Consultancy Services to conduct Inclusive Market System Analysis, South Sudan

Terms of Reference

Consultancy Services to conduct Inclusive Market System Analysis

In Northern Bahr el Ghazal South Sudan

1. Background

Overview of South Sudan

South Sudan is among the poorest countries in the world, ranked 181 out of 188 countries in the 2016 Human Development Index. The adult mortality rate for females (per 1,000 people) stood at 321, while that of males was even higher at 348. The infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) is 60.3 and under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) is 92.6. More than 2.6 million people are currently displaced of which 1.85 million are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The food security situation continues to deteriorate; the latest Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System (FSNMS round 20) report, published in December 2017 showed 76% of the households across the country are facing moderate to severe food insecurity. This is the highest level of food insecurity during this time of the year since FSNMS started reporting in 2010. Four fifths of households experienced moderate to severe hunger (66 percent moderate and 13 percent severe) up from 68% at the same time one year ago. In Northern Bahr el Ghazal, the IPC published in May 2017 showed all counties, except Aweil Centre experiencing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels acute food insecurity through to July 2017. The most recent IPC published in September 2017 still showed 60% of the population under Crisis, Emergency and Humanitarian Catastrophe. Malnutrition remains high and mostly above WHO emergency thresholds, trade routes continue to be disrupted by insecurity weakening the market system, and the inflation continues to rise further reducing household purchasing power.

Security & political context

South Sudan is experiencing a complex political, economic and security crisis. Three years after the emergence of civil conflict in December 2013, population displacement trends remain dynamic in a context of violence, rising food insecurity and economic and political instability. Armed fighting has continued throughout Unity, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile and the Equatorias resulting in large‐scale internal displacements and influx of refugees into neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Sudan and Ethiopia. Political solutions to the crisis and implementation of the August 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) were circumvented after a series of major conflict episodes in 2016 and into 2017.

Concern’s work in South Sudan.

Concern has been working in South Sudan since 1985, initially focusing on emergency response. In 1994, Concern expanded emergency response to people affected by the civil war in Yei, then expanded to Lakes State and in 1998 to Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. In 2011, with the cessation of South Sudan, which ushered some peace in parts of South Sudan, Concern started developing programmes to support recovery and resettlement in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Bentiu. However, programming was disrupted by a new wave of conflict breaking out in December 2013 which is still ongoing in some parts of the country. Currently, Concern operates in three regions: Bentiu, Juba and NBeG. While in Bentiu and Juba the programme focuses mostly on emergency response but starting to transition towards recovery programming, in NBeG Concern is slowly transitioning towards resilience focused programming at micro level through integrated approach, which tackles all dimensions of poverty. The main programme focus includes Food Security and Livelihoods as well as Health and Nutrition as well as WASH. Issues of gender, equality, prevention of gender based violence and protection, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and HIV and AIDS are addressed as integral part of the programme. Concern’s programmes in South Sudan are currently funded by USAID, UKAID, Irish Aid, ECHO and UN Agencies.

With funding from Irish Aid, Concern has designed an integrated programme aimed at addressing some of the root causes of hunger and malnutrition in the area. This five year programme provides an opportunity to shape the entire programming in NBeG and align the short term funding towards strengthening the community and building resilience.

2. Purpose of the Consultancy

Concern is planning to develop an integrated programme strategy for NBeG building on our years of investment, achievements and lessons learnt to build resilience and enhance asset creation in order to lift the communities we work with out of extreme poverty. Concern has, and continues to, implement emergency and recovery programmes moving towards resilience programming using project rather than programme approaches. Concern South Sudan is now working on developing a programme strategy for the NBeG Programme with one overarching results framework/ log frame with outcome/impact level indicators that all programmes and projects work towards achieving in the next 5 years.

In preparation for the development of NBeG programme strategy, Concern South Sudan has completed a number of assessments, analyses and surveys that will be used to inform the long term programme strategy/ Resilience Framework. Completed pieces of work include: Food Security and Livelihoods Framework, two technical reports on DRR, three recent End of Programme Evaluations, a KAP Survey, and a SMART Survey. Ongoing is a Gender Analysis, SQUEAC Assessment and to start soon are an Inclusive Market Systems Analysis and an Advocacy Strategy. The EU is currently carrying out a study on the extension service provision in South Sudan, to which Concern is contributing, and will receive the report once completed. A number of other pieces of work by other agencies and donors are further available, including the Lessons Learnt Study on BRACE II in NBeG, commissioned by DFID and the Joint Annual Assessment of BRACE II. All of these documents need to be considered in relation to the requested strategy. The finalized strategy for NBeG must fit within the overall Concern South Sudan Country Strategy (March 2017).

This consultancy is therefore to undertake Inclusive Market System Analysis.

3. Objectives and Specific Tasks to be undertaken by the Consultant.

Inclusive Market System Development is increasingly being recognised as a means of achieving sustainable impact at scale in development programmes and projects. An inclusive market system development approach focuses on building the capacity and resilience of local systems, leveraging the incentives and resources of the private sector, ensuring the beneficial inclusion of the very poor, and stimulating change and innovation that continues to grow beyond the life of the programme which is in line with the core of Concern’s mission to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives, which last and spread without ongoing support from Concern. Specifically, the objective of inclusive market system development is to catalyse a process that results in a market system that is:

· Competitive—system actors are able to effectively innovate, upgrade and add value to their products and services to match market demand and maintain or grow market share;

· Inclusive—delivering a sustainable flow of benefits to a range of actors, including the extreme poor and otherwise vulnerable, as well as to society as a whole; and

· Resilient—system actors are able to address, absorb and overcome shocks in the market, policy environment, resource base or other aspect of the system

Principal Objective:

The principal objective of the inclusive market system analysis is therefore to look deep in the market system in NBeG and devise a roadmap for Concern to work with programme participants including the extreme poor to make the market work for them as a means of graduating out of poverty.

