TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A FEASIBILITY STUDY Women’s Access to Renewable Energy for Economic Development (WAREED

Overall Objective: The project is to improve access and utilization of clean and sustainable energy that promotes women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship and leadership in the Kailahun district.

Specific Objectives/Outputs:

1. Strengthened capacity of women for effective resource mobilization and utilization
2. Improved development and expansion of energy-enabled women’s agricultural enterprises in mini-grid sites
3. Increased advocacy and networking on women’s economic empowerment to build an evidence base for decentralized energy provision.

The project is expected to benefit 6,839 women and men, with over 50% women in Kailahun district, Eastern Sierra Leone. It will collaborate with line Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs), and competent & highly expertise partners (mini-grid suppliers and operators) to support the supply and installation of productive electrified assets in 15 proposed communities.

The indirect beneficiaries will be the total population of Kailahun District 525,372.

3. Objectives of the feasibility study and use

The feasibility study aims to provide SEND-SL and all stakeholders with a sound basis for developing the full project proposal by clarifying prerequisites, assumptions, opportunities, and risks. The study findings should provide an overview of key areas in consideration of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability (DAC OECD) scopes of the proposed intervention. The study will also be submitted to the TERRA TECH/BMZ for assessment of the overall feasibility of the project. The feasibility study will also outline the changes possible for the next three years with project support. It will critically examine the situation of the Kailahun district and the project outcomes and outputs formulated to reach the desired result. It will also help analyze target stakeholders identified as MDAs, mini-grid suppliers and operators, local authorities, etc.

The final report will include findings and recommendations for possible strategies and activities with a clear qualitative and quantitative description of each indicator and develop tools for monitoring, data collection, and an operational M&E plan.

The study is expected to:

1. Check and reaffirm the current situation and the underlying immediate factors causing inequality in the productive use of energy between men and women.
2. Inspect the capacity and sustainability of the proposed mini-grid systems that are in existence in the district.
3. Examine the capacity and experience of the proposed mini-grid operators.
4. Identify interventions prioritized by critical stakeholders within the study areas and their broader interest and support for the proposed project.
5. Make recommendations to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the project.
6. Identifying potential barriers and risks that could impact the results proposed.
7. Identify mechanisms and methodologies to ensure the sustainability of the project.

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4. Methodology

It is to be ensured that the methodology is participatory, gender-sensitive and considers the cultural & social settings in Sierra Leone in line with Core Humanitarian Standards, SEND-SL core values, ethics, safeguarding principles and Code of Conduct. The consultant will be responsible for designing the study, including its methodology preferred/possible qualitative and quantitative tools and research methods that could be proposed.

Methods of study will comprise the following (but not limited to):

1. Desk review of relevant documents, including project documents/data/reports, strategies, and approaches of SEND-SL, documents/manuals from similar interventions by other donor organizations, government notices/policies/documents impacting implementation, etc. The consultant is expected to share primary documents studied with the contracting party.
2. Focus Group Discussions and Key informant interviews (semi-structured) with SEND staff, MDAs, district and chiefdom stakeholders, women groups, CSOs, Mini-grid operators, Credit Unions/FSAs, community members, and other key stakeholders necessary for successful intervention implementation. The consultant must finalize selection criteria and sample size of interviewees in consultation with the implementation teams. The consultant is expected to prepare the interview guides in consultation with the implementation teams.
3. Direct observation during field visits.

5. Scope of Work

The consultant needs to conduct a:

1. Stakeholder analysis at all three levels of outcomes (micro, meso, macro) with an explanation of their influence and power for the successful implementation of the proposed advocacy plan to influence national energy supply and policy formulation in support of local businesses.
2. Drafting the project impact matrix according to BMZ guidelines and finalizing with TERRA TECH/BMZ.
3. Facilitate a one-day workshop to discuss the recommendations and theory of change.
4. Provide an analytical framework to address the purpose and objectives of the feasibility study.

6. 4. Deliverables

The following deliverables are expected from the consultant(s):

1. Inception report max 5 pages, with the proposed methodology, analytical framework and timelines. Data collection tools should be attached as appendices to the inception report.
2. Debriefing presentation at the end of the field visits to outline the most important findings of the study
3. First draft of the feasibility report as per the format in Annex I, at the latest two weeks after completing the field visits, at most 30 pages. The report should have concise recommendations.
4. The impact matrix
5. Documents/photos/data studied/collected during the research study.
6. Final report with all primary data collected.

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7. Timeline

At most, the total planned days of consultant engagement are 21 workdays. The days are calculated in the following manner: No

Task

Days

1

Inception meeting

1

2

Inception report, development of data collection tools and review of documents

3

3

Fieldwork

5

4

Analysis of firsthand data, preparation of debrief presentation, delivery of presentation, finalization of presentation incorporating comments

6

5

Writing of draft report

3

6

Workshop on recommendations and impact matrix

1

7

Writing of final report after comments

4

Total Days

23