SOW for Policy Research Center Expert for CAPRIL

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USAID PEEP Project

Component 2

Advisory Services for “Centerfor Applied Policy Research in Livestock (CAPRIL)”

Scope of Work

1.Scope of Work Summary:

The scope of this consultancy is to provide technical supportfor initial set up and to operationalize the newly proposed Center for Applied Policy Research in Livestock (CAPRIL) atthe University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore. In addition capacity building of the researchers and management of the center through training, developing SOPs of major functions, developing research agenda, and subsequently providing technical back stopping for the smooth functioning of the center also come under this scope. The consultant will work under the guidance and supervision of UVAS and PEEP to make this center, a leading policy research entity in livestock sector of Punjab.

2.Background:

In Pakistan, dozens of research institutes and think tanks are working on various social and economic issues of Pakistan including policy matters, affecting the growth and performance of major business sectors of Pakistan. It is an irony that being one of the biggest economic sectors of Pakistan, with a contribution of 11.9% to the total GDP of Pakistan, livestock and dairy sectors are still deprived of having support of any specialized policy research institute in the country. The prevailing policy formulation practices and the enormous size of livestock and dairy sector of Pakistan necessitate the establishment of a specialized policy research institute that can help formulate and update policy and institutional reforms, in line with national and international changes occurring in social, economic, trade, food safety and technology regimes. Such informed reforms and legislation will help to develop a business enabling environment in Punjab that shall ensure greater impact in social and economic fields.

The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore is one of the oldest Veterinary Institutions in Asia working in public sector of Pakistan. In the past, UVAS had been providing its input to the Government of Punjab on various policy matters and many of its faculty members have been part of government boards and committees, having worked on various aspects of livestock and diary sector.

PEEP and UVAS have joined hands to set up a “Center for Applied Policy Research in Livestock (CAPRIL)” in UVAS. An MOU has been signed between UVAS and USAID PEEP for provision of technical assistance and in-kind grant for setting up the policy center. The center will undertake policy research on various current and emerging challenges of Livestock and will provide recommendations on various policy options. Engaging policy communities for advocacy and disseminating information to policy makers and opinion leaders through seminars and workshop will be another role of this center.

With this backdrop, for the proposed CAPRIL, PEEP intends to hire the services of a short term consultant who can work as a “Policy Research Center Expert”, and who must have the experience of setup and operationalize the new policy center or have extensive experience of managing policy research center. The consultant will chalk out a list of necessary resources (academic, learning, physical, etc.) and will facilitate PEEP in their procurement. Furthermore, the consultant will develop the systems / standard operating procedures for major operations, required to make the center functional in line with international best practices. Moreover, he / she will impart training sessions for the management, researchers, and faculty members to enhance their understanding on public policy research and to build their capacity to conduct policy research and operate the policy center.

3.Objective and Purpose of the Consultancy:

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide technical inputs for initial set up of CAPRIL, developing its systems, capacity building of researchers and staff on evidence based quantitative and qualitative policy research, and providing technical backstopping for initial period to ensure smooth functioning of the center and to laya foundation that can help it become one of the leading policy research entities in Pakistan in the future.

4.Principal Duties & Responsibilities:

  • To report to the PEEP team at the beginning of the consultancy and provide regular updateson the status and progress of the deliverables of the allocated assignments.
  • Have a meeting with Vice Chancellor and the focal person of UVAS(Dr. Ayub Rana) to chalk out the work plan and timeline of the assignment.
  • To visit CAPRIL regularly and work with its management during the consultancy period.
  • To liaise with Vice Chancellor and Dean of UVAS for work assignments and updating themabout the progress, as and when required.
  • To review the available livestock policy, vision, policy notes, policy briefs, studies as well as other research workthat has been already carried out by various development agencies to understand the past and current direction of livestock sector of Pakistan as well as major policy issues of livestock sector of Punjab.
  • Moreover the consultant will go through the successful models of comparable policy centers working across the world to identify the best practices and lessons learnt to set up and manage such policy center.
  • To hold meetings with internal and external stakeholders of CAPRILfor the positioning and development of short term and long term strategy / research agenda of the center.
  • During the consultancy period, as per requirement he/she will also accompany UVAS / CAPRIL team, in the meetings convened by various organizations to discuss livestock policy issues.

