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Baseline Survey

Supporting Refugees' Well-Being, Resilience, and Self-Reliance through Inclusive and Systems-Oriented Access to Essential Services in Nine Refugee Camps, Thailand

1.Project Summary

Type of Study Baseline Survey (external)

Project Title Supporting Refugees' Well-Being, Resilience, and Self-Reliance through Inclusive and Systems-Oriented Access to Essential Services in Nine Refugee Camps, Thailand

Project Start Date March 2026

Project End Date 36 months from start date

Project Duration 36 months

Project Location Nine refugee camps along the Thailand–Myanmar border: Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, Thailand

Sectors Health, WASH, Disability-Inclusive Social Support, Education, Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods, Protection

Donor European Union (DG INTPA)

Lead Applicant International Rescue Committee (IRC) Thailand

Consortium Partners Malteser International (MI), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), Save the Children Thailand (SCT); Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA); Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR)

Final Beneficiaries 104,282 Myanmar refugees (54,033 male; 50,249 female) across nine refugee camps

Overall Objective To contribute to improved well-being, resilience and self-reliance of Myanmar refugees through inclusive and systems-oriented access to essential services, supporting a gradual transition towards sustainable and locally anchored solutions.

2.Introduction

This document sets out the Terms of Reference for an external baseline survey to be conducted at the inception of the above-named action, funded by the European Union (DG INTPA) and implemented by a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Thailand, with Save the Children Thailand (SCT), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), and the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) as co-implementing partners.

The survey will establish quantitative and qualitative baseline values for the outcome and impact level indicators defined in the project logframe, against which mid-term and endline evaluations will measure change. The action covers four interconnected thematic areas including Health, WASH and Disability-Inclusive Social Support; Education Continuity and Transition; Economic Inclusion and Livelihoods; and Protection Systems across nine refugee camps situated in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son, and Ratchaburi provinces.

The baseline survey is an external, independent exercise to be commissioned by IRC in the first three months (inception phase) of the project. The consultant(s) selected will be expected to design and implement a rigorous, gender-responsive, and disability-inclusive mixed-methods study, produce a quality-assured dataset, and deliver a final report with baseline values for all TBD logframe indicators. The process, methodology, and deliverables are described in detail below.

3.Background and Context

Thailand currently hosts over 104,000 refugees from Myanmar across nine camps along its border, reflecting a 31% increase since the 2021 military coup. The majority of refugees are Karen and Karenni; many have been displaced for more than three decades and nearly half are children and youth born in Thailand. This protracted context has resulted in service provision and socio-economic engagement occurring largely through camp-based and parallel arrangements, with limited alignment to Thai national frameworks.

The operating environment has deteriorated markedly since 2024/2025. The escalation of armed conflict inside Myanmar has intensified displacement and heightened protection risks, particularly for adolescents and young men. Concurrently, the suspension of U.S. funding in early 2025 triggered a major contraction in external support across the camps, significantly reducing availability of health, rehabilitation, WASH, education, food security, and protection services. In some camps, suicide rates have reached their highest levels in five years.

In August 2025, the Royal Thai Government (RTG) adopted a Cabinet Resolution allowing registered refugees holding Ministry of Interior (MOI) documentation to legally work outside the camps for the first time in decades. While this policy shift creates opportunities for self-reliance for an estimated 42,000 working-age refugees, approximately 30,000 refugees remain excluded due to lack of documentation and continue to face restricted labour-market access and protection risks. National and sub-national Thai systems remain insufficiently resourced and operationally unprepared to absorb expanded service responsibilities for refugee populations.

