Mozambique: CONSULTANT for COSACA Market Assessment of Food and Non-food items

. Introduction to the market assessment;

Disasters resulting from natural hazards have been on the rise in the past decades. The increasing frequency and scale of these events pose mounting economic and humanitarian challenges. In countries with medium to low levels of income and weaker governance, disasters further compound existing problems of poverty and inequality and reverse development gains. It is now widely recognized that the vulnerable populations (socially, economically and geographically) are the most affected by natural hazards.

Mozambique ranks third amongst the African countries most exposed to risks from multiple weather-related hazards, e.g. periodic floods, tropical cyclones and droughts.

Within the framework of humanitarian action, cash transfer has increasingly emerged as one of the main tools for supporting processes of survival and recovery from disaster.

Given COSACA partners are working in areas of predictable crisis, there is a need to conduct a market analysis to help in anticipating how markets will respond once the shock/crisis occurs. The assignment forms part of COSACA Consortium project on MPG preparedness.

To ensure that in disaster-prone districts pre-crisis market information is available for a comprehensive range of commodities, COSACA will conduct market assessments of food and non-food items in collaboration with World Food Programme (WFP).

Markets are a critical element of Cash transfer programming. Functioning markets are mandatory for the implementation of Cash programmes. Market system information including access (physical, social, financial), inflation, availability of goods and services, lead time, traders’ ability and willingness to be involved in programmes and market integration is key in deciding on Cash feasibility.

1.1 Assessment summary

Geographical coverage:

Chicualacuala, Govuro, Chemba, Tambarra, Mopeia, Changara and Mossuril districts

Study Purpose

Anticipate how feasible a multipurpose cash transfer programme would be in the areas where COSACA operates, from a market perspective

Primary Methodology

Mixed Methods

Study Start Date:

16^th April 2018

Anticipated Study Report Release Date

15 June 2018

2. Description of save the children programming approach

Save the Children is working in Mozambique with a full-spectrum approach to programming, engaging in both long-term development projects and emergency interventions, building the resilience and improving the lives of girls and boys throughout the country.

As part of emergency program, Save the Children is the lead of the COSACA consortium - a consortium working in Mozambique in emergency preparedness and response, as well as longer term resilience.

3.About COSACA

COSACA, (Save the Children, CARE and Oxfam) is a consortium of three International Nongovernment Organisations working together since 2009 in emergency preparedness and response in relation to natural disasters in Mozambique. It was created in order to leverage the unique technical skills and geographical reach of each agency in order to effectively coordinate humanitarian preparedness and response, and to improve members’ capacity to respond within 72 hours of a disaster. The partner organizations collaborate on several diverse activities, including partner training, research and context analysis, development projects, and coordination of emergency response to the needs of vulnerable communities.

COSACA is viewed by the Mozambican government as a key partner in emergency response, with its combined technical expertise and the respective agency strengths, which added to the value of the Consortium and contributed to the effectiveness of the overall past drought response.

With the support from DfID, COSACA has been responding in drought affected areas of Inhambane and Gaza through integrated FSL and WASH activities. An estimate of 23,440 drought-affected households or 117,200 individuals have been supported through FSL and WASH interventions and through provision a food voucher system in Inhambane and Gaza provinces during the just ended emergency response as of March 2017. During the major floods of 2015, the Consortium reached nearly 180,000 people with DfID-purchased relief stocks. In 2016/17, COSACA responded to the severe drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon.

4. Objective and outcomes of the market assessment

The aim of the market assessment is to anticipate how feasible a multipurpose cash transfer programme would be in the areas where COSACA operates, from a market perspective.

More specifically, the assessment will seek to:

1. Establish whether the markets of selected commodities and services could supply sufficient goods and services to crisis-prone populations to meet their needs, in quantity and quality.

2. Identify what actions stakeholders need to take during pre-crisis times to strengthen market systems so they are better able to adapt and respond to a markets based humanitarian response.

3. Adapt organisations contingency plans based on the findings.

4. Use the findings to advocate to the government and other stakeholders re: supporting/implementing humanitarian responses using identified appropriate modalities.

This question relates to markets now as they presently exist as well as if and when these populations receive cash grants, in response to a hypothetical disaster.

The outcome will be an analysis of the baseline as well as a projection of the demand and the supply for the selected goods and services, in each of the targeted districts, with conclusive indications by district as to whether MPG would be viable from a market point of view, should a disaster hit.

