Call for Expression of Interest (EoI)

EoI required from highly qualified firms to establish a baseline using rigorous evaluation design for a

pilot intervention aiming at increasing community resilience through livelihoods diversification

focusing on upgrading and sustaining value chains that offer best prospects for livelihoods

improvement in selected pilot areas in Gilgit-Baltistan

1. Background

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional

intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries

of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar,

Nepal, and Pakistan. ICIMOD seeks to improve the lives and livelihoods of mountain women, men, and

children now and for the future. ICIMOD aim is to influence policy and practices to meet environmental

and livelihood challenges emerging in the HKH region. ICIMOD delivers impact through six Regional

Programmes. These regional programmes are supported by various initiatives and themes.

The Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (Himalica) programme is one of

the three initiatives being managed by ICIMOD under its Regional Programme (RP1) - Adaptation to

Change. The Himalica is a demand-driven programme financed by European Union (EU) that aims to

support vulnerable mountain communities in the HKH region in mitigating and adapting to climate

including socio-economic changes. This programme strives to reduce poverty, increase the resilience of

local communities, and facilitate the equitable and sustainable wellbeing of women and men in the HKH

region.

ICIMOD signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP),

Pakistan to implement specific activities under Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the

Himalayas (Himalica) initiative in selected pilot areas in Gilgit-Baltistan.

2. Objectives of the pilot intervention

The Himalica programme through it pilots intends to showcase results of improved resilience of

mountain communities in selected areas through designing and implementing contextually relevant,

targeted and community specific interventions. The overall objective of pilot intervention in Gilgit-

Baltistan is to increase community resilience through livelihoods diversification focusing on upgrading

and sustaining value chains that offer best prospects for livelihoods improvement in selected pilot areas

in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Following are the specific outcomes expected from this pilot intervention.

Increased income: Increased income of the target households through improving productivity and

production system through promoting climate smart practices, strengthening horizontal and vertical

linkages among value chain actors, and promoting value adding activities in selected value chains and its

sub value chains thereby increasing income of 50% of selected beneficiaries - minimum 250 households,

by 30% by the end of the intervention.

Improved resilience: Improved resilience of local stakeholders in dealing with effect of climate change

and other risks associated with livelihood sources. This will include community based micro planning

with a focus on climate change adaptation and management, networking with wider stakeholders,

private sector engagement and improving access to market information and business services. At least

50% of the target beneficiaries (out of minimum 250 households with minimum 30% participation from

women) adopt and implement micro-plans focusing on climate change adaptation and management

thereby minimizing risks associated with effects of climate change on livelihoods.

3. Selected value chains

AKRSP has conducted a quick scanning of sectors and programme target areas and identified Yak meat

and Sea Buckthorn as prospective intervention areas for integrated value chain development in four

union councils respectively in upper Hunza and Phunder Valley. AKRSP has also conducted a thorough

analysis of the selected value chains, and collected required details on target areas including target

beneficiaries proposed for the project intervention.

4. Purpose of the call

As a part of the agreement with ICIMOD, AKRSP is required to establish a pertinent baseline through a

third party firm/institution. The baseline is intended to serve the benchmark to track, measure, and

evaluate the change[s] during or post project intervention related to value chains. The impact of the

project will also be gauged by comparing the baseline indicators with the end line and other studies.

Therefore, a rigorous evaluation design is to be adopted in order to keep the standard high. It is in this

perspective, AKRSP through this call for EoI is seeking Expression of Interest (EoI) from highly qualified

and registered firms/evaluation institutions capable of establishing/conducting such baselines.

Individual consultants are not eligible to apply for this call.

Interested qualified firms/institutions are expected to structure their EoI in the following format and

submit a soft copy of EoI to Sherzad Ali, Head of Monitoring, Evaluation and Research, AKRSP at his

email ID sherzad@akrsp.org not later than May 28, 2016.

1. Organizational profile - 2 pages maximum

2. Selected research studies/similar studies conducted by the firm/institution - 2 pages maximum

3. Premise and intent of the study understood by the firm/institution interested in this call

4. Specific objectives of baseline as understood by the firm/institution interested in this call

5. Detailed baseline methodology and proposed evaluation design

6. Proposed sampling design and sample

7. Proposed baseline data collection plan with timelines

8. Proposed baseline data collection supervision plan

9. Proposed data analysis design

10. Composition of core team, key resource persons proposed to be involved in the study, their

responsibilities and proposed person days allocated for the assignment

Annex 1: Proposed financial proposal

Annex 2: Brief academic and professional background and relevant experience (2 pages

maximum) of the proposed core team

Final selection criteria for the potential firm/institution

EoIs will be jointly evaluated by AKRSP and ICIMOD subject to prequalification based on the following

criteria

- Organizational capacity - 30%

- Approach and methodology up to the satisfaction of AKRSP and ICIMOD - 40%

- Experience and expertise of the core team and key resource persons - 10%

- A pragmatic financial proposal - 20%

Further breakdown of the potential firm/institution selection criteria:

Note: Detailed Terms of References for this assignment could be found at www.gbcyouth.org

No. Selection criteria Score allocation

A Organizational capacity 30%

01 Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience of designing,

managing and conducting baseline surveys, programme evaluations

including impact evaluations of interventions related to value chain

development, increased income and improved resilience in mountain

areas

15

02 In-house capacity of the firm/institution in establishing evaluation

basis/designs using rigorous methodologies

15

B Approach and methodology 40%

01 Relevance and methodological rigor of the baseline methodology and

evaluation design proposed by the firm/institution

15

02 Relevance of the sampling design and sample proposed by the

firm/institution

10

03 A pragmatic and realistic field operations plan - baseline data collection

plan; data collection supervision plan; proposed software for data entry;

and, data entry plan.

