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Request for Proposal: Consultant to Conduct Feasibility Study on Food Security and Resilience Strengthening.

The Institute of Human Virology (IHVN) is a leading and reputable non-governmental organization addressing infectious and non-infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer through the provision of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, capacity building, research, and care and support services. IHVN is in partnership with local and international organizations and the different tiers of the government of Nigeria at national, state and local levels. The Institute’s vision is to be a leader in providing quality health services, capacity building and research in West Africa and beyond.

To improve the well-being of vulnerable households and to establish a solid foundation for a project proposal and implementation for a BMZ application, IHVN is calling for tenders to conduct a feasibility study on “Food security and resilience strengthening for vulnerable groups through multi-sectoral services in response to high birth rate, malaria prevalence, and agricultural potential.”

Terms of Reference

1. Background

High birth rates result in rapid population growth, causing a strain on available resources, especially in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria (36.026 births per 1000 people), increasing public expenditure needed to provide sufficiently for the population. Poverty, malnutrition, illness, and death are consequences of high population growth, especially among the vulnerable population. Illnesses such as malaria are prevalent in these poor countries located mostly in the tropics (51,000,000 cases in Nigeria annually). Young children, pregnant and breast-feeding women are vulnerable due to reduced immunity. The cost of treating malaria imposes a further economic burden on already impoverished families. However, families can be empowered to be resilient by harnessing available natural resources, such as agricultural potential currently at 40% in Africa, to improve food security (especially in Nigeria, with 17 million people currently at risk of food insecurity) and economically strengthen the ability to cater for the family needs including preventing and treating illnesses, reducing malnutrition and death, especially among the vulnerable population.

Nigeria with a population growth rate of 2.38% and a fertility rate of 5.1 births per woman is experiencing rapid population growth (Statista, 2023). Nigeria is unable to harness its large population to achieve its developmental goals as about 60% are dependent below the age of 25 with 40% of the population supposedly, the working age group left to cater for the vulnerable group (UNICEF,2022). The results are plethora of developmental challenges including income inequality, inadequate access to basic services, and persistent poverty in some regions unemployment, lack of food, inadequate health care facilities to cater for the massive population, poor housing, increase in endemic illnesses such as malaria due to poor living conditions and generalized poverty/poor standard of living.

In line with the WHO technical frameworks, interventions such as the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP), the National Malaria Strategic Plan and Nigeria End Malaria Council were developed to end the malaria scourge (FMoH, 2022). These programs have supported and promoted various strategies for malaria prevention and elimination. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development also coordinates programming for orphans and vulnerable children. However, these interventions have not sufficiently provided relief for the vulnerable population.

This project aims to improve the overall well-being of vulnerable households through food security, Malaria prevention, and Integrating SRH/FP among vulnerable households.  It also aims to promote the empowerment of vulnerable households by increasing their agricultural potential, especially the most vulnerable. IHVN will partner with other Government and Non-Governmental actors collaboratively on the project, with each actor contributing their unique skills and resources in a sustainable manner.

• Purpose, Objective and Use

 The goal of this feasibility study is to establish a solid foundation for the project proposal and implementation. The findings will serve as a basis for a good project proposal, and it is supposed to provide useful information for the project. It will provide insight into the project implementation and finalization. This TOR serves as a requirement for the BMZ application.

Overall Objective– Improving overall well-being of vulnerable households through Food security, Malaria prevention and Integrating SRH/FP among the vulnerable population in 20 facilities and 40 communities in FCT, Nasarawa, Katsina and Rivers.

• Role

The consultant will conduct the study in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders at the communities and facilities. A desk and mixed methods study will be conducted using semi-structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. IHVN will provide relevant support and technical assistance in the course of conducting the feasibility study.

• Scope of Work

The primary focus of the study is to determine if the proposed interventions would achieve the desired project outcomes.    

The feasibility study (max. 20 pages) should cover:

• Support in setting of realistic objectives
• Present the context of the planned project at all relevant levels (micro-, meso-, macro-) and also include essential, project-relevant data on the initial situation.
• Feasibility of activities
• Analyze to what extent the selected approach can contribute to solving the problem situation among the target groups and other actors. Furthermore, the project should be critically evaluated with regard to the OECD DAC1 criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
• Concrete recommendations for adjustments to the specific project concept, including impact matrix and measures, should be formulated as far as possible. The actors and stakeholders to be involved, suggestions for monitoring fields of outcome and impact measurement as well as opportunities and risks must be taken into account.
•  Concrete recommendations for areas of capacity building within the project implementation

• Methodology

The project concept note will be analyzed, and the study report will consist of

• Findings of the quantitative analysis from community, facility, and governmental stakeholders.
• Qualitative analysis of the focus group discussions of selected stakeholders

•  Process and tentative timelines

Milestones/meetings	Deadline/Time span
Call for Tender to Potential Consultants with Request for Proposal.	05-12-2023 to 18-12-2023
Selection and Contracting	18-12-2023 to 21-12-2023
Start of Consultancy	27-12-2023
Kick-off with (clarifying open questions, confirming suggested work plan)	28-12-2023
Preparation of the Study (including desk study, mixed methods study and preparation of the report).	03-01-2023 to 17-01-2024
Short Progress Report and Update Meeting	22-01-2024
Finalizing and Submission of Report	Closing Date 29-011-2024

•  Outputs and Deliverables

The feasibility study should not exceed 20 pages (excluding additional data material) and be written in English.

 It should contain the following chapters:

1. Purpose, objectives and use of the feasibility study
2.  Methodology
3.  Initial situation and problem analysis (at community, local government, and state level)
4.  Project executing agency in the partner country (Local Executing Agency)
5. Target groups and other actors (at community, local government, and State level)
6. Evaluation of the planned project according to OECD DAC criteria (see http://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/49756382.pdf)
7. Recommendations

For further guidance see “Guiding questions for feasibility studies“ of Bengo (below).

• Expert Profile of the Feasibility Study Characteristics of the Expert:
• Independently working from all project stakeholders.
• An expert with respective country expertise.
• Has to be fluent in written and spoken English.
• A professional, result-orientated, provides well-structured, critical assessment of the study context/focus.
• Ability to use concise language in highlighting important findings.
• Has excellent communication skills.
• Has substantial working experience.
• Willingness to work within established timelines.
•  Technical expertise in:

• Food Security
• Working with vulnerable populations
• Malaria programs
• Sexual Reproductive Health programs
• Analytic research skills
•  Proposal writing/conducting feasibility studies for projects by the not-for profit sector.
•  Using different methods of social science (focused interviews, questionnaires)
•  Experiences with the multi-actor partnership approach are an asset.

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their offer including:

•  Expression of Interest
•  CV including references to prove the required substantial work experience (see “expert profile”)
•  A Financial Offer (separate disclosure of applicable taxes)
• Short description (max. 1 page) of the methodology and approach of implementing planned feasibility study.

Note:

• The contract will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender, i.e. the tender offering the best price-quality ratio. The evaluation of offers will be based on: 60% required work experience, 25% price, 15% proposed methodology.
• The total cost of the feasibility study is not to exceed 0.95% of the proposed project budget.

The deadline for applying is 18^th December 2023 by 23:59 GMT+1 and offers should be sent to: [email protected]. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

References

Statista, 2023. Population growth in Nigeria from 2012 to 2022

UNICEF, 2022. Situation Analysis of Children in Nigeria. Ensuring equitable and sustainable realization of child rights in Nigeria

Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health National strategic plan 2014 – 2020. https://www.health.gov.ng/doc/NMEP-Strategic-Plan.pdf 

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