Baseline Study: Resilient Approaches in Natural Rangeland Ecosystems Program (RANGE)

Background:
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Mercy Corps began working in Kenya in 2008 and has to date built a robust and diverse portfolio of programs aimed at sustainably improving the lives and livelihoods of Kenyans affected by poverty, resource scarcity and conflict. To do this, we deliver integrated programming to strengthen resilience, market, and governance systems, address the root causes of conflict, and equip vulnerable populations- in particular youth, women, adolescents, and marginalized social groups- with the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to be healthy, productive, and drive the development of their communities. Mercy Corps Kenya also collaborates with Mercy Corps teams and partners in neighboring countries to implement several multi-country and cross-border programs.

Mercy Corps seeks a consultant to conduct a baseline survey for its Resilient Approaches in Natural Rangeland Ecosystems (RANGE) program in Marsabit, Isiolo and Samburu counties in Kenya. The study will establish the baseline for the program’s key indicators and provide guidance on how to measure program performance. The baseline study will also include a conflict assessment highlighting key drivers, dynamics, and actors of conflict (particularly around land and natural resource governance) as well as a gender assessment. In addition to monitoring and evaluation, data from the study will inform the planning and implementation process including design of tools, manuals, and activities.

Description of the Resilient Approaches in Natural Rangeland Ecosystems Program
The RANGE program is a 5-year initiative implemented by Mercy Corps in Marsabit, Isiolo and Samburu counties. It aims to strengthen the resilience of communities to improve sustainable economic and social development in a well-managed landscape of the three targeted ASAL counties. RANGE proposes an integrated package of activities and interventions that will: strengthen rangeland management and encourage regenerative practices, ensuring migratory and sedentary livelihoods can peacefully co-exist; improve herd management and market access for small-scale producers; strengthen the institutions and policy frameworks that govern the livestock sector, and prioritize the development of robust spatial-temporal data sets to strengthen outcomes and help mitigate the impact of climate change and prevent further land and rangeland degradation.

Purpose and Objectives of the Baseline Study:
The process of developing the Baseline Study is part of the Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) which provides an early opportunity for program partners to collaborate and begin putting in place a results-based monitoring system for the program.
The purpose of the RANGE baseline study is to help key program stakeholders focus on achievement related to a set of expected outcomes; and to empower them to collaboratively measure and review these outcomes. Aligned with this purpose, the baseline study is designed to achieve five specific objectives:
i. To support a better understanding of the implementation context for the RANGE Program at the onset of the program, including conflict and gender-related aspects
ii. To help validate the assumptions in the project’s Theory of Change (ToC) and targets of the indicators in the program’s Performance Management Plan
iii. To establish starting points or baselines for all indicators in the Performance Management Plan, suggesting revisions in their formulation if the need emerges; and,
iv. To provide recommendations for the implementation of the results-based monitoring for the program.
v. Provide actionable recommendations for potential activities that could still deliver the program outcomes as per the results framework that Mercy Corps can adopt.
The specific baseline values must be provided for all indicators in the Performance Monitoring Plan as early as possible in the program’s lifecycle. Baseline data is intended to inform the establishment of realistic and achievable targets, provide a point of reference against which progress on or towards the achievement of outcomes can be monitored and evaluated, and provide suggestions for the review of indicators if and where necessary. Baselines provided in the Performance Monitoring Plan must be accompanied by narrative to explain how this starting point data was collected, analyzed, and validated. In the Performance Management Plan, this narrative includes an explanation of baseline data limitations at the onset of program implementation, and how these gaps will be dealt with as part of the program’s first-year work plan.

