Project Title: Building Inclusive and Resilient Enterprises (BIRE) Project
- Minimum Qualification :Masters
- Experience Level :Senior level
- Experience Length :10 years
Ref No: HIH EA/04-2025/PROG
Project Title: Building Inclusive and Resilient Enterprises (BIRE) Project.
Type of Assignment:
Location of project: Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Nairobi, Nakuru, Machakos, Makueni, Nyandarua, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Bungoma, and Kakamega Counties.
Type of Applicants: Firm Only
Assessment Period: 35 days
Organization Background
Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (HiH EA) is registered in Kenya as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with mandate to operate within the Eastern Africa region. It is a member of the Hand in Hand Global Network that comprises affiliated organizations that mutually pursue the shared goal of poverty alleviation while supporting poorer communities to create sustainable enterprises and jobs. The organization strives to work with the marginalized communities in the areas of economic and social empowerment using a participatory approach aimed at helping people fight poverty and vulnerability. The Hand in Hand (HiH) enterprise and job creation approach is based on a philosophy of self-help, providing training, skills and support to enable poor people, particularly women and youth, to create and develop enterprises. This provides for a higher level of income for them and their families, which in turn contributes to improved housing and overall improved livelihoods. HiH EA has so far mobilized, trained and is training over 350,000 members (80% women, 40% youth) who have created over 300,000 enterprises and over 450,000 jobs. To facilitate enterprise creation, HIH uses a 4-step enterprise model that entails seven training modules that starts with set-up or mobilizing self-help groups that act as savings groups, delivering enterprise skills through training, enhancing financial management as well as financial access and providing linkage to broader markets. While entrepreneurship is the strategic focus of HIH, the work is complemented by efforts in thematic areas that increase resilience to climate change, promote advocacy and human rights, and enhance gender mainstreaming, regenerative agriculture and circular economy.
Background and Rationale of the Project
Rationale for Building Inclusive and Resilient Enterprises (BIRE) Project
Development of BIRE was informed by lessons learnt from implementation of previous projects funded by Sida within agriculture and services sectors and those funded by various donors supporting the four-step enterprise and job creation model of Hand in Hand. In particular implementation of Enterprise Development for Rural Families (EDRF III) and projects under waste management including Waste for Profit (W4P) project under the “Waves for Change” theme in the respective component sectors under which BIRE is anchored. The EDRF series of projects since 2011 and waste management projects since 2021 have showed entrepreneurial and job creation benefits to projects direct participants in different ways while at the same time enhancing the capacity of supportive respective sector actors and strengthening institutions and agencies in improvement of delivery of services in respective areas. The cooperation of various donors and HiH EA has been based on priorities of interest in delivering support that makes positive changes especially in poor people’s lives mainly targeted at the bottom of the pyramid value chain actors and ensuring rights-based approach to programming. Previous support also leveraged on the lessons learnt from previous cooperation and has led to deepening of mutual trust between HiH EA, Government of Kenya (GoK) and Government of Sweden (GoS) and respective donors including Hand in Hand Sweden, Hand in Hand International, Swedish Post Code, IKEA Foundation to name but a few.
