Bid No: 31

 City: Portsudan

 Deadline: 30 June 2026

 Description:

 

1. Background to the Project

‘Enhancing Food Security and Resilience of Rural Communities in Kassala and Northern States’ is a four-year project implemented by Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRSC) with support of consortium partners Netherlands Red Cross NLRC (lead), Swedish Red Cross SwRC, Spanish Red Cross SpRC, and Danish Red Cross DRC, with funding support from European Union Delegation EUD in Sudan. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to sustainable and resilient livelihoods and food security in rural communities most affected by food insecurity, climate change and conflicts in Kassala and Northern states. This will be achieved through three specific objectives / outcomes:

Outcome 1: Sustainably increase productivity and profitability of smallholder agriculture and livestock short value chains using agroecological practices.

Outcome 2: Create sustainable and decent jobs opportunities for both genders within the youth, including IDP, PwD, refugees and returnees, in rural and food insecure areas.

Outcome 3: Increase equal and sustainable access to natural resources in order to contribute to food security and mitigate conflicts.

To strengthen ownership and ensure sustainability, the project adopts a community-driven and inclusive approach, integrating Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) and conflict sensitivity principles across all stages of implementation.                                                                

As a critical entry point, the project will support Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) in undertaking a comprehensive Gender, Diversity and Conflict Analysis across targeted communities to better understand context-specific vulnerabilities, power dynamics, and conflict drivers. The analysis will inform the design and adaptation of interventions, ensuring they are responsive to the differentiated needs of women, men, girls, boys, persons with disabilities, and other at-risk groups, while remaining sensitive to local socio-cultural dynamics. It will also enable the identification of potential protection risks, exclusion patterns, and conflict triggers, guiding the development of targeted risk mitigation and adaptation measures to ensure safe, equitable, and inclusive programming.

In parallel, the project also requires a Food Security and Livelihood FSL, baseline assessment to establish starting values for key FSL indicators. This baseline will generate quantitative evidence on household food security, basic needs, sustainable agriculture practices, access to livestock health services, and crop diversification. The FSL baseline will provide benchmark values against which project progress and outcomes can later be measured.

Findings from both components (PGI and FSL) will be systematically integrated into programme planning, implementation, and monitoring, strengthening the project’s ability to deliver conflict-sensitive, gender-responsive, inclusive, and evidence-based food security and livelihoods interventions.

2. Purpose/ Objective

Protection Gender and Inclusion PGI

The overall objective of this component is to understand the causes, power and gender dynamics, and actors of conflicts in the project areas with a special focus on women, marginalized groups and youth, and how this impacts SRCS EU FSL programming. The analysis will also provide quality input and strategic guidance for SRCS and Consortium Partners to effectively engage or mainstream social cohesion at the community level. SRCS understands that there is an ongoing conflict in Sudan, and this study will help the project to understand how the overall conflict influenced the community level or inter-tribal conflict. Specific objectives of the assessment shall include the following:

• Provide a detailed understanding of the context to ensure that the EU FSL program does not exacerbate the current conflicts.
• Examine the structural problems and impacts of social, political, and economic power relations on different groups.
• Understand how gender norms in target communities influence people’s behaviour towards conflict or peace.
• Determine the causes and consequences of gender-based conflict and develop an effective action for Peace building.
• Determine the level of support that is required by different social groups to reduce any form of conflict.
• Identify critical current challenges and barriers to women's and youth’s meaningful participation and leadership and provide recommendations together with a clear action plan to eliminate or mitigate these inequalities.

Food Security and Livelihoods FSL

The objective of this component is to establish baseline values for the project’s core FSL indicators in the targeted areas. The baseline should provide reliable starting values, disaggregated where feasible, to support future monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

The consultant shall establish baseline values for the following indicators:

1. Percentage of households who report being able to meet the basic needs of their households, according to their priorities.
2. Percentage of smallholder households practicing sustainable agriculture such as conservation agriculture or climate-smart agriculture.
3. Number of targeted herders and veterinarians who can access emergency livestock health management (applies only for Kassala state).
4. Percentage of targeted households with acceptable Food Consumption Score (FCS) using the standard WFP methodology.
5. Number of households cultivating three or more crops at baseline, to support future measurement of change attributable to the Action.