The 36-month action aims to address the basic needs of refugees across the nine camps through four outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Refugees have equitable and strengthened access to quality health, WASH, and disability-inclusive social support services, aligned with Thai national structures and transition pathways.
• Outcome 2: Refugee children and youth have sustained access to safe, inclusive, and quality education, supported by a stabilized and retained teaching workforce, and with transition pathways aligned to education systems beyond the camps.
• Outcome 3: Refugee have Improved economic inclusion, self-reliance and food security of refugees through employment-readiness programs aligned with RTG and diversified, inclusive and market-relevant livelihoods opportunities, including sustainable food production.
• Outcome 4: Refugees, especially vulnerable groups, are better protected from harm through timely access to inclusive and responsive protection services. 

The action applies a gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, child-sensitive, and protection-sensitive approach throughout, with particular attention to persons with disabilities (PWDs — at least 8% of the camp population), women and girls, and first-time job seekers. Wherever feasible, data will be disaggregated by sex, age, and disability.

Consortium partners' roles: IRC leads overall implementation; IRC and MI leads health and WASH, SCT leads education; ADRA leads livelihoods and economic inclusion; COERR supports livelihoods, economic inclusion, and protection; HI leads disability-inclusive rehabilitation services.

4.Scope of Study

The baseline survey is intended to establish the TBD outcome and impact level indicators in the project logframe. It will also generate contextual data that will inform adaptive management, support communication with EU-INTPA, and provide the reference point against which a mid-term evaluation (approximately Month 18) and an endline evaluation (Month 33–36) will measure change. The survey will generate data that is representative at the level of individual camps and allows cross-camp comparison.

The specific objectives of the baseline survey are:

• Establish baseline values for all TBD outcome-level and impact-level indicators in the project logframe, disaggregated by sex, age group, disability status, and camp.
• Generate a multi-dimensional well-being and resilience index score per household, covering (at minimum) access to essential services, perceived safety/protection, and ability to meet basic needs, as specified under the Impact Indicator.
• Assess access to, quality of, and satisfaction with health, WASH, rehabilitation/disability services, education, livelihoods/employment, and protection services across the nine camps at the start of the action.
• Document key barriers to service access and participation, especially for women, persons with disabilities, children, and other marginalized groups.
• Assess the current level of refugee participation in income-generating activities, awareness of the RTG right-to-work policy, and readiness to engage in legal employment.
• Document current community-based protection structures, perceived safety, and access to information and referral pathways.
• Assess the current level of readiness, accessibility, and capacity of Thai government systems and authorities to progressively assume service delivery and protection responsibilities for refugee populations, including levels of awareness, trust, and barriers faced by refugees in accessing national systems.

Geographic and thematic scope:

The survey covers all nine refugee camps along the Thailand–Myanmar border in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son, and Ratchaburi provinces. It must produce camp-level representative estimates for each of the four thematic areas. Specific camps: Tak Province (Mae La, Umpium, Nu Po), Mae Hong Son Province (Ban Mai Nai Soi, Ban Mae Surin, Mae Ra Ma Luang, Mae La Oon), Kanchanaburi Province (Ban Don Yang), and Ratchaburi Province (Tham Hin).

Stakeholder

Intended Use

European Union (DG INTPA)

Intended Use: Accountability, reporting, verification that log frame baselines are established; compliance with EU M&E requirements

IRC Thailand (lead implementer)

Intended Use: Adaptive management; populating logframe; setting realistic end-of-project targets; informing Year 1 workplan

Consortium partners (MI, SCT, HI, ADRA, COERR)

Intended Use: Sectoral program planning; adjustment of activities and targeting; internal MEAL use

Royal Thai Government (MOI, MoPH, MoE, MoL)

Intended Use: Evidence based for policy dialogue on service transition and refugee inclusion

Camp Committees and CBOs

Intended Use: Community accountability and feedback

The following questions guide primary data collection. The consultant is expected to refine and supplement these during the inception phase:

1. Health, WASH & Disability: What is the current level of access to (current status of most critical health, WASH and disability/rehabilitation services), utilization of, and satisfaction with health, WASH, and disability/rehabilitation services among refugee households, disaggregated by sex, age, disability status, and camp? (eg. What is the current level of perceived acceptance by the community to contribute financially (in kind) towards support management, operation and maintenance of critical WASH services by community committees in the 9 camps?)

