EXPRESSION OF INTEREST CONSULTANCY SERVICES: KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND MONITORING PROTOCOL FOR THE NATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE AND CLIMATE-SMART OIL PALM SMALLHOLDERS (NISCOPS) PROGRAMME, PHASE 2. at Solidaridad West Africa (SWA)

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

CONSULTANCY SERVICES: KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND MONITORING PROTOCOL FOR THE NATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE AND CLIMATE-SMART OIL PALM SMALLHOLDERS (NISCOPS) PROGRAMME, PHASE 2.

Background 

Solidaridad, Nigeria and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) both international development organizations working in Nigeria across several agricultural value chains hereby call for Expression of Interest by relevant qualified research institutions / organization based in Nigeria to conduct the following activities itemized in the ToR below with respect to the second phase of the NISCOPS project.

Solidaridad, Nigeria and IDH are currently implementing the second phase of NISCOPS aimed at promoting sustainable oil palm landscapes in Nigeria in line with best practices through innovative climate smart agriculture.

The Dutch Government and the Government of the United Kingdom are supporting Solidaridad Nigeria and IDH to implement NISCOPS in Nigeria. While both organizations implement the project jointly at the Federal level in Nigeria, Solidaridad implements the project in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu and Kogi states and IDH in Edo state. NISCOPS interventions will support sustainable landscape development for the benefits of oil palm smallholders and the private sector; encourage exchange and shared learning processes; drive performance in markets and sustainable green innovations in the palm oil sector in Nigeria. Additionally, NISCOPS is contributing to Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, the SDGs and the country’s National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).

Scope of Work 

KPIs were established and measurement methodologies were established during NISCOPS phase 1. These guided implementation and contributed to the measurement of project outcomes. Solidaridad and IDH hereby seek the services of a national research organization or knowledge institute with a proven track-record in establishing KPI protocols, to determine if the phase 1 KPI protocol is still applicable; and to design a robust and credible measurement and data collection methodology for the Nigeria project. Independent consultancy firms are also invited to apply provided they can provide a proof of meeting the administrative requirements, and effective coordination of the team/pool of relevant experts who can deliver on these terms of reference.

More specifically, Solidaridad and IDH wish to get support in:

• Translating the broadly defined Key Performance Goals (KPGs) of Climate Smart Agriculture outlined in NISCOPS 2 Theory of Change into measurable KPIs, which are compatible with market concepts on sustainability;
• Developing credible and transparent methodologies to measure the KPIs based on the collection of field data by Solidaridad and IDH and their local partners;
• Assisting in the design of surveys and other data collection tools to obtain the necessary data;
• Developing scientifically-proven methodologies and data-models based on the KPIs established that will allow aggregation and comparison between projects and countries;
• Developing a field-tested system to control the quality and validity of received data.

The selected national research organization, knowledge institute or consultancy firm should be prepared to organize/participate in baseline establishment, data collection, and training of local and field staff.   

Team organization and coordination

The NRP will be selected and contracted by Solidaridad and IDH. Resource fees including logistics for travels and accommodation would be negotiated based on the expected number of days to be determined by the contractor.

Required skills of the Applicant

The Applicant has:

• Proven track record (3-5 years) in developing M&E frameworks for sustainable development programmes
• Demonstrable experience with developing measurement systems or monitoring protocols for landscapes or sub-national jurisdictions;
• Strong demonstrable skills in quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation specifically focusing on smallholder agricultural production and oil palm in particular;
• Familiarity with (trends in) the oil palm sector and has a good understanding of its various stakeholders, their roles, and positions;
• Demonstrable experience in linking outputs and outcomes of conservation and/or develop programmes to international treaties on climate and biodiversity (UNFCCC, CBD, CDD);
• Awareness of the social and political sensitivities surrounding oil palm, its market acceptance and sector inclusiveness of smallholders, gender, and can work diplomatically towards consensus on sustainability, without these definitions becoming vague or meaningless;
• Strong communication and writing skills, evidenced by a report (co-)authored by the NRP’s team leader(s).

Expertise Required: This will include but not limited to Agricultural Economics and Management specialist; Agronomist, Oil Palm development specialist, GIS specialist, Rural sociology/economics specialist, Climate Change Analyst, specialist on Natural Resource Management, Social and Spatial (Quantitative and Qualitative) analyst.  

Deliverables

Work Packages (WP) 

WP 1: 

• Study NISCOPS-1 KPIs, refine and identify any indicator gaps. A suite of KPIs have been agreed during the implementation of NISCOPS 1. Develop and define additional KPIs based on NISCOPS-2 ToC where applicable.
• Harmonize Solidaridad and IDH NISCOPS-1 baseline studies, and identify data gaps for the design of NISCOPS-2 baseline study
• Submit the report on WP 1

WP 2: 

• Develop methodologies for measuring the additional KPIs identified in WP1
• Field-test the methodologies and validate their fit for achieving the expected results of NISCOPS-2
• Develop the tools for data gathering based on the identified data gap in WP1.
• Submit the report on WP 2

WP 3:

• Organize data gathering exercise to fill the data gaps identified in WP 1
• Validate methodologies, and findings from KPI and data-gathering exercises
• Submit the reports for WP3, and a consolidated report for WP1-3