Consultancy for Economic Recovery strategy development for DRC in Palestine (WestBank and Gaza)

1. Who is the Danish Refugee Council?
Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO and one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries with 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: In the acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating in a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance; supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included into hosting societies; and works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote protection of rights and peaceful coexistence. Operating since 2003 in the Middle East region, DRC has addressed the needs and rights of vulnerable populations, working with both host and displaced communities, in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkiye, Iraq and Yemen. DRC in the Middle East is delivering programming in several sectors across its countries of operations, among which Protection, Economic Recovery, WASH, Shelter, Camp Coordination and Camp Management and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding. Since May 2024, DRC is working with strategic partners on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected communities in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Multi-sectorial activities are currently being implemented in the sectors of Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding, Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Shelter & Settlements, Protection, and Economic Recovery (Food Security). While DRC’s programmatic focus to date has been primarily on addressing the humanitarian needs in Gaza, DRC is now looking to further expand our focus on the West Bank, including through the strategic design of an Economic Recovery programme that addressed displacement-affected communities’ needs and that complements other actors’ efforts. For further information about DRC, please refer to our website: https://drc.ngo/

2. Purpose of the consultancy

The Danish Refugee Council seeks proposals from a consultant to develop its Economic Recovery strategy for the oPt response, including both the West Bank and Gaza, through conducting a field contextual assessment in the West Bank, remote information gathering on Gaza, and designing a full-fledge Economic Recovery strategy.

3. Background
DRC would like to support affected populations in the West Bank and Gaza through its Economic Recovery sector, including Food Security, Decent Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion.
While DRC is already operating in oPt with partners under the Protection, HDP,CCCM, and Shelter & Settlements sectors, DRC is currently looking for dedicated capacities to conduct a strategic review of needs and ongoing responses for the development of an Economic Recovery Strategy. This shall be fit for purpose to the context and shall leverage on DRC’s global experience and niche expertise in displacement contexts.
Palestinian CSOs and international actors have been supporting the affected population in the West Bank and Gaza for several years and have extensive capacity and expertise in recovery and development programming However, needs are growing in both the West Bank and Gaza, it is then critical to understand what the gaps are in terms of service provision and where DRC could intervene, with its Economic Recovery sector, to plug these gaps.
Since other sectorial support is already brought by DRC and its partners in terms of Protection, HDP,CCCM, and Shelter & Settlements, it is critical to ensure an integrated approach when relevant.

4. Objective of the consultancy
The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a full-fledged Economic Recovery strategy for both the West Bank and Gaza, focusing on service provision gaps that DRC could address with Food Security, Decent Livelihoods and/or Financial Inclusion. DRC’s Economic Recovery Strategy shall also leverage DRC’s global experience and niche expertise in supporting displacement-affected communities.
The scope of work for this strategy will be 75% focused on the West Bank and 25% on Gaza, with field assessment conducted only in the West Bank and remotely for Gaza.
The consultant will be required to conduct extensive primary data collection in the West Bank to understand the context and needs, meet with relevant stakeholders and with the population of concern to identify needs and gaps, to then design a strategy that is relevant to DRC’s oPt and Economic Recovery frameworks.
DRC is seeking to contract a Consultant or Consultancy firm with extensive knowledge of oPt and, and thorough expertise in the topics related to Economic Recovery or Food Security and Livelihoods in the humanitarian sector. Consultant or Consultancy firm is expected to dedicate their complete attention and availability to this consultancy throughout the entire 6 weeks. Consultants or Consultancy firms from oPt would be prioritized. Experience and knowledge of DRC’s Economic Recovery programming is desirable.