For baseline purposes, indicator 5 should be measured as households currently cultivating three or more crops. Attribution to project support will be assessed at a later stage through follow-up measurement.

3. Methodology The assessment should follow mixed qualitative and quantitative methodologies to collect pertinent data/information. These methodologies include but are not limited to Secondary Data Review, Key Informant Interviews, individual interviews and Focus Group discussions. The Consultant, based on experience, can also suggest other approaches that can be adopted for comprehensive analysis.

The data collection team should include both male and female members to avoid cultural barriers, moreover, local language speakers should be considered among the team of enumerators. When selecting the respondents/interviewees, proper representation should be ensured in terms of women, men, youth and adults, disabled, and all other structures. The consultant shall present the questionnaire, indicator definitions, coding rules, and calculation methods in the inception report.

In addition, the FSL baseline shall use a structured household survey and standard indicator measurement methods. At minimum:

• Indicator 4 shall use the standard WFP Food Consumption Score methodology.
• Questions for the other indicators should be short and simple, with a maximum of two to three questions per indicator where feasible.
• Tools should be translated into Arabic and adapted for local comprehension.

The consultant may propose stratified sampling, module-based sampling, or one integrated household survey, but the methodology must clearly justify how each FSL indicator will be measured and how respondent eligibility will be addressed, especially for agriculture- and livestock-specific indicators.

4. Scope of Work

 

Geographical scope: The geographical scope of the study or analysis is in 2 localities: one locality in Northern State: Algolid, and one locality in Kassala State: Rural Aroma.

 

In each state, the consultant is required to assess ten (10) communities. The selection of communities should ensure representation of different population groups, including vulnerable and marginalized groups, to provide a comprehensive and inclusive analysis.

 

 

PGI

The conflict analysis exercise will address the following issues:

• Determine the nature of conflicts in the targeted communities.
• Assess the general context and dynamics of land and resources, gender-based violence, and identity conflicts in Northern and Kassala State.
• Identify the stakeholders involved within the land and resource, gender-based violence, and identity conflicts in Northern and Kassala State.
• Identify the key drivers, and the push and pull factors of involvement in violent conflicts.
• Identify the role of local customs, beliefs, and culture in conflict and peace processes.
• Come up with recommendations that will help the project and communities mitigate conflicts.

 

The conflict analysis exercise will answer the following key questions:

• What are the key dynamics of gender-based violence, land and resource conflict, and religious or identity-based conflict in the two targeted states?
• What types of violence are there and at what levels? Is there, i.e., political violence and by whom, sexual and gender-based or conflict-related sexual violence, attacks on human rights defenders, physical harassment? Who are the perpetrators and the victims? Which groups of women and men are particularly at risk in this conflict setting?
• Who are the key actors in the conflict? Who is taking the lead in contributing to conflict? Who is taking the lead in contributing to the peaceful resolution of the conflict or humanitarian response?

• What is the gender composition of these key actors?
• Who is involved in the peace process and how? Are women represented and are gender issues addressed at each level? Which constituencies do the representatives in peace processes represent? Can addressing women’s roles in the existing cultural and societal structures create opportunities for peace (i.e., supporting women’s grassroots peace leadership, women’s access to land, empowering women, etc.)?
• How does the Sudanese society in general deal with gender-based conflict, land and resource conflict, and religious or identity-based conflict?
• What are the driving factors of conflict? How are people drawn into a vicious cycle?

Who are the key stakeholders involved in this conflict, and why?

• How is conflict manifesting in society? How does it create segregation between groups? What are the major dividing lines? What draws those lines? How does it lead to inequality?
• What are the forces for and against peace in the target areas?
• How do art and culture reinforce intercultural dialogue and relationships in the Sudanese communities?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of those practices?
• What small changes can be leveraged to create the biggest change? What could be the major points of interventions to manage these conflicts? What could be the innovative strategy for bringing people together from divided lines?

