Practical Action is an international development organization putting ingenious ideas to work so that people in poverty can change their world. We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.
We are committed to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment through all our work. At a minimum, we ensure that all our work is gender sensitive, seeking gender transformative approaches as our overall ambition and in accordance with context.
Background and Purpose of the assignment:
Practical Action is implementing a four- and half-year project in Kakamega County. The Circular Economy for Household Organic Waste (CE4HOW) in Kenya aims to create a commercially viable, circular economy model for household organic waste that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improves household waste services and transforms the lives of informal waste workers. The CE4HOW is being implemented through a partnership of Practical Action and Regen Organics in Kakamega County.
The social and environmental objectives of the project will be achieved through the development of the business case of the commercial partner, Sanergy Inc., working through it’s subsidiary in Kenya, Regen Organics (Regen Organics). Regen Organics has constructed a new waste recycling plant in Kakamega County, to produce organic fertilizer. This location gives it access to a large market of smallholder farmers in Western Kenya, who will benefit from a product that improves soil structure, moisture retention and nutrients and increases yields. The feedstock for the recycling plant will largely come from agricultural waste. However, the business case this project seeks to develop is the inclusion of household organic waste from Kakamega town. The benefits for Regen Organics are the additional social and environmental benefits, which they also aim to monetise through carbon credits.
Regen Organics will add value to a waste stream that currently has no value and is a financial drain on municipal resources. Regen Organics will inject finances into the waste economy by paying Waste Aggregation Centres for supplying household organic waste. Waste collectors in turn will offer household waste collection services at a lower price, provided households separate their waste. We will work with and expand existing informal groups providing this service.
Target beneficiaries
The project target groups and beneficiaries are as follows:
- 210 people (at least 30% women) already working in the informal waste sector, or who get new jobs in the sector through the CE4HOW project. This includes 140 collectors, 30 people at the Aggregation Centres and 40 people at Regen Organics factory. In addition, 500 people will have new jobs or improved incomes through selling Regen Organics products.
- Approximately 15,000 households will receive waste collection services by the end of the project.
- 10,000 smallholder farmers in Kakamega County (at least 40% women).
- The project will also build awareness among Kakamega County policy makers and officials within the government and regulatory agencies.
Objective of assignment
The purpose of the baseline survey is to establish benchmarks for effective planning and implementation of CE4HOW project, as well as to form the basis for progressive monitoring of the achievement of planned outputs and outcomes, through collection of quantitative and qualitative data on a set of indicators. Further, it will provide information on specific issues and needs of stakeholders in the project area.
Practical Action therefore wishes to engage the services of a qualified consultant(s) to assess and report on the status of waste disposal and management through utilizing relevant methodologies and tools, to establish benchmarks to measure the status of all indicators (as contained in the Project logframe). This will enable tracking and measuring of project indicators at output and goal/outcome levels.
HOW TO APPLY
A detailed Terms of Reference can be accessed from the website download section.
Interested consulting entities that have capacity to deliver this TOR are invited to submit a complete proposal to [email protected] with subject line CE4HOW Project Baseline Assessment” to reach Practical Action on or before 20th September 2024.
Guidelines for Submission
Interested Consultants or firms are requested to submit.
- A technical proposal detailing interpretation of the TOR, proposed methodology including sampling framework, work schedule etc.
- A capability statement demonstrating how the consultants meet the required qualifications and competencies.
- Copies of all relevant Curriculum Vitae (CVs). Only CVs for the specific individuals that will form the proposed survey team should be included; two references (including one from your last client).
- Detailed financial proposal in Kenyan Shillings: If the team consists of several members, the professional fees should not just be a daily rate, but it should be based on clearly shown time allocation by each member of the team to the various activities.
- Evidence of experience in similar work
Award criteria
The evaluation of the quotations will be based on the best value for money, weighing up technical quality (the methodology and the CV of the consultant) and price of the quotation.
Additional Information
Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups. We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks.
Note: Practical Action reserves the right to accept or reject any application.