Service Provider Oranization or Consultant at Lutheran World Relief, Nigeria (LWR)

Lutheran World Relief (LWR) is implementing a food for Progress Program to launch a cocoa productivity and marketing project in Nigeria Known as, the Traceability and Resilience in Agriculture and Cocoa Ecosystems of Nigeria (TRACE) under the sponsorship of USDA. The five-year project is to increases productivity in the cocoa value chain by applying climate smart agriculture and expands the cocoamarket through traceability back to its source.

As part of our efforts to strengthen farmers' resilience and support their well-being, Lutheran World Relief also looks for opportunities in Nigeria to apply IMA World Health's experience in treating and preventing diseases, responding to and mitigating gender-based violence (GBV), and improving maternal and child health.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Service Provider to conduct Vocational Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Training in Target Communities of Ifedore and Idanre LGAs, Ondo State for the Child Labour Education and Resilience (CLEAR) Project, Financed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and implemented by Lutheran World Relief

Location: Ondo,
Employment Type: Contract

Context and Background

• LWR is implementing the Child Labour Education and Resilience (CLEAR) Project funded by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Idanre and Ifedore local government areas of Ondo State. In implementing the project, LWR is collaborating with the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) in Ondo State.
• The project focuses on reducing child labor significantly among cocoa farmers in Ondo state, Nigeria. Eradication of child labor is one of the Sustainable Development Goals which Nigeria has subscribed to since 2015. A good number of cocoa farmers in Ondo State still engage children in different aspects of their cocoa farming activities.
• Some of the causes of child labor are the level of poverty, low level of education, poor or no awareness about the impact of child labor, large family sizes with limited resources, low net income from cocoa farming and other sources of generating resources, and lack of life building skills. Children’s working conditions and overall situation vary greatly with different consequences.
• The severity of child labor describes the extent to which child labor causes irreversible harm, which includes mental health, physical health, and negative impact on cognitive development, poor school attendance, impaired cognitive development, lower well-being, and poor learning.
• CLEAR seeks to intervene by working holistically with communities to help tackle the interconnected challenges and reduce the prevalence of child labor practices among cocoa farmers in the targeted communities in Ondo State.
• CLEAR will address the underlying causes of child labor, empower communities that lack or have limited education on child labour, and provide life-building skills for the children of cocoa farmers.
• In addition, the project focuses on primary areas of responsibility, which mirror UNICEF’s international child protection system strengthening standards: with a focus on helping to prevent child labor and support children at risk of child labor and monitoring to help identify and remediate cases of child labor and support through the implementation of community-based Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS).
• Therefore, the three outcomes of the project include solutions to the problems of supporting teachers, parents, and key community stakeholders’ sensitization activities, capacity building and strengthening for parents, and entrepreneurial activities/clubs for adolescents. Activities will also include access to finance through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) groups to enhance livelihood opportunities and reduce vulnerability to financial shocks that trigger dependence on child labor.
• This intervention can facilitate a greater understanding of gender issues, leading to grassroots change towards greater social equality.
• The goal of CLEAR is to Significantly reduce the prevalence of child labor practices among cocoa farmers in the selected communities of Ondo State. The intervention will be implemented in 5 communities in each local government. There will be 800 direct beneficiaries made up of 500 children, 100 youths, and 200 adults. Participation will include junior secondary schools in the selected communities.
• The CLEAR project to eliminate child labour and to support children in different vocational skills and entrepreneurial training seeks to engage a Service Provider (Consultant or Educational Institution) to conduct Vocational Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurial training in targeted communities in Ifedore and Idanre LGAs, Ondo State for the CLEAR project in Nigeria.

