Consultancy on Empowering the Informal Sector at Oxfam

Purpose of the assignment

Oxfam in Kenya is seeking the services of a researcher and strategist consultant to explore approaches to better capture the informality and look into the factors and policies that could trigger transformative change. The overall purpose is to develop research and concrete policy advocacy asks from the generation of evidence by addressing the following specific questions;

1. How effective has the informal economy policy, legal and regulatory framework been in governing the sector? Which policy measures have had unintended consequences (both positive and negative) on the informal economy? Which policies or tools have worked and what is the evidence?
2. How can we continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of policies and programmes targeting the informal economy including but not limited to:
   1. how the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives in conjunction with the Registrar of Companies, Kenya Revenue Authority, National Social Security Fund, National Hospital Insurance Fund and the National Treasury should review their procedures and flex regulations around acquisition of relevant documents for formalisation;
   2. how the informal economy can gain access to social security coverage (how The National Social Security Fund and National Hospital Insurance Fund can develop, implement and promote hybrid social security and health insurance schemes with centralized management, oversight and risk-pooling;[1]
3. How can we increase our understanding of the demographics, motivations and experiences of players in the informal economy better and what should be done to promote an enabling policy and regulatory environment to address their specific needs.

The objective of the consultancy is:

1. To develop concrete policy advocacy asks around the research questions

Methodology

The researcher strategist needs to review relevant literature on the above research questions, identify locations of research for the target populations, develop research tools, undertake key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs), develop a technical and financial proposal and a report as well as advocacy strategy for Oxfam in Kenya.

Timelines and Deliverables

The consultant shall deliver the following within 20 consultancy days between November 1 – 30, 2022:

• An inception report comprising research tools and questions, target populations, research itinerary and literature review within eight (8) working days of contract signing
• A verbal update/ status update meeting of all the field work within two (2) working days of their conclusion
• A first draft within five (5) working days of the status update meeting comprising no more than 35 pages
• Presentation of the draft report at a stakeholder validation meeting
• A final draft within five (5) working days of feedback from Oxfam on the first draft
• Presentation of the final report at the launch of the report

Consultancy responsibilities and management arrangements

The consultant shall work under the supervision of the Tax Justice Strategist and Programme Officer.

Consultant qualifications, skills and competencies needed

The desired specification and qualities of the consultant(s) are as hereunder:

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of development issues
• At least 5 – 8 years experience of policy development and advocacy
• High quality skills and demonstrated experience in similar pieces of work
• Strong communication (verbal and written) skills in English. Proficiency in Kiswahili is an added advantage
• Excellent research and strategy development skills