2. Education: What is the current state of education access, quality, and workforce stability in camp-based schools, including the degree of alignment with Thai national standards?

3. Economic Inclusion: To what extent are refugees able to access and engage in safe, legal, and sustainable livelihood opportunities—both within and outside the camps—and what are the key barriers to labour market participation (including documentation status, language, mobility restrictions, limited information, and protection risks), and how do awareness of the Right-to-Work policy and employment readiness influence their ability to secure stable income and meet basic household needs, particularly for women, persons with disabilities, and other excluded groups?

4. Protection: What is the current level of perceived safety among refugees, and to what extent are protection services and community-based protection and referral mechanisms accessible, inclusive, timely and responsive, particularly for vulnerable groups across the nine camps? What are the existing barriers, service gaps, and levels of trust influencing the readiness and ability of Thai government authorities to progressively assume protection responsibilities and ensure continuity of protection support?

5. Well-Being Index: What is the baseline multi-dimensional well-being and resilience score of refugee households, covering access to essential services, perceived safety, and ability to meet basic needs, disaggregated by sex, age, disability, and camp?

5.Study Methodology

The baseline survey will employ a mixed-methods design with a primary quantitative component (household survey) supplemented by qualitative methods to contextualize findings and capture dimensions of experience not amenable to quantification. The study must be gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, child-sensitive, and protection-sensitive throughout.

Indicative data collection methods include:

• Structured household survey across all nine camps, designed to produce camp-level representative estimates for logframe indicators.
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with labor offices, camp committee members, CBO leaders, frontline service providers, camp managers, and consortium staff to contextualize quantitative findings and provide institutional-level data, authorities at camp level, local authorities at district, provincial level and, national level if feasible.
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with purposively selected groups: adolescent girls and boys, School aged children, women, men, PWDs, and elderly refugees, to capture qualitative perspectives on access, barriers, and well-being. (Note: recommend the child-friendly methodology for the school aged children)
• Document/records review for any indicator’s measurable through administrative data (enrolment records, insurance registration logs, rehabilitation service records, WASH service delivery records) to avoid duplication with primary data collection.

The consultant will propose a detailed sampling strategy in the Inception Report, ensuring probability-based sampling, with camp-level representative estimates and adequate coverage of women, men, boys, girls, persons with disabilities, and households with diverse livelihood profiles.

Ethical Considerations

The study must adhere to the highest ethical standards throughout, including:

• Informed consent: All participants must provide voluntary, informed consent prior to data collection, using age-appropriate and accessible formats. For children under 18, parental/guardian consent and child assent must be obtained.
• Confidentiality and data protection: No personally identifiable information will be disclosed. All data must be encrypted, stored securely, and transferred to IRC upon completion in anonymized form.
• Do no harm: All methods and tools must be reviewed for potential risks to participants. Sensitive topics must be addressed using trauma-informed approaches. Referral pathways must be in place for any protection concerns arising during data collection. All individuals collecting data from children must be trained or oriented in safeguarding policies.
• Protection of vulnerable groups: Special care must be taken with women, children, PWDs, and individuals with potential exposure to protection risks.

The consultant should acknowledge and propose mitigation strategies for the following potential limitations in the technical proposal:

• Camp access and permissions: Entry requires MOI and camp authority approval; conditions vary across provinces.
• Rapidly shifting context including political change: The August 2025 RTG employment policy, ongoing funding contractions, and active service handovers mean baseline values may reflect a moment of acute disruption rather than a stable pre-intervention state. Exhausted of key informant should be considered as there were a lot of surveys and assessments conducted after implementation of right to work policy.
• Self-reporting bias: Indicators on perceived safety, well-being, and protection are subject to social desirability effects, particularly where respondents may associate survey participation with service entitlement.
• Representative bias- The assessment relies on individual cases (the most outspoken camp residents) to judge the whole target population—rather than using accurate sampling, systematic data.
• Administrative data inconsistencies: Where baseline values draw on partner program records, data quality, coverage, and indicator definitions may vary across consortium partners and camps, limiting direct comparability.
• Seasonal effects: Data collection during monsoon season (approximately May–October) may affect field accessibility (especially for Ban Mae Surin, Mae Ra Ma Luang, Mae La Oon, Ban Don Yang), affecting completeness and cross-camp comparability, school attendance figures, and agricultural livelihood indicators, producing values that do not reflect year-round conditions.