BIRE was also informed by the analysis of the problems hindering the development of enterprises for job creation in the waste management, agriculture and services sectors especially among the BoP categories while at the same time taking cognizance of scaling up (acceleration) of existing previous enterprises. The consolidated problems identified and to be addressed under BIRE within the agriculture, services and waste management sectors are: 1) inadequate capacity of the MSEs on all aspects of enterprise development; 2) inadequate market chains supportive of development of viable enterprises and; 3) inadequate capacity for resilience not only to climate change but also to environmental degradation and external business shocks
The Building Inclusive and Resilient Enterprise (BIRE) project, is a four-year project funded by the Embassy of Sweden(formerly SIDA), and Hand in Hand Sweden (HiHSwe).The overall objective of the project is: to contribute to the wellbeing of the project direct project participants through reduction of poverty and exclusion among the populations, while the Project Purpose is: to develop viable enterprises that will contribute to move direct project participants in rural, urban and peri-urban areas of 15 counties in Kenya from poverty to middle income status as envisaged in Kenya Vision 2030. This will be-achieved through four outcomes:
a) Enhancing the knowledge sharing and skills development of direct project participants and actors in all aspects of enterprise development and growth;
b) Improving appropriate market chains;
c) Enhancing the resilience of the enterprise to possible shocks;
d) Enhancing the organizational capacity for the implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
The project has to major components: Waste Management implemented in Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River, Kwale, Nairobi, Homabay and Kisumu Counties, and Agriculture and Services implemented in Machakos, Makueni, Nakuru, Nyandarua, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma and Kakamega Counties. A total of 29,740 direct project participants are targeted to benefit from the project activities composed of 80% women, 20% men and 40% among them youth. It is also planned that a total of, 20,818 viable enterprises will be developed sustainably so as to improve beneficiary average incomes by more than 100% and create 31,227 jobs. To achieve desired outcome objectives, a combination of strategies including market systems development approach, human rights & advocacy approach, gender & inclusivity, environment and biodiversity protection will be used during implementation.
Project goal
The overall goal to contribute to the wellbeing of the project direct project participants through reduction of poverty and exclusion among the populations.
The Assignment: Baseline Study
Baseline study is hereby defined as an analysis describing the situation prior to a development intervention, against which progress can be assessed or comparisons made. HiHEA is seeking the services of a consulting firm to conduct a baseline study for its BIRE project being implemented in 15 counties (Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Nairobi, Nakuru, Machakos, Makueni, Nyandarua, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Bungoma, and Kakamega Counties).
Note: For waste management component, a baseline evaluation has already been done in Mombasa and Kilifi, therefore the consultant will be expected to conduct a desk review in the two counties, and data collection in the remaining counties of Tana River, Kwale, Nairobi, Homabay and Kisumu. Additionally, project participants in the two counties of Mombasa and Kilifi are currently receiving treatment. The baseline evaluation will be conducted to provide a critical reference point on which to monitor and assess the program’s progress for assessing changes and results. The evaluation intends to provide a basis for comparing the situation during and after implementation, and for making inferences as to the effectiveness of the project.
The primary intended user of the evaluation is HiHEA and the 15 County governments on one side and EoS and other Development Partners on the other. The findings of the evaluation will help the parties to account to each other and use recommendations to make decisions that might be needed. For HiHEA and County Government, the learning and improvement objectives will be of priority so as to assist them improve on the implementation during the implementation period of the project. The secondary intended users include the other partners, especially those that have developed linkages with BIRE either as partners or collaborators. The evaluation is to be designed, conducted and reported to meet the needs of the primary intended users, HiHEA, County Governments and EoS. Consultants/Firms interested in conducting this evaluation, shall elaborate in the tender document how this will be ensured during the evaluation process. Other stakeholders that should be kept informed about the evaluation should be identified during inception and in consultation with HiHEA. During the inception phase of the evaluation, the evaluator and the users will agree on who will be responsible for keeping the various stakeholders informed about the evaluation.
Scope of Work
Geographic Scope: The baseline will be conducted in the 15 counties where the project is being implemented.
Baseline objectives: Key aspects of the evaluation will be;
The project plans to conduct a baseline study in the project area to establish a point of reference for the project’s key performance indicators against which future progress can be compared with where we were at the onset of the project for overall impact estimation. The baseline survey is meant to generate information/data that will be used as a basis for project planning, management, monitoring, reporting, learning, and evaluation. The baseline values established will be used to complete the Project M&E Plan and to continuously monitor, measure and report progress realized by the project interventions towards the attainment of set targets on project goal, objectives, results and intermediate results.
