.

Project Outcome: Urban communities (informal settlements) capacity to anticipate, prepare, respond, cope, and recover from multi-hazard threats is strengthened.

Output 1: Target communities’ awareness and knowledge on most prevalent local hazards and impact of weather patterns due to climate change are increased.

Output 2: Strengthened emergency preparedness and response multi hazard approach.

Output 3: Improve the capability of young men and women in the community to cope and recover from risks, disasters, and emergencies

Output 4: KRCS has improved capacities to implement urban community resilience programmes

3. Baseline Survey Objectives

Specific Objectives of the Survey are:

• Establish baseline information against the project’s log frame indicators at community level and recommend adjustments for project targets where appropriate which will be used as a threshold for this project to assess outcomes and impact.
• Map out prevalent and arising local hazards and the community awareness to cope with them providing understanding of ongoing community practices and behaviors relation to their needs and priorities in the disaster preparedness planning processes
• Provide and document recommendations and other useful information that can be incorporated in implementation of the project activities with recommendations comings from the URP ETE 2021 report on the role of KRCS as an auxiliary to the National and County Government, relevance to urban needs and the development of sustainability plan.
• Identify initiatives or studies that can provide mapping out of vulnerabilities e.g., Vulnerability Capacity Assessments and at the same time bring out systemic issues that harbor vulnerabilities.

4. Key Survey Questions

The baseline survey will also seek to provide the status of other relevant sectoral coverage indicators at program level that will be covered by the questions and indicators below:

• What is the current coverage of the log frame indicators?
• Does the coverage differ across the two counties target informal settlements?
• Does the coverage differ across gender?
• What are the DRR, MHPSS (Mental Health Psychosocial Services wellbeing concerns affecting target populations), and Innovation services available to the community to strengthen emergency preparedness? What are the Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing concerns affecting the target population?
• What are the specific roles of young people in coping and recovering from risks and hazards? Are there any specific coping strategies that are youth specific?
• What are the observed societal vices arising from Young people as a coping mechanism?
• What capacities, gaps and opportunities exist within KRCS and he target communities relevant for optimal  implementation of the urban programmes?
• How involved are people with special needs in disaster preparedness planning and their coping mechanism? Plans to map best practices?
• Are there additional indicators to assess that will add value to project processes?
• Is there need to review the targets based on the findings?
• How has the community been involved in project design and planning?
• Is the project relevant to the community? What’s the community perception of the project importance to their wellbeing? How should the community be made to understand the project?
• How should community be involved in the project decision making? How should the community be engaged during project implementation?
• How should the community be involved in M&E and learning/documentation in the project?
• What would be the preferred means of communicating complaints and feedback between KRCS and the community?

5. Survey/Evaluation Methodology

The bidder to propose most suitable study design, sampling methods, sample size, data collection and analysis approaches that is suitable for this project at baseline. The bidder should give a justification on the sampling frame, propose sample size determination formulae and clearly show the proposed sample size and how it was derived. This should be clearly outlined in the bidding document/proposal and if qualified to oral stage to have further discussion with the evaluation management team. The bidder can also propose targeted respondents to interview or data sources that can answer the log frame indicators and provide comparable statistics (meaningful comparison between baseline and end line) to document any changes.

The following literature will be availed for the bidders that will be successful for reference and to inform the baseline process:

• Project proposal and log frame/Indicator reference sheet
• Existing project reports by the time of data collection.
• Relevant documents, policies and frameworks by KRCS, partners, county and national government

The project indicators are shown in the table below: –

6. Evaluation Quality & Ethical Standards

The consultant shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the evaluation is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities involved and to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate and reliable, is conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability. Therefore, the evaluation team shall be required to adhere to the evaluation standards and applicable practices as recommended by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

• Utility: Evaluations must be useful and used.
• Feasibility: Evaluations must be realistic, diplomatic, and managed in a sensible, cost-effective manner.
• Ethics & Legality: Evaluations must be conducted in an ethical and legal manner, with particular regard for the welfare of those involved in and affected by the evaluation.
• Impartiality & Independence; Evaluations should be impartial, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment that takes into account the views of all stakeholders.
• Transparency: Evaluation activities should reflect an attitude of openness and transparency.
• Accuracy: Evaluations should be technically accurate, providing sufficient information about the data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods so that its worth or merit can be determined.
• Participation: Stakeholders should be consulted and meaningfully involved in the evaluation process when feasible and appropriate.
• Collaboration: Collaboration between key operating partners in the evaluation process improves the legitimacy and utility of the evaluation.

It is also expected that the evaluation will respect the seven Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent: 1) humanity, 2) impartiality, 3) neutrality, 4) independence, 5) voluntary service, 6) unity, and 7) universality.