6.Expected Deliverables

All deliverables will be submitted in English, in MS Word and PDF format unless otherwise indicated. IRC will provide consolidated written feedback within ten working days of receiving each draft.

Deliverable: Inception Report

Description: Baseline questions and indicator matrix; proposed methodology and sampling strategy; data collection tools (survey instrument, KII/FGD guides), analysis plan/approach in English; ethical protocol; risk and mitigation plan; work plan with detailed timeline. Maximum 15 pages plus annexes.

Format: MS Word + PDF

Deliverable: Translated Tools

Description: Household survey instrument and qualitative guides translated into Karen, Karenni, and Burmese.

Format: MS Word + digital (CommCare or equivalent)

Deliverable: Fieldwork and Data Collection

Description: Primary data collection: household surveys, KIIs, and FGDs. Weekly progress updates to IRC MEAL team.

Format:  Progress report (email)

Deliverable: Preliminary Findings Presentation

Description: Presentation of preliminary findings, data quality notes, and any emerging data gaps to IRC and Consortium Partners.

Format: PowerPoint presentation (online)

Deliverable: Draft Baseline Report

Description: Baseline report including executive summary; methodology; findings by thematic area and camp; populated logframe indicator table with baseline values; limitations; annexes.

Format: MS Word + PDF

Deliverable:  Final Baseline Report

Description: Revised final report incorporating consolidated consortium feedback.

Format: MS Word + PDF

Deliverable: Summarized Four-Page Evaluation Report

Description: Report that summarizes the baseline findings, conclusion and recommendations.

Deliverable: Clean Raw Datasets

Description: All anonymized raw quantitative datasets (CSV/XLSX) and qualitative transcripts/notes (MS Word), with a data dictionary and codebook.

Format: XLSX/CSV + MS Word

Deliverable: Stakeholder Presentation

Description: Concise presentation of key findings and baseline values for consortium partners and selected government stakeholders.

Format: PowerPoint (editable)

7.Study Management

The consultant will report directly to the IRC MEAL Coordinator with support of Deputy Director of Programs and Regional Measurement Advisor, Asia, Thailand, who will serve as the primary point of contact and Study Project Manager throughout the assignment. Overall quality assurance oversight is provided by the IRC’s Thailand Team, Regional Sector Leads, Asia and Regional Measurement Advisor, Asia.

IRC will convene a baseline inception meeting at the start of the assignment to brief the consultant on the project, introduce key consortium contacts, and clarify any questions relating to the logframe and indicator definitions. IRC will provide consolidated written feedback on all submitted drafts within ten working days of receipt. IRC will facilitate access to refugee camps where possible, support and guidance on possible ways for the recruitment of data collectors/enumerators, facilitate engagement with IRC staff and other key stakeholders and provide all necessary program documents and contacts of relevant stakeholders.

The consultant is responsible for the full management of the baseline, including team leadership, logistics, field operations, data management, analysis, and report writing. This includes recruiting and training qualified enumerators with relevant language skills, managing daily fieldwork logistics, ensuring data quality throughout collection, and meeting all agreed deadlines. The consultancy fee covers all the consultancy-related costs, including internet costs, communication, travel and lodging/accommodation costs, etc.

8.Study Team

IRC is seeking a qualified individual consultant or research firm with demonstrable expertise in conducting large-scale, multi-sector surveys in humanitarian or refugee contexts in Southeast Asia. Applications will be assessed against the criteria below. Criteria marked as Essential must be met; Desirable criteria will be used to differentiate between technically qualified applicants.

