Consultancy for Baseline Survey _ Strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Nigeria Through Legal Support at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Job Title: Consultancy for Baseline Survey _ Strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Nigeria Through Legal Support

Project Summary:

Search for Common Ground (Search) is implementing a 30-month project with the overall goal to reinforce the legal, social and policy environments for improved Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Nigeria Through  (i) capacity and network building for legal practitioners and advocates (ii) training of government and security agencies and (ii) opportunities for the legal community, state and security actors, and religious leaders to collaborate on protecting religious freedoms, the project will strengthen the capacity of these stakeholders to advance and promote FoRB across the North Central, North East, and North West and regions. Ultimately, the project will contribute to shifts in attitudes, behaviors, and policies in favor of religious tolerance and freedom in Nigeria.

The objectives of the planned intervention against associated outcome indicators at different levels is as stated in the project summary table of Specific Objectives and Expected Results below;

 Specific Objectives (SO) and Expected Results (ER) of the Project against the Indicators to be provided by this Consultancy

Result Summary : Project goal: To reinforce the legal, social, and policy environments for improved FoRB in Nigeria.

Indicator of Interest: Percentage of community members that feel safe walking alone around where they live (PIF: Pillar 1 Violence #1)

Percentage of population who believe  decision-making on FoRB issues is inclusive and responsive (PIF: Pillar1 Legitimacy #1)

Result Summary: Objective 1: The legal community supports individuals at risk of FoRB violations and violence along religious lines.

Indicator of Interest: Percentage of individuals who believe  decision-making by the legal community is inclusive and responsive to their legal needs (PIF: Pillar1 Legitimacy #1)

Result Summary: ER1.1 Legal practitioners and advocates use their enhanced knowledge and tools to address FoRB violations.

Indicator in interest:Percentage of Legal practitioners and advocates who report feeling empowered to influence issues related to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) that they care about. (PIF: Agency #2)

Result Summary: Objective 2:  Attitudes, behaviors, and policies support greater religious tolerance and freedom in Nigeria.

Indicator of Interest: Percentage of community members who reported increase in religious tolerance.

Result Summary: ER2.1 Key stakeholders promote inter-religious tolerance and FoRB within and across communities.

Indicator of Interest: Percentage of the community members who expressed positive attitudes towards inter-religious tolerance.

Result Summary:A2.1.5 Support FoRB awareness initiatives of FoRB mentorship groups.

Indicator of Interest: Percentage of community members who report increased awareness and understanding of FoRB rights, legal protections, and avenues for redress

Goal and Specific Objectives of the Baseline Study

• As the project enters the implementation phase, we require a consultant to work with us to establish context information in target states to inform program implementation. Also the Consultant will map participants who will be engaged through the project, and collect data on indicators of interest associated with the project summary objectives as indicated in the table. The findings of the baseline assessment will provide Search with an understanding of the context for our operations and serve as a benchmark for the project outcome indicators, helping to determine the progress recorded at the end of the project implementation.
• Collect, analyze, and provide baseline information desegregated by gender, age, and location as appropriate for measuring the project outcome indicators shown in the table above.
• Map participants who will be engaged through the Project and recommend a list
• investigate issues and causes of violence, and identify means to reinforce legal, social, and policy makers in promoting FoRB and the security of the individuals in the society.   
• Capture information on context situation that will inform implementation 
• Make recommendations on how best to engage the community and project adaptation

Key Study questions

• The consultant is expected to collect data, analyze, and provide answers to the under-listed research questions;
• What are the baseline values for the outcome indicators in the table above? 
• What are the primary drivers of FoRB violation in the communities of interest?
• Who are the main drivers of FoRB violations within the states?
• What are the existing perceptions of the people (including youth and women) regarding FoRB within the target area?
• What support do individuals at risk of FoRB violations and violence along religious lines need?
• How are the legal, and social, policymakers coordinating their efforts in tackling FoRB violations and what are the existing challenges that they face?
• How have the legal, and social, policy makers been working with the communities in tackling FoRB violation in the target States?
• What are the main challenges that target communities are currently facing related to FoRB in the target states?
• What are the current efforts that the legal, social, and policy actors are making in dealing with the challenges?
• The consultant is expected to add other questions that will provide data for the outcome indicators in the outcome table above.

Geographic Locations

• The Baseline Study will be conducted in the State headquarters of: Kano, Katsina Sokoto, Borno, Bauchi Plateau, and Benue State.

Methodology and Data Collection Tools

• The consultant in submitting the proposal should outline the research approach and methodology for data collection to be used, including sampling technique and justification for these methods related to the research objectives. The application submitted must clearly explain why the proposed methodology is the most appropriate to achieve the study objectives, and also clarify the different tools that will be used and how each of these tools contributes to meeting the established lines of inquiry. 
• The consultant will be responsible for finalizing the literature review, designing the final methodology, developing tools, training enumerators, data collection, data analysis, and drafting of the report and actionable recommendations that will be validated (one day) in each of the target States. Proposals should include clarity on data triangulation and key methodologies for data collection. Methodologies for data analysis would also have to be outlined with justifications and reasoning for any key methods mentioned including the Do No Harm strategies and any proposed strategies for sharing the findings of the study in line with research ethics involving human subjects. 
• The final inception report containing the methodology and tools will be approved by Search’s Head of DMEL before data collection begins. The Search DMEL unit will participate in the training of enumerators and intermittently visit to supervise data collection in the field.
• The proposal must also include a budget offer in line with the technical offer. A detailed budget should be provided, including daily rates for personnel, and costs related to data collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection, etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables. Also, the cost of holding data validation sessions should be included in the proposal. Note that the Budget should include all planned costs for the study as no additional costs will be borne by Search.