5.Specific Tasks of the Consultant:

Under the overall guidance of PEEP and UVAS, and in close coordination with the management of CAPRIL, the consultant will accomplish the following: using his / her education and experience, knowledge of international best practices, and additional understanding gleaned from available secondary resources on livestock and dairy sector:

Task 1: Capacity building of faculty members and researchers to undertake policy research in livestock sector by enhancing their knowledge and skills in the following major areas:

  • Role of policy in sector development with examples of comparable countries
  • Core concepts and methodology of policy research, including developing policy agenda, policy analysis, policy assessment and evaluation, nature and type of interest group, tools and techniques for policy making, various forms of policy, primary and secondary research, survey methodology and instruments, analysis of data, policy engagement, various policy instruments and implementation tools, evaluating policy options, and providing recommendations for policy makers
  • Steps for quantitative and qualitative applied policy research
  • Difference between technical research and policy research in terms of objective, methodology, recommendations, research output dissemination, etc.
  • Other major concepts related to public policy research and dissemination of its findings

To be able to achieve this, the consultant will have to carry out the following tasks:

  • With the short one-on-one meetings with designated faculty members, researchers and management of CAPRIL as well as other stakeholders, carry out short capacity need assessment
  • Conduct two in-house sequential training events, at least two days each, for the faculty members and researchers. (In view of the greater contents of the training, and limited availability of the participants for four days at a stretch, two sequential training events have been proposed)
  • Provide customized reading / training material to develop an understanding of the participants on the subject matter
  • Develop a pre-training and post-training evaluation form to assess the incremental knowledge and skills of participants

Note: The consultant will just conduct the training and will provide one set of training material. Venue, meals, photocopies and other arrangements will be responsibility of PEEP / UVAS.

Task 2: List of research and physical resources and their procurement

  • Chalk out a list of policy documents, books, reports, reference material, periodicals, journals, magazines, sector studies, learning and academic resources that should be available in the center for researchers for primary and secondary research on policy issues of livestock sector
  • Theconsultant will also provide the list of paid and unpaid web portals, reports and data repositories, databases, research journals, published reports, field survey and census report, statistical databanks, etc., to get membership so that researchers can get necessary information for research in livestock and dairy sectors
  • The rough cost estimates of each resource
  • Facilitation in the procurement of identified resources, by providing addresses of suppliers along with best procurement method / modalities

Since, CAPRIL has limited budget for these resources, the list must be prioritized with respect to greater utility and impact.

Task 3: Developing the Standard Operating Procedure

  • Develop standard operating procedures for following major functions / systems of the center for its effective and efficient working:
  1. Developing annual research agenda
  2. Policy engagement (to engage policy communities / interest groups for effective dissemination of research findings and lobbying, including discussion groups, seminars and workshops). Moreover, in consultation with UVAS and major stakeholders of livestock and dairy sector, develop a list of policy actors and policy communities, to be interacted for technical inputs and policy engagements
  3. Carrying out policy research
  4. Dissemination of recommendations / research output to concerned quarters (medium / mode etc.)
  5. SOPs of other essential functions / systems of CAPRIL

Note: Brief SOPs along with check lists are required that can provide the broader guidelines to management of CAPRIL to undertake these functions.

Task 4: Providing technical backstopping

  • After starting its operations, provide technical backstopping to center for four months, as and when required for its smooth functioning and to facilitate its operational and technical problems (Note: to provide the technical support to individual research studies, identified in research agenda, the separate individual expert (short term consultants) will be available, which is not part of this scope)
  • Effectively coordinate with the researchers, working on various studies to provide them technical support for best quality output, as and when required

Note: The technical backstopping may require 12 hours LOE approximately per fortnight.

6.Deliverables:

The successful consultant shall deliver to Chemonics the following deliverables, in accordance with the schedule set forth in subsequent section

Deliverable No. 1:

Basic Training Program(2 days) –(for faculty, researchers and management of CAPRIL)

  • Session plans, encompassing basic concepts, methodology, approach, primary and secondary research required for policy formulation and execution on major challenges of livestock sector, as well as policy engagement, dissemination of policy recommendations
  • Customized reading / training material to develop the understanding of the participants on the subject matter
  • Pre-training and post-training evaluation form to assess the incremental knowledge and skills of participants gained as a result of the training provided.
  • Delivery of training event

The session plans and training contents will be finalized in consultation with PEEP team and UVAS management.

