Consultancy: market assessment for livelihoods interventions in Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs and Hama governorates

Program titles:
RESTORE: Response to the Earthquake by Strengthening Ownership towards Resilient Enterprises
R2R II: Relief to Recovery – phase II

Country:
Syria (Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs, Hama)

Tentative timeframe of assignment:
May – July 2024 (deadline for final report: 15th July 2024)

Since the beginning of the war in 2011, Caritas has been actively supporting people in need. Through its various projects, Caritas has offered basic assistance, education support, protection activities, psycho-social support, as well as livelihoods and food security support to vulnerable communities in Syria.

In response to the devastating earthquake that took place in February 2023, Caritas initiated a number of interventions in the affected locations, starting from basic in-kind assistance on the first day after the disaster to targeted protection and education support for affected populations in the weeks and months that followed. Currently, Caritas is planning to implement a livelihoods project supporting earthquake affected vulnerable communities to move from reliance on basic assistance towards resilient and sustainable livelihoods. Based on vulnerability criteria on the on hand and eligibility criteria in regards to business development capacities on the other, the project will target IDPs, host and other conflict-affected communities in Aleppo and Lattakia with tailored livelihoods assistance (trainings, grants). In addition, Caritas is rolling out the second phase of a similarly structured livelihoods project targeting conflict affected communities in Homs and Hama.

In order to facilitate the development of livelihoods interventions, Caritas is looking for a market analyst to identify opportunities for micro, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) (i.e. business development and labor market opportunities) in the project target locations.

1.) OBJECTIVE

Objective: By building on quantitative and qualitative data and by looking at the availability and prices of goods and services on the market, as well as of skills and capacities on the labor market, the market assessment should help identifying important economic sectors with long-term opportunities for MSMEs.

In particular, the market analysis should:

• Identify opportunities and gaps in the market/ relevant value chains in the targeted locations for start-up or re-start MSMEs (Come up with a list of potential market opportunities in a number of important value chains).
• Provide insights into available skills and qualifications required for different economic sectors or lack thereof.
• Draw specific attention to MSME business opportunities for women as a means to generate income and secure livelihoods.
• Identify possible linkages between service providers, producers and potential entrepreneurs.
• Provide cost estimations for start-up and re-start MSMEs in identified sectors.
• Identify risks and formal and informal obstacles for start-up and re-start MSMEs; formulate recommendations to address them.
• Identify opportunities for micro-grants for start-up and re-start MSMEs in important value chains.
• Assess efficiency and effectiveness of existing value chains and potentials for improvement.
• Highlight critical components within value chains with high labor needs.
• Identify the availability and demand on the market of key staple goods for relevant value chains, as well as their prices.

2.) GEOGRAFICAL SCOPE

The market assessment should be conducted in the following sub-districts:

• RESTORE project: Lattakia: Hennadi, Jableh, Al-Fakoura; Aleppo: Bustan al-Basha, Al-Sakhour, Sulaiman al-Halabi;
• R2R II project: Homs: Homs city, Al-Mushrifah; Hama: Masyaf

3.) METHODOLOGY

The consultant is expected to suggest a methodology for this market assessment. However, the following should be taken into consideration

• Primary qualitative data collection through interviews with private sector actors (vendors/ suppliers, consumers, traders, etc.), relevant government ministries and industries, agencies and institutions dealing with private business development.
• Primary quantitative data collection (if required with support from implementing partner organizations), analyzed and interpreted systematically and disaggregated by geographic area, economic sectors/ value chains, as well as demographic data (age, sex).
• Data should be compared with available secondary data (reports from line ministries and administration, UN agenecies and INGOs, etc.) including previously collected data by Caritas partners.

4.) KEY DELIVERABLES

• Inception report: detailing the methodology including the main research methods, proposed sources of data, procedures for data collection and analysis, and detailed table of content, reflecting the specific objectives specified above. The proposed research tools will be discussed and approved by Caritas program teams before data collection commences.
• Draft market analysis report presenting all findings of the field research according to the approved table of content.
• Second draft market analysis report incorporating suggestions and recommendations from Caritas Program Team. A second round of revision may be required before the final version of the report can be produced.
• Final market analysis report, including:
• clearly identified economic sectors suitable for MSME development and labor opportunities.
• opportunities that allow people to set up / to further develop their MSMEs.
• clearly formulated strategic recommendations for Caritas engagement in the private/ MSME sector.
• Electronic copies of the report in PDF and word formats in English and Arabic language.
• An electronic copy of all data collection tools and collected primary data sets.
• Workshop and a final presentation of the final market analysis report to present the overall findings to Caritas.

5.) DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The duration of the assignment will be from May till July 2024 with an estimated work load of approximately 35 days (to be outlined in the offer) and divided in the following phases.

• Preparatory phase: May (kick-off meeting, desk review of existing documents and data)
• Inception phase: May (submission of inception report)
• Field research phase: May & June (field research and data collection)
• Report writing and feedback phase: June (preparation and submission of draft report, feedback by Caritas)
• Closing phase: July (submission of final report, presentation of findings in a workshop)

6.) RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDITIONS

• Ethical standards& quality: All consultants for Caritas must maintain high standards on ethical issues, respect and apply basic human and social rights. Caritas reserves the right to reject quotations provided by applicants not meeting these standards. Caritas shall ensure that the market analysis is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of target communities and to ensure that the research and analysis is technically accurate, reliable, and legitimate, useful and conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability.
• Confidentiality of information: All documents provided to the consultant(s) and all data collected during field research (e.g. through interviews) must be treated as confidential and used solely for the purpose to facilitate the analysis. Respondents shall not be identified or quoted in reports without their explicit written permission. Photo, video, and other research data that can be traced back to individual participants shall be anonymized unless agreed otherwise, in writing, with the person concerned.
• Ownership of data, findings, products: Caritas retains full ownership of all data, findings, and products produced as part of this market analysis. Caritas is committed to disseminating findings and contributing to debates on livelihoods and business development interventions and is open to suggestions by the consultant on ways to jointly disseminate findings.
• Support by Caritas and partners: Caritas will support the consultant with logistics were requested and facilitate field research based upon agreed methodology and approach (in particular quantitative data collection). Relevant contacts of other stakeholders will be shared upon the consultant’s request. The consultant will manage their own schedule and make appointments for interviews with external stakeholders where necessary, while keeping Caritas in copy.
• Access to project data: All relevant documents including narrative proposal, reports, etc. will be provided for the consultant.
• Safeguarding and protection: The consultant will have to commit to safeguarding and protection policies as well as complaint handling policies and procedures that are shared and reiterated during the preparatory phase.
• Distribution policy: Intended users of deliverables are Caritas and sector partners. All deliverables generated through this market analysis will be subject to approval by Caritas before public dissemination.
• Environmental standards: Consultants for Caritas should follow environmentally friendly and sustainable practices.

7.) QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERTISE REQUIRED

• Post-graduate degree in Social Sciences, Business, Economics, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant professional experience in research and market studies.
• Strong background and demonstrable experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Technical expertise in assessing issues of business opportunity and the ability to draw strong and valid conclusions.
• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent communication and report writing skills in English and Arabic
• Essential technical data skills for the expected deliverables:
  • Data visualization (must)
  • Data prep (must)
  • Statistics (must)
  • Database management (preferable)
  • Proficiency in data analysis software: SPSS/STATA (preferable)