10

04 A pragmatic and realistic data analysis and write-up plan for the

proposed deliverables

05

C Experience and expertise of the core team/key resource persons 10%

01 Relevance of the professional and thematic skills and practical

experiences of core team/key resource persons to be engaged by the

firm/institution

10

D Financial proposal 20%

01 Financial competitiveness 10

Financial (Price) and Price Validity (Note: all prices must be quoted in

PKR, inclusive of all applicable taxes and duties. Prices and applicable

taxes should be quoted separately. Prices must be valid for 90 days from

the last date of submission for proposal); budget coated for core

team/key resource persons proposed by the firm/institution

05

02 Justification of the proposed costs and price reasonableness 05

Total maximum score 100

Terms of Reference (ToR) for the selected firm/institution

1. Purpose

The purpose of the consultancy is to establish a proper baseline for the select Value Chains within

Himalica pilot site in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. The aim of the exercise is to set a benchmark baseline

for project intervention to measure and track informed change[s] during the course of the

intervention and post intervention. This baseline data/benchmark will also be used to gauge the

impact after comparing it with end line. Because this baseline sets the basis and reference point to

compare many variables therefore, the exercise need meticulous attention to design right tools and

parameters to compile and manage data. This baseline serves as main referral information system

(from the impact evaluation point of view) for array of analytical purposes and usage.

2. Scope of work:

Baseline to be carried out in four selected union councils (Gojal 1 and Gojal II in Hunza, phunder &

Teru in Ghizer District) in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. Within the baseline, it is desirable to cover a

number of social economic indicators along the programmatic indicators especially related to value

chain such as (not limited to): incomes, markets, value additions, employment etc. Increased

Income and improved resilience of the communities are integral part of the desired interventions.

The firm will establish a baseline using a rigorous evaluation design as per the methodology agreed

between AKRSP, ICIMOD and the selected firm for the pilot intervention.

3. Main areas of focus

The selected firm/institution takes the lead role in planning, executing and monitoring of the

overall assignment.

The selected firm closely coordinates with AKRSP in building relevant capacity, preparing tools,

database development, and data analysis and reporting, administration of field data collection

and deployment of teams in the field.

The selected firm/institution to carry out all baseline activities right from planning to end

materialization of results.

The selected firm/institution to design desired tools, questionnaire, templates, guidelines and

baseline protocols.

To develop tools, get feedback from relevant stakeholders, pre-test and finalize along with

guidelines and translation into local language (Urdu) and back-translate from local language to

English.

The select firm/institution to collect data on final tools from the selected households and other

relevant stakeholders by using standard and agreed data collection methods (proposed in the

agreed technical proposal).

The firm has to keep in view the scenarios and certain indicators for selected value chains in the

target areas like; the flow of revenue at each node of the value chain, volume of transaction and

price, socio-economic status of households in the pilot sites, particularly looking at their income

sources, engagement in the selected value chains including the practices and use of

technologies to improve productivity and marketability of the selected value chains;

The baseline situation covers mainly the socio economic indicators, value chain related

indicators and indicators on related farm and non-farm linkages with selected value chains,

development of local products. Furthers details could be acquired from value chain analysis

reports produced by AKRSP.

The Baseline also covers relevant indicators related to ecosystem management, gender

mainstreaming, and governance of value chain and its sub value chains, current capacity of

target groups and stakeholder, horizontal and vertical linkages with value chain actors including

private sector, and communities involvement in micro planning with a focus on climate change

adaptation and management;

Baseline captures policy scenario and practices in GB in terms of environment management,

private sector investment, institutional linkages, for sustainable development and management

of selected value chains;

Cover service provisions and access of communities to business development services including

finance with regards to value chain development,

Nature of support required by the households and other stakeholders in order to improve the

competitiveness of selected products and a set complementary services required for promotion

of selected value chains.

Undertake pre-testing of tools following training of experienced enumerators to ascertain their

suitability in actual field conditions. Field-testing of the developed tools shall be conducted in

non-sampled areas and non-sampled facilities. After the field-testing sessions, debriefing session

should be conducted with team members and necessary suggestions on the language, flow and

translation should be incorporated in the tools.

Recruit field data collectors/research investigators and supervisors (male and female) with

considerable experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection

Organize desired number of trainings for enumerators/data collectors on various tools to be

used for data collection and the process should be observed/monitored by the team leader in

the non-sampled site as part of pre testing of questionnaires. After the field-testing sessions,

debriefing session should be conducted with team members and necessary suggestions on the

language, flow and translation should be incorporated in the tools

Collect baseline data using finalized tools

Prepare database, finalize the database in consultation with AKRSP and ICIMOD and do data

entry of baseline data

Provide the transcripts of qualitative data after translating into English language.

Develop an analysis plan and undertake data analyses of the quantitative and qualitative data

The selected firm/institution will establish a baseline for the pilot intervention using the design

proposed and agreed in the technical proposal submitted as part of the EoI.

4. Deliverables:

1. Baseline activity plan

2. Data collection tools (the final tested and back translated)

3. Final and cleaned datasets duly entered into a database

4. Comprehensive baseline report with analysis of qualitative and quantitative data (hard and

soft)

5. A thorough literature review on the related studies looking at the purpose of a joint publication.

6. A draft methodological/general publication paper for a joint journal publication

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