Additional Grant for Emergency National Poverty Targeting Program Project- NPTP-AG

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION

Lebanon

Additional Grant for Emergency National Poverty Targeting Program Project- NPTP-AG

Original Grant No. TF017200

LSCTF Grant No TF 0A2803

Project ID No.: P158980

Assignment Title:        Consultancy assignment for carrying out market analyses in Bekaa Region - Lebanon

Reference No. (as per Procurement Plan): FC002

The Government of Lebanon (GoL) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Emergency National Poverty Targeting Program Project (ENPTP) in addition to a recently approved US$10 million additional grant (NPTP-AG) (from the Lebanon Syria Conflict Trust Fund (LSCTF) that will enable the GOL to both expand the coverage and further strengthen the services that are currently provided by the National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP). The Government of Lebanon intends to apply part of the proceeds of the NPTP-AG for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include carrying out of the above-referenced market analysis in each of the following 3 districts/Cazas in the Bekaa, and which have some of the highest geographical concentration of the poorest 10,000 NPTP beneficiaries: Baalback, Zahle, and Hermel. Specifically, the selected firm will be expected to carry out preparatory as well as field work, and which includes: (i) data collection and analysis for the profiling of the population; (ii) desk research on the local economy of the selected districts/Cazas; (iii) drafting of all the relevant research instruments/tool; (iv) scheduling and facilitation of meetings and interviews; and (v) qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting.

The Fiduciary Operations Team (FOT) under the PCM is responsible for managing the Financial and Procurement activities under the project. The Fiduciary Operations Team under the supervision of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. Please note that no CVs of staff are required at this stage.

The short listing criteria are:

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: “Guidelines Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers” dated January 2011 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. 

Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub consultancy to enhance their qualifications.

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality- And Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours: from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by October 10, 2017 COB.

Presidency of the Council of Ministers - PCM

Fiduciary Operations Team - FOT

Att: Ms. Jessy El Khoury – Procurement Officer – ENPTP
Grand Serail, Serail Hill, Riad EL Solh

Beirut, Lebanon

Tel/Fax: +961-1-982317
Email: fot@fot-pcm.com

REPUBLIC OF LEBANON

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS

National Poverty Targeting Program - Graduation Pilot (NPTP-G)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy assignment for carrying out market analyses in Bekaa Region - Lebanon

1. Introduction:

   Prior to the onset of the Syrian conflict and the inflow of large numbers of Syrian refugees, poverty in Lebanon was significant and regional disparities in living conditions were acute. The most recently completed Household Budget Survey (HBS 2011-12) shows that poverty in Lebanon was 27 percent (pre-Syrian crisis), which implies that about one million people had levels of consumption below the annual poverty line set at 4,729 thousand LBP per capita per year (US$3,150). Poverty is the lowest in Beirut (16%), followed by Mount Lebanon (22%) and Nabatieh (25%). The poorest regions are North Lebanon (36%) and the Bekaa (38%).

   The Syrian conflict is estimated to have increased poverty among the Lebanese population, pushing an additional 170,000 people into poverty in 2014 and making those already poor even poorer.[1] Indeed, according to the 2015-16 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), the total vulnerable population in Lebanon today is approximately 3.3 million, of which 1.5 million Lebanese, 1.5 million Syrian refugees and 300,000 Palestinian refugees.

   With this in mind, in 2011, the Government of Lebanon (GoL) launched the National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP), which seeks to identify and provide poor targeted Lebanese households social assistance that includes both health and education subsidies. In 2014, in response to rising poverty levels in communities hosting refugees and in order to help mitigate tensions between the refugee and Lebanese communities, the GoL, with support from the World Bank, scaled up the NPTP (Emergency NPTP) to cover an increased number of poor Lebanese households, and improve the basket of benefits through the introduction of food assistance via an electronic card (e-card) targeting the poorest Lebanese households. Through the Emergency NPTP, NPTP benefited approximately 110,000 households (or approximately 450,000 individuals), and provided the e-card food voucher to the 5,000 poorest households. The NPTP has established itself as Lebanon’s main social safety net program, playing a central role for donors, UN agencies, and other ministries in reaching poor and vulnerable host populations affected by the Syrian conflict. The NPTP is managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM).