Purpose and Objective

• LWR’s Nigeria program is seeking an experienced Consultant and/or Consultancy Company/Educational Institution to conduct Vocational Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Training. The training aims to equip CLEAR project participants with vocational skills for a life-building skill for school children in entrepreneurial clubs and small business management expertise to support youth and women in income-generating activities for which there is market demand considering the target population, local community dynamics, and cultural preferences.
• The purpose of this training is to prepare children between 5 -and 15 years and youths (male and female aged 15-29 with little or no formal education and living in rural and peri-urban environments) and adult women in the target LGAs in Ifedore and Idanre in Ondo state for a life-building skill for the children and youth and adults to be employed in and/or engage in profitable businesses that are suitable for and/or adapted to their local environments and marketplace.
• The training is expected to be completed within 30 calendar days with the consultant available from 13th May 2024 to 13th June 2024, upon signing of the Contract.

Scope and Geographical Coverage:

• The Vocational Skills acquisition and Entrepreneurship training will be conducted about the skill set for a life-building opportunity for the children and for youth and adults for engaging with market demand, cultural environment, and the social or political processes that enable access to work and other livelihood opportunities.

The Scope of the Assignment

• The Consultant/Service Provider will carry out all training for the trades indicated below using best practices and adult learning methodologies. The training should be experiential and hands-on and offer participants the opportunity to work with relevant equipment/materials while acquiring the necessary skills/expertise in the relevant life-building skill and trade.
• The methodology should be gender-sensitive, and age-appropriate and include guidance on the use of training tools for the children and business start-up kits for youths and adults. The training methodology and plan should include a reasonable cohort size of no more than 50 participants to ensure effective skills/knowledge acquisition by participants.

Specific Objectives:

• Deliver the specific technical vocational and entrepreneurial skills as directed by the CLEAR for identified beneficiaries. CLEAR Project identified specific skills to be deployed based on a need assessment. The project plans to train 800 beneficiaries( School pupils -250 Males and 250 Females), (100 youths – 50 females, 50 males), and 200 adults (100 males, 100 females) who will be trained in each of the two project target LGAs. Breakdown across the following trades:
  • 100 beneficiaries – Shoe and bag making and repairs
  • 100 beneficiaries – Food seasoning (this entails making curry powder, thyme, seasoning cube, and other spices for cooking.
  • 100 beneficiaries – waste to wealth (this entails the use of waste materials like tailoring waste, polythene, CD plats, etc, to make cloth masks, foot mats, bags purses, table mats, and basket mats)
  • 100 beneficiaries – Cosmetology
  • 100 beneficiries – Gardening and agro-processing
  • 100 beneficiraries – Autogele/general tying
  • 100 beneficiaries - Bead making
  • 100 beneficiaries - Knitting with thread (this entails the use of thread and other accessories to make bags, pillows, key holders, Teddy bears, table mats, and foot mats)
• Knowledgeable about all of the LWR’s indicated entrepreneur and Vocational skills and expose beneficiaries to all areas of the skill, and trade as stated in the scope of work such as repairs and maintenance of mobile phones, shoes & making/repairs, cosmetology (soap/perfume making), painting & paint making, waste to wealth, knitting with Thread, bead making, gardening, and agro-processing, Autogele/general tying, tie & dye and demonstrating strong past technical Vocational Entrepreneurial Training (size of the markets, volume of sales, market integration/segmentation, supply and demand for products and services, etc.).
• Conduct training based on the beneficiaries' needs as indicated in a profile list provided by the CLEAR project. This profile list will include the time, length, and type of training to be provided to each beneficiary. Each beneficiary will receive a specific vocational/technical training module (grouped into cohorts of between 10 to 50 beneficiaries) while all beneficiaries will receive business skills training (which includes lessons on costing, marketing, financial record keeping, bookkeeping, and productivity) for the category of youth and adult while the school children will be trained on life-building skills such as goal setting, self-esteem and value setting.
• Conduct pre and post-training tests to ascertain beneficiaries’ level of understanding before and after the training. These tests should be constructed in consultation with the CLEAR project team.

Primary assessment methods will include (but are not limited to the following):

• Consultative inception meeting with the LWR team and other key CLEAR stakeholders to ensure a shared understanding of scope, methodologies, approaches, and tool
• Training: documents and reports
• The Consultant must keep the LWR team regularly informed of progress on key issues that may require additional direction or suggestions for other key informants or reference materials.

