Terms of Reference for Livelihood FinanceSpecialist (Consultant)-PAF II/JSDF/Ind-63
Poverty Alleviation Fund
Tahachal, Kathmandu
December, 2015
TABLE OF CONTENT
- BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION:
- SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF ASSIGNMENT
- RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT
- REPORTING ANG REQUIREMENS
- COMPETENCIES OF THE PROSPECTIVE CONSULTANTS
- DURATION AND ASSIGNMENT
- PAYMENT TO THE CONSULTANT
- PROCUREMENT METHOD
- DELIVERABLES
- BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
The Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) has provided a grant of US$ 2,646,777 to Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to enhance the opportunities of poor rural artisans involved in traditional skill and cultural industries. The project is titled “ Making Markets Work for the Conflict Affected in Nepal” to be implemented in eight districts namely Dhanusa,Kapilvastu, Terthathum, Lalitpur, Gorkha, Myagdi, Dailekh & Dang in order to improve the livelihood of rural artisans.The project duration is for four years. The project shall be administered by the World Bank and imlmented by PAF.
The project will support to promote traditional skill and cultural industries carried out by poor men, women, vulnerable groups, and differently-abled people in order to improve their livelihood status.
Thisis an innovative project aims to address the root cause of unrest, distress and migration bystrengthening skill of artisans, transferring technologies and providing grants to them to set up their enterprise. Apart from this, the project also supports them to link their products in local, national and international market. This is a pilot project which will test new model for improving the socio-economic status of the most vulnerable communities who have skill on the craft sector.
The project intends to bring opportunities for 8,000 beneficiaries, who are, despite being highly skilled, forced to migrate to the urban centers as laborers and un-skilled workers. In course of promoting artisans industries the project will be initiating a significant numbers of ancillary micro industries to compliment artisans industries which will create further employment opportunities for rural poor. The project has four components:a. Cluster Development and Capacity Building b. Community Cluster Fund c. marketing d. Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation and knowledge dissemination
The project has deemed for institutional arrangement of artisans for their institutional development. The institution is named as Cluster Level Organization which will get Cluster Fund as a grant from the project in order to start and scale up artisanship based market oriented enterprises. The Cluster Fund shall be operated as a revolving fund in order to cater the capital requirement to set up enterprises.
Many of the project districts namely Terthathum, Dhanusa, Kapilbastu, Dailekh, Dang, Gorkha and Myagdifall under PAF regular programme districts. The artisans in Terthathum, Dhanusa, Kapilbastu and Dailekhdistricts are also PAF beneficiaries who have already received PAF grants/revolving fund in to launch various economic activities.For PAF districts, the existing PMs and POs shall manage the social mobilization and institutional set up for JSDF project. For non PAF districtsPAF shall assign existing PMs and POs for the project implementation.
PAF has been working with community members in 55 regular districts for over 10 years and has been working with more than 365 partner organizations focusing on building social capital and livelihoods promotion in different parts of the country. PAF has assigned Portfolio Managers (PMs) to manage the POs for overall PAF activities. The project provides support for the livelihood enhancement of vulnerable communities including artisans. PAF has also been supporting poor artisans to increase their income. But due to lack of contemporary market oriented design development they are not been able to increase their income significantly. So they are deprived to access for adequate nutrition,better education and health facilities.
So, through the JSDF project, PAF intends to support those poor artisans intensively by developing various products design development based on the demand andpreference of contemporary market trend. This requires skill strengthening technical training to artisans and market linkage in nationaland international level.
PAF has alreadyhired Asian Heritage Foundation (AHF) as a Technical PO(T-PO) to support artisans in technical skill strengthening and marketing that will enable artisans todesign marketable products. Similarly, PAF shall mobilize existing POs for social mobilization and institutional development of artisans in the project districts.Similarly PAF staff i.e. Micro-Enterprise Development Officer (MEDO) and project district Portfolio Managers (PMs) shall also be mobilized for the project activities.
The project has also provisioned to recruit project staff i.e. Livelihood Finance Specialist and Technical Specialist.The project has arranged grant/cluster fund for artisans to start up their business. Hence, the function of Livelihood Finance Specialist is to support artisans for their institutional development and sustainable management of Revolving Fund. Apart from this the function of Livelihood Finance Specialist is to support artisans to developing their business plan to launch artisan’s products and link them to financial institutions for scaling up of businesses.
