TOR for the Contract: Grant Support to Vulnerable Households to Revive or Start Small Businesses Component of the REALISE Project

RECOVERY OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY FOR LIBERIA INFORMAL

SECTOR EMPLOYMENT (REALISE) PROJECT

Capitol Bye Pass, Old Maternity Center 1^st Floor

Monrovia-Liberia

BACKGROUND

The Government of Liberia has received funding from the World Bank, Swedish International Development Association (Sida) and the French Agency for Development (AFD) to implement the Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberian Informal Sector Employment (REALISE) Project. The Project Development Objective is to increase access to income-earning opportunities for the vulnerable in the informal sector in response to crises, expand income and livelihood support to poor and food-insecure households, and improve efficiency in managing social protection programs in Liberia. The REALISE project comprises six components namely: (i) Grant Support to Vulnerable Households to Revive or Start Small Businesses; (ii) Temporary Employment Support and Employability Development for Vulnerable Workers, iii) Program Implementation, Capacity Building, and Coordination; (iv) Contingency Emergency Response Component (v) Community Livelihood and Agriculture Support, and (vi) Social Cash Transfer and Strengthening of the National Social Protection System.  The REALISE Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), and the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE). Implementation of project activities is managed by a single Project Management Team (PMT) that sits outside of the implementing institutions and is comprised of consultants hired by them. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is responsible for overall coordination of the Project.

LACE is responsible to implement the component on Grant Support to Vulnerable Households to Revive or Start Small Businesses. The component will provide basic business management training and mentorship, as well as business grants to 4,450 beneficiaries in Montserrado and Margibi Counties. Activities under the component are scheduled to rolled out in three consecutive rounds. In preparation for implementation of activities for Round Three, LACE seeks to hire a competent service provider that will support all implementation activities under the component. 

DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT 

This assignment is expected to run for 12 months commencing September 1, 2024. The duration will cover the completion of one subproject cycle for distinct cohorts of beneficiaries enrolled in Round 3 of the component.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of the assignment is to lead the successful implementation of activities under Round 3 of component 1 (Grant Support to Vulnerable Households to Revive or Start Small Businesses or SSB) at the community and beneficiary levels. Key support under the component will include the delivery of a basic business management training and provision of business grants to 1,395 beneficiaries of the REALISE Project living in 15 communities in Montserrado and 3 communities in Margibi County. The project targets to enrol 78 beneficiaries in each community in Montserrado County, and 75 beneficiaries in each community cluster in Margibi County into the SSB program. Overall, at least 50 percent of the beneficiaries will be females.

For all the 18 communities targeted under Round Three, support will be provided to both beneficiaries with existing businesses, and those who want to start new businesses. In addition to business management training, female beneficiaries will have the opportunity to receive Agency Based Empowerment Training (ABET), which will include a 1-day Gender Sensitive Family coaching session for their families as well. The program will also provide information and mentorship on male-dominated sectors for females who may wish to operate or establish businesses in these sectors.  

The key tasks under the assignment:

1. Support the intake and enrolment of 1,170 eligible beneficiaries in 15 communities in Montserrado County, and 225 eligible beneficiaries from 3 communities in Margibi County.
2. Provision of basic business management training to beneficiaries
   1. Beneficiaries with existing businesses will receive a 5-day business training.
   1. Beneficiaries that have interest in new businesses will receive a 15-day business training.
3. Monitor the usage of business grants and provide mentorship to support growth of beneficiary businesses.
4. Provision of a 5-day Agency Based Empowerment training to beneficiaries.
5. Provision of 1-day Gender Sensitive Family Coaching to family members of beneficiary’s communities.
6. Identification and engagement of mentors (both male and female)
7. Support beneficiary businesses to formalize.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SERVICE PROVIDER (SP)

The duties and responsibilities of the SP include:

1. Provide support in organizing community-level lottery events for the final selection of beneficiaries for the program from the list of those deemed eligible after intake.
2. Organize and facilitate orientation workshops that communicate the objectives and expected outcomes of the project to the beneficiaries.
3. Provide the beneficiaries with basic business management training (5 days for existing businesses and 15 days for new businesses. The training will include basic business skills and accounting/money management practices, and mentorship that will help beneficiaries to develop the right mindset and interpersonal skills for success in reviving existing businesses. As part of the training, Manuals & stationery, and feeding will be included. Each day of training will be about 4 hours.
4. Support PMT in enrolling beneficiaries with the NIR and obtaining NIR cards.
5. Provide a 5-day Agency Based Empowerment Training (ABET) to female beneficiaries in all communities who aspire to start new businesses. The training will aim to help female beneficiaries overcome cultural and social constraints that limit their business development goals. The training will seek to help the beneficiaries create long-term goals, and prepare them for taking informed risks, overcome lack of confidence, gain skills in taking personal initiative, as well as overcome mental models of what sectors women should stick to.
6. As part of the business management training, provide female beneficiaries with information pamphlets on various male-dominated business sectors. These information pamphlets will be provided to the service provider.
7. Facilitate the engagement of female beneficiaries wanting to operate in male-dominated sectors with mentors working in these sectors. The mentors should be invited to engage with beneficiaries for about 2 hours during one of the business management training days. The service provider will be responsible for helping to identify these mentors before the business management training begins and paying these mentors a small fee for their time.
8. Provide family members of female beneficiaries participating wanting to operate in male-dominated sectors with a 1-day Gender Sensitive Family Coaching to promote social acceptance of women’s entry into male-dominated sectors and generally increase the support women get from their families in working outside of the home in income-generating/business activities. Each day of training will be about 4 hours. (Family members will be defined in the protocol).
9. Incorporate and deliver training sessions on Positive and Playful Parenting (PPP) to all beneficiaries during orientation workshops.
10. Secure adequate space (Venue rental) in each community  for conducting the business management, Agency Based Empowerment trainings and Positive and Playful Parenting. The trainings will be provided for both Existing Businesses and New Businesses.
11. Support beneficiaries to develop business proposals with clear implementation plans and key milestones, detailed budgets, financial management, and disbursement procedures.
12. Support beneficiaries to formalize their small businesses (i.e., business registration) where necessary, to form sustainable community institutions, and link them with existing institutions, such as local banks and community savings groups, to enable them to access future financing (loans) for expanding their businesses.
13. Support beneficiaries to keep complete financial records, including receipts for all expenses and progress made towards milestones (disbursements of subproject grants are conditioned on reaching milestones); 
14. Support beneficiaries to obtain required workspace, tools, and materials for the successful implementation of their small businesses;
15. Collect monitoring data each month from each business on key business indicators and share this data (in the form of an Excel spreadsheet) with the PMT to inform next payment grant and reporting purposes.
16. Conduct pre-test before the commencement of the training and a post-test to gauge beneficiary understanding of the training offered. The pre and post-tests will be administered using tablets/smart phones.
17. Mediate and report all disputes arising among beneficiaries (where applicable) to the PMT/GRM system using the toll-free number (3344). Ensure that the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries receive clear communication on the project’s Grievance and Redress Mechanism;
18. Receive, document, and escalate all complaints to the Grievance and Redress Officer of the PMT;
19. Support the delivery of nudges and other capacity development (electronic/in-person) trainings to be provided to the beneficiaries by the PMT.
20. Support rollout of beneficiary satisfaction surveys and activities related to all impact evaluations under the component.

DELIVERABLES

The Service Provider will deliver the following products/outputs/results:

• An inception report that includes proposed implementation plan, processes/methodology for rolling out activities, and associated budget.
• Orientation workshop reports (within 2 weeks after orientation training).
• Subproject initiation reports (within 2 weeks after orientation training).
• Submission of monthly progress reports outlining support provided to beneficiary businesses, trainings conducted and status of supported businesses, grant usage, mobile money registration, NIR, as well as any grievance received and processed during the reporting period.
• Final report at the end of implementation round which details achievements under the round, challenges encountered, mitigation measures employed, lessons learned and recommendation for future rounds of implementation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND KEY REQUIREMENTS

This consultancy demands astuteness and the ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast-paced environment. The Service Provider must therefore be able to demonstrate successful prior experience in managing Beneficiaries’ Enterprise Development Project or activities within the sub-region or sub-Saharan Africa.  Following are the minimum qualification requirement:

• Must have a proven track record of managing at least two (2) similar large-scale assignments in Human development, including supporting small business enterprises, over the past five (5) years in Liberia, or any of the Sub-Saharan African countries.
• Must present proof (documents) of experience in developing life skills, business skills, and household enterprise training curricula in Liberia, or any of the Sub-Saharan African countries within the last five (5) years
• Proven ability to produce high-quality reports on a regular basis and in a timely manner;
• Must be an accredited national or international NGO by designated authorities in Liberia or in its home country; proof of accreditation must be submitted with the EOI.
• Must have functional office in Liberia or demonstrate ability to swiftly setup an office in country.
• Must submit valid Business Registration for operating in Liberia or home country.

Preferred firm must also have the following Management Staff with the below required qualifications and experience:

1. Executive Director (ED)

The Executive Director will be responsible for managing the activities under the contract and will be the main interface between the firm and the REALISE Project Management Team. S/He will be responsible to ensure that activities under the contract are implemented in line with all approved plans and that all safeguards (financial Management, social, environmental) under the project are adhered to.  Qualification and experience of the ED as follows:

• Must have a minimum of bachelor’s degree in business administration, Public Administration, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Must have 5-7 years of management experience.
• Have supported livelihood initiatives, or community development projects.
• Have accounting and budgeting knowledge.
• Must have leadership experience and must have supervised a team of professionals.
• Must be computer literate.

• Project Officer (PO)

The Project Officer will be responsible for supervising the implementation of activities under the contract and will be the main interface between field level staff of the firm and Project beneficiaries. S/He will be responsible to ensure that field level staff provide the required support to project beneficiaries and communities within the specified timeframe and with the outmost quality.  The PO will be responsible for ensuring that activities under the contract are implemented in line with all approved plans and that all safeguards (financial Management, social, environmental) under the project are adhered to.  Qualification and experience of the PO as follows:

• Must have a minimum of associate degree in any of the Social Sciences
  • Must have a minimum of at least 3 years of project management experience

• Experience in monitoring and evaluation and facilitation of project planning, documentation, and communications
  • Have experience in coordinating project activities, scheduling meetings and collating minutes, and writing activity and progress report
  • Experience in using participatory approaches e.g., Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) or Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methodologies
  • Must be computer literate  

• Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (MEO)

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will be responsible for tracking progress on key indicators under this assignment and reporting these to the PMT as agreed in the reporting requirements. Monitoring activities under the MEO will also include tracking compliance with all safeguard procedures approved for the project and reporting gaps to management for proper recourse. 

• Must have a minimum of an associate degree in Business Management or Social Sciences or a diploma in M&E Training from a recognized institution
• Must have had at least 2-year experience in monitoring and evaluation activities
• Be able to collect, compile and analyze data
• Be able to design and implement M & E activities, and provide project updates on results/indicators
• Be able to identify and document lessons learned from project implementation and activities
• Have experience writing report particularly monitoring report
• Must be computer literate

• Finance Officer (FO)

The Financial Officer is responsible for reviewing and ensuring that all financial records submitted to the REALISE Project Management Team under this assign meet the financial management and reporting requirements of the REALISE Project. Qualification and experience of the FO are as follows:

• Must have a minimum Associate Degree in Accounting
• Must have a minimum of 2 years of working experience with a project
• Be able to collate budget and expenditure data
• Be able to prepare budgets, invoices and financial statements
• Be able to maintain accurate financial transaction data and report
• Must be computer literate
• Good report writing experience

The Service Provider must have the following key staff to execute the assignment:

1. Community Animators:

The Community Animators are the frontline facilitators working with beneficiaries from the targeting stage through the orientation workshop, subproject implementation activities, and until the groups graduate from the program. Starting from the orientation workshops and throughout implementation, each Animator will be required to support up to 100 beneficiaries at a time.

Minimum qualifications of community animators include:

• High school Diploma with WAEC Certificate;
• Must be knowledgeable about the small business and household enterprise environment in Monrovia, such as where different inputs can be acquired, how to set up bank accounts and keep financial records, who are reputable skills, training providers;
• Must be experienced in supporting people to positively participate in community-based activities;
• Must be willing to quickly learn about the local terrain, communities, and leaders in the area of assignment;
• Must be Fluent in spoken and written English;
• Should possess strong facilitation experience. Experience in mobilizing communities, working with communities and beneficiaries at the grassroots level;
• Adept at learning new curriculum on business skills, household enterprise support, and youth employment; and
• Previous experience with teaching or training beneficiaries and any accreditations or academic degrees in related areas is highly preferred.

