Consultancy on Private Sector Engagement – Oxfam

About Oxfam

Oxfam is an international confederation of 21 organizations, working with its partners and allies, reaching out to millions of people around the world. Together, we tackle inequalities to end poverty and injustice, now and in the long term – for an equal future. Oxfam has been operating in Kenya since 1963. The geographical focus of our programmes has been the urban areas mainly Nairobi City and arid and semi-arid lands, where we have been working with the poor and vulnerable groups to realize a transformed Kenyan society that challenges poverty and inequality to claim their rights.

Background Information

Over the last ten years, different Oxfam affiliates and countries have worked with a wide range of private sector (PS) actors, both in a confrontational and collaborative manner. Oxfam has launched high profile public campaigns against the corporate sector, such as “Cut the Cost” (on the price of HIV/ AIDS medicines), “Mugged” (on the power of large coffee companies) and “Behind the Brands” (on the impact of food and beverage giants).

Oxfam has also worked in partnership with companies such as Unilever, Philips and Coca Cola to shift norms and practices in value chains, change market dynamics and influence social norms. This has also been achieved through dialogues with companies in multi-stakeholder settings. In addition, Oxfam has promoted small-scale entrepreneurs, such as smallholder farmers and youth entrepreneurs. In short, the Oxfam approach is multi-faceted.

Oxfam uses the following working definition of the “private sector” or ‘business sector’ to refer to an enormous part of the economy. Oxfam uses it in its broadest sense: to encompass all that is related to companies, large and small, as well as the enabling environment of rules, regulations, standards and norms related to business, trade and investments.

This broad definition means that there is large variety in approaches needed in Oxfam’s private sector influencing and engagement. Creating access to credit for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) requires a different approach from campaigning against a large multinational company. However, what all private sector companies have in common is that they are privately owned (by an individual or group of individuals, rather than the state) and they operate according to business logic, meaning that they are aiming for financial viability. Companies vary greatly in their goals. Over the past decades, an increasing number of companies are seeking to generate both financial value as well as social and/or
environmental value.

Oxfam uses a variety of influencing and engagement methods with the private sector including programming, campaigns and advocacy, private sector partnerships, advisory and by walking the talk through undertaking responsible business practice ourselves.

Purpose of the assignment

To better influence and engage with the private sector in Kenya, Oxfam in Kenya is seeking the services of a consultant to:

1. Explore and analyze the current trends of the private sector work in Kenya, which helps facilitate co-creation of private sector engagement strategies and innovative programme ideas including but not limited to the global and national challenge and workstreams – valuing women’s work (VWW), climate justice and recovery, renewal and resilience (RRR).
2. Identify scopes and key areas of programme design, secure funding, and manage risks within the important sectors/areas and selected value chains, including opportunities and approaches to build partnership with the private sector, leveraging their investment
3. Identify the linkage, the ability and the opportunity to influence UK Government and UK based multinational businesses to take action to respect human rights and the planet, in-line with international standards and commitments, and to empower women and marginalized communities across their global supply chains.

SECTION 1 PS Trend and Priorities

Overall objective of the section:

1. Do mapping of current private sector work and key actors in Kenya (key economic dynamics, cross border supply chain dependencies, role of informal micro entrepreneurs, SMEs/MMEs and MNCs etc.)
2. Identify and analyses specific economic sectors (including food/agriculture, extractives, banking/finance, digital service), thematic areas of engagement (e.g. gender, workers’ rights, living wage, decent work, climate change, humanitarian, land rights) and potential entry points for engagement (e.g. local/national/international commitments/ standards in each sector/area)
3. Distinguish their roles including as advocacy targets, as allies, as interlocutors/brokers/funders and opportunities for Oxfam to engage them in their respective roles including in standard/ norm setting, corporate accountability (compliance with Business and Human Rights), in providing services and solutions including capital and social services among others
4. Identify the linkages/connections with UK-based companies (if any), the British investment trends/priorities in Kenya in accordance with the UK government’s partnership strategy and how Oxfam can leverage on the linkages for strategic advocacy.

SECTION 2 Thematic Deep Dives
Overall objective of this section:
The thematic questions will be applied across selected sectors/ value chains and companies (focus on UK-based or with relation with UK-based companies) Private Sector and Gender Inequality