5. Scope of work and Methodology
The specific objectives of the consultant will be:
1.
Assimilate DRC’s strategies:
▪
Meet with all relevant DRC internal stakeholders to understand the support already provided by DRC in oPt
▪
Meet with all relevant DRC internal stakeholders to understand the oPt strategy, the DRC Regional Economic Recovery strategy and its global framework, with a focus on DRC’s specific niche on displacement-focused Economic Recovery programming
▪
Develop an assessment/strategy development plan together with the Regional Economic Recovery Coordinator
2.
Assessment of population needs:
▪
Assess the needs of the affected population in the West Bank in terms of Food Security, Decent Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion, by conducting households level surveys and focus group discussions, field observations, visits to businesses and other relevant actors
▪
Assess the needs of the affected population in Gaza in terms of Food Security and Basic needs mainly, through secondary information and DRC’s first-hand data collection from other colleagues
▪
Engage with relevant stakeholders to better understand the needs of the population
3.
Assessment of capacities of other partners:
▪
Meet with local organisations, CSOs and INGOs to understand what needs they are able to cover or not, where are the gaps in terms of service provision and/or capacities
▪
Evaluate the gaps in terms of service provision or capacities of local organisations, CSOs, to identify what DRC’s niche could be against its Economic Recovery Regional and Global frameworks
4.
Strategic recommendations for the Economic Recovery sector:
▪
Based on the information collected and on the DRC’s economic recovery framework, develop strategic recommendations to support the affected population
▪
Link the strategic recommendations to donors’ priorities and DRC’s Regional Economic Recovery strategy and its global framework
▪
Develop the full-fledged strategy according to the existing strategy template:
o
Economic Recovery context, situation and trends
o
A strategy aligned with the oPt strategy, other sectors’ strategy and the regional Economic Recovery strategy, with a specific focus on complementarity and integration with other DRC sectors (see HDP, Protection, CCCM and Shelter & Settlements)
o
Vision, ambition and change statement
o
Strategic objectives with prioritizations, related outcomes, outputs/activities
o
Modalities and approaches for implementation (incl. CVA and MSA)
o
Capabilities and enablers
o
Risks and disablers
o
Stakeholders mapping related to economic recovery
o
People of Concern/target groups and geographical locations
o
SWOT analysis
▪
Present the strategy internally to relevant stakeholders

The Consultant will be required to prepare a detailed methodology and work plan indicating how
the objectives of the project will be achieved, and the support required from DRC.
Important to note: DRC will be highly involved and contributing to the strategy design together with the Consultant/Consultancy firm throughout the entire process.
6. Deliverables
The Consultant will submit the following deliverables as mentioned below:
▪
A detailed plan for the assessment field visit leading to the strategy development, including surveys/questionnaires methodology and a list of focal points to be met
▪
A written strategy document, following the existing DRC strategy template
▪
A presentation to internal stakeholders of the Economic Recovery strategy for the oPt
Phase Expected deliverables Indicative description tasks Maximum expected timeframe Phase 1 Inception Report – Understanding DRC’s strategies and developing the assessment plan
▪
(ideally in Amman) Meet with the relevant internal stakeholders to understand DRC’s oPt and Economic Recovery strategy
▪
Develop, jointly with the regional Economic Recovery coordinator, a detailed plan for the assessment field visit, incl. booking meetings with stakeholders and developing surveys/questionnaires, identifying priority locations for field visits/primary data collection
5 working days Phase 2 Primary Data Collection
▪
Meet with relevant stakeholders
▪
Conduct household surveys, business visits, field observations and focus group discussions
▪
All minutes of meetings will have to be written in a Word format and shared with the Head of oPt Operations
▪
Start drafting key recommendations and findings for the strategy
18 working days Phase 3 Draft strategy
▪
Draft strategy and share for review
4 working days Phase 4 Final strategy report and presentation
▪
Finalize strategy, by incorporating DRC’s feedback
▪
Present the strategy to internal stakeholders
3 working days The Consultant will provide the documentation by email, in relevant formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, etc.).