Study Objectives
i. To establish benchmarks upon which to establish the contribution of the project and partners interventions in reduction of poverty and exclusion among project’s direct beneficiaries within the project target areas.
ii. To get data on the existing knowledge, skills, and capacity of direct project beneficiaries in enterprise development, including financial literacy, business planning, and value addition.
iii. To ascertain the status of market access, supply chain linkages, and barriers faced by project beneficiaries in selling their products, and to identify opportunities for strengthening market connections.
iv. To gather information on the level of preparedness and adaptive capacity of enterprises in responding to economic, environmental, and social shocks, including access to financial services and risk management strategies.
v. To gather data on the existing institutional frameworks, communication and M&E systems in place to track project progress and inform decision-making for continuous improvement.
vi. To obtain information on what extent Women, Youth and Men are involved in agriculture and waste enterprises in the target project locations, and suggest actionable recommendations for any gender-related gaps identified.
vii. To find out if the proposed Results Framework indicators are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) for monitoring progress and evaluating impacts. The consultant will be expected to suggest and make revisions on indicators that are not meeting the criteria.
viii. To find out the extent to which policies and other interventions in the sector will support or undermine the implementation of the project.
ix. To find out the extent to which the objectives of the project are consistent with beneficiaries’ requirements, country needs, global priorities and partners’ and donors’ policies.
Timeframe: The evaluation shall take 35 days
Stakeholder Engagement: The key stakeholders to be consulted will include; primary beneficiaries, implementing staff, donor (EoS) and County government officials.
Approach and Methodology
The methodology chosen should demonstrate attention to impartiality and reduction of bias by relying on mixed methods approach (quantitative, qualitative, participatory etc.) and different primary and secondary data sources that are systematically triangulated. The evaluation must also be structured around the OECD-DAC criteria for evaluation (specifically: Coherence, Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency), however the consultant may propose additional criteria. The evaluator must ensure all relevant project indicators are addressed.
Ethical Considerations
The baseline must conform to International ethical guidelines for research and evaluations. Accordingly, the selected evaluation firm will be responsible for safeguarding and ensuring ethics at all stages of the evaluation process. The consultancy firm will be responsible for managing any potential ethical risks and issues and must put in place processes and systems to identify, report and resolve any ethical issues that might arise during the implementation of the evaluation. Consequently, the consultant should ensure the assignment is designed and aligned to internationally accepted norms and standards of quality evaluation. The consultant should also clearly indicate challenges and dependencies that might be encountered and how each will be mitigated, to deliver a credible evaluation. All principles of evidence such as voice and inclusion, appropriateness, triangulation, contribution and transparency must be observed in the evaluation process.
Quality Assurance
This baseline shall conform to OECD/DAC’s Quality Standards for Development Evaluation . The consultant shall use the OECD/DAC Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation . The consultant shall specify how quality assurance will be handled by them during the evaluation process.
Roles of the Consultant
The consultant will be engaged through a service agreement and will be required to undertake the following;
a) Desk review of the project documents to understand the design;
b) Design an utilitization-focussed baseline putting emphasis on who the users of the evaluation are, and the intended use of the evaluation. The intended users here include: Embassy of Sweden, Hand in Hand Sweden, Hand in Hand EA (Management & project implementers), and implementation partners. The baseline should be conducted and reported to meet the needs of the intended users.
c) Adopt a partnership approach, by involving different stakeholder such as Government, private sector, NGOs, civil society, network partners and intended beneficiaries.
d) Develop the sample design and strategy for the surveys and any qualitative data collection;
e) Design/adapt/refine (as appropriate) the data collection tools – both quantitative and qualitative, ensuring alignment with HiH’s standardized tools and the project MEL plan.
f) Map the relevant result framework questions and indicators to the data collection tools (e.g. each survey/interview/focus group question must clearly correspond with an evaluation question or indicator);
g) Program the survey in Kobo Collect or another approved data collection platform, ensuring accurate language translations, where appropriate;
h) Conduct a pre-test of the tools and finalize them, validating and incorporating changes;
i) Select and train enumerators and field supervisors for data collection, including developing user guide documentation e.g. enumerator supervision manuals, etc.;
j) Plan the field work logistics in conjunction with HiHEA;
k) Supervise survey implementation and ensure quality control, including consistent identification and treatment of non-responses, out-of-range responses, coding errors, and outliers;
l) Collect quantitative and qualitative data;
m) Ensure quality of data collected through spot checks, back checks, and high frequency checks;
n) Clean and analyze all quantitative and qualitative datasets, ensuring appropriate indicator construction per the project MEL plan;
o) Write a baseline report bringing together the quantitative and qualitative findings of all cohorts, using the HiHEA baseline report template provided;
p) Submit raw, cleaned, and worked datasets to HiHEA in .xlsx or .csv format;
q) Submit qualitative transcripts/notes to HiHEA in .xlsx or .docx format;
r) Submit the report for review and feedback;
Deliverables
a. Minutes of the deliberations of the first meeting (kick off meeting) between the HiHEA and the Consultant that should be used for introduction and listing of the support required by the Consultant especially as regards documentation and stakeholders to be consulted; It will also be used to set rules of engagement that HiHEA would wish the Consultant to observe.