Mandate of the Consultancy
The Consultant will serve as the lead coordinator of this baseline study and be responsible for its design, the development and use of appropriate data collection tools, analysis of collected data, and the writing of a final report summarizing the findings and updating the data in the Performance Management Plan. The Consultant will design and facilitate a plan in close collaboration with the RANGE program management team and Mercy Corps country leadership. Specifically, the mandate of the consultancy is to:
● Design Inception report – Work with designated RANGE Program Manager and Performance & Quality (PAQ) department during an inception phase to finalize a detailed methodology and work plan for this study
● Lead and coordinate – Recruit and orient competent and well-prepared research teams, and act as lead technical coordinator for the baseline study
● Assure quality control – Provide oversight and quality assurance during sampling (if needed), development of data collection tools, data collection and entry, analysis of the data collected, and report writing. This will be supervised by the Program Manager together with the PAQ team.

Scope and Methodology of the Baseline
Methodology will be discussed and agreed with the program team consortium at the beginning of the consultancy. The consultant’s first task will be to prepare an inception report detailing the approach and methodology, including questionnaires, list of interviewees and field data collection work plan. The consultant will use different data collecting methods such as desk review, direct observation, survey, in-depth interviews with key informants including government officials at the national, regional and county levels; representatives of various Non-Governmental Organizations engaged in development and governance interventions, private sector actors, and focus group discussions where possible with potential program beneficiaries in target locations within the counties under study to establish a baseline for the program’s key indicators.
The methodology must include a key role for program stakeholders in the conduct of the research and the generation of the analysis. Gender inclusion and participation of minority groups will be emphasized.

Program Goal & Outcome Indicators
RANGE Goal: Strengthen resilience of the ASAL communities that contributes to sustainable economic and social development in a well-managed landscape.
Key illustrative indicators are provided below. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
1. Percentage of targeted population with sustained climate resilient livelihoods
2. Percentage target population who have increased number of income sources, and report an increase in income
3. Number of beneficiaries reached with measures to increase their resilience or reduce their exposure to climate change
4. Percentage of ecosystem resources and services maintained or strengthened.
5. Percentage of people who enjoy (more) secure tenure rights to land and safer access to grazing.
6. Change in the Volume or Value of Livestock Products Sold in Domestic and International Markets.
7. Number of instances of state responsiveness to citizen engagement or institutional strengthening resulting in improved and climate smart livelihoods at ward level.
8. Number of evidence-based interventions or innovations incorporated into program activities.

Please note that the program is currently developing indicators specific to 1) gender and 2) biodiversity, which will also be shared with the selected consultant.

The baseline should seek to answer the following learning questions;
a) Can carbon credits be effectively used for rangeland management?
b) How can insurance products gain in quality and become more widespread and adopted within the livestock sector?
c) How can market information be sustainably relayed and translated so that smallholder pastoralists can benefit from real time information?
d) What incentives will catalyze long-term private sector engagement with last mile communities, in a manner that creates more robust markets and business opportunities?
e) How to safeguard producer associations from political capture and ensure transparency and good governance?
f) To what extent are the improvements in biodiversity (mainly soil and vegetation) linked to positive outcomes for communities and the livestock sector?

Consultant Activities
The baseline study will include four key phases: contracting, design of the inception report, data collection, and data analysis/report writing. After successfully completing the contracting process, the Consultant will immediately organize an initial round of consultations with key stakeholder representatives, as well as complete an initial document review to better understand the program and its needs. The Consultant will use this inception phase to ensure a consensus on the baseline study’s design, outline the methodology for the study, and develop the data collection tools. Following this, the Consultant will begin data collection activities resulting in baseline data sets for each indicator in the Performance Management Plan. After data collection is completed, the report writing phase will consist of data analysis and consolidation, completing the updated Performance Management Plan, providing recommendations on targets whenever appropriate, and exchanging with Mercy Corps Monitoring and Evaluation team and Program Manager to refine the final report.

Consultant Deliverables:
a) Inception report detailing approach, methodology, sample size estimation, sampling strategy, associated planning, logistics, quality assurance, risk management and specifics of data collection and analysis
b) Finalized work plan for the assignment: Provide a detailed work plan incorporating all relevant tasks and milestones from the start to the end of the baseline study.
c) Data collection tools: Develop detailed data collection tool to cover all the components of the assignment.
d) Draft report with research findings, analysis, and recommendations
e) Present the findings to the program stakeholders for validation
f) The Final Baseline Report should consider how the program’s activities will interact with conditions on the ground and how Mercy Corps should pivot its interventions, as relevant and required. The report should also set the base for answering evaluation questions and indicate baseline indicator values for continuous program assessment.
g) All raw data: The consulting team will fully clean quantitative datasets in an agreed file format, and any codes used to carry out the analysis and variable codebook if applicable. Transcripts of all qualitative interviews plus any photographs accompanied by signed consent forms.

