GBLCAREERS

Catholic Relief Services(CRS/Ethiopia) seeks to hire a consulting firm to carry out a joint value chain/market system analysis for two new projects – the USAID Feed the Future (FtF) funded Ethiopia Livelihoods Resilience – Oromia (LRO) and USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) funded Development Food Security Activity (DFSA), also known as the Ethiopian Livelihoods & Resilience Program (ELRP). Both programs are implemented in Oromia regional state, with CRS’ DFSA also working in Dire Dawa Administrative Council. The two projects share four woredas.

The value chain/market systems analysis covers fourteen woredas in Oromia Regional State and Dire Administrative council.

2. Objectives of the Consultancy

The consultancy should address the below objectives;

i. Identify potential crop value chains suitable for project beneficiaries (especially women and youth).

ii. Identify and analyze the business opportunities and potential of the crop value chains

iii. Identify analyze constraints/bottlenecks across the crop value chains

iv. Identify key actors/stakeholders/supporters/ of the crop value chains from input supply to consumption.

v. Design strategies for developing and upgrading the value/market chains of the selected value chains

vi. Develop business plans for HH to engage in identified crop value chains

vii. Identify actionable interventions for project to improve competitiveness of the crop value chains.

viii. Analyze the regional (Oromia, Dire Dawa) and national policy frameworks for crop value/market system/ development.

3. Methodology

The consultant will apply appropriate sampling procedure to identify respondents for collecting data and information. (S)he will employ both qualitative and quantitative, data collection and analysis methods to conduct the market systems/value chain/ assessment.

4. Deliverables/Expected Outputs

· Inception report with detailed methodology.

· Sharing interim report to CRS (LRO and ELRP/DFSA) project teams.

· Presenting the value/market chain analysis fining to validation workshop participants and incorporating validation. workshop comments and with recommendation.

· Beneficiary selection criteria for targeting HHs for the selected value chains development/upgrading.

· Zonal level market systems/value chain/ analysis reports for all ELRP/DFSA and LRO targeted zones.

· Final report with priority value chains, model business plans and value chain upgrading/developing/ strategy/development strategies tailored to the needs of women, men and youth.

5. Personnel Requirements and Qualifications

5.2 Lead firm: The lead firm should have at least three years’ experience of conducting in-depth livelihoods and value chain/market system analyses in developing world and preferably in rural Ethiopia, and with skills to identify priority crop value chains.

5.2 Lead consultant: The lead firm should have a value chain expert to act as a lead consultant with at least three years’ experience of conducting livelihoods and value chain/market system analyses. The lead consultant should have at least a Master’s degree in any one of the following professions of agriculture, economics, marketing, business or any other relevant professional areas. S/he should also have the experience to work with tools and approaches for conducting value chain/market system analysis and skills to manage a team of researchers in carrying out the assessments.

Additional qualifications;

• Fluency in English and Oromiffa (Writing and speaking)
• Demonstrated experiences in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• Ability to produce high quality work under tight timeframes
• Ability to work jointly with project team and integrate feedback as required

5.3 Team members: The lead consultant will manage a team of four researchers who should all have at least a Bachelor’s degree and at least five years’ work experience, preferably in conducting livelihoods and value chain/market analyses. The team will comprise one member with professional background and experience in agriculture, second with business including small-to-medium enterprises, third with livelihoods, and the fourth with social science that might include economics, gender studies, sociology, psychology and any other closely related field of studies.

6. Key working relationships

Internal: The consultant will be managed to the Market Systems/Value Chain Advisor. In addition, the consultant will work closely with the CRS LRO and ELRP/DFSA technical teams, COP and DCOP for ELRP/DFSA and LRO.

External: The consultant will facilitate a validation workshop for CRS, partners and stakeholders.

7. Place of performance

The assessment will take place in Addis Ababa, Oromia region and Dire Dawa Administrative Council, including their zones, woredas and selected kebeles.

8. Duration of the consultancy

Expected start date: August 10 2017

Expected completion date: October 2,2017.

Duration of consultancy: 53 calendar days