Request for Expression of Interest - EOI
Subject: | CRS/Ethiopia Assessment on challenges, barriers and opportunities for women and youth Access to finance from Financial Service Providers |
Date of this EOI: | 14 June 2019 |
Closing Date for Receipt of EOI’s | 30 June 2019 |
Reference No.: | TBD |
1. Purpose: Catholic Relief Services/Ethiopia (CRS) seeks EOIs to shortlist potential consultants before requesting detailed bids for a pending CRS/Ethiopia Assessment on challenges, barriers and opportunities for women and youth Access to finance from Financial Service Providers.
2. Objectives and Scope:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in partnership with Hararghe Catholic Secretariat (HCS) and Meki Catholic Secretariat (MCS), is currently implementing a USAID Office of Food for Peace (FFP) funded Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) and USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF) funded Ethiopia Livelihoods for Resilience - Oromia (LRO). The Activities are operational in 14 woredas in Oromia (Ziway Dugda, Shala, Heben Arsi, Arsi Negele, Sire, Siraro, Dodota, Boset, Adami Tulu Jido Kombolcha [ATJK], Melka Belo, Midega Tola, Babile, Deder) and Dire Dawa Administrative Unit. These Activities focus on food, nutrition and livelihoods security of Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP IV) households (HHs) with the main objective to improve their economic wellbeing and build their resilience capacity to shocks.
Access to finance is one of the major challenges to PSNP clients and these two activities (DFSA and LRO) are working to improve the access to and usage of financial services as part of their program components. DFSA and LRO conducted a joint gender and youth analysis that provided detailed information on the power dynamics at the household and community levels in accessing and controlling resources; one of the finding suggested that women and youth have limited access to financial services and the need to further investigate the causes and come up with fair strategies to improve access by these social groups so that improve their economic wellbeing. With this objective, CRS Ethiopia has planned to conduct assessment on challenges, barriers and opportunities for women and youth Access to finance from Financial Service Providers.
Specific objectives of this consultancy are:
Ø To explore the availability of inclusive financial products and services for rural women and youth and compatibility of these products and services with the capacity and interest of the PSNP clients/specifically women and youth
Ø To explore technical, financial, social, cultural, behavioral and infrastructural challenges faced by PSNP clients mainly women and youth to access and use financial services.
Ø To understand institutional challenges, policies and strategies of financial service providers in relation to making their services and products accessible to women and youth and come up with actionable recommendations for improvement.
Ø To make recommendations that would be most effective and successful in increasing access to financing for PSNP clients mainly the poor women and youth.
Ø To develop strategies and approaches that could shape DFSA and LRO relevant interventions that contribute to improved access by women and youth to financial services.
The consultant will be expected to deliver:
· An inception report that includes detailed methodology clearly specifying the sampling procedures, sample size, data collection tools, and analysis techniques
· Provided training on the assessment tools
· Data collection and analysis with direct women and youth participation
· Submission of row data collected
· A separate 2 – 4 page-executive summary and a PowerPoint presentation
· Conduct validation workshop
· A comprehensive assessment report on the findings of the assessment and proposed recommendations with actionable strategies and interventions/action plan
3a. CRS Delivery Schedule (if applicable): If selected, the consultant will be expected to complete the above-mentioned deliverables within 40 billable days from the date of signing contract.
3b. Timeline for Contract: CRS wishes to enter into agreement with the consultant on July 10, 2019. Start date will be dependent on consultancy proposal on how to submit the deliverables as per the above-mentioned delivery date.
3. Expected Procurement Details:
CRS is seeking EOI from either a consultant firm/person who has the following qualifications and competencies:
· A firm /person with expertise in the sector of social science, rural development, rural finance, and microfinance,
· Proven experience on undertaking assessment on financial services and cooperatives activities
· Experience in undertaking gender and youth related research /assessments
· Understanding of CRS programming approaches if possible
· Experience in undertaking assessments, evaluation on food security projects or PSNP
· Demonstrated experience in research, assessment or survey
· Demonstrated experience on quality report writing