   A recently approved US$10 million grant from the Lebanon Syria Conflict Trust Fund (LSCTF) will enable the GoL to both expand the coverage and further strengthen the services that are currently provided by NPTP. Specifically, through the new grant, the GoL will be able to: (i) continue to provide the e-card food voucher to the 5,000 poorest NPTP households, as well as  expand its coverage to the next 5,000 poorest NPTP households, for a total of 10,000 beneficiary households (or approximately 40,000 individuals); and (ii) pilot a “graduation” program (NPTP-G), which will seek to promote increased and sustainable levels of income among some of the poorest NPTP households, in order to improve their overall relative poverty levels. To achieve this objective, NPTP-G will provide self-employment opportunities to male and female members of targeted NPTP households through the delivery of a comprehensive package of services, based on the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)/Ford Foundation graduation model that has been implemented in over 20 countries with high success.         

   The NPTP-G will target 600 households from among the 10,000 poorest NPTP households. Each targeted household will select one of its working-age members to receive the NPTP-G package of services, all while ensuring the participation of a working-age female in NPTP-G. The NPTP-G package of services include: (i) the NPTP e-card food voucher for consumption support and improved food security levels; (ii) an asset transfer to help jump-start one or more economic activities; (iii) technical skills training related to the chosen asset as well as on identifying, developing, and running a business; (iv) coaching and life-skills training to boost beneficiaries’ self-confidence and social capital and contribute to improve overall levels of discouragement; and (v) financial literacy training and linkages to microfinance services for improved income management and savings.

2. Objectives of the Assignment

   Transferring an asset to help participants launch a sustainable economic activity is a critical component of the Graduation Approach. Prior to the transfer, a thorough analysis of the local market, which entails profiling the targeted population and carrying out value chain analysis (VCA) to identify those sectors that have the potential to absorb the selected participants, is critical to ensure that the livelihood intervention is: (i) relevant for the selected beneficiaries and the local needs, and (ii) sustainable.

   MoSA is looking to hire a specialized firm for carrying out the above-referenced market analysis in each of the following 3 districts/Cazas in the Bekaa, and which have some of the highest geographical concentration of the poorest 10,000 NPTP beneficiaries: Baalback, Zahle, , and Hermel.[2] Specifically, the selected firm is expected to carry out preparatory as well as field work, and which includes: (i) data collection and analysis for the profiling of the population; (ii) desk research on the local economy of the selected districts/Cazas; (iii) drafting of all the relevant research instruments/tool; (iv) scheduling and facilitation of meetings and interviews; and (v) qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting.

    

3. Scope of Work

   Under the supervision of the NPTP team and in close collaboration with the World Bank team, the selected firm is expected to undertake the following activities:

    

   1. Conduct a profiling of the target population in each of the three selected districts/Cazas. The profiling should include information on the targeted population’s age, gender, educational background, skills, professional experience, current income-generating activities as well as any other relevant information. For this profiling, the selected firm can draw upon existing administrative data from the NPTP database. Missing data will be collected through field visits and interviews.

       

   2. Carry out a sector selection exercise in order to identify value chains in each district/Caza that could benefit the target population. Selection criteria should include the following: relevance to the target population, potential impact on poverty and employment, profitability, growth and feasibility of possible interventions. Socio-economic indicators for monitoring and evaluation should be defined.

       

   3. Rank the selected value chains and identify, in consultation with the NPTP team and local stakeholders, those value chains that have the greatest potential to absorb the targeted population. Depending on the outcome of the target group analysis, 2 value chains can be identified for each of the three districts/Cazas. The identified value chains will be subject to further analysis. This should be presented and discussed during a sector selection validation workshop with relevant stakeholders.

       

   4. Conduct a limited VCA exercise for the 2 identified value chains in each of the three selected districts/Cazas, leveraging the International Labor Organization (ILO) “Value Chain Development for Decent Work” guide[3]. The VCA exercise should explore the existing business linkages and employment opportunities for the target population, and include an overview of existing financial and business support services as well as regulatory constraints and opportunities for the economic development of the sector. All findings and collected information should be discussed and validated during a VCA stakeholder workshop.

       

   5. Conduct a Training Needs Assessment (TNA), in parallel to the VCA, in order to identify the skills and knowledge gaps for the identified value chains. Propose an appropriate plan for vocational and entrepreneurship development training.

       

   6. Evaluate institutional capacity as well as institutional building opportunities for possible implementing partners, including local private sector service providers and vocational school and training.

       

   7. To the extent possible, involve local partners in the activities to be carried out as part of these terms of reference, to build their capacity to undertake such assessments in the future. This could be done, for example, through the VCA stakeholder workshop (see number 4).