Timeframe / Schedule:
The baseline study should be completed within 20 working days from the start of the task, beginning the date of contracting. The consultant should submit the detailed breakdown of the baseline survey timetable as part of the proposal.

The Consultant will report to:
The baseline study will be managed by the RANGE Program Manager, under the leadership of the Director of Programs and with close collaboration between Mercy Corps PAQ Team and senior leadership. A more exact consultative and decision-making management structure with clear roles and responsibilities will be determined during the inception phase of the study.

Required Experience & Skills:
• Lead researcher/firm must demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of experience in administering studies, collecting data, and producing quality baseline/end line study reports, preferably for international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies. Experience in carrying out evaluations of similar programs will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in designing baseline and end line studies including proven experience in sound sampling, mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative), tool development, enumerator training, etc.
• Excellent facilitation skills and ability to recruit and manage facilitators for qualitative components.
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
• Knowledge and experience with natural resource management, community development, livestock markets and similar fields within the ASAL counties of Kenya is critical.
• Knowledge and experience in gender equality issues of the sector is mandatory.
• Contextual understanding of conflict issues and dynamics in the ASAL counties is mandatory.
• Fluency in English is mandatory and Kiswahili or other relevant languages an asset; and
• Ability to produce high quality work under tight timeframes.

Mercy Corps Responsibilities
• Cover and arrange the consultant’s travel and accommodation to and in the field where possible and necessary
• Provide ongoing security advice and support as necessary to field research
• Facilitate engagement with key stakeholders
• Provide all necessary program documents

Evaluation Criteria
Mercy Corps Tender Committee will conduct a technical evaluation which will grade technical criteria on a weighted basis (each criterion is given a percentage, all together equaling 100%). Offerors’ proposals should consist of all required technical submittals so a Mercy Corps committee can thoroughly evaluate the technical criteria listed herein and assign points based on the strength of a technical submission.
Award criteria shall be based on the proposal’s overall “value for money” (quality, cost, delivery time, etc.) while taking into consideration donor and internal requirements and regulations. Each individual criterion has been assigned a weighting prior to the release of this tender based on its importance to Mercy Corps in this process.
When performing the Scoring Evaluation, the Mercy Corps tender committee will assign points for each criterion based on the below scoring criteria (link attached below):
Scoring Criteria

CONFIDENTIALITY AND AUTHORSHIP
Ownership and copyright of all data, drafts and final products of the survey will be the sole and exclusive property of Mercy Corps. The consultant will submit all original documents, materials, and data to Mercy Corps. Therefore, all the outputs of the survey will not be disseminated in part or whole without express authority from Mercy Corps. The consultant shall not produce information in these materials in any form (electronic, hard copies, etc.) to a third party without written permission from Mercy Corps.

ADMINISTRATION AND PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS
The lead consultant, with support from RANGE Program team, will be responsible for sourcing the required enumerators. The lead consultant will make necessary arrangements pertaining to the consultancy, including organizing for enumerator’s training and transport costs within the counties.
Applicants are therefore expected to submit their financial proposals, inclusive of withholding tax, for the entire exercise. All withholding tax amounts will be deducted from the total amount at source (i.e. by Mercy Corps) as per the Government of Kenya regulations.
The payments will be effective to the successful bidder upon the achievement of the corresponding milestones and for the following amounts.

Deliverable % Payable

1. An inception report acceptable to Mercy Corps 20%
2. Draft Baseline Evaluation acceptable to Mercy Corps 40%
3. Final Baseline Evaluation acceptable to Mercy Corps 40%