Vacancy announcement

Background/Project Summary
Samari Utthan Sewa (SUS) was founded in 2008 and registered in the District Administration Office (DAO) of Chitwan with registration number 73 under the Social Welfare Act 1992 and Social Welfare Rules 1992. It is a member-based, non-profit, and non-government organization. It is also registered in the Social Welfare Council with registration number 24740 and obtained a tax exemption certificate from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) of Nepal with PAN number 302808852.

SUS is one of the dedicated Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nepal, especially in the Central and Eastern Tarain and Chure hill regions of Chitwan, Sarlahi, and Morang districts of Nepal, for the promotion of social and economic empowerment, human/women rights, and child rights of communities of Dalit, ethnic minorities called Chepang communities. These groups were forcefully displaced from forest and national park administrations due to their traditional occupations. SUS also works with other women and girls from marginalized communities whose social, economic, cultural, civic and political rights are violated. SUS emphasizes the education, health, and sustainable livelihood of their targeted groups and works closely with local governments and their local partners, such as local community-based organizations (CBOs) and cooperatives led by SUS target groups. Since 2022, the organization has been advocating for the rights of internal migrant workers and their families, promoting safer internal migration practices, human rights, social security, and protection for internal migrant workers through capacity building of rights holders, local governments, and the private sector.

The SUS is initiating the project entitled “Protection and Assistance to vulnerable internal migrant workers from the Adult Entertainment Sector (AES) in Nepal-SHARMIK” to address the critical challenges faced by internal migrant workers (IMWs) especially those engaged in Adult Entertainment Sector (AES) and their families in project location. Workers in the Adult Entertainment Sector face barriers to their rights, including limited access to dignified job opportunities and insufficient awareness of their rights and social security mechanisms. They have a lack of information, organizational support, and inclusion in mainstream government initiatives. On the supply side, ineffective policy implementation, inadequate budgets, and weak political accountability hinder addressing issues faced by the Adult Entertainment Sector (AES) and internal migrant workers. The proposed project aims to address these challenges by enhancing awareness, providing support mechanisms, and advocating for policy improvements, ensuring a more equitable and secure environment for AES workers, including internal migrants.

General Consultancy Summary
The consultant will offer technical assistance to establish the baseline benchmark on internal migration patterns, including social security schemes of federal, provincial, and local government for protecting and promoting internal migrant labour rights. Likewise, the consultant will assess the feasibility of establishing an Employment Service Center (ESC). He/she will work closely with the project team and local stakeholders, including government officials, internal migrant representatives, trade unions, and community representatives, to collect and analyze the data. Based on the findings, the consultant expert will make specific suggestions to address the existing gaps and opportunities. The project area encompasses Madi Municipality (Wards 7, & 9) and Bharatpur Metropolitan City (Wards 2 8, and 29).

Objectives

• To identify social security/protection schemes implemented by Bharatpur Metropolitan City and Madi Municipality of Chitwan district, and the eligibility criteria for accessing the schemes.
• To identify issues, gaps, and challenges for implementing social security/protection schemes.
• To recommend a workable solution for promoting access to social security/protection schemes for internal migrant workers, including AES workers.

Scope for the Study
The consultant will:

• Collect data from government agencies, local authorities, and relevant organizations to obtain official migration statistics.
• Assess the needs and challenges of migrants through data collected from surveys, Interviews, and FGD.
• Compile a comprehensive final report detailing the methodology, data analysis, findings, and recommendations.
• Ensure all the data collection and analysis activities follow ethical standards and respect the privacy and confidentiality of participants.
• Conduct a Study, collect, and analyze data on internal migration and social security/protection schemes implemented by Bharatpur Metropolitan City and Madi Municipality of Chitwan district, as well as eligibility criteria for accessing the schemes.
• Become acquainted with local government authorities, trade unions, community leaders, and internal migrants to understand their experiences and challenges, and identify issues, gaps, and challenges in implementing social security and protection schemes.
• Gather data on the needs and issues faced by internal migrants.
• Evaluate the need and potential impact of establishing an ESC in a selected local government, and provide a feasibility study report for the ESC, detailing its likely benefits and execution plan.
• Collaborate closely with the project team to guarantee that all research and mapping tasks are finished on time and follow the project’s goals.
• Ensure the data is presented in a user-friendly format for easy understanding by stakeholders.
  Share the findings with the project team and local stakeholders through presentations and meetings. Provide clear and actionable recommendations based on research.

Methodology
The assessment will be conducted with several key elements that are highlighted below:

• Use a methodological framework like a literature review, reports, and case studies related to internal migration in project locations. A well-defined research topic and a clear hypothesis, and apply methods that best address the research questions of interest.
• The assessment methodology must include the nature and sources of data, data collection approaches, household surveys, institutional surveys, key informant interviews (KII), focus group discussions (FGD), and population and sample size.
• The Beneficiary Survey needs to be carried out as a representative sample to examine the extent of awareness, sources of knowledge about the program, perceived benefits of the program, adequacy and use of the allowance amounts and problems experienced in receiving the allowances.
• Ensure the study design, methods, and procedures are sufficiently transparent and ensure an independent, balanced, and objective approach to the research.
• Tables and graphics that are clear, accurate, and understandable with appropriate labelling of data values, cut points, and thresholds. The conclusions and recommendations are both logical and consistent with the findings.

Key deliverables

The consultant/firm during the contract period will ensure that the study objective and deliverables are met as per the set deadline.

Reporting line:

• The consultant will report to the Program Manager of SUS during the study process.

Timeframe 

The duration of this assignment will be in-between 7th Aug and 28th August 2024. The estimated maximum working days would be 14 days within the assignment period. The proposed timeline for this study is as follows:

Required Qualifications and Experience:

The consultant must have the following qualifications and experience: 

• At least a master’s degree in a relevant discipline (Social science, development studies, migration studies, economics, mass communication/journalism)
• At least 3 years of research experience in the field of social & economic development, safe migration, internal migration, social protection and social security.
• Priority will be given to the field of migration and the development of extensive experience in the area of internal labour migration. The consultant who has conducted the research/studies on issues of internal labour migration, social security, social protection, and human rights will be given priority during the selection.
• Having strong knowledge and skills in the survey/research mentioned topics.

Payment Mode: The first instalment, 40%, will be released as an advance right after selection approval and signing of the contract to be selected individual/firm, and 60% will be paid after final report submission and approval.

Evaluation Criteria: The evaluation method will be technical competency, experience, and cost-based selection. A two-stage procedure shall be utilized in evaluating the proposal, a technical evaluation, and a financial evaluation. The proposal will be ranked according to their combined technical and financial scores, with a weight of 75% for the technical proposal, and 25% for the offered price. 

Technical evaluation: For the evaluation of the technical proposals, SUS shall take the criteria and weights into consideration. SUS reserves the right to discard offers below a technical score of 75 points.

Apply to: Interested private firms, and individuals, who meet the above requirements should apply by submitting their Expression of Interest (EOI) including a technical proposal (not more than 3 pages), financial proposal (fees, travel, stationery, accommodation, including VAT-max. 1 page), updated CV, firm & VAT/PAN registration certificate, tax clearance certificate to SUS email  (samari.utthan@gmail.com) with the subject line ” internal migration assessment”. 

The closing date for applications is 5th August 2024. The selected applicant will be invited to the final discussion and contract signing. For more detail Samari Utthan Sewa, Man Bhawan, Lalitpur, Nepal, P.O.Box No. 8975, EPC 1440, Tel: 97715430173. Web: www. samariutthan.org.np.