       

4. Expected outputs/deliverables of the Assignment

   With the above-mentioned activities in mind, the selected firm will be expected to deliver the following outputs in English:

5. Timing and Reporting

1. An implementation plan based on the approved proposal, to be agreed by the NPTP team and in close collaboration with the World Bank team;
2. An initial profiling of target population in the three selected districts/Cazas;
3. Documentation of the sector selection exercise. This should include specific criteria/indicators based on which the value chains were selected;
4. A sector selection validation workshop (NPTP team should be invited or consulted for inputs before the workshop);
5. VCA report, with recommendations for specific sector interventions (for a total of six VCAs, or one VCA for each of the 2 value chains selected in each of the three selected districts/casa);
6. A VCA stakeholder workshop, to validate all findings (NPTP team be invited or consulted for inputs before the workshop);
7. Training Needs Assessments (TNAs) within the selected value chains (for a total of 6 TNAs, or one TNA for each selected value chain) ;
8. Final report with findings, further recommendations for the project and proposed interventions.
   1. Qualifications

       

      Required:

       

   2. A specialized firm, with its leading team having degrees in Economics, Social Sciences, Education or a closely related field;
   3. Experience in conducting market research and VCAs;
   4. Strong proficiency of its leading team in English and Arabic, both oral and written;
   5. Good knowledge of the Lebanese political, economic and social context;
   6. Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills;
   7. Strong social, organizational and knowledge management skills required in order to coordinate and manage a research and project network;
   8. Capacity to produce high-quality reports;
   9. Experience designing and implementing quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments, in particular surveys and focus groups;
   10. Ability to work independently under limited supervision;
   11. The contracted firm will be expected to work in close consultation with project team from the World Bank, MOSA, and PCM.

    

   Preferred:

    

   12. Knowledge of/experience with poverty-targeted social assistance programs that support self- employment and provision of social services;
   13. Experience with refugee contexts desirable.

    

    

   Throughout the whole duration of this project the selected firm/consortium will assign to it a dedicated team including a Project Manager, a Value Chain Specialist, and a Research Analyst with the following responsibilities and required qualifications:

    

   The Project Manager shall be responsible for:

   • Acting as the focal point of the study, and overseeing the design and implementation of all activities related to this study as specified under section III of these ToRs;
   • Developing a detailed implementation plan for the market assessment spanning all activities specified under section III of these ToRs;
   • Selecting and training of the field staff;
   • Managing the logistics and control of field operations;
   • Monitoring progress in project implementation, and internal and external (to MoSA) reporting.

      

     The Project Manager will be a professional with a university degree in social sciences (preferably Economics), The Project Manager should have excellent knowledge of the Lebanese political, economic and social context and strong social, organizational and knowledge management skills required in order to coordinate and manage a research and project network. He or she will be expected to work in close consultation the project teams from MOSA, PCM and the World Bank.

      

     The Value Chain Specialist shall be responsible for:

1. Designing and organizing a sector selection validation workshop (NPTP team should be invited or consulted for inputs before the workshop);
2. Drafting VCA reports, with recommendations for specific sector interventions;
3. Organizing VCA stakeholder workshop, to validate all findings;
4. Conducting Training Needs Assessments (TNAs) within the selected value chains.

    

   The Value Chain Specialist will be a professional with a university degree in social sciences (preferably Economics), and at least 5 years of experience in conducting market assessments or value chain analyses, and experience in technical skills’ assessment. The Value Chain Specialist should have excellent knowledge of the Lebanese political, economic and social context and experience designing and implementing quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments, in particular surveys and focus groups. He or she will be expected to work in close consultation with the project teams from MOSA, PCM and the World Bank.

    

   The Research Analyst shall be responsible for:

1. Providing research support across all activities specified under section III of these ToRs (which includes doing research on the local markets, training needs);
2. Conducting an initial profiling of target population in the selected districts/Cazas.

    

   The research assistant/ analyst assistant will be a professional with a university degree in Social Sciences (preferably in Economics), and at least 3 years of experience with conducting market research. The research assistant/ analyst should have excellent analytical skills and capacity to produce quality reports, and strong proficiency in English and Arabic, both oral and written. He or she will be expected to work in close consultation project teams from MOSA, PCM and the World Bank.

    

    

    

A selection process will be launched in September 2017, and a firm will be selected based on pre-determined criteria. The selected firm will report to the NPTP-G Sub-Coordinator, and is expected to begin work in January 2018. It is expected that all the deliverables detailed under section IV of these Terms of Reference will be submitted by April, 2018.