CONSULTING SERVICES Expressions of Interest to undertake Agrarian Analysis Study (AAS)

The Hailemariam & Roman Foundation has received a financing from Agence Française de Développement (“AFD“), and intends to use part of the funds thereof for payments under the following project The Preservation of Maze National Park and its Watershed in Ethiopia.

The consulting firm’s services shall consist of conducting an Agrarian Analysis Study (AAS) in the context of the Maze National Park conservation and community livelihoods project, titled “The Preservation of Maze National Park and its Watershed in Ethiopia”[1]. This initiative, fully funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), builds on HRF’s longstanding commitment to sustainable conservation and community development. Maze National Park, one of the smaller regional parks in South Ethiopia, faces increasing threats from climatic and anthropogenic impacts. The overall long-term goal of the project is to ensure the long-term integrity of Maze National Park for the benefit of Nature and communities. This consultancy assignment is part of a larger five-year donor-funded project (2024-2028), fully supported by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and implemented by HRF.

The AAS aims to assess the current livelihood strategies and activities of local communities surrounding the park, evaluate their impact on its biodiversity, and suggest alternative, sustainable livelihood options that balance the community’s economic needs with the park’s conservation goals. Specifically, the study will focus on assessing the socio-economic and demographic profiles of the communities, documenting existing agricultural and off-farm activities, and recommending agriculture-related livelihood strategies that will reduce pressure on the park’s resources that can be operationalize by HRF and the activities proposed are in line with the already agreed Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) of Maze Project.

The scope of the services includes collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from communities within five woredas (Zala, Daramalo, Kucha, Kucha Alpha, and Kamba) and 17 park-adjacent kebeles. The applicant is expected to design data collection tools and conduct surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations. Furthermore, the applicant will develop a comprehensive report based on the findings, including recommendations for sustainable livelihoods and strategies for mitigating the impact of agricultural activities on the park. The services will also involve collaborating with local government offices, park staff, and the HRF Program team to validate findings and ensure stakeholder engagement throughout the study process.

The expected duration of the assignment is approximately 2-3 months, during which the applicant is required to deliver key reports, including an inception report, draft and final AAS report with a brief policy brief and clean datasets for future monitoring and evaluation. The contract size for this study involves multiple expert months, with the applicant responsible for all aspects of fieldwork, data analysis, and report preparation. Applicants with advanced degrees in agronomy, environmental economics, or related fields and experience in conducting similar socio-economic studies in rural settings are encouraged to apply. Familiarity with the local language and culture context is an added advantage][2].

The Hailemariam & Roman Foundation hereby invites Applicants to show their interest in delivering the Services described above.

This Request for Expressions of Interest is open to:

Consulting firms	Individual consultants
NGOs	Joint Venture between NGO(s) and consulting firm(s)

 

Eligibility criteria to AFD financing are specified in sub-clause 1.3 of the “Procurement Guidelines for AFD‑Financed Contracts in Foreign Countries”, available online on AFD’s website: http://www.afd.fr.

The Applicant shall submit only one application, either in its own name or as a member of a Joint Venture (JV). If an Applicant (including any JV member) submits or participates in more than one application, those applications shall be all rejected. However, the same Subconsultant may participate in several applications.

If the Applicant is a JV, the expression of interest shall include:

• a copy of the JV Agreement entered into by all members,

or

• a letter of intent to execute a JV Agreement, signed by all members together with a copy of the Agreement proposal,

In the absence of this document, the other members will be considered as Subconsultants.

Experiences and qualifications of Subconsultants are not taken into account in the evaluation of the applications.

Interested Applicants must provide information evidencing that they are qualified and experienced to perform those Services. For that purpose, documented evidence of recent and similar services shall be submitted.

Determination of the similarity of the experiences will be based on:

• The contracts size: Sound experience leading surveys covering wide geographic areas and sampling more than 400 households.
• The nature of the Services: Agrarian Analysis, Socio-economic studies, and Livelihood studies;
• The technical area and expertise: The consulting firm must have team experts with an advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in agronomy, environmental economics, development economics, agri-business and value chain, development studies, or other relevant fields and adequate and dependable work experience conducting Agrarian Analysis, preferably done on rural/agricultural-related livelihood diversification, working with the community around park/ protected areas and conducting surveys, FGD and KII with the community, and experience in working with similar projects with different local and international NGOs are additions. Working in national parks or protected areas in rural settings (e.g. quantitative and qualitative field assessments, participatory rural appraisals, livelihoods diversification). The consulting firm must have experts who have strong communication and presentation skills in multiple sets of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis using different statistical packages (Stata and SPSS), and a proven command of written and spoken English; familiarity with the project area language is an added advantage.
• The location: Experience working in national parks or protected areas in Ethiopia or a comparable context and local communities living near national parks and protected areas.

[1] If the project is specified. Otherwise, the identified specific Services shall be named.

[2] The information provided should allow the interested Applicants to decide whether they will submit an expression of interest or not. In particular, an estimate of the contract size should be indicated (number of experts‑months or budget available, but not both).

For Further Information and Appendix to The Request for Expressions of Interest please refer this link: AFD_M0038_a_Request_for_Expressions_of_Interest_Agrarian_Analysis_20250324 (1).docx – Google Docs

Proven consultancy

• At least 5 years of relevant working experience in Ethiopia and information collection in rural areas, particularly in national parks and protected areas.
• Expertise in data analysis tools and methodologies