Team Leader / Principal Investigator — Essential Requirements

• Advanced degree (Master's or higher) in statistics, social science, public health, development studies, or a related field.
• Minimum seven years' experience in quantitative and qualitative research, including at least three large-scale household surveys/Baseline surveys and will be able to share the previous baseline report.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing multi-sector baselines or needs assessments in humanitarian or refugee camp settings.
• Strong expertise in sampling methodologies for refugee/displaced populations.
• Proficiency in quantitative data analysis (SPSS, Stata, or R) and qualitative analysis (NVivo or equivalent).
• Experience developing gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive data collection tools.
• Fluency in English; excellent report writing skills.
• AI-generated reports will not be accepted. Candidates are strongly encouraged to demonstrate their technical knowledge and apply their relevant professional experience.

Team Leader — Desirable

• Prior experience conducting research in Thailand or the Mekong sub-region.
• Familiarity with EU-funded project MEAL requirements.
• Experience with multi-dimensional well-being or resilience index construction.
• Knowledge of the Thailand–Myanmar border context and Myanmar refugee populations.

Field Research Team

• Adequate number of trained enumerators to complete data collection within the agreed fieldwork period across all nine camps.
• Enumerators must be fluent in Karen, Karenni, and/or Burmese (as required by camp population) and in Thai.
• At least 50% female enumerators to enable gender-sensitive data collection.
• At least one team member with specific expertise or experience in disability-inclusive data collection (e.g., use of the Washington Group Short Set).

Criterion: Technical understanding

Description: Demonstration of understanding of baseline survey objectives, log frame indicators, and the Thailand refugee camp context.

Weight: 20%

Criterion: Methodology

Description: Quality, rigour, and appropriateness of proposed methodology, sampling strategy, and analytical approach.

Weight: 30%

Criterion: Team qualifications

Description: Relevant qualifications and experience of the team leader and field research team; language competencies.

Weight: 20%

Criterion: Organizational capacity

Description: Demonstrated capacity to manage multi-site fieldwork across the refugee camps within the proposed timeline.

Weight: 15%

Criterion: Financial proposal

Description: Reasonableness of costs, value for money, and transparency of budget breakdown.

Weight: 15%

9.Payment Schedule

Installment: First payment

Trigger / Deliverable: Upon IRC's written approval of the Inception Report and all data collection tools

Amount (%): 20%

Installment: Second payment

Trigger / Deliverable: Upon completion of fieldwork and submission of clean raw datasets, preliminary findings presentation and submission of draft baseline report.

Amount (%): 30%

Installment: Third payment

Trigger / Deliverable: Upon IRC's written approval of the draft final baseline Report.

Amount (%): 30%

Installment: Four payment

Trigger / Deliverable: Upon IRC's written approval of the final baseline report and data handover.

Amount (%): 20%

10.How to Apply

Interested individual consultants or research firms should submit a technical and financial proposal to the IRC Thailand by the deadline specified in the call for applications. Proposals should be submitted electronically in PDF format. The proposal package must include:

• Technical proposal (maximum 20 pages) covering: understanding of the assignment; proposed methodology and sampling approach; data collection tools (outline); work plan and timeline; team CVs; and examples of at least two comparable baseline surveys conducted by the team lead.
• Financial proposal detailing: personnel allocation by role (number of days and daily rate, inclusive of taxes); field operational costs (transport, accommodation, per diem); translation costs; and any other applicable costs. IRC seeks value for money and quality; the lowest-cost proposal will not automatically be selected.
• Expression of Interest (EOI) form.

IRC reserves the right to request additional information and to conduct interviews or technical presentations as part of the selection process. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

For questions or to request additional project documentation, contact: ThinThin.Soe@rescue.org , with the subject line: 'EU Baseline Survey – Thailand'.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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