Deliverable No. 2:

Advanced Training Program(2 days) –(for faculty, researchers and management of CAPRIL)

  • Session plans, encompassing advanced concepts, methodology, approach, primary and secondary research required for policy formulation on major challenges of livestock sector as well as various functions and operations of policy research center
  • Customized reading / training material to develop the understanding of the participants on the subject matter
  • Pre-training and post-training evaluation form to assess the incremental knowledge and skills of participantsgained as a result of the training provided.
  • Delivery of training event

The session plans and training contents will be finalized in consultation with PEEP team and UVAS management.

Deliverable No. 3:

List of research and physical resources and facilitating PEEP for procurement

  • List of policy documents, books, reports, reference material, periodicals, journals, magazines, sector studies, learning and academic resources that should be available in the center for researchers for primary and secondary research on policy issues of livestock sector.
  • List of paid and unpaid web portals, reports and data repositories, databases, research journals, published reports, survey and census reports, statistical databanks, etc., to get the membership so that researchers can get necessary background information for research in livestock and dairy sectors.
  • The rough cost estimates of each resource, addresses of suppliers and best procurement method.

Deliverable No. 4:

Standard Operating Procedures along with check lists for following major functions / systems of the center for its effective and efficient working:

  • Developing annual research agenda
  • Policy engagement (to engage policy communities for effective dissemination of research findings and lobbying, including discussion groups, seminars and workshops). Moreover, in consultation with UVAS and major stakeholders of livestock and dairy sector, develop the list of policy actors and policy communities, to be interacted for technical inputs and policy engagements
  • Dissemination of recommendations / research output to concerned quarters (medium / mode etc.)
  • SOPs of other essential functions / systems, to be agreed with consultant and given in contract

Deliverable No. 5:

Provision of technical and research support / backstopping to center for four months, as and when required for its smooth functioning and to facilitate in its operational and technical problems, through visits and by providing technical inputs (in line with total LOEs given in contract)

Deliverable No. 6:

A short report of the consultancy, explaining the process, methodology, capacity development, challenges and issues faced, lesson(s) learnt, along with all the documents developed under above deliverables as annexure.

II.1.Deliverables Schedule

The successful consultant shall submit the deliverables described above in accordance with the following deliverables schedule:

The deliverables of this assignment are:

Sr. No. / Deliverable / Deliverable Due Date
1 / Basic Training Program (for faculty & researchers and management of CAPRIL) / After 14 days of signing of contract
2 / Advanced Training Program (for faculty & researchers and management of CAPRIL ) / After 21 days of signing of contract
3 / List of research and physical resources / After 25 days of signing of contract
4 / Standard Operating Procedures of Center (Brief SOPsalong with check lists that can provide the broader guidelines on major functions) / After 35 days of signing of contract
5 / Technical Back Stopping / Four months after completing the deliverable 4, or from the date mutually agreed
6 / Final short report of assignment / Last week of contract

Note: All are calendar days

Note: Approximately 12 hours technical backstopping per fortnight is expected

7.Job Qualifications

  1. Masters or higher academic qualification, in public policy, economics, livestock, agriculture, development studies or any other relevant field. Preference will be given to expert(s) with public policy degree.
  2. At least ten years of professional experience of managing / working in policy research center. However additional experience of teaching public policy and working in organizations, related to formulation and implementation of public policy will definitely be a plus.
  3. Experience of working as a resource person of capacity building programs for executives on public policy research and formulation is a prerequisite.
  4. Experience of working as consultant for developing policy papers / strategy papers / conducting policy research.
  5. Experience of working with government or as member of committees / boards / task force; constituted to develop the vision / strategy / reforms will be preferred.
  6. Good understanding of livestock and dairy sector of Pakistan is required. He / she must be well versed with the vision, policy and strategy documents, so far been developed by governmental or development agencies for policy and institutional reforms in livestock sector of Pakistan / Punjab.
  7. Strong analytical and writing skills, and experience of presenting complex technical information in a comprehensible way.
  8. Good communication skills and fluency in English and Urdu.

8.Duty Station:

The duty station for this consultancy is Lahore.The consultant is supposed to attend PEEP office and UVAS regularly.

9.Reporting:

The consultant will report jointly to USAID PEEP Chief of Party and VC of UVAS. The daily monitoring and oversight of the consultant’s work will be joint responsibility of the focal person of UVAS and PEEP Human and Institutional Capacity Development Expert. All the deliverables will be approved by respective professionals of PEEP as well as UVAS.

10.Duration of the Assignment:

This assignment is planned to take place as per a start date of on or around June 25, 2015 and end date of on or around February 5, 2015 hereto for a total of 40days LOE.