Consultant: Learning and Best Practice Documentation Consultancy

Job Description: Consultant – Learning and Best Practice Documentation of Selected IRC Projects

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a qualified and experienced consultancy firm to undertake a comprehensive learning study and documentation of selected IRC projects in Ethiopia. This consultancy aims to identify key successes, generate valuable learnings, and assess underlying factors that contributed to successful or challenged project outcomes. The findings will be crucial for informing future decision-making, priority setting, and scaling up best practices within IRC’s programming in Ethiopia. The proposed dates for this consultancy are from June 20 to August 31, 2025, with an estimated duration of 62 days in total.

About the International Rescue Committee (IRC): The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, providing relief, rehabilitation, and development support to vulnerable people and communities in over 40 countries. In Ethiopia, IRC has been operating since 2000, responding to severe drought and providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees across eight regions. Our programs encompass emergency and development interventions in health, water and sanitation (WaSH), economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response. We collaborate with a multitude of donors, including UN agencies, government aids, embassies, and private foundations.

Project Background and Purpose: Over the past two decades, IRC Ethiopia has implemented numerous projects aimed at achieving organizational mission and objectives with funding from a multitude of donors. To mention a few, these include multisectoral emergency responses in Tigray, Somali, and Southern Ethiopia funded by BHA , country-wide rapid emergency response programs with ECHO funding , SIDA-funded interventions in Oromia , Charity Water project in Sidama Region specializing in WaSH , and Irish Aid grants in Borena and Bale areas. As per indications from routine monitoring information, both by internal and external stakeholders, the pace, effectiveness, and sustainability of the projects vary for funding types, locations, project life, and modalities. A good example is the track record of the WASH project implemented in the SIDAMA region for about a decade, which has consistently achieved its objectives and sustainability.

The primary purpose of this consultancy is for IRC to conduct a learning study led by a third party (consultancy firm) to identify key successes and generate learning by assessing the underlying factors that contributed to successful or challenged projects in fully achieving their envisaged objectives. This is meant to inform decision-making and priority setting, to scale up the best practices and learnings from successful projects, and to learn from lessons from projects which had challenges achieving objectives with identified constraints. A key focus will be on the WaSH project implemented in Sidama region (Aleta Wendo), with a comparative analysis against similar multi-year WaSH programming by IRC in adjacent locations to help identify evidence of best practices and lessons to be learnt that would inform decision making for future programming.

Specific Objectives of the Learning Study:

• Defining the Learning Study Agenda:
  • Identify the key successes and weaknesses/failures/limitations of the project.
  • Assess the whole Project cycle to identify the underlying factors for success/failure.
  • Assess the contributing factors for success or the limitations in achieving objectives.
  • Detailed analysis of the identified contributing factors comparing the projects studied.
• Summarization and dissemination of learning study findings to inform programming and future funding.
• Produce high-quality digital learning products for future use.

Scope of Work: The scope of the Learning Study is limited to generating key learnings, lessons, good and bad practices, and factors leading to the successful achievement or limitations in achieving the project objectives considering the whole project cycle phases. The study is expected to focus on the WASH project implemented in SIDAMA region (Aleta Wendo) and comparing similar IRC interventions in adjacent locations. To this end, the selected consultant should generate evidence supported by multimedia by travelling to the field sites to observe, interview, record and/or hold meetings with key stakeholders, including the beneficiaries and adjacent communities for comparison. The final scope of the learning study and the agenda will be further refined consultatively with the selected consultant. There is also a requirement for digital and paper learning materials to be utilized for future funding opportunities.

Key Deliverables:

1. Technical Proposal Submission: The potential consultant needs to prepare and submit a technical and cost proposal that defines the consultants’ capacity and experience in conducting Learning Studies, the proposed technical approach, methodology and tools for this request. This should be a comprehensive proposal of the proposed steps to be followed, the agendas to be covered, the study methodologies/approach and suggested timeline. The cost proposal has to be submitted in a separate envelope.
2. Inception Report: Based on the agreed-on work scope and focus, the selected consultant should prepare and submit an inception report which provides the final learning study agenda, the detailed learning activities, the approach, procedures, participants, tools, dissemination mechanism and the final workplan.
3. Learning Study and Sessions: This involves identification and documentation of best practices and/or lessons and learnings targeted on the proposed project. This will cover desk work, field work and learning meetings with key stakeholders at various levels and a consolidation/validation meeting to come up with summarized learning using multimedia (visual graphics and videos). IRC recommends comparative case study of the target beneficiaries and non-target community showing differences in day & life supported with digital evidence (video records, visual graphic and short summaries).
4. Learning Study Report: Preparation and submission of a summarized learning document that incorporates inputs from the various sessions and stakeholders (mostly supported with visual – graphics and change case story videos showing change and impact). IRC will not support bulky narrative reports but simple summaries with visuals.
5. Learning Summary: Prepare and submit a summarized learning study brief.
6. Communication: Consistently submit bi/weekly work progress updates. Ensure collaboration and participation of key stakeholders.

Consultant Responsibilities:

• Willingness to undergo due diligence.
• Avail all key legal documents for the sake of procurement process.
• Willingness to provide sample work from similar assignment.
• Consistently address and/or incorporate feedback and comments.
• Propose the learning study agenda, approach, participants.
• Experienced in contemporary learning generation and documentation (including multimedia and digital – visual graphics and video supported evidence generation).
• Deploy experienced experts and professionals to conduct the study on the site.
• Being adaptive and flexible to accommodate new developments/changes in context.
• Recruit and manage professionals, facilitators and translators required for the study.
• Handle all costs and logistics for the study team.
• Consistently provide work progress updates.

IRC Support: IRC will provide orientation and guidance , necessary documents , support letters and facilitate linkages with partners/stakeholders (internal and external). IRC will also verify and provide feedback and input into the outputs , organize final learning dissemination meeting/workshop (including the cost) , monitor and supervise the learning study process , and effect payments as agreed confirming delivery of the assignment.

Required Qualifications and Experience of the Firm:

• Convincing experience in leading Learning Studies.
• Submit three sample work on learning studies.
• Study team composition (skilled and experienced professional mix of relevant background).
• At least 5 years of experience working in the related research topic in Ethiopian context.
• Good knowledge of the contexts in Ethiopia (socio-economy, settlement, agro-ecology, landscape etc.).
• Strong communication, time management, and analytical skill records.
• Strong writing and communication skills (in English and Amharic) with close attention to detail.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements.
• Ability to juggle competing priorities and meet demanding deadlines.

Evaluation Criteria: The company/Firm will be evaluated against a combination of technical and financial criteria. The maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria equals 70%, and for financial criteria 30%. Any technical proposal falling short of the technical score of 50 out of 70 points, is automatically rejected. Within the technical evaluation, the following aspects will be considered:

• Presentation of the proposal (overall structure): 10 points
• Understanding of the ToR and the assignment: 5 points
• Overall methodological approach, quality control approach, appropriate mix of tools and estimate of difficulties and challenges: 20 points
• Workplan (clarity, practicality, work breakdown, engagement plan): 5 points
• English Language (writing skill, clarity, grammar): 8 points
• Members’ expertise (professional mix and experience): 7 points
• Firm Experience – with similar assignment: 15 points

Payment Schedule: The selected consultant/firm will be paid in two phases:

• First installment (40%) – based on completion of desk review and submission of Inception Report.
• Second Installment (60%) – based on completion of the study, submission of the report and presentation of findings to the stakeholders.

Tagged as: Ethiopia, International Rescue Committee