 

FSL

The baseline should answer the following questions:

• What proportion of households’ report that they are able to meet their basic needs according to their own priorities?
• What proportion of targeted smallholder households are practicing sustainable agriculture?
• To what extent can targeted herders access emergency livestock health management services?
• What proportion of targeted households have an acceptable Food Consumption Score?
• What proportion and number of targeted households currently cultivate three or more crops?

 

The first question, “What proportion of households report that they are able to meet their basic needs according to their own priorities?”, seeks to understand household self-perceived sufficiency. What is being sought is a picture of economic pressure and household agency: are people managing their lives in a way that matches their own priorities, or are they forced to leave key needs unmet?

 

The second question, “What proportion of targeted smallholder households are practicing sustainable agriculture?”, will identify how many farming households are already using agricultural methods that are productive while protecting resources and supporting resilience over time. What is being sought is not simply whether people farm, but whether they use practices considered sustainable in the local context. That might include soil and water conservation, crop rotation, composting, agroforestry, reduced tillage, use of improved or drought-tolerant seeds, or other climate-smart and conservation-oriented approaches. This question helps determine the starting level of adoption of good agricultural practices, so later the project can assess whether those practices have increased.

 

The third question, “To what extent can targeted herders access emergency livestock health management services?”, looks for more than a yes-or-no statement about service existence. What is being sought includes whether services are available nearby, whether herders know where to go, whether they can afford treatment, whether medicines and animal health workers are present when needed, and whether emergency response is timely enough to protect livestock.

 

The fourth question, “What proportion of targeted households have an acceptable Food Consumption Score?”, will measure the adequacy of household food consumption using a standard food security indicator from WFP.

 

The fifth question, “What proportion and number of targeted households currently cultivate three or more crops?”, will establish the current level of crop diversification. What is being measured is whether households rely on a narrow crop base or spread risk across multiple crops. This matters because diversified cropping can strengthen resilience to climate shocks, pests, market fluctuations, and seasonal food gaps, while also supporting dietary diversity and income opportunities.

5. Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide the overall technical oversight of the exercise
• Lead the development and design of the methodology and the tools for the exercise.
• Conduct desk reviews of secondary sources of information, project documents, and any other sources pertinent to the exercise.
• Design the overall assessment questions and the survey tools based on the main objectives mentioned above, including upload of the Individual interview questioner in the kobo system.
• Conduct a virtual inception meeting to discuss the methodology, data collection tools, sample size, and the number of KIIs, and FGDs to be conducted in the project area.
• Train the team members who will do fieldwork data collection.
• Provide any support that may be required during data collection.
• Analyze, synthesize data, and prepare the report.
• Presentation of findings and recommendations to the SRCS and Consortium partners.
• Provide an action plan to SRCS staff based on the recommendations from the study.

6. Expected Deliverables and Timeframe

The Consultant is expected to deliver the following:

• Inception meeting accompanied by a report: To discuss the methodology, work plan, and survey tools with the SRCS and Consortium members.
• Data collection tools- These will also need to be translated into Arabic.
• Analysis and finalize the report which includes:

• Stand-alone executive summary (focus on summarizing the main survey findings)
• Description of the methodology and data analysis tools used, and research ethics and protocol followed.
• A brief justification of the methods and techniques used (including relevant underlying values and assumptions/ theories) with a justification of the selections made (e.g., of people interviewed).
• Analysis and findings
• Recommendations and action plan
• Annexes: such as relevant maps, data collection tools, raw data in an agreed format, etc.

• The final report should comprise the following among others: 1) a comprehensive conflict report that contains an in-depth examination of conflict, its characteristics, causes, dynamics, and consequences for women, men, girls, and boys; 2) conflict scenarios affecting program delivery and key recommendations on mitigation and adaptation measures: 3). Proposed action plan for the project implementation. 4) include an FSL baseline report that clearly establishes and presents the baseline status for all agreed FSL indicators and assessment questions. The report should show the status of targeted households at the start of the project and provide a reliable reference point for future monitoring, outcome measurement, and endline comparison.
• Orient SRCS and Consortium members on mainstreaming peacebuilding based on the findings of the study.