PAF Micro-Enterprise Development Officer is assigned as JSDF Project Coordinator. So, Livelihood Finance Specialist shall work in close coordination with PAF, Backend POs and artisans. He/she shalldirectly report the project activities to the PAF Programme Division ChiefProject Coordinator and PMs.
- SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF ASSIGNMENT
The project provisioned Livelihood Finance Specialist to support around thirty four Artisan Production Groups/APGs (2041 artisan members) for the sustainable management of their Cluster Fund/Revolving Fund management in eight project districts. Hence, he/she has to train and mentor Backend POsand artisans in sustainable management of their Cluster Fund and institutional development. Apart from this he/she shall also train and mentor artisans in business plan development of artisanship based sub-project proposals.Similarly, facilitating artisans to link up to them to financial institutions to scale up their business.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANTS
-Develop guidelines on artisan related activities Business Plan Development
-Develop guidelines on sustainable Cluster Fund Management
-Develop guidelines on institutional development of artisans
-Capacitate POs (backend) on business plan development and cluster fund operation i.e. conduct TOT on business plan development, sustainable cluster fund management and institutional development
-Devise loan products of Cluster Fund to promoted marketable artisans’ products
-Ensure the Cluster Fund properly utilized
-Facilitate artisans to link up with financial institutions for additional fund
-Ensure the imparted trainings and orientations are properly imparted to production groups by Backend POs
-Support POs (Backend) and artisans for sustainability of the project Monitor and supervise whether the supported activities are properly done
-Coordinate and Network with other organizations involved in similar activities
-Report project statustimely
-Visit frequently the JSDF project districts
- REPORTING AND REQUIREMENT
The shall provide the following report:
-Monthly Report (end of every month), which describes all the activities undertaken and detailed plan for the next month.
-Quarterly Report (end of every quarter), which summarizes the key points of monthly reports of the quarter; presents issues identified with regard to the approach and process; and proposes an activity plan for the next quarter.
-Final Report (end of assignment), which describes all the activities undertaken; issues identified and addressed.
- COMPETENCIES OF THE PROSPECTIVE CONSULTANT
-Master degree in business or economics equivalent with three years experience in the micro-finance sectors and institutional development of community based organizations
-Bachelor degree in business or economics with five years experience in micro-finance sectors and institutional development of community based organizations
-Having sound knowledge and experience in business plan formulation , micro-financing and institutional development
-Proficient in written and spoken English
-Having adequate computer skill
-Able to visit frequently in the project districts
-Able to work in team
- DURATION AND THE ASSIGNMENT
The duration of the assignment is 12 months with an initial contract for six months. Performance will be assessed at mid-term (after six months) which takes into consideration of the delivery of the agreed products (see Annex -1) and evaluation by PAF.
- AYMENT TO THE CONSULTANT
The payment will be provided in monthly basis.
- PROUREMENT METHOD
Consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank's Guidelines Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers ( January 2011 Revised July 2014) based in Individual Consultant Selection method.
- DELIVERABLES
In addition to the regular reports as described in the REPORTING REQUIREMENTS section, the consultant is expected to provide the following products.
SN / Results / Targets / Verifiable indicator / Time / Remarks1 / Relevant POs and staff oriented, coached and trained on Cluster Fund and Business Plan Development / All JSDF Project facilitating POs in the district / No later than two months after the beginning of contract
2 / Prepare Production Groups (PGs) Revolving Fund Management Guidelines / One guidelines to all the PGs in the project district / No later than four months after the beginning of contract
3 / Prepare Business Plan Development Guidelines / One guidelines to all the PGs in the project district / No later than four months after the beginning of contract
4 / Conduct ToT on Revolving Fund Mgmt.and Business Plan Development to Backend POs in the project districts / 2 TOT on each themes to 15 POs staff in the project districts / No later than six months after the beginning of contract
5 / Monitor the imparted trainings and orientations are properly imparted to production groups by Backend POs / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / 8 district within eight months
6 / Participate PGs and POs to formulate PGs’ Loan Products and repayment schedules as per their products / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / 8 district within eight months
7. / Issues identifiedand learningperceived inthe process of programme implementation and shared & discussed that to the concerned. Similarly issues and learning tackled and addressed / Artisans Groups, POs, Technical PO,other stakeholders & PAF / From the beginning to the end of assignment
8 / Preparation of knowledge sharing materials / 5 / Materials in various forms (newsletters, videos, newspaper articles) in English and Nepali published/ shared / One in every three month
9 / Coordinate and Network with other organizations involved in similar activities