4. Proposed market assessment methodology

The reference approach could be the Pre-crisis Market Assessment (PCMA). The methodology would entail: baseline of market places and prices and supply chain mapping.

4.1 Geographic scope:

The Market Assessment will be conducted in the Mozambique districts of Chicualacuala, Govuro, Chemba, Tambarra, Mopeia, Changara and Mossuril from April – May 2018.

The aim of the market assessment is to:

1. Identify what actions stakeholders need to take during pre-crisis times to strengthen market systems so they are better able to adapt and respond to a markets based humanitarian response.

2. Also to adapt organisations contingency plans based on the findings.

3. Use the findings to advocate to the government and other stakeholders re: supporting/implementing humanitarian responses using identified appropriate modalities.

For the purpose of this research on drought, cyclones and floods, the ‘reference time’ frame for MPG disbursement is August/September 2018 onwards – or six months from the research. The following questions will be used to frame the research and analysis;

4.2 Disaster Scenario

· What is the disaster scenario we are planning for?

· What are the likely humanitarian needs?

· What are the different vulnerabilities/capacities of the disaster prone population?

4.3 Research questions

What is the current and projected DEMAND for the selected commodities/services?

· What are the critical goods/services that are essential for households’ survival needs (i.e. ‘core goods (Maize, Beans and Cassava and selected NFIs according to INGC Kit composition) services’)?

· Are these likely to change if the disaster scenario unfolds?

· Do the ‘core goods’ differ between different segments of the population? (people with disabilities, older people, women/men etc)

· Which core goods/services are available in local markets used by disaster-prone populations?

· What are the minimum quantities to be consumed at the household level in order to meet basic needs?

· With what frequency are the goods purchased?

Can DEMAND access supplies safely, now and in the hypothetical event of a disaster?

· Which markets are safely and readily accessible to crisis-prone populations in the selected districts, and in times of crisis? What (if any) are the differences between dependent markets for different segments of the population (for example, people with disabilities, older people etc)

· What risks are there for people trying to access local markets or that prevent people from trying in the selected districts and by vulnerable group (e.g. women, elders, disabled people)?

· What are the income sources for the crisis prone population? How is the crisis scenario likely to impact these income sources? How do income sources (and potential impact on income sources) vary between different segments of the population?

· How do crisis prone populations usually access goods/services, and how does this differ during the identified crisis scenario? (Payment by cash, bartering, subsistence?)

· How do people usually send/receive money (e.g. wages, remittances etc.) and how does this differ during the identified crisis scenario? Why do they prefer certain cash transfer mechanisms over others? Do choices differ between different sections of the populations?

· Who from the household is responsible for making decisions on spending household income?

· Who from the household is responsible for buying goods/services? (gender, age, disability related norms)

What is the marketplaces map, now and in the hypothetical event of a disaster?

· Where are the key marketplaces located for the crisis-prone populations?

· How physically and culturally accessible are they? How to access barriers vary across different segments of the population?

· How distant are they?

· What are the key trade routes supplying these markets? What is the nature between these traders?

· How well integrated are the markets?

· What functions does each identified actor do in the identified market systems? What value added activities happen during the supply chain (if any) and what are the prices that are paid at different stages of the supply chain?

Can Supply meet Demand, now and in the hypothetical event of a disaster?

· Are the core goods and services of ‘reasonable’ quality and price available in the selected districts?

· Is there wide competition for that market system, or is it monopolised by few traders/suppliers/wholesalers?

· How will the crisis affect competition?

· How well and quickly can the local markets increase supply / respond to an increase to demand by crisis-prone populations (currently and during crisis times)

· Do male and female traders have similar access to suppliers?

· What capacity do key markets and market actors have to respond to a CTP / MPG programme at scale in the selected districts? What are the likely factors to constrain market actors’ ability to significantly increase volume of business?

· What is the average market price of the selected goods and services in the selected districts?

· What is the information flow within the market system? How strong are they?

Other Supporting Services to the Market Systems:

· Are there any important services provided by other businesses that support or make this market chain viable? (e.g. suppliers, transport services, storage facilities, communications, financial services)

· Are there any important services or infrastructure provided by government/local authorities that support or make this market chain viable? (e.g. credit facilities, power and water)

What constraining or enabling factors affect the local markets, now and the likely impact of a future disaster, hypothetically, in the event of a disaster?