 

 

Proposed Work Plan and Activity Timeframe:

 

Activity	No. of days
Desk review, review of project documents, and discussion with the team	3 days
Tools development and methodology design	4days
Inception meeting: Discussion of the tools, methodology, and logistics	1 day
Train the field teams, introduce the tools and conduct pre-testing	2 days
Periodic support to the SRCS team (volunteers) and or enumerators during data collection	5 days
Data analysis and synthesis	5 days
Draft the first draft and discuss it with the SRCS team	5 days
Consolidate the feedback and share the final report	3 days
Orient SRCS and Consortium members on mainstreaming of peacebuilding based on the findings	2 days
Total	30 days

 

7. Cost Responsibility

All costs related to the implementation of this assignment shall be covered by the consultant. This includes, but is not limited to, professional fees, transportation, accommodation, data collection expenses, data collection volunteers’ incentives (or enumerators), logistics, and any other operational costs required to complete the assignment.

The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) will not cover any additional costs beyond the agreed consultancy fee. The consultant is expected to submit a comprehensive financial proposal that includes all associated costs for delivering the assignment.

SRCS will only provide necessary coordination and facilitation support, such as access to relevant documents, coordination with local stakeholders, and introductory support where required.

8. Submission of Expression of Interest, EOI

Sudan Red Crescent Society, requests submissions from the firms/ reputable individuals, technical and financial proposals as per below guideline.

 

i) Technical Proposal

• Provide understanding of tasks as indicated in the TOR.
• Provide clear time frame, and tentative workplan for undertaking the tasks.
• Share the Firm or Individual profile/ documentation of previous work done as relates to similar works (baseline studies, evaluations) in recent three years.
• Attach relevant documentation as a registered firm or as a consultant.
• Staffing capacity: provide details especially for the Lead consultant to be engaged on the assignment including a recent CV.
• Confirm the dates for availability to start the tasks as per the TOR.

 

ii) Financial Proposal

Financial proposal shall form part of the contract agreement signed by both the SRCS and the awarded consultant or firm.

 

Indicate total cost in Sudanese Pounds SDG for the task. The table provided below is just as a guide.

 

#	Description of costs	Unit	Rate	Amount
1.	Preparatory Costs, Desk review including inception report
2.	Travelling between states e.g. Port Sudan to Northern state, Kassala state
3a	Professional costs: Tools development, Pre-testing, volunteer/ enumerators training and Field Data collection
3b	Professional costs: Data Analysis, validation and Reporting
4.	Local travel costs within the states Kassala, Northern
5.	Applicable in-country taxes (specify)
6.	Others – please specify
	Total

 

 

iii) Other conditions:

• Must adhere to the SRCS Code of Conduct and SRCS Security Protocol during the entire duration of conducting the assignment.

 

9. Qualification and Experience

• Master’s degree in economics, development studies, peacebuilding, sociology, or a related social science field
• 5 years of experience conducting similar studies or research in volatile contexts like Sudan.
• Experience in peacebuilding, gender, livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, and any other relevant background.
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience and skills in designing, facilitating, and conducting conflict analysis exercises.
• Demonstrated proof of conducting similar exercises in the past possible, share reports from previous tasks.
• Strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods and sampling.
• Statistical analysis skills and strong proficiency with data analysis packages such as SPSS or STATA and qualitative data analysis software
• Fluency (verbal and written) in English and Arabic.
• If working as a team the proposal should outline the roles and the CVs must be included
• Experience in using Kobo system for data collection.

 

Submission

The deadline for submitting EOI will be 30th June 2026. Sealed envelopes should be delivered to SRCS offices (Port Sudan, Kassala or Northern State) and addressed to:

 

Secretary General

National Headquarters

Sudan Red Crescent Society

Port Sudan, Sudan

 

Interviews may form part of the selection process, if necessary, after analysis of the technical and financial proposals.

 

For any questions, clarifications or further information regarding the TOR, please contact: Nedal Mahmoud, email: nidal.mahmoud@rc-srcs.org and Osman Saeed email:  osman.saeed@rc-srcs.org