b. The inception report (including clear plans for sampling; enumeration selection, training, and supervision; fieldwork logistics; data analysis; and ensuring data quality) along with the validated quantitative and qualitative data collection tools which are aligned to HiH’s standardised tools and mapped to the baseline questions and indicators.
c. A revised Project Results framework detailing whether the indicator are/not SMART and the rationale behind the revisions.
d. Post-field work report, describing the sample reached, number of surveys/interviews/FGDs conducted, and any challenges/limitations of data collection;
e. Cleaned and worked datasets in an accessible format (.xlsx or .csv) – must be submitted prior to report writing to validate indicator construction and preliminary quantitative results;
f. Draft zero report (soft copy) in word.docx. First draft of the baseline report for internal evaluation. The HiHEA team and key stakeholders in the revaluation should comment on the first draft evaluation report.
g. Draft-one report incorporating changes or comments generated in the draft zero. Second draft of the baseline report for wider stakeholder validation. To be part of this, a presentation summary should also be included.
h. Final baseline report in-line with the DAC/OECD Project Report Outline, should include an executive summary and illustrate the evidence found that responds to the evaluation questions listed in the ToR. The report will be prepared in English, with numbered paragraphs, following the SIDA template for report writing. Supporting data and analysis should be annexed to the report when considered important to complement the main report.
i. The report should be no more than 70 pages excluding annexes. Annexes shall always include the Terms of Reference, the Inception Report, a stakeholder mapping/analysis and the baseline Matrix. Lists of key informants/interviewees shall only include personal data if deemed relevant (i.e. when it is contributing to the credibility of the evaluation) based on a case-based assessment by the evaluator and the commissioning unit/embassy. The inclusion of personal data in the report must always be based on a written consent, and within Kenyan law on data.
j. Any other deliverable as may be agreed upon by the Client and Consultant during the evaluation period.
k. The final baseline report presents findings, conclusions, recommendations and lessons learnt separately and with a clear logical distinction between them.
l. Include appendices such as data collection tools, indicator construction, data logs, respondent list for KIIs, etc.;
m. Raw data sets in an accessible format (.xlsx or .csv);
n. Qualitative transcripts/notes in an accessible format (.xlsx or .docx);
o. A power point presentation of the report to HiH EA and EoS.
Qualifications/Competence of the Consultant
HiH EA requests consultants to submit proposals to respond to this Terms of Reference as outlined above. We expect the consultancy firm or consultant to demonstrate the skills and experience outlined below (or equivalent):
1. The work shall be carried out by four-five people one of who shall be a consultant with international experience in project evaluation, especially SIDA funded projects. The lead consultant should have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in field research and monitoring and evaluation of development projects, including those in the agricultural and waste management sectors.
2. He/she will work with three-four locally based experts, who should display solid understanding of small, medium and micro enterprises, market systems development, Human rights and advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, gender, value chain, environment, solid waste management, climate change and biodiversity.
3. The individuals should demonstrate evidence of past relevant assignments in agriculture and waste management. It is important that the competencies of the individual team members are complimentary, and that the consultants in the evaluation team must be independent from the study object and evaluated activities, and have no stake in the outcome of the study.
4. Strong and proven participatory qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis and analytical report writing skills.
5. Proven track record of enumerator selection, training, and supervision and ability to ensure high quality data collection;
6. Experience of fieldwork and data collection in urban, rural, and informal settlements, and along the Kenyan coastline.
