Terms of Reference (TOR) for Technical Specialist (Consultant) - PAF II/JSDF/Ind-63
Poverty Alleviation Fund
Tahachal, Kathmandu
December 2015
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION:
2. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF ASSIGNMENT
3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT
4. REPORTING ANG REQUIREMENS
5. COMPETENCIES OF THE PROSPECTIVE CONSULTANTS
6. DURATION AND ASSIGNMENT
7. PAYMENT TO THE CONSULTANT
8. PROCUREMENT METHOD
9. DELIVERABLES
1. 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 implemented 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.
This is an innovative project aims to address the root cause of unrest, distress and migration by strengthening 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 Myagdi fall under PAF regular programme districts. The artisans in Terthathum, Dhanusa, Kapilbastu and Dailekh districts 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 districts PAF 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 and preference of contemporary market trend. This requires skill strengthening technical training to artisans and market linkage in national and international level. For this, the project has arranged grant (cluster fund) to artisans to start and scale up their business.
PAF has already hired Asian Heritage Foundation (AHF) as a Technical PO (T-PO) to support artisans in technical skill strengthening and marketing that will enable artisans to design 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.PAF Micro-Enterprise Development Officer is assigned as Project Coordinator.
The project has also provisioned to recruit project staff i.e. Technical Specialist and Livelihood Finance Specialist. The major function of Technical Specialist is to support Technical PO and Backend PO in the project districts. Similarly, to supervise and monitor the activities carried out by Technical PO and Backend PO. So, the Technical Specialist shall work in close coordination with Technical PO, Backend POs and PAF. He/she shall directly report the project activities to the PAF Programme Division Chief Project Coordinator and PMs.
2. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The project provisioned Technical Specialist to support around thirty four Artisan Production Groups/APGs (2041 artisan members) in eight project districts. Hence, he/she has to support Technical PO in identifying market potential artisan’s industries in the project districts. Monitoring and supervising the activities carried out by Technical PO, Backend PO and APGs in the project districts. Apart from this he/she shall explore local, national and international markets for marketing of APGs’ products. Similarly, in order to promote artisanship base products, he/she shall coordinate with the organizations involved in similar business.
3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT
- Bridge backend POs and Technical POs to identify potential artisan activities in the project districts.
- Support Technical PO to assess the artisans’ existing skill sets
- Support Backend POs identify market oriented artisans’ products
- Monitor and supervise the activities carried out by Technical PO, Backend PO and artisans
- Explore local, national and international market for artisans’ products
- Coordinate with national and international private sectors for marketing the artisans’ products and facilitate artisans for that
- Coordinate and network with other agencies who are involved in similar products design (For training, technology transfer and market linkage)
- Coordinate to organize local, national and international level trade fair, exhibition and stalls. Similarly, facilitate artisans to participate in the events with their products.
- Coordinate with Project Coordinator, Project district PMs and Livelihood Finance Specialist to strengthen and accelerate the project activities
- Report project status timely
- Visit frequently the JSDF project districts
4. REPORTING AND REQUIREMENTS
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.
5. COMPETENCIES OF THE PROSPECTIVE CONSULTANT
- Master Degree in economics or business or social science with five years experience in the promotion of handicrafts or development sectors
- Bachelor Degree in economics or business or social science with seven years experience in the promotion of handicrafts or development sectors
- Bachelor Degree in any discipline but professional training on design development and marketing of various handicrafts with three years experience
- Good command in written and spoken English
- Adequate computer skill
- Have interpersonal skill and able to manage team work
- Able to visit frequently in the project districts
6. 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.
7. PAYMENT TO THE CONSULTANT
The payment will be provided in monthly basis.
8. 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.
9. 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 JSDF Project Operational Procedures / All JSDF Project facilitating POs in the district / No later than two months after the beginning of contract
2 / Prepare Production Groups (PGs) Operational Guidelines / One guidelines to all the PGs in the project district / No later than four months after the beginning of contract
3 / Support Production Groups to formulate their Calendar of Plan to launch project activities / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / No later than six months after the beginning of contract
4 / Orient POs to administer Skill Related Baseline Information Collection, processing and Documentation / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / No later than six months after the beginning of contract
5 / Coordinate with Technical PO to assess existing skill set of artisans / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / In line with the technical PO
6 / Conduct Value Chain Training to POs and APGs / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / No later than eight months after the beginning of contract
7 / Conduct Inventory Mgmt. Training to POs and APGs / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / No later than eight months after the beginning of contract
8 / Coordinate with Technical PO to conduct skill up gradation training and design development workshop in the project district / 20 skill up gradation training & 30 design development training to 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / In line with the technical PO
9 / Monitor & supervise the skill up gradation training and design development workshop conducted by Technical PO in the project district / 20 skill up gradation training (2041 artisan members) 30 design development training to 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts / In line with the technical PO
10 / Explore local and national markets for PGs products / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts
11 / Support PGs to formulate marketing strategies of their products / 34 PGs (2041 artisan members) in 8 districts
12 / Issues identified and learning perceived in the 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
13 / 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