Consultancy - IFRC Disaster Response in Africa

Terms of Reference
Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)for IFRC Disaster Response in Africa

Background
The IFRC Secretariat  has since 2007 been through a process of decentralisation  to move programmes and services  closer to National Societies in five Zone offices across the world.

This process has had an impact on how the organization operates, on the procedures used and on the roles and responsibilities of those involved at the different levels or locations.  While some changes have been made to individual programmes and tools, there has been  no concerted attempt to review overall disaster response procedures and roles & responsibilities to reflect the decentralised approach in Africa.

Recent Real Time Evaluations (RTEs) of major disaster response operations have highlighted that confusion as to the roles and responsibilities of different offices and positions at the Secretariat has hindered, at times, a smooth and timely response. Due to the volume of DREF and emergency appeals, the Africa Zone requires clear SOP’s for disaster response to ensure timely and an efficient assistance response.

To address this weakness, the Africa DMU  aims to ensure efficient working processes  and clarity of roles and responsibilities of Federation Secretariat with regard to the management of disaster response.  The  roles and responsibilities need to clearly define roles and responsibilities in  coordinating and  facilitating international assistance in support of a National Society engaged in disaster response within Africa.

Some work has already  been  undertaken in terms of drafting a set of  Standard  Operating Procedures (SOPs) for disaster  response; however they were  never formally endorsed by senior management.  The development of  the SOPs for Disaster Response  in Africa  builds upon the process of establishment of the Africa DMU and the IFRC Africa DM Framework for 2013 - 2017.

The development of  SOPs for disaster response  in Africa  will contribute to advancing Strategic Aim 1 (save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery from disasters and crisis) and Enabling Action 3 (function effectively as the IFRC) of Strategy 2020, and is directly linked to the IFRC Business Line 2 “To grow Red Cross Red Crescent services for vulnerable people”, outcome 1  “African NS’s have improved preparedness and response capacity to provide timely quality assistance to people affected by disasters”.

Aim and scope:
The aim of the consultancy is to develop Standard Operating Procedures for disaster response within the IFRC Secretariat in Africa, comprising both management and technical delegates based at country, regional and zone levels.

For the  purposes of this consultancy, disaster response refers to actions carried out in
preparedness for imminent crisis, relief action to meet immediate needs, and  early recovery actions, supporting people to  rebuild their lives. Although the  IFRC  definition of disaster response  usually refers to relief activities, the development of  these SOPs must expand the concept of disaster response  to include  early recovery  activities  as well as those within the scope of DREF in preparing to respond to imminent crises.

Key tasks: 
 Review and gap analysis: To examine  the  existing SOPs draft and to provide recommendations for finalisation.
 Definition of disaster categories and triggers: To identify industry practice on classification of emergencies and triggers for  activation of international disaster response mechanisms.
 Consolidation and drafting:  To write up additional procedures as required, into a consolidated version of SOPs for IFRC Secretariat disaster response in Africa.

Outputs
 Inception report:  It will include the proposed methodologies, data collection and reporting plans with draft data collection and analysis tools, such as interview  guides, a timeframe with firm dates for deliverables, and scope of the consultancy.
 Report or documentation: Including the results of the review and gap analysis.
 Draft SOPs for IFRC Secretariat disaster response in Africa: Including  flowchart of the process
 Finalise SOPs for IFRC Secretariat disaster response in Africa: For endorsement of the Africa DMU and Africa Senior Management Team.
All products arising from this consultancy will be owned by the IFRC. The consultant will not be allowed, without prior authorization in writing, to present any of the analytical results as his or her own work or to make use of the  consultancy results for private publication purposes.

Methodology and process
The specific methodology will be detailed in  the inception report mentioned above, but will  draw upon the following primary methods:
1. Desktop review of existing SOPs draft
2. Key informant interviews.
3. Focus group discussions, within the agenda of other planned meetings and/or at  ad hoc workshop.
The DMC for Africa will have the overall responsibility to lead and manage the consultant, and to liaise with the Secretariat in Geneva. The consultant will be responsible for:
a. Managing the relationship with National Societies and IFRC during the mission, ensuring that he/she acts in accordance with the best interests of the IFRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent Code of Conduct;
b. Submission of a report, confirming the methodology to be used and the plan of action to achieve the objectives and outputs of the research;
c. Leading a final debriefing and overall outcomes to DMC for Africa;
d. Overseeing the preparation of final narrative report; and
e. Acquitting all financial expenditures. The consultant/s must carry out the key tasks making sure all stakeholders are consulted and meaningfully involved in the process.

Timeframe
The consultancy will start in November and be carried out in 20 days.A more detailed timeline will be submitted as part of the inception report.

Selection criteria
Selection of the consultant/s will be based on the following qualifications:
1. Knowledge of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement disaster management policies, practices and procedures.
2. Experience in the development of guidelines and/or procedures for business process management, with specific experience in SOPs for disaster response in a humanitarian organization preferred.
3. Experience in operational management of humanitarian operations, preferably within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.
4. Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations and to prepare well-written reports in a timely manner.
5. Demonstrated capacity to work independently;
6. Minimum qualification of a Masters degree  in relevant field of study, or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
7. Immediate availability for the period indicated.

Application Process
Applications are invited from suitably qualified consultants or seconded staff from other RC partner organisations.

Applicants should send:1. A cover letter outlining:
a. Relevant experience
b. Fees
c. Availability
2. A detailed curriculum vitae with contact telephone details

Applications should be sent to zonehr.africa@ifrc.org by 4th November, 2012.  Only shortlisted
candidates will be contacted.