Request for Proposal (RFP)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is looking for a Consultancy Firm for an assignment to “Adjust and roll out Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters (MEND) training packages to Bangladesh” as per the  Terms of Reference (ToR) below:

1. Background/Context of the programme:

Well managed and timely evacuation is essential to saving lives in the face of natural disasters. Bangladesh is considered a pioneer in evacuating people and their livestock from coastal areas in the event of cyclones and flooding. Volunteers deployed along the 710 km long coastal belt of the country, strong government engagement at all levels, 4000+ cyclone shelters and awareness raising of the people have translated to a significant reduction in mortality in the event of cyclones and flooding over the past decades.  Even when cyclone Amphan struck during the  nCoV-19 pandemic , the government was able to commission additional facilities to temporarily raise the number of cyclone shelters to 12,000 with the capacity to provide shelter to 5 million people.  However, there is still ample scope to identify gaps in the existing internal displacement response and support the government of Bangladesh and humanitarian stakeholders to have contextualized tools to enhance existing systems and procedures.

In congested urban settings, earthquakes and fires pose different kinds of risks. Limited preparedness initiatives have been undertaken, and in an environment of high rise buildings, limited rescue capacity, unplanned urbanization and a lack of pre-identified temporary locations for displaced persons,  there is considerable room to build capacity to respond to displacement caused by earthquakes and fire hazards across the country’s urban centers.  There is significantly less experience in conducting evacuations and managing displacement in such complex settings  while adhering to global standards and protection principles. The MEND guidelines and the Urban Displacement & Out of Camps Review (UDOC) and the Collective Centre Guidelines from the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster offer practical guidance in managing evacuations and displacement in complex urban settings.

The Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief (MoDMR) & IOM  lead the Displacement Management Cluster in Bangladesh which aims to ensure access to coordinated and effective multi-sectoral assistance and protection for displaced populations in collective centers and other displacement settings, and to make all efforts to support actualization of durable solutions. IOM through the cluster aims to adapt the global MEND guidelines to the Bangladesh country context, translate them into Bangla and build the capacity of stakeholders to apply the contextualized guidelines in urban, rural and coastal displacement settings in response to major emergencies.

2. Objectives:

IOM, under the project “Enhancing preparedness levels and responding to disaster-related displacement in Bangladesh”, aims to contribute to in increased capacity of government and other stakeholders in managing evacuations and displacement arising from natural disaster through improved evacuation practices adhering to global guidelines and protection principles.

3. Scope of work:

Under the guidance of the IOM technical team, the consultancy firm will be tasked with:

• Reviewing the current evacuation practices, polices and processes of the country and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the existing system.
• Focusing analysis on scenarios related to cyclone-impacted coastal belts, flood affected areas and fire hazards and earthquakes in urban centers.
• Adapting and simplifying the global MEND guidelines to the specific displacement scenarios in the Bangladesh context, focusing on gaps and weaknesses identified in the existing evacuation response system and incorporating relevant guidance/best practices from the UDOC Review and Collective Centre Guidelines from the global CCCM Cluster.
• Translate the adapted and simplified MEND guidelines into Bengali.
• Review living conditions of people in cyclone/flood shelters, collective centers and other temporary displacement sites and devise concrete recommendations to improve conditions according  to global standards and protection considerations.
• Prepare customized training packages on the adjusted MEND guidelines.
• Validate adapted guideline and training package in a workshop.
• Roll out 2 batches of 5-day training of trainers (TOT) workshops covering 30 participants. Participants will include policymakers, decision makers, field level administration, local government leaders, civil service, military actors and humanitarian community. 

4. Methodology:

The consultancy firm needs to detail out their proposed methodology for the  activities however, the following should be considered: 

1. Primary Information: Information collected through Focus Group Discussions/Key informants interviews (with representatives from the government at central and field level; other UN agencies engaged in humanitarian response, CSOs/I/NGOs, Academics, disaster affected community) following the Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) 2019.
2. Secondary information: Review of global tools, national policies/strategies, relevant publications and good practices of evacuation management.
3. Field visits to disaster affected areas in coastal and urban settings.
4. All work submitted must be in line with IOM spelling list 2019 and IOM House Style Manual 2019.

5. Deliverables:

• Inception Report with final methodology and workplan
• Tools for data collection
• Simplified and contextualised MEND guidelines translated into Bengali
•  Customized training package to the context of Bangladesh based on the existing global MEND guidelines
• Conducting a national level validation workshop (on-line/offline) with DRR stakeholders.
• 2 ToT, each 5 days long covering 30 participants and including a simulation exercise
• One-day lessons learned workshop

6. Duration/ Timeline:

The total duration for this assignment is proposed to be approximately 5 months. Applicants are requested to provide a detailed workplan in their technical proposal.

7. Method of Application:

The completed proposals (separate files for technical and financial proposal) should be emailed to FARKHAN@IOM.INT  & CC: FAAHMED@IOM.INT by 21st October 2020 and mention “RFP: DR/CO-412/2020/012: MEND”  in the Subject line of the email. Please keep the attachment size under 9 MB. For any clarification, please contact Mr. Ashfaqur Rahman Khan at ARKHAN@IOM.INT

8. Required Documents:

Consultancy Firm need to submit technical and financial proposal.

Each Submission Must Include the Following:

• Consultancy Firm: A brief summary of the organization and CV of the expert including records on past experience in similar assignments and name of the references.
• Technical Proposal with detailed methodology, tools and work plan along with samples of previous work;
• Financial Proposal listing all costs associated with the assignment. In particular, the financial proposal should itemize the following:

1. Consultancy fees in local or USD currency per day;
2. Variable costs inclusive of transportation costs, printing of study tools; research team (if applicable); meeting/FGDs/KIIs/consultation costs

9. Professional and Related Experiences:

The proposed team from the consultancy firms or the consultants should have following competence.

• Must be an expert in disaster and displacement field who has completed minimum Master’s degree in humanitarian response or related field with at least five years of relevant professional experience. PhD is an added advantage.
• Sound knowledge and demonstrated capacity in designing tools and methodology and conducting research.
• Knowledge and experience of working with evacuation management and procedures in urban and rural settings are required. Experience of working on the same in other countries will be added advantage.
• Sound knowledge and demonstrated experiences on national and international tools, best practices related to the study
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience in delivering high level workshops. Experience conducting simulation exercises is an added advantage.
• Excellent presentation, oral and written communication skills;
• Proficiency in English and good analytical, drafting skills.
• Ability to deliver according to specified timeline while maintain quality of the output.

10. Evaluation Criteria and Weight

The Proposal should be written in English.

Any attempt for persuasion will be considered as a disqualification

ONLY SHORT LISTED CONSULTANCY FIRMS WILL BE ASSESSED

ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TAX OR VAT ISSUES IF APPLICABLE.

IOM is an equal opportunity employer and women are encouraged to apply.
IOM Offices and vehicles have smoke-free work environment.