7. Duration, timeline, and payment
The total expected duration to complete the assignment will be no more than 30 working days (approximately 1.5 months).
The consultant shall be prepared to complete the assignment no later than 31st November 2024.
8. Proposed Composition of Team
In the event the consultant is a non-Arabic speaker, it will be recommended to have an interpreter to facilitate primary data collection.
9. Eligibility, qualification, and experience required
Essential:
▪
Ability to work independently to deliver the required outputs working with a large and complex interface with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
▪
Understanding of the oPt context, challenges and programming for vulnerable and conflict-affected population
▪
A minimum of 8 years of expertise in the economic recovery sector, in particular food security and decent livelihoods
▪
Extensive experience working within the humanitarian sector
▪
Proven track record in conducting similar assessments and developing country-level strategies
▪
Ability to enter the West Bank and Jordan without DRC’s facilitation
Desirable:
▪
Arabic-speaker
▪
Consultants or consultancy firms from oPt will be prioritized
▪
High capacity for organization and coordination, as well as an ability to work with a high degree of independence in a team environment.
▪
Ability to structure complex insights into written and visual products that bring out key features and enable decision-making
▪
Candidates should have excellent written and oral communication skills. Qualification:
▪
At least an advanced Degree in political sciences, economics, economic development or similar, ideally including specific expertise in food security, decent livelihoods and financial inclusion Experience:
▪
A minimum of 8 years of experience in international or national non-governmental organization or similar, in specific related to food security, decent livelihoods and financial inclusion. Language requirements:
▪
Written and spoken fluency in English
▪
Spoken fluency in Arabic desirable

10. Technical supervision
The selected consultant will work under the supervision of:
•
The Regional Economic Recovery Coordinator for the Middle East
•
The Head of oPt operations
11. Location and support
The consultant is expected to work in the West Bank for a minimum of 4 weeks and in Amman for a minimum of 2 weeks. Phases 3 and 4 of the consultancy could be discussed to be done remotely potentially.
All movements required for the completion of deliverables need to be facilitated by the selected consultant/consultancy firm without support by DRC. All relevant costs shall be included in the quotation.
12. Travel
–
West Bank: Ramallah, and other locations identified as priority based on needs/gaps analysis from stakeholders’ consultations
–
Jordan: Amman
13. Submission process
Document 1: Updated CV(s) of consultant or consultant team – if bidding as a company, a company profile should also be included
Document 2: Registration papers for the company, or individual establishment of the applicant.
Document 3: A brief document (3 pages max) outlining a basic strategy and technical approach to the TOR, team composition and timeline, clearly indicating the level of effort required. The consultant(s) are expected to describe and justify their chosen strategy.
Document 4: A brief document (2 pages max) showing portfolio of previous relevant assignments or work. Where possible, this should include links to published work and/or references from the organizations that contracted the work.
Document 5: A separate financing proposal in USD with a breakdown of budget covering the unit price per day.
14. Evaluation of bids Technical criteria Technical criteria Points to be awarded Weighting in technical evaluation 1 Technical quality of the proposal 30%
1.1
Demonstrated understanding of the methodology and requested deliverables, all important components of the ToR are sufficiently addressed and considered
1-25
10%
1.2
Proven access to target communities
1-10
10%
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CT Consultancy 01 – Terms of References
Date:21-06-2022 Valid: 01-08-2022
1.3
English language oral and written proficiency
1-10
10% 2 Expertise 65%
2.1
Understanding of the oPt context, challenges and programming for vulnerable and conflict-affected population
1-20
25%
2.2
Expertise in the economic recovery sector, in particular, food security and decent livelihoods
1-15
20%
2.3
Extensive experience working within the humanitarian sector
1-10
10%
2.4
Proven track record in conducting similar assessments and developing country-level strategies
1-10
10% 3 Personal Qualifications 5%
3.1
Advanced degree in political sciences, economics, economic development or similar
1-10
5% Total Maximum Score 100%
Only those shortlisted will be contacted for an interview with the panel to ensure their understanding of the consultancy services.