The following is a list of deliverables required under the Consultancy. The final list will be agreed upon/approved in the Consultant contract:

• 800 beneficiaries trained
• Post-training evaluation report
• Pre and post-training tests conducted
• Test scoring sheet
• Training attendance sheets
• Documentary of training
• Recommendations of candidates for start-up grants based on good development of the bankable business plan
• To issue a certificate of training completion to all apprentices upon successful completion

Roles and Responsibilities
LWR’s roles and responsibilities would include:

• Identify the 800 trainees from the CLEAR Project target LGAs in Idanre and Ifedore in Ondo states.
• Provide the trainer with the details of the 800 identified trainees to be trained by the consultant/Service provider
• Pay the agreed fees into the Consultant’s bank account for the stated training period.
• To guide the trainer to deliver quality vocational skills and entrepreneurial training.
• To assist the trainer, in improving his/her business process through, and life building skills and business advisory services.
• To monitor the performance of both trainer and apprentice regularly during the training.
• Work with community and school leaders to secure safe venues for the training.

Required Qualifications
LWR seeks expressions of interest from Consultant(s) with the following skills/qualifications in conducting Entrepreneurial and Vocational Skills acquisition training. Key requirements of the Consultant(s) include:

• Advanced Degree in Education;
• Over 3 years of experience in supporting vocational technical training institutes in developing demand-driven vocational and employability skills training programs, including carrying out assessments of entrepreneurial standards for life skills building and occupational standards and facilitating the development of short-term training;
• Experience delivering international development projects in Nigeria (including design, implementation, and delivery of technical assistance, or monitoring and evaluation).
• Over 3 years of experience in multi-stakeholder collaboration with the private sector, government, and local communities in SouthWest Nigeria;
• Strong expertise in gender equality, social inclusion, and environmental issues;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Yoruba;
• Knowledge of effective training targeted at school children, adolescent, and adult learning techniques;
• Ability to prioritize or to change priorities quickly and frequently;
• Ability to work with an ethnically and culturally diverse population
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Skill in effective group facilitation, mentoring, and life-building skills.

Management Arrangements and Follow-up:

• The LWR Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) will serve as the main point of contact for the consultancy with the LWR Program Technical Advisor providing additional technical input.

Locations:
The Entrepreneurial and Vocational Skills acquisition training will be conducted in communities within the following LGAs:

• Olofin, Ita-Loorun, Ala Elefosan, Gbalegi, Ofosu in Idanre LGA and Ajebamidele, Molete, Ikota, Ibuji, and Ipogun communities in Ifedore LGAs in Ondo State

Timing and Duration of Services

• The Consultancy will be implemented from June 3 to July 3, 2024. The estimated time for completion of each training is 30 calendar days in a cluster of 10 – 50 beneficiaries. Applicants must confirm their availability to start the assignment as soon as the Contract is signed,

Evaluation Criteria

• In assessing each Proposal, LWR will allocate greater importance to the Technical Proposal (80%), while Financial Proposal will also be assessed (20%).
• The weighted technical score of a Technical Proposal will be calculated by multiplying the technical score of the respective Proposal with the technical weight (in percent).
• Weighted financial score of a Financial Proposal will be calculated by multiplying the ratio of the evaluated price of the lowest financial Offer to the evaluated price of the respective Financial Proposal with the financial weight (in percent).
• The overall score will be calculated by summing up the Technical and Financial score per Proposal and the Proposal selected for Award of Contract is the one that obtains the highest overall score.

Part I: Technical Evaluation

• The Technical Proposal must be presented in accordance with the RFP guidelines and should provide adequate detail as to the proposed methodologies and work plans, as well as the Applicant’s experience and resources to implement the services. Below is the outline of the value of each of the aspects of the technical proposal, with a maximum possible score of 80 points for evaluation of the Technical Proposal.

• Technical Proposals are considered responsive and eligible to move on to Financial Proposal review if they achieve a technical score of at least 75 % of the total possible points for the Technical Proposal (score of 60 points or above). Non-responsive Technical Proposals will be rejected at this step and Applicants’ submissions will not be included in the pool of submission eligible for Financial Proposal review.

