HereWeGrow, in collaboration with GiveDirectly, is planning to implement an Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) project that aims to improve/diversify the livelihood base of rural households in Sidama, Ethiopia. The project specifically includes two transfer bundles: a one-time UCT, or, alternatively, a one-time UCT in conjunction with a subsequent monthly transfer for a given period of time. IFPRI is undertaking a randomized experiment to assess the overall impact of the UCT and whether the bundle inclusive of monthly transfers is more effective in encouraging the use of the large lumpsum component for productive investment. Before the transfer, IFPRI is undertaking a baseline study that will capture the status of key outcomes and impact indicators to systematically gauge the impact of the project upon completion.

The baseline study will rely on an experimental design, in which about 1,200 households will be surveyed in person from one district/woreda and eight kebeles in the Sidama region. The baseline survey will mainly consist of household background characteristics, household productive resources, adoption of good agricultural practices, agricultural production and productivity, household income, food and non-food consumption expenditures, intra-household decision-making and gender, and other measures of potential project externalities. The household survey will be administered on tablets using SurveyCTO. In addition, the baseline study includes a brief kebele-level survey, aimed at capturing background information about the kebele demographics, services, infrastructure, and local prices of key commodities and assets. IFPRI is seeking a qualified survey firm based in Ethiopia to conduct the baseline data collection.

Scope of work:

The baseline survey will be conducted in the month of August 2023 and the survey firm will be mainly responsible for (but not limited to) the following tasks:

· Provide feedback/input on the questionnaire and translation: the baseline questionnaires will be developed by the research team at IFPRI and partner organizations (the “IFPRI team”). The survey firm will provide feedback and translate the questionnaire into Amharic and Sidaamu Afoo. The survey firm will also be responsible for coding the questionnaire in SurveyCTO or another platform agreed upon with IFPRI.

· Recruiting, hiring, and managing survey enumerators, supervisors, and coordinator: the survey firm will be responsible for the recruitment of 20 enumerators, 4 supervisors, and 1 survey coordinator—in addition to several alternate candidates. The enumerators should have at least three years of university education, experience in at least three rural household surveys, and be at ease with working with computer-assisted data collection software such as SurveyCTO.

· Organizing enumerators training session to be led by the IFPRI team: the survey firm will be responsible for organizing a 6-day training session (3-4 days in the classroom plus two pilots) in Hawassa or Addis Ababa. This includes renting the training hall and availing ourselves of all the necessary materials for the training. The IFPRI team will evaluate each enumerator throughout the training for the understanding of the questionnaires and decide on the final list of enumerators who qualify to take part in the survey. The survey firm will be responsible for organizing two pre-tests/pilots of the survey as part of the enumerator training. One pilot can be in the local (Hawassa or Addis Ababa) area, while one should be in a woreda neighboring the project area in Sidama.

· Organizing and conducting data collection: organize for data collection among approximately 1,200 households living in one district in the Sidama region, alongside kebele surveys for local partners and markets; the exact sample of kebeles will be determined by the IFPRI team. The household survey will be preceded by a review of development group members’ lists and partial census in the sample kebeles, to be organized in conjunction with the IFPRI team and the implementing partners. The random sample of households targeted for the baseline survey will then be selected by the IFPRI team and shared with the survey team. The organization of data collection mainly includes:

– The rental of four 4×4 vehicles to be used for data collection and all vehicles shall be insured for all their occupants in case of any injury occurring during transport.

– Organizing the survey logistics and checking the quality of the work performed by enumerators by frequent random visits to enumerators during their fieldwork, and by the verification of submitted surveys including through conducting back-check surveys with 5% of the sample households.

– Ensuring that the field operations run smoothly and solving any issues related to logistics, tablet computers, and others.

– Ensuring that enumerators upload all collected data onto the SurveyCTO every day.

– Ensuring the interviews meet ethical requirements, including but not limited to the administration of informed consent and maintaining confidentiality of data.

– Conducting a debriefing session at the end of the survey and preparation of a detailed field report.

Required qualifications of the survey firm:

· Documented past performance on the organization and implementation of at least three large-scale household surveys in Ethiopia with a sample size comparable to this baseline survey.

· The proposed survey team/staff (i.e., enumerators, supervisors, coordinators) should have at least 3 years of university education and experience in at least three rural household surveys conducted with CAPI.

· Financial report that shows proficiency in managing and documenting expenditures.

· Ability to undertake survey work within the specified timeline.

Preferred qualifications:

· Prior experience in conducting rural household surveys with a livelihood or cash transfer program component.

Duration: 3 months (from preparation to completion)

Application documents:

Please include the following (in English) in your application:

Cover letter and technical proposal with a detailed budget, CV for the lead individual and a company capabilities statement. All supporting documents should be uploaded as one pdf to the application section indicating CV or Resume.

Deadline to apply: July 4, 2023