Specific Objectives:

· Review programme documents, external material on how the market system in NBeG is developing or changing and conduct expert consultations on the market system in NBeG. Using the information generated, come up with a hypothesis on the future of the market system development in NBeG.

· Using meetings with actors at different levels and points of the NBeG market system, test the hypothesis developed from literature review.

· Undertake a general market system analysis of goods and services necessary to the market systems critical to communities and identify gaps/constraints.

· Identify potential market based approaches to provide key community services including but not limited to animal health service provision, agricultural extension service provision, financial services, input access to make them sustainable and community driven.

· Developing a framework in order to implement and monitor systemic changes in the provision of these services at appropriate intervals.

4. Planned activities

1) Literature review of all relevant programme documents including the Gender Analysis Report, SQUEAC Report, KAP Survey Report and external relevant reports like the Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System Report (FSNMS), Integrated Food and Nutrition Casual Analysis (IFANCA) report and BRACED End of Project Evaluation Report; SORUDEV End of Project Evaluation Report, FSTP End of Project Evaluation Report, South Sudan Market Assessment Report and other relevant documents.

2) Develop an Inception Report clearly spelling out the hypothesis for the future of market system development in NBeG, tools for technical consultations, KII and FGDs at field level.

3) Field trip to NBeG to interview market actors, Key informants at NBeG level, community level meetings with Concern program beneficiaries, community based extension works etc.

4) Facilitate NBeG level workshop to confirm findings and fill the gap of key information as per the consultants data gathering plan, this is it to ensure no missing information from field level.

5) Draft the inclusive market system analysis report. The report should not exceed 20 pages including annexes. Draft papers developed or information generated that is deemed necessary as reference should be presented separately in a different folder. The consultant can return home after field trip to draft the report.

6) Facilitate a validation workshop with market experts at Juba level to discuss the findings from the field, hypotheses developed and suggested market based approaches to community based extension service provision. This will be a technical workshop drawing markets experts from NGOs, UN Agencies and Donor fraternity.

7) Produce and submit final report two copies well bounded like not just spiral bound but high quality binding like a book. A soft copy with all other documents generated in the course of the assignment that is deemed useful to Concern when developing the programme strategy.

5. Expected Outputs

• A final Inclusive Market Systems Analysis Report (2 copies) well bound. The report should not exceed 20 pages excluding annexes. Annexes should include field notes and quantitative/qualitative data collected.
• A technical workshop conducted and discussions documented as a separate report of a paper feeding the production of the final report.
• Copies of documents and papers produced in the course of the assigned to generate the report that is deemed useful to Concern including the technical workshop paper presented in a separate folder presented only as soft copy.

6. Lines of Communication and Reporting

The Consultant will report directly to the Programmes Director and work in close collaboration with the Senior Program Manager Food Security and Livelihoods and the Programme Quality Coordinator

7. Timeframe

Activity

Person Day

Proposed Date

(To-be-filled later)

1

Literature review of all relevant programme and external documents related to market system in NBeG and South Sudan

3

2

Develop an Inception Report clearly spelling out the hypothesis for the future of market system development in NBeG & Tools

2

3

Field trip to NBeG to interview market actors, Key informants, community level meetings with beneficiaries and CBEWs

7

4

Facilitate NBeG level workshop to confirm findings and fill key information gaps as per the consultant’s data gathering plan.

2

5

Draft the inclusive market system analysis report. The report should not exceed 20 pages including annexes.

4

6

Facilitate a validation workshop with market experts at Juba level to discuss field findings & hypotheses developed

1

7

Produce and submit final report two copies well bounded like not just spiral bound but high quality binding like a book

1

Total number of person days

20 Days

8. Preparations and Logistical support

Concern Worldwide team will provide the following logistical support and guidance:

· Concern will ensure prompt payment of professional fees and reimbursement of other costs arising from the contract including visa fees as per terms of contract.

· Concern South Sudan will provide logistical support (transport, accommodation, upkeep) when in country in South Sudan both Juba and Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

· Concern will meet the cost of two economy class airfare, return from the Consultant’s home. One for the field work and the other to come to facilitate market experts workshop in Juba.

· Concern will provide guidance, input and support during the exercise and directly meet the cost of participants and stationery for the NBeG and Juba Workshops.

· The consultant will provide their own laptop, Concern will provide workspace and access to internet in both Juba and Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

9. Consultant Requirements and qualification

The consultant should have:

· A minimum of first degree relevant to the area of the task (e.g. Economics, Business, etc.)

· Excellent knowledge of Inclusive Market System Development. Knowledge the market system in NBeG or South Sudan is added advantage.

· Demonstrated experience in carrying out an Inclusive Market System Analysis in a developing country. Experience of Emergency Market Systems is added advantage

· Demonstrated experience in facilitating expert workshops and seminars

· Application must include: Cover letter, CV of consultant, Technical proposal with proposed dates filled in the draft activity plan under section 7 of this TOR, a financial proposal only indicating daily rate per person day and a sample of an inclusive market analysis report.

10. Security:

It is a requirement that the consultant will comply with Concern Worldwide South Sudan Country Programme security policy and procedures. Failing to comply will result in immediate termination of contract.

Application must be referenced as follows:

'Your/your company name - Market System Analysis consultancy'

Applications must include: Cover letter, CV of consultant, Technical proposal with proposed dates filled in the draft activity plan under section 7 of this TOR, a financial proposal only indicating daily rate per person day and a sample of an inclusive market analysis report.

Expression of interest should be sent to southsudan.logs@concern.net and nina.gehm@concern.net no later than March 26.