Part II: Financial Evaluation

• The review of the Financial Proposal will assess the Applicant’s Financial Proposal’s cost competitiveness and reasonableness. Cost proposals will be assessed to determine if the overall costs proposed are realistic for the work to be performed; if the proposed costs reflect an understanding of the requirements of the work to be performed; and if the costs are consistent with the Technical Proposal. The Financial Proposal shall have a weighted score of 20% in calculating the total scores awarded to each Applicant.

Technical Proposal
The Technical Proposal should not exceed 20 pages and must be written in 12-point, Times New Roman, single-spaced with standard A4 margins. Failure to comply with these formatting guidelines will result in the Applicant receiving zero (0) points under General Presentation. The Technical Application should follow the outline detailed below and include:

• Eligibility documents (that do not count toward the page limit):
  • Three past performance references, including contact information, for similar work previously implemented in any part of Nigeria;
  • Proof of registered physical presence in Nigeria with valid contact information (physical address, telephone number and e-mail);
  • For individual consultants:
    • Copy of Income Tax Clearance Certificate for past 2 years
    • Copy of Valid means of Identification (Driver’s license, National ID card or Voter’s card)
  • For registered consultancy companies/educational institutions:
    • Copy of Nigeria Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration;
    • Copy of CAC Form 2 & 7;
    • Copy of Tax Clearance Certificate for two years (2022 & 2023); and
• Summary of experience of the Consultant(s) in conducting similar assignments (2 pages maximum)
• Proposed methodology for conducting training for the indicated Enterprenuerial and Vocational skills such as the following: (total 10 pages maximum):
  • Repairs and maintenance of mobile phones
  • Shoe and bag making/repairs
  • Cosmetology
  • Food Seasoning (this entails making of curry powder, thyme, seasoning cube and other spices for cooking)
  • Waste to wealth (this entails the use of waste materials like tailoring waste, polythene, CD plates etc, to make Cloth masks, foot mats, bags, purse, table mat, basket mat)
  • Knitting with thread (this entails the use of thread and other accessories to make bags, pillows, key holders, Teddy bears, table mats, foot mats)
  • Bead making
  • Gardening and agro-processing
  • Autogele/general tying
  • Tie & dye
• Propose an appropriate plan, timeline, including all stages for vocational and entrepreneurship development training and cost to deliver training per participants/skills and guarantee date of completion; (2 pages maximum)
• Curriculum Vitae of the proposed key personnel (5 pages maximum)

Ethical Standards and Confidentiality

• Lutheran World Relief prioritizes respect for and the protection of the rights of people we serve and those supporting in the process. Therefore, prospective consultants will indicate processes for ensuring the safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable adults or groups during the study. This will also include the protection of personally identifiable information and data of trainees during and after the training.
• The consultant is required to respect strict confidentiality vis-à-vis third parties, for any information relating to the assignment or collected on its occasion (no reproduction/dissemination of reports or documents is allowed). Failure to comply with this clause will result in immediate termination of the assignment. This strict confidentiality remains the rule, without limitation, after the end of the assignment.

Application Closing Date
28th May, 2024; 5:00 PM

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should express their interest by submitting detailed Technical and Financial proposals to: jobsnigeria@lwr.org using the Title as the subject of the email.

Application Documents

• The Technical Proposal (between 10 and 20 pages) should sufficiently explain a deep understanding of the Terms of Reference. This must include:
  • Details of the capacity and qualifications of the consultant (or consulting firm) with previous experience undertaking similar tasks.
  • Explanation of the proposed approach and methodology for the training and coaching/mentoring sessions,
  • A proposed work plan presented in a Gantt chart.
  • Team composition and level of effort of each proposed team member.
• The Financial Proposal with a detailed cost breakdown should include the following:
  • Consultancy fees/cost.
• Curriculum Vitae(s) of all key members of the team detailing their relevant experience.

Note: For inquiries about this consultancy send an email to: ABabatunde@lwr.org or ooni@lwr.org