For hiring resource person to arrange and conduct of 19 Advocacy Campaigns in 19 Upazilas of 5 districts on ‘’ensuring fair prices for key Agricultural Commodities” for the “Empowering smallholders to strengthen local democratic governance (KHAMATAYAN) project.

Introduction:

“Empowering smallholders to strengthen local democratic governance (KHAMATAYAN) Project” is a consortium initiative of Traidcraft Exchange, Christian Aid and Solidarites International implementing through three local partners RDS, GUK and Shushilan. The project is underway in 19 Upazila under Mymensingh, Sherpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram & Satkhira District. The European Union is providing financial support by aiming to ensure inclusive economic development in rural Bangladesh by stimulating the effective engagement of smallholder farmer-led CSOs in local democratic governance.

The proposed project aims to strengthen the governance, accountability and sustainability of smallholder-led grassroots CSOs and facilitate their constructive engagement with LAs in local democratic governance, inclusive policy development and implementation. It will empower smallholder-led CSOs (District and Upazila associations, Self-help Groups (SHGs) to proactively engage with LAs to ensure policies and practices strengthen the economic and social rights of marginalized farming communities. It will work closely with LAs to develop their capacity to engage in inclusive partnerships with local CSOs and to recognize the constructive role civil society plays in local democratic governance. Smallholder farmers will be empowered to collectively voice, demand and negotiate their economic and social rights by actively engaging with LAs – benefiting from social and extension services, appropriate resources, and increased access to social safety-net programmes by marginalized groups (women, ethnic minorities, disabled people). In this way, the project will ensure farmers’ inclusion in the development process, addressing issues of agricultural governance and contributing to reduced inequality and injustice. It will enable smallholder-led CSOs and LAs to fulfil their potential as key stakeholders in the process of inclusive economic and social development.

The country has still struggled to strengthen the capacity of Local Authorities (LAs) to become effective vehicles of local level participation, democracy, and service-delivery. Policies continue to be developed through a top-down approach at national level and are weakened by a lack of involvement of beneficiaries and civil society. Whilst Bangladesh boasts some good agricultural policies, effective implementation is hampered by weak action plans, inadequate resourcing and insufficient accountability. Poor implementation exacerbates the exclusion of marginalized groups, such as women, ethnic minorities and disabled people. LAs and private sector actors often fail to recognize the constructive role that civil society can play in addressing knowledge-gaps and facilitating communication and policy outreach.

Consortium partners’ own experience and research in rural Bangladesh indicates that whilst smallholder farmers are themselves an overlooked and marginalized population segment, within this the voices and specific needs of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities are further marginalized.  The organizational development of smallholder-led CSOs must encompass inclusivity to ensure the voices of these groups are heard, and their specific needs recognized and represented in any partnerships forged with LAs.  To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the ‘Leave No-one Behind’ agenda, development actions in Bangladesh need to urgently address the needs of these vulnerable groups. 

Specific Objective of the project:

To catalyze Local Authorities (LAs) and smallholder-led CSOs to develop innovative and inclusive partnerships that strengthen the economic and social rights of small and marginal farmers, with a specific focus on women, disabled people and ethnic minorities.

Output 1:      Smallholder-led CSOs are effective, well-run, financially sustainable and able to contribute to LA policy development and implementation.
Output 2:      LAs and local government bodies develop an inclusive enabling environment through sustained collaboration with smallholder-led CSOs.
Output 3:      Smallholder-led CSOs work in partnership with LAs to ensure socio-economic policies and practices respond to needs of marginalized groups (women, disabled people, ethnic minorities)
Output 4:      Smallholder-led CSOs work in partnership with LAs to ensure entitlements related to sustainable agricultural practice reach the target populations

1. Organizational overview:

Traidcraft Exchange is a British Charity have been working in Bangladesh since 2005. Traidcraft Exchange bring people together, to fight injustice in trade. Traidcraft Exchange exists to do two things:
To support people to harness the benefits of trade
To fight against injustice in global trade
It's a simple mission, but it is changing lives all over the world.

Christian Aid is an international humanitarian organization which started working in Bangladesh in 1972 after the Liberation War. Today it works in some of the most disaster affected districts of the country with the most vulnerable people to improve the quality of their lives. It uses integrated approaches to disaster risk management, climate change, resilient livelihoods, emergency preparedness and response, inclusive market development, gender and social equity and human rights. It continues to develop the social enterprise skills of underprivileged people, increasing their power in the market and ensuring their access to and control over productive resources.

Solidarités International (SI) is a non-profit and humanitarian organization founded in 1980 and working in areas of conflict and natural disasters. Its main aim is to provide quick and effective support for people in life-threatening situations by meeting their vital needs: water, sanitation, food security and shelter.

SI started its mission in Bangladesh at the end of 2007, following cyclone SIDR.  SI’s intervention and strategy in Bangladesh is to target primary needs of crisis affected persons in terms of water, hygiene and sanitation (WaSH), food security and livelihood (FSL), shelter and non-food items (SNFI) and disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Rural Development Sangstha (RDS) is an NGO established in 1998 based in Sherpur, Bangladesh. It is being carried out since its inception its activities within the area of  developing vulnerable group, specially landless and small farmers’ family, agriculture, health, sanitation, hygiene , water supply and food security, women development , renewable energy sector, micro finance, child & adult education, climate change adaptation, disaster management, local resource mobilization, skill development through 40 Branches located at Sherpur, Jamalpur, Tangail, Dinajpur, Kurigram, Pabna, Khulna and Mymensingh district in Bangladesh.

Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK) started its journey in 1985 as a community led NGO with the efforts of a group of dedicated social activists through organizing the disadvantaged poor people living in the remote areas especially in the river islands of Gaibandha district in Bangladesh with the purpose to establish a poverty free equitable society. Presently it is working in ten north-western districts of the country i.e. Gaibandha, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Bogra, Joypurhat, Kustia and Cox’s Bazar.

Shushilan, a Bengali name signifying endeavours for a better future, is a national NGO set up in 1991. The organization came into being in the face of degradation of socio-ecological resources in the southwest coastal region with specific mission to redress the declining natural resource base, livelihoods and food security of the people. Shushilan is a local agro-ecology, wetland resource management and right based NGO working for ensuring livelihood security of the resource poor community.

2. Purpose and Scope:

The purpose of this TOR is to call proposals/EOI from competent consultants for procuring Technical Supports for conducting of 19 Advocacy campaigns in 19 Upazilas on establishing fair prices for key agricultural commodities. This Technical supports will include enhancing the capacity of the Upazila CSOs to plan, design and conduct of the mentioned campaigns. The background is that currently the smallholder producers are extremely vulnerable to volatility in prices for the key commodities they produce: paddy, maize, wheat, potatoes, vegetables, spices. This results in precarious livelihoods. The proposed advocacy campaign will call on the government both at local and central levels to set up fair price mechanisms that provide smallholders with some assurance of the minimum prices they can expect for their crops when harvesting is completed.

By this job, the project will, have local law makers, government officials, local-government representatives, businesses, elites and in general local population sensitized on the issue of fair prices for the producers.

3. Major Tasks:

The major tasks under this assignment would include the following:

Task 1: Context Analysis, and Need Assessment for the Campaign

At this stage the consultant will do a context analysis in respect to fair price issue through collection of information, review, meeting with project relevant stakeholders.

Task 2: Conduct of 19 Workshops (half day) on Advocacy Campaign with the relevant stakeholders and producers/farmers’ CSOs in 19 Upazilas

Consultant will have proposed workshop methodology and idea for the workshop.
Conduct 19 workshops during 2019; based on satisfactory performance there will be scope for providing the similar consulting service for the 2nd round of this campaigns (19 in 19 upazilas) in Dec2020 /Jan 2021 (tentative).

Task 3: Arrange and conduct of the campaigns:

The consultant should coordinate about the campaigns, monitor, observe through direct presence. And ensure the local media involvement. The Task 2 and Task 3 can be done simultaneously. Conduct 19 campaigns in 19 upazilas during 2019 and 19 campaigns for 2020/21 (tentative)

Task 4: Completion report.

The consultant should provide souvenir (printed) and completion report.

4. Deliverables:

The Consultant will deliver-

• Fair price context analysis report
• Facilitate workshop and 19 workshops report individually
• Detail plan of Campaign for every Upazila (19)
• Ensure that Campaigns held in every Upazila (19)
• Provide printed copy of souvenir (300 copies)
• Provide soft copy of photo of different events
• Final Completion Report and souvenir

5. Timeframe:

6. Qualification and Experiences requirements:

• Significant professional background, experience and track record in the development sector and campaign/media campaign
• Professionals or experts having excellent technical knowledge on working experience on Agriculture, Food Security livelihood, governance based working experience.
• Have knowledge on the practices, laws and policies based on Agriculture, Food Security and livelihood related issues
• Excellent analytical, communication and reporting skills.
• Excellent facilitation capacity/skill
• Ability to meet deadlines

7. Budget and Mode of payment:

The vendor should develop a detail budget (different budget for different assignment/event) for completing the assignments as outlined in this TOR by clearly allocating expenses and daily rate.

• 50% of the total fee (excluding AIT/VAT) will be paid on signing the contract
• The remaining amount (50%) will be paid upon acceptance of the souvenir and final report.
• The payment would be made in account payee cheque by the name of the consultant/firm.
• VAT and Tax will be deducted as per the government policy
• Payment will give by 3 NGOs (Shushilan, RDS, GUK) separately according to their approved budget.

8. Application Process:

Interested individuals are requested to submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) by June 29, 2019 with the following:

• Technical proposal (this should include methodology and work plan, in the methodology, please avoid copying from this TOR to the extent possible, and describe your own ideas and approach)
• Financial proposal: the consulting fee, daily rate, travel and accommodation of the consultants only will have to be quoted. The client will directly provide the training logistics, venue costs and the refreshments etc. for the participants.
• TIN certificate/VAT registration (if applicable)
• Bank account details
• Two references
• One sample of previous similar works done.

The Expression of Interest should be sent to: dha.wsh.pm@solidarites-bangladesh.org with CC to dha.dp.adv@solidarites-bangladesh.org with the subject line “Consultant for KHAMATAYAN advocacy skills training.” Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.

9. Selection Criteria

On receipt of the EOI designated project management team will study the proposals including an interview and take a decision about the consultant/s/ firm for the study.  Selection of the consultant/s/firm will be based on:

10.    General terms and conditions:

• Solidarites International and its consortium partners reserve the right to accept or reject any proposal without giving any verbal and/or written rationale;
• All reports and documents prepared during the assignment will be treated as the property of Solidarites International and its consortium partners;
• The reports/documents or any part, therefore, cannot be sold, used and reproduced in any manner without prior written approval of Solidarites International;
• Solidarites International and its consortium partners reserve the right to monitor the quality and progress of the work during the assignment;
• On satisfactory performance there will be scope for providing the similar consulting service for the 2nd round of this campaigns (19 in 19 upazilas) in December 2020 /January 2021 (tentative