• Community Coordinators

The Community Coordinator will oversee the implementation and delivery of the intervention and monitor the outcomes. Each Community Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the activities of up to 5 Animators and 5 communities. The coordinators will also be a source of clarity when animators are having trouble delivering the intervention, engaging with beneficiaries, or observing that the beneficiaries are having difficulties.

Minimum qualifications of the Community Coordinators include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Social Sciences or relevant field and formal training, accreditations, or academic degrees in areas related to business management, vocational and technical skill development, community and/or youth empowerment programming;
• Strong track record of professional and field experience in supporting community development with Particular experience in household enterprises in urban environments is desirable;
• Must have coordination and project management experience, overseeing multiple implementers, putting logistics in place, and monitoring activities;
• Must be knowledgeable about Small Business and Household Enterprise Environment in Monrovia, how to set up bank accounts and keep financial records, with reputable skills training providers;
• Must be willing to quickly learn about the local terrain, communities, and leaders in the area of assignment; and
• Fluent in English.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Service Provider will report to the Deputy Project Coordinator for Economic Inclusion of REALISE project. Reporting duties shall include the following:

1. Enrollment Reports

The Service Provider must keep records for identification and verification processes in each community indicating:

1. Number of beneficiaries successfully identified by gender and community
2. Membership of the community oversight committee.

• Orientation Workshop Report (to be delivered within 2 weeks after completion of orientation workshops)

The Service Provider must keep records for Orientation Workshop and Subproject Initiation in each community indicating:

1. Track dates when these activities take place,
2. Attendance of participating beneficiaries,
3. Curricula covered per day
4. Beneficiaries formed, where applicable, and small business enterprises to be established. Subproject proposals developed,
5. Beneficiaries that drop out during orientation and their replacement also track dropout during subproject implementation.

• Subproject Initiation Reports (to be delivered within 2 weeks after completion of orientation)

The Service Provider should provide a report of the support provided to beneficiary’s businesses in the development of the business proposals and the total number of proposals developed and approved.

• Subproject Progress Reports (to be delivered within 3 months of delivery of the first grant, or at any earlier point if otherwise agreed with the PMT)

The Service Providers must keep records for each beneficiary’s business indicating:

1. Dates of the Service Provider’s follow-up support meetings with each beneficiary business, 
2. Beneficiaries’ attendance at the follow-up support meetings,
3. Status of all beneficiaries’ businesses supported under each round with focus on planned activities, progress towards achievement of milestones, disbursements and financial accounts (to include profit and loss analysis of beneficiary’s business);
4. Report on beneficiary’s compliance with requirements for eligibility to the second tranche of the grant, and recommendation of the complying beneficiaries to the PMT for disbursement of the second tranche.  

• Progress Reports

The progress report shall be monthly updates, quarterly reports, and end-of-project cycle reports. These reports shall provide at least the following information:

1. Detailed description of the activities performed and results achieved in the current reporting period (monthly Updates and quarterly reports) as well as the resources used for performing these activities.
2. Detailed evaluation of the performance of all community animators.
3. A brief description and assessment of the current state of all project indicators.
4. Issues encountered (Challenges) in the implementation of all subprojects, including grievances reported by beneficiaries and actions taken to resolve complaints.
5. Brief description of activities to be performed (Next Steps) in the next reporting period as well as the resources estimated to be used for performing such activities.
6. Expected results in the next reporting period.

• Final Report  

A final report at the end of each round of implementation which details achievements under the round, challenges encountered, mitigation measures employed, lessons learned and recommendations for future rounds of implementation. The final report will be due 15 days before the close of each round.

All reports should be sent to the Deputy Project Coordinator for Economic Inclusion, no later than the 7^th day of the next reporting period. (ex. if the report covers the period up to October 30th, 2024, the report must be delivered by the latest 7^th of November 2024.