· Which market indicators can be monitored to show that a slow on-set crisis is unfolding? (i.e. Early Warning System)

· Do men and Women have similar opportunities to participate in the market chain?

· Are capital and financial services readily available to market actors in the selected districts? Does access to them differ between male traders and female traders, or traders from ethnic (or other) minorities?

· What are the key institutions, policies, norms, laws that influence the way actors in the supply chain operate?

· How familiar are local Financial Service Providers (FSP) with CTPs / MPGs in the selected districts?

5.Tasks;

· Desk review of key situation analysis reports, and market assessments that have been carried out in the past three years for Mozambique, with a focus on documentation related to the selected districts in the country.

· Design of the assessment methodology and data collection tools.

· Onsite delivery of a one-day training plus on-site tool adaptation to data collectors and their team leaders, including revision of training materials. Location to be determined.

· Onsite supervision of data collection in 7 districts.

· Data cleaning and data analysis, to produce the reports and charts requested by the project.

· Consultations with sector experts, on individual basis to interpret the findings (i.e. why are they so? What complementary information can explain them better? What are the caveats?)

· Reporting, using the report template in attachment. The report will be 40 pages maximum excluding annexes.

5.1 Deliverables and timeline;

To achieve the above goal and outcomes, the market assessment consultancy will deliver the following outputs:

Deliverables

Deadline

Payment tranches

List of up to 5 commodities and/or services to be assessed in each district, based on the projected needs in the event of a disaster

23 April 2018

Tranche #1

List of references for secondary data analysis

Detailed market assessment methodology, containing the following sections: reference methodology; data collection methods (what tools should be used, how, by whom, information sources/informants; paper/digital data collection); data analysis methods; team composition and how it will be set up; field work plan, with locations, number of interviews to be run and with whom, dates

26 April 2018

Draft questionnaires for primary data collection, in English and inception report

30 April 2018

Final questionnaires for primary data collection, in English and Portuguese

7 May 2018

Training materials for a 1-day training per district: presentation power points; instruction sheets for group works

Training of enumerators (1 day training in each of district

30 May 2018

Tranche #2

Training report (2-3 pages max), attendance sheet,

Field data collection and analysis

Draft report, based on the template in annex. It will contain: a baseline of marketplaces and prices of the selected commodities, by district; Baseline and projected status and disruptions of the supply chain maps for the selected commodities and/or services by district

Feedback collected from sector experts

10 June 2018

Tranche #3

Final report

15 June 2018

Reporting lines*:* Project Manager

Required skill;

We are looking for an experienced, senior humanitarian practitioner (or a team of experts) who is highly familiar with market assessment design and implementation in humanitarian contexts.

The ideal candidate(s) shall have:

· Extensive demonstrable experience in designing and leading market assessments.

· Extensive demonstrable experience in designing and conducting market actor and household surveys with robust quantitative research methods.

· Solid knowledge and understanding of existing humanitarian market assessment tools and processes.

· Familiarity with market-based programming, as well as in-kind and cash-based programming in emergency response.

· Excellent written and oral presentation skills.

Desirable:

Knowledge of and experience working in Mozambique

How to Apply

Interested candidates (individuals or teams) shall submit:

· Item 1: The team compositions (if a team), with detailed CV, including educational background, professional experience, key competences of each member.

· Item 2: A statement of experience related to the scope of this work and similar projects undertaken in the past and their geographical coverage; please annex at least one sample of similar work.

· Item 3: A tentative schedule of all activities and deliverables required for this project. This must be in line with the list of deliverables set out above as well as with the recommended methodology and timeline. The work has to be completed by 1^st June 2018.

· Item 4: An itemized budget in Excel and detailing inputs and their cost per each requested deliverable. Note that travels should be split in different lines. The budget should be submitted in USD.

Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all our personnel and programmes are absolutely safe for children.

We undertake rigorous procedures to ensure that only people suitable to work with children are allowed to join our organisation and all candidates will be therefore be subject to this scrutiny.

Due to the urgency of the assignment, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Submissions are to be made to recrutamento.moz@savethechildren.org copying Jose Mangue (jose.mangue@savethechildren.org) AND Francesca Battistin (f.battistin@savethechildren.org.uk).