7. The study team must have the capacity to ensure that gender equality is taken into account in all aspects of the evaluation (i.e. design, data collection, analysis and reporting).
8. Solid experience in collecting and analysing social, economic and environmental impact data.
Management and Reporting
The appointed consultant will be managed by Hand in Hand Eastern Africa. The Program manager will be responsible for coordinating the entire evaluation process in consultation with the steering group. He will ensure that the evaluator has access to project reports, introduce and book appointments with agreed upon stakeholders, arrange for start-up meeting and other meetings requested by evaluator and steering group and the validation meeting. The consultant will make themselves available for coordination meetings with HiH EA throughout the duration of the contract, until the final report is delivered and signed off. The team leader of the evaluation will be responsible for ensuring the exercise is conducted professionally and within the time period indicated and as will be outlined in the inception report and as agreed from time to time by the parties.
The proposal should include the following (Max 10 pages TOTAL, not including cover page, table of contents, or annexed CVs. ALL other pages count towards this limit.
The proposal content to include;
1. Motivational letter (Max 1 page)
2. Understanding of the Terms of Reference (max. 2 pages)
3. A short outline of baseline approach, research design and methodology for the Evaluation. Max. 3 pages.
4. A proposed process and time frame for the baseline setting out the phases, the number of consultants, their roles and the number of days. Max. 2 pages.
5. The anticipated challenges and dependencies likely to affect the implementation of the Evaluation and how these should be addressed. Max. 1 page.
6. A description of how to ensure data quality throughout the process/assignment. Max. 1 page.
7. A description of how gender will be mainstreamed throughout the study questions with consideration of how the perspectives of men, women and youths will be sought in the evaluation process. Max 1 page.
8. A narration of how ethical issues will be mitigated/safeguarded throughout the baseline process. Max 1 page.
9. A summary of the most relevant skills and experience of the proposed lead consultant and the consultant(s) together with her/his CV showing relevant previous assignments and clients. (Annex CVs separately). Max 2 pages per CV.
10. A detailed fee quote and rationale for the consultants and an estimate for the operational costs. Max. 1 page.
Financial Proposal
The financial proposal must not exceed 2 pages be inclusive of all reimbursements and quoted in KES;
1. Be clearly broken down and justified including estimated days of working, costs per day, and reimbursable expenses.
2. Be comprehensive and inclusive of all applicable taxes.
3. Indicate terms and conditions of payment
Award criteria
Award will be based on best value for money, which is evaluated in the light of the price and criteria related to quality and services (the methodology and the CVs of the consultants). The award will be given to the sound proposal reflecting both technical and financial requirements. The evaluation of the quotations will be based on the best value for money, weighing up technical quality (the methodology and the CV of the consultant) and price of the quotation.
Assessment of the proposal
The assessment of the proposal paper will be based on the following criteria:
- Responding to the requests outlined in the Terms of Reference
- Demonstrable experience
Assessment of CV’s
The assessment of the CV’s will be review of the appropriateness of the proposed consultants based on their stated skills and experiences as well as additional criteria outlined above.
Assessment of the Prices
The contractor will have to make provisions for covering all costs associated with the assignment including relevant taxes. Remuneration is based on submission of agreed deliverables.
Appointment
Shortlisted applicants may be called to interview or requested to submit samples of work.
Anti-Corruption and Safeguarding
Hand in Hand Eastern Africa strives to fight corrupt practices within its operations and the same is expected of its vendors, contractors and service providers. HiH EA staff are therefore prohibited from accepting any gift/s, consideration or benefit/s of any kind which may constitute illegal or corrupt practices, either directly or indirectly, as an inducement or reward for the award of a contract.
HiH EA and all its employees undertake to create a safe environment for our members and to prevent any form of exploitation or abuse. We are committed to acting in the best interest of our member’s and any willing vendor, contractor or service provider is required to commit and comply with our position on safeguarding.
Submission of Proposal Requirement
Electronic submission of EOIs will be made to procurement@handinhandea.org by 21st March, 2025, citing the reference number as the subject of the email. EOIs that arrive late will not be accepted. All submitted EOIs will be treated confidentially.