7. Qualifications and Experience for Consultants

• The lead consultant must have a background in social sciences, disaster management, community development or related field. (At a minimum of Master’s degree level)
• Demonstrable experience in conducting high quality evaluations for related projects in the past 3 years (sample reports will be required during the oral stage of bid analysis).
• Experience of conducting field assessments/working in similar set-up.
• High level of professionalism and an ability to work independently under tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• The team must have technical capacities/team members experienced and able to cover the key thematic components of this project (Data analyst, DRR, MHPSS, PGI, Innovation etc.)
• Firm must have experience in using mobile phone technology for data collection.
• The lead consultant must have strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations and to prepare well-written reports.
• Availability for the period indicated.

8. Management of the evaluation

Duration: The baseline is estimated to begin on 18^th July 2022 and all deliverables be provided to the KRCS on but not later than 15^th July 2022. These timelines may be reviewed at any time as need be and will be communicated by KRCS.

Deliverables:

1. Inception report detailing the baseline survey design, sampling methodology & sample frame, survey tools and work plan.
2. Copies of original and cleaned data sets with codebook. The raw data, the database which has been cleaned (both qualitative and quantitative, including original field notes for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, as well as recorded audio material), should be submitted together with the report. A simple inventory of material handed over will be part of the record. KRCS will have sole ownership of all final data and any findings shall only be shared or reproduced with the permission of KRCS.
3. Draft baseline Report that will culminate in the final baseline report with the following elements:
4. Table of contents
5. A brief and clear executive summary with among others major findings of the Baseline and summary of conclusions and recommendations.
6. The objectives of the Baseline, methodology and any challenges encountered in the field.
7. A presentation of the findings and the analysis
8. Conclusions
9. Recommendations with clear guidelines of how they can be implemented.
10. Report annexes (including a Monitoring and Evaluation framework).

Detailed report outline will be provided by the EMT for the winning bidder

4. A PowerPoint presentation highlighting key findings from the baseline will be presented at a feedback meeting to be held after completing the draft report.
5. Final Baseline Survey Reports – submit at least 3 hard copies and one electronic copy of the report by the agreed timeline. The reports will be designed and printed using perfect binding, other printing specs will be shared after all reviews are done.

Baseline Evaluation Management Team:

The evaluation management team shall consist of KRCS MEA&L Unit Representative, KRCS program representative and Donor representative. They shall ensure that the deliverables agreed upon and approved in the inception report are achieved on time.

Role of KRCS (Project and M&E team)

• Recruitment of the consultant and support survey process
• Coordinate the assessment implementation process through the KRCS MEA&L unit
• Review of assessment products including tools and reports
• KRCS will organize logistics for the assessment team
• Avail data collectors within agreed criteria
• Avail of all necessary documents for desk review
• KRCS will be the link between the community and the consultant
• Custodian of all data generated from the assessment
• Organize dissemination forums as necessary

Role of Danish Red Cross

• Participate in the TOR development, inception report and tools review.
• Review and give feedback on all the reports submitted
• Fund the activity budget
• Final approval of the report

9. Application Requirements

Application materials shall include:

• A written response to this TOR in terms of a proposal detailing the technical understanding of the task, proposed methodologies of the evaluation, expected activities and deliverables, proposed work plans with schedule, and financial bids using the provided template. See Annex 1
• Detailed CVs of all professional (s) who will work on the assignment. If there is more than one contractor on the proposed evaluation team, please attach a table describing the level of effort (in number of days) of each team member in each of the evaluation activities. See Annex 3
• Professional references: please provide at least three references from your previous clients and full contact details of the referees (working and active email & phone number). The reference provided need to be ready to be contacted if need be. The reference letters should be signed off and indicating the details of the assignment done, when it was done and giving an overall assessment of the firms’ performance and turnaround time.
• Provide 2 evaluation reports/profile undertaken of similar programmes and context
• If you proceed to oral stage, you will share a full report done that is similar to this assignment for technical assessment purposes.

Please also note that the people whose names appear in the team composition template MUST be the ones to undertake the assessment. As such, they MUST be the ones to appear in person if the proposal moves to the oral interview stage.

Failure to adhere to any of these requirements will lead to automatic disqualification or breach of contract if the work has begun.

Kenya Red Cross Society reserves the right to cancel the contract if, convinced that the consultant is in breach of the terms and conditions including those approved in the inception report.

10. Submission of proposal

The Technical Proposal MUST be prepared in conformance to the outline provided in   Annex 1 while the financial proposal shall conform to the template provided in Annex 2. Team composition should conform to Annex 3

Bidders should provide softcopy technical and financial proposal in two separate folders clearly marked “Technical Proposal + name of consultant” and “Financial Proposal + name of consultant”. The subject of your email should “Tender No. PRF09525 – “Call for Consultancy for Urban Community Resilience Building Project”

The Proposal MUST be sent on mail to reach: tenders@redcross.or.ke by 29^th June 2022 at 11:00 AM.

Review and download the full TOR at: https://www.redcross.or.ke/tenders