CALL FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES - Baseline Assessment and Local Peace and Civic Space Practices Study

CALL FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES

Shared Space, Shared Futures (3SF): Advancing Social Cohesion and Civic Participation in Post-Conflict Ethiopia

Chura Abugida Kene–Tibebawi Mahiber (CAKTM), on behalf of the Shared Space, Shared Futures (3SF) project consortium, invites qualified individual consultants, teams of consultants and consulting firms to submit competitive technical and financial proposals for the assignment described below.

1. Background

CAKTM, in partnership with consortium partners, is implementing the Shared Space, Shared Futures (3SF) project to promote social cohesion, peaceful coexistence and inclusive civic participation in conflict-affected communities across Tigray, Amhara, Afar and Somali regions of Ethiopia.

The project seeks to strengthen constructive relationships among communities and relevant stakeholders, support locally grounded peacebuilding practices and expand meaningful civic participation, particularly for women, young people, persons with disabilities and other groups that may face barriers to participation.

To establish an evidence base for implementation, monitoring, learning and advocacy, CAKTM seeks an independent consultant or consulting team to conduct a Baseline Assessment and Local Peace and Civic Space Practices Study in eight selected bordering woredas. The assignment is expected to generate credible, context-sensitive findings and practical recommendations.

2. Purpose and Objectives

The overall purpose is to establish baseline benchmarks for relevant 3SF project indicators and generate an evidence-based analysis of local peacebuilding practices, social cohesion, civic participation and civic-space conditions in the project intervention areas.

• Establish baseline values for relevant project indicators, with appropriate disaggregation by sex, age, disability and geographical location, where feasible and ethically appropriate.
• Analyze local conflict dynamics, community relationships, peacebuilding mechanisms, civic participation and citizen authority engagement.
• Document local peace practices, shared histories, cultural ties and social and economic linkages that may contribute to peaceful coexistence.
• Identify opportunities, barriers and risks affecting civic participation and the meaningful inclusion of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups.
• Assess relevant civic-space conditions, including opportunities and constraints affecting association, expression, participation and engagement, using a context-sensitive and non-partisan approach.
• Provide actionable recommendations to strengthen project implementation, peacebuilding, social cohesion, civic engagement, monitoring and advocacy.

3. Scope of Work and Geographical Coverage

The assignment will cover eight selected bordering woredas across Tigray, Amhara, Afar and Somali regions. CAKTM will communicate the selected woreda list and relevant project documentation to the successful consultant during inception, subject to applicable security and access considerations.

• Review project documents, indicator definitions, policies, strategies, previous assessments and credible secondary sources.
• Develop a stakeholder map covering community structures, civil society actors, local institutions, women’s and youth groups, persons with disabilities and other relevant stakeholders.
• Refine research questions, sampling, tools and analysis in consultation with CAKTM and consortium partners.
• Conduct field-based data collection in the eight selected woredas, subject to safe and approved access.
• Analyze findings across locations and stakeholder groups, identifying common patterns and contextual differences.
• Present preliminary findings for validation and incorporate evidence-based feedback into the final reports.

4. Methodology and Minimum Data Collection Expectations

The original project scope anticipates a qualitative approach consisting of 24 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), three per woreda; 40 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), five per woreda; and a desk review. Applicants should explain how these methods will answer the study questions and produce credible evidence.

The call also requires baseline indicator values and a clean quantitative dataset. Applicants must therefore explicitly explain whether a quantitative component is necessary to measure the relevant indicators. Where proposed, the technical proposal must specify the sample, sampling method, tools and analysis approach. Any additional quantitative survey beyond the stated qualitative minimum must be justified and separately costed. The final design will be agreed with CAKTM during inception.

• Desk review and evidence-mapping framework.
• Sampling strategy, respondent categories and selection criteria.
• FGD and KII guides aligned with the project objectives and indicators.
• Conflict and context analysis and civic-space assessment frameworks.
• Gender, age, disability and social inclusion approaches.
• Data quality assurance, triangulation and transparent analysis.
• Fieldwork plan covering team composition, language capacity, supervision and logistics.
• Explanation of limitations, access constraints and mitigation measures.

5. Ethics, Safeguarding and Conflict Sensitivity

The consultant must apply recognized ethical research standards and CAKTM’s applicable safeguarding and data-protection requirements throughout the assignment. At a minimum, the consultant/team must:

• Obtain informed and voluntary consent and explain the purpose, risks and intended use of information.
• Ensure participation is voluntary and participants may decline to answer or withdraw without consequence.
• Protect confidentiality and avoid collecting personally identifiable information unless strictly necessary, justified and approved.
• Anonymize notes and datasets before sharing them in reports or presentations; securely store and transfer research records.
• Avoid procedures that could expose participants to retaliation, stigma, distress or other harm.
• Use conflict-sensitive, inclusive and accessible approaches, including appropriate arrangements for women, youth and persons with disabilities.
• Train field researchers on safeguarding, confidentiality, referral boundaries and the Do No Harm principle.
• Obtain prior approval before recording interviews, taking photographs or collecting sensitive information.
• Immediately report safeguarding concerns or data-protection incidents through the agreed reporting channel.

The consultant must not promise assistance, legal protection or services outside the assignment. The study is not an investigation of individual allegations or a process for identifying alleged perpetrators.

6. Expected Deliverables

1. 1. Inception report: Refined understanding; research questions; indicator matrix; methodology and sampling; tools; ethical and safeguarding protocol; fieldwork plan; team composition; risk analysis; and detailed schedule.
2. 2. Final data collection tools: Approved FGD and KII guides, desk-review framework and, where a quantitative component is agreed, survey questionnaire and related tools.
3. 3. Fieldwork and data package: Anonymized qualitative notes/transcripts as agreed, completed data collection records and fieldwork summary; cleaned quantitative dataset and codebook only if quantitative collection is part of the approved methodology. No direct identifiers should be included.
4. 4. Draft Baseline Assessment Report: Methodology, baseline values for applicable project indicators, analysis, disaggregation where feasible, limitations, conclusions and recommendations, with an indicator matrix.
5. 5. Draft Local Peace and Civic Space Practices Study Report: Context-sensitive analysis of local peace practices, social cohesion, conflict dynamics, civic participation, civic-space conditions, inclusion barriers and practical recommendations.
6. 6. Validation and presentation: Presentation of preliminary findings to CAKTM and relevant consortium stakeholders, with a record of feedback and how it was addressed.
7. 7. Final reports: Final edited versions of both reports, incorporating agreed feedback, with executive summaries and recommendations suitable for programme management, learning and advocacy.

All deliverables must be submitted in editable electronic formats (Word and Excel, as applicable) and PDF. The consultant must hand over materials produced under the assignment in accordance with the consultancy agreement and confidentiality requirements.

7. Duration and Level of Effort

The assignment is expected to be completed within 25 working days from the date of signing the consultancy agreement. Applicants must submit a realistic work plan showing inception, desk review, tool development, fieldwork, analysis, validation and finalization. Assumptions about travel, access, security and regional logistics must be stated clearly in the technical and financial proposals.