Logistical Support

• The consultant(s) will be responsible for organizing their own logistics for data collection (vehicles, fuel, and drivers), which must be budgeted into the study. In addition, Search will share the following elements with the external consultant: the project’s background materials, including the log frame and similar surveys.     
• Search will also facilitate the firm’s contacts with partners and other stakeholders, the obtaining of authorizations, and the introduction to the administrative authorities.

Timeline & Deliverables

• 12.1 Timeline This study will take place from 10th November- 15th December 2024 with the final deliverables due by 15th December 2024 at the latest.

12.2 Deliverables

• Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline and budget:
• Inception report detailing the methodology, data collection tools, Analysis plan, and timeline.
• Training of data collectors and set-up of systems for data collection.
• Supervision and participation in data collection.
• Oversight of data coding and analysis.
• Debrief after data collection is completed (presentation of first trends and preliminary findings).
• Raw data collected from the field and cleaned data used for analysis submitted to Search.
• Baseline report: Uses the Search baseline report template unless otherwise agreed in the contract.
• Provides a clear connection between FoRB violation and the context assessment and the intended and unintended results.
• Fully explains the objectives and research questions of the study, limitations and methods chosen for the data analysis.
• Respect Search’s evaluation standards, and structured findings around the main objectives of the study, and presented in relation to the intended target groups. The findings should also speak to the link between the project, its Theory of Change and its contribution to our strategy. It should explain adaptations that occurred during the project and their impact on results.
• Strategic Recommendations should have a clear audience and be specific, accessible, and actionable. 
• Appendices should include detailed research instruments, list of interviewees, terms of references, and evaluator(s) brief biography.
• 2-page summary of key findings.
• PowerPoint slides (12 slides max) for presentation of findings

Budget

• A detailed budget should be provided, including daily rates for personnel, and costs related to data collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection, etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables. Also, the cost of holding data validation sessions should be included in the proposal. Note that the Budget should include all planned costs for the study as no additional costs will be borne by Search.

Requirements of consultant

• The following skills and experience are expected by Search for the selected evaluator for this project:
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken);
• More than 7 years of experience in evaluation, including collecting data using interviews, surveys, and focus group Discussion methods;
• Experience in previous work of this nature in the social sector;
• Experience working with international organizations/Non-governmental Organizations;
• Experience conducting quantitative surveys and analysis;
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills
• Familiarity and experience with contextual challenges in the geographic location(s) where the study will take place.
• In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:
• Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
• Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.
• In addition, the consultant will respect Search’s evaluations standards, to be found in Search’s evaluation guidelines: 

Selection Criteria

• It is important to take into account, when submitting the technical and financial offer as well as when carrying out this evaluation, that there are certain risks and limitations. This is often the case when research is carried out in difficult environments. Specific problems may arise when collecting data, for example:  
• Constraints related to insecurity and fear may limit the ability of participants to talk openly about certain issues related to violent extremism or other project themes;
• Linguistic constraints: Given the translation of the questionnaires from English into local languages, errors of understanding may occur during the interview phase with respondents;
• Security incidents in some study locations may cause panic among the teams and limit their ability to take more time to gather more in-depth responses from survey participants.

Selection Criteria

• Criteria, Sub-criteria, Points per sub-criteria,Max. Average per criteria
• Understanding the ToR respecting the calendar. (2 points)
• Respecting geographical areas. (3 points)
• Respecting objectives and research key question. (5 points)
• Relevance of the proposed methodology to the aim, objectives, and research questions defined in the ToR. (15 points)
• Quality of proposed methods, conflict sensitivity approaches, and quality control measurements.(5 points)
• Planning of enumerator training and supervision of field data collection.(5 points)
• Knowledge of the context of the project’s target areas, particularly Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Plateau, and Benue State. (10 points)
• Demonstrated experience in conducting baseline studies and research for FoRB and conflict transformation projects. (10 points)
• Demonstrated experience in the field of FoRB, and engagement with security, legal, social, policy makers. (10 points)
• Demonstrated experience of working with international organizations (experience with Search is an added advantage). (10 points)
• 4.Financial Offer Consistency of costs with proposed calendar and methodology. (15 points)
• Cost consistency with reality/practice in Nigeria in general and in the project areas in particular. (10 Points)

Method of Selection for the Offer

• Selection will be based on the cost-performance ratio. The weighting coefficients fixed to calculate the final score for each supplier are: 75% or 0.75 for the technical bid score. The proposal for awarding the contract will be determined by adding the technical and financial scores: TO (Technical Offer) + FO (Financial Offer) = successful candidate. 

Rights

• Ownership of the report (preliminary and final) rests exclusively with Search For Common Ground and the project funder. The document, or any publication linked to it, will only be shared with Search prior to,Search is the recipient of the final document before it is sent to the main funder of the evaluation and its results could have an impact on both operational and technical strategies. That said, Search plans to share the results of the evaluation with the following groups:  Donor(s) ; Government partners ; Various coordinating bodies

To apply, All consultant’s proposals: Profile, Technical and Financial must be submitted online via the link indicated for this purpose specifying in the subject line “Baseline of the project : Strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Nigeria Through Legal Support’’.      

NB: Note that all documents should be merged and uploaded as a single document.      

Deadline for receipt of applications: 15th November 2024 at 23:59.  

Application Instructions

The application deadline is 15th November, 2024. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION”. It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Website:

Official Job Website: https://www.careers.sfcg.org/