1. What are thematic gender gaps/issues: Gender Pay Gap Reporting, Living Wage / Living Income, Gender disaggregated data, Unpaid care/domestic work, Women land rights/women workers’ rights, Women in senior leadership roles, Gender Responsive Policies and Practices
2. Which UK private sector actors are active in this space? (Either list of companies or sectors/value chains)
3. How are private sectors engaging in this space? E.g., what type of initiatives are undertaken, including existing business models, good/bad practices and case studies.
   Business and Human Rights or similar rectified frameworks
4. What are the key themes and issues in the Business and Human Rights (B+HR) space, particularly the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs)?
5. Which private sector actors are active in this space? (Either list of companies or sectors/value chains)
6. How are private sectors engaging in this space? E.g. what type of initiatives are undertaken, including existing business models, good/bad practices and case studies.
   Private sector and climate change
7. What are the main areas of climate work (e.g. climate risks, mitigation, adaptation, zero carbon, carbon offsetting, energy, waste management, climate finance, loss and damage)
8. What are the issues and initiatives in those areas?
9. Which private sector actors are active in this space? (Either list of companies or sectors/value chains)
10. How are private sectors engaging in this space? E.g. what type of initiatives are undertaken, including existing business models, good/bad practices and case studies.
    Market Systems approaches
11. What are the key perspectives of the private sector with regards to their role in reducing inequality and vulnerability in global/national markets as well as within host countries?
12. What role are they taking up in influencing systems change?
13. Does the private sector do any responsive/inclusive businesses? What are those and how do they do?
14. How does the PS create opportunities for women to engage them with upward tiers of the supply chain?
    Private sector & finance/investment:
15. What are the main areas of work (issues, initiatives, sources, cause and effect, including finance access) around the private
    sector in finance/investment, including sectors prioritized by the WB/IFC?
16. Which private sector actors are active in this space? (either list of companies or sectors/value chains)
17. How are private sectors engaging in this space? E.g. what type of initiatives are undertaken, including existing business
    models, good/bad practices and case studies.
18. Opportunities for co-financing and securing finance from the private sector?
    Private sector & COVID/pandemic
19. What does PS’s behaviour in the post-pandemic look like?
20. What is role of private sector in practicing pandemic recovery, including the support to value chain actors and how they are
    affected by the recent political unrest globally?
21. Any initiatives undertaken, including existing business models, good/bad practices and case studies
    Private sector & digitalization
22. What are the main areas of work (issues, initiatives, opportunities and challenges) around the private sector in digitalization, including potential impact of global taxation in digitalized business by global companies in Kenya1?
23. Which private sector actors are active in this space? (either list of companies or sectors/value chains) and how they are supporting other actors in supply chains.
24. How are private sectors engaging in this space? E.g. what type of initiatives are undertaken, including existing business models, good/bad practices and case studies.

SECTION 3 Future of Work: Innovation/PS partnerships

1. What are the key trends in corporate responsibility? And role of PS as intermediaries?
2. What are the main themes and value addition issues areas when it comes to creating partnerships with NGOs? Or engaging with them in general?
3. What are platforms where the PS is participating? How are those platforms playing their roles to advocate on policy issues (e.g. responsible tax practices, gender inclusion and transformation, inclusion of marginalized groups, SDGs, Carbon offsetting etc.)?
4. What are the underlying drivers of the PS to seek partnerships with NGOs in the sectors that relate to Oxfam and selected areas of work?
5. What does the future space for partnering look like in response to inequality and poverty reduction, climate justice, circular economy/ green economy in relation to managing excess stock, and gender equality (expanding, contracting?)
6. What development issue areas receive the most corporate funding? And what broader consequences are there to these priorities?
7. Provide an alternative policy prescription, primarily targeted at the government, to make the existing value chains fair and sustainable, beyond preferential tax treatment/rate, deduction, exclusion or exemption, credit, deferral…

Methodology
Inception report to demonstrate the understanding of ToR, proposed methodology and budget. List of questions provided/agreed by Oxfam. Consultants confirm sectors/value chains selected with Oxfam before further analysis. Consultants confirm company and interviewee list with Oxfam before proceeding. Interviews with key informants, one from each sector/value chain. Verbal check-in with Oxfam to present top-line findings.

Timelines and Deliverables
The consultant shall deliver the following within 20 consultancy days between January 2 – February 15, 2023

Expected outputs:

1. Inception report within five days of contract signing comprising research tools and questions, target populations, research itinerary and literature review
2. A verbal update/ status update of all the field work within 10 days after the inception meeting
3. A first draft within five (5) working days of the status update meeting comprising no more than 16,000 words (equivalent to not more than 30 pages). This should include:
   a. Section 1: Excel spreadsheet with data and short write up explaining methodology, literature review list, secondary data collection, primary data. Value chain mapping presented in graphs or figures
   b. Section 2: Write up on questions and desk top research/interview Section 3: Write up on questions and desk top research/interview
   c. Recommendations for Oxfam Private Sector Strategy
4. A final draft within five (5) working days of feedback from Oxfam on the first draft including a summary report less than 3000 words
5. Presentation of the final report at the launch of the report

Consultancy responsibilities and management arrangements

The consultant shall work under the supervision of the Tax Justice Strategist and Programme Officers.
Consultant qualifications, skills and competencies needed
The desired specification and qualities of the consultant(s) are as hereunder:

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of the private sector and their intersection with development issues
• At least 8-10 years experience in research, analysis, policy development and advocacy
• High quality skills and demonstrated experience in similar pieces of work
• Strong communication (verbal and written) skills in English
• Excellent research, analysis and strategy development skills

Process of the selection of the consultant and expectations for the proposal

The consultant who meets the above requirements should express their interest by submitting the following:

• Suitability statement, including a CV and commitment to availability for the entire assignment in the months of January and February, 2023
• Examples of previous similar work
• A technical and financial proposal
• Contacts of three referees that have recently contracted the consultant to carry out similar assignments.
  N/B: The entire bid should be a MAXIMUM OF (10) PAGES inclusive of the above.