Terms of Reference: Consultancy Services for the Development of Shock Responsive Safety Net System for Kenya at Strathmore University

DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK

• The overall objective of this consultancy is to set up a technical support team to provide independent and reliable technical support to design a Kenya Shock Responsive Safety Net System.
• The firm or consortium contracted will bring on board individuals from Kenya and abroad with relevant skills to undertake the various tasks required to design a program for establishing Kenya’s Shock Responsive Safety Net System.
• USAID, at the request of the GOK, is facilitating the procurement of a technical assistance team through its local partner Strathmore University. Strathmore will provide a grant to an entity based in Kenya that will procure the services and expertise needed for this effort. The local entity will organize a technical support team to support the resource partners group to design the Shock Responsive Safety Net System Program. The technical support team, utilizing local and international experts, will provide independent and reliable technical support including strategic analysis, modeling, stakeholder event planning, and communication services to inform the program design.
• The technical support team will also provide secretariat support services for the resource partners group. The technical support team will work over a period during November 2023 - July 2024.

Tasks to be Completed.

The technical team will carry out the following specific tasks:

• Facilitate and support the engagement of a resource partners group, led by the Government of Kenya, to shape a shared vision for a Shock Response Safety Net System and guide the process to design and operationalize it.
• Organize an Experts Meeting to review known tools, approaches, evidence, lessons, and emerging issues to inform the design of a Shock Response Safety Net System.
• Support NDMA in conducting stakeholder consultations at various levels to obtain input into the design of the Shock Responsive Safety Net System.
• Review the NDMA existing capacity and systems to implement and manage a Shock Response Safety Net System, including: the National Drought Emergency Fund (NDEF),Drought Contingency Fund (DCF) supported by European Union (EU), the Operational Guidelines for the NDEF, national and county level capacity; and propose adjustments needed to align with and support a Shock Response Safety Net System.
• Develop a sensitization and training plan to strengthen capacity of national, county and subcounty entities engaged in delivering the Shock Response Safety Net System.
• Undertake strategic analyses and modeling to address key questions and issues to inform priorities for the Shock Responsive Safety Net System.
• Establish an institutional strengthening plan for NDMA to implement a Shock Response Safety Net System.
• Prepare a budget and a sustainable financing plan for the Shock Responsive Safety Net Program
• Prepare a directory of experts, individuals, and organizations, in Safety Net related issues for use by NDMA and its partners.
• Prepare a schedule and roadmap to operationalize the proposed Shock Responsive Safety Net Program.
• Examine how the new system will fit into the objectives and framework of MTP IV of the Kenya Vision 2030, BETA and DRR policies.
• Prepare adraft program document outline/table of contents (review existing resource partner templates).
• Draft program document and present to Resource Partners Group for feedback and approval.

Indicative Questions and Issues to be Addressed:

The following key questions will need to be addressed to inform the design of the Shock Responsive Safety Net System. This is a preliminary list which will need to be finalized and agreed to by the Resource Partners Group during the inception phase.

• Has the frequency and severity of drought and other shocks increased in the past ten and twenty years ago? How has this impacted the livelihood options for development of Kenya’s drylands? Does it pose new risks?
• What are the potential risks that a Shock Responsive Safety Net should be designed to respond to? What risks should a shock responsive safety net prioritize?
• What segment of the population should the Shock Responsive Safety Net System target and focus on to mitigate the impacts of shocks and meet emergency needs?
• What are the most effective actions and measures to mitigate the impacts of shocks that the Shock Responsive Safety Net should be designed to deliver?
• What are the triggers to initiate action, and triggers to target diverse types of services that may be needed at the outset, during and the end of an emergency (to inform types of services the safety net could or should be designed to deliver.)
• What are the necessary monitoring and evaluation frameworks that need to be in to track?
• What are the existing emergency assistance projects and safety nets operating in Kenya? How will the proposed Shock Responsive Safety Net safety be different? What role can a Shock Responsive Safety Net play to improve coordination and avoid duplication?
• What are the best practices globally, regionally, locally from existing emergency programs and safety nets to inform the design of Kenya’s Shock Responsive Safety Net System?
• What changes are needed in the policy and institutional context for a Shock Responsive Safety Net System for Kenya to be effective?
• What are the potential impacts that various local solutions, tools, and approaches (e.g., cash transfers, index livestock insurance, public works, livestock buy off, et) could have on building resilience and mitigating the negative impacts of shocks? Can these be modeled and compared?
• What changes to the existing institutional capacity of NDMA and the NDEF at national, county and subcounty level are needed to implement a Shock Responsive Safety Net System?
• What is the recommended institutional arrangement in terms of business process and timely disbursement of real-time resources?

DELIVERABLES

The main deliverables from this consultancy are:

• A GOK policy paper that defines the commitment of the GOK and partners to finance and implement the Shock Responsive Safety Net System.
• A GOK Program, owned and established by the GOK, which defines the Shock Responsive Safety Net System’s goals and objectives, implementation modalities as well as the attendant GOK and partner financing arrangements, partnership strategy, and accountability modalities.
• Regulations and operational guidelines for the Shock Responsive Safety Net System. This may entail amendments to reflect on the flexibility on resourcing the NDEF based on PFM Act (2012), and/or creation of new laws and guidelines to allow the system to work.

Sub-deliverables will include the following:

• Detailed work plan
• Inception report
• Final Policy Brief
• PowerPoint slides of presentations made.
• An assessment report of the existing systems for addressing shocks.
• Recommendations for an amended version of the NDEF operational guidelines to align with and support a Shock Response Safety Net System.
• Stakeholder and expert meeting reports.
• Analysis of best practices, tools, and approaches.
• An implementation plan, including a schedule for implementation.
• A communication, sensitization, and training plan to strengthen capacity of national, county and subcounty entities engaged in delivering the Shock Response Safety Net System.
• An institutional strengthening plan for NDMA to implement a Shock Response Safety Net System.
• Operations supporting management information systems.

FINAL REPORT

• The consultant team will prepare a Final Report with support from the Strathmore/USAID Technical Team. The Report will follow the report outline to be agreed during the inception process.
• The consultant team will present the assignment outputs and report to USAID and NDMA and key decision makers to receive initial feedback on conclusions and recommendations.
• The Team Leader of the Strathmore Technical Team will submit the final Report and Policy Brief to the Management of USAID and NDMA.

CONSULTANT TEAM PROFILE AND LEVEL OF EFFORT

• The organization providing technical services should have or be able to tap experienced experts to deliver services and analysis on a broad range of technical issues relevant to the design of a Shock Responsive Safety Net System. In line with the approach to develop a Shock Responsive Safety Net System for Kenya, the technical team structure and members should be agreed to by USAID, NDMA and Strathmore University.

Consulting Team Profile

The Technical Team must have access to professionals with the following set of qualifications/skills/experiences:

Team Leader Skills

• Excellent analytical and people skills, including ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and to reconcile differing institutional perspectives and priorities. Demonstrate in-depth experience of project cycle management including monitoring and evaluation.
• In-depth understanding of dryland areas in Kenya and the regional context, including economic, social, and climate-related aspects.
• In-depth understanding of the intergovernmental mode of government and public sector policy and planning in Kenya, specifically the policy and institutional set-up relating to ASALs development and emergency assistance systems.

Event Planning and Facilitation Skills

• Experience in organizing and facilitating collaborative and inclusive review of complex multi-stakeholder consultation and planning mechanisms.
• Communication and editing skills to support preparation of papers, policy briefs and presentations using multimedia tools, posters, charts, web pages, etc