Crisis Management Specialist

Introduction

The purpose of the Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA/Takamul) project is to advance effective, accountable, and transparent governance in Iraq. This USAID effort, implemented by DAI, will work with the Government of Iraq (GOI) at all levels to better respond to citizen needs by supporting reform initiatives and Iraqi change agents on inclusive governance and public-sector transparency, accountability, and economy. “Reform initiatives” includes support to improve service delivery functions, public financial management, and open government initiatives. IGPA/Takamul will support the GOI and the citizens of Iraq in forming partnerships and collaborative efforts to solve problems jointly. IGPA/Takamul has four (4) objectives:

1. Enhance GOI service delivery capacity
2. Improve public financial management
3. Strengthen monitoring and oversight of service delivery and public expenditure
4. Support Iraqi change agents (cross-cutting objective)

Background

The IGPA/Takamul project is designed to technically support the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in developing its communications programs that encourage the government to be more accountable towards citizens’ demands. During the last three years IGPA/Takamul provided technical support to the KRG in improving service delivery, public financial management, and monitoring and oversight by public and to make the government more responsive, inclusive, equitable, and accountable to its citizens.

The purpose of this activity is to form a coordinating and management platform in Sulaimaniya and Halabja provinces, operational under the governor’s office (GO). The platform will promote efforts towards rigorous implementation of a  crisis management plan at the time of crisis, intended for protecting institutions, public and private interests, and citizens in accordance with best practices of crisis management.

The activity will support the local government in Sulaimaniya and Halabja provinces to develop a domestic crisis management plan with an emphasis on continued service delivery for marginalized populations. Governments are always at the forefront of efforts to manage these disruptive events, and citizens' trust in government is directly affected by how swiftly and efficiently governments react in crisis. This effort will require the involvement of many actors and this demands effective coordination for a successful outcome. The capacity to coordinate crisis management is a fundamental element of good governance, as it tests governments' capacity to provide the appropriate responses at the right time, in order to protect their citizens and businesses and mitigate the impact of disasters. Ensuring that national authorities have the right tools and institutional framework for coordinated action is critical.

IGPA/Takamul will work closely with the local government in Sulaimaniya and Halabja provinces to design a crisis management plan that will better equip the government to effectively respond to crises. The crisis management plan should also help teams identify potential threats as they plan the tasks, communications, and information they'll need to deal with future threats.

1. Objectives for scope of work are:

1. Local governments in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja have a clear crisis plan ready for implementation in response to a crisis.
2. Local governments are more responsive to citizens’ needs in times of emergency.

II.    Specific Tasks of the Specialist

The Specialist shall contribute to performing, but not be limited to, the tasks specified hereunder:

Task 1: Coordinate with local authorities to establish a crisis cell and enhance the coordination among service providers and provincial governments in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. (LOE 14 days)

This is task will include:

• Conducting a series of site visits and coordination meeting with local government officials and service providers in Sulaimaniya and Halabja to introduce the idea and obtain approvals.
• Approval letter from government in targeted provinces to identify the related local government institutions and agencies in crisis.
• Engage with CSOs to actively participate in establishing the crisis cell

Task 2: Support local government and service providers to identify forecasted crises and draft crisis plan. (LOE 10 days)

Upon receiving the required government approvals, consultant will:  

• Conduct a two-day workshop in Sulaimaniya city for crises cells’ members from Sulaimaniya and Halabja (officials and CSOs) to support the identification of protentional crisis scenarios and develop solutions. Decisions made in the workshop will contribute to the final crisis plan. Workshop sessions will cover:

• Crisis prediction procedures
• Preparing for the crisis
• Crisis Management essentials

Sessions will focus on factors impacting provinces, like natural factors (rain, floods, droughts, earthquakes and earthquakes), political factors (displacement movements, demonstrations, societal unrest and conflict), social factors (gender, drug proliferation and suicides), biological factors (epidemics, diseases, agricultural pests and fish deaths), and economic factors (farm fires and unemployment). This will be done in cooperation with CSOs, taking into consideration marginalized groups and women; women’s representation at the workshops should be at least 50%.

• The Specialist should follow up with the crises cell members to prepare a draft of the crisis plan to be ready for discussion in Task 3. 

Task 3: Finalize the Crisis Plan to respond effectively to citizens urgent need in cooperation with CSOs. (LOE 27 days)

• Conduct two two-days workshops (one in Sulaimaniya and one in Halabja) to finalize the Crisis Plan. The workshop will be attended by 3-5 CSO representatives in each targeted province to have the civil society inputs. The CSO participants should be active, neutral, have legal registration, target marginalized groups, have experience in the field of advocacy, support human rights & women’s issues, have previous experience supporting government oversight and accountability, etc.

• The final crisis plan should include the following chapters: 

• Crisis classification
• Develop Actual action plan
• Establish coordination mechanisms
• Establish communication mechanisms
• Define the required resources
• Determine the required budget
• Documenting and assessing the crisis.

The Crisis Plan contains important information regarding foreseen crises that could take place, how to prepare for it, and ways to manage it. It should also contain the administrative structure, main responsibilities, emergency assignments, and general procedures that must be followed as soon as an emergency occurs. The Crisis Plan will mark the immediate requirements of any disaster or emergency when the normal daily operations are blocked and provide guidelines on:

• Preparing and coordinating advance efforts for expected crises
• Protecting people's lives and preserving their health
• Reducing the impact on the environment as much as possible
• Reducing losses and damage to public and private property and buildings
• Providing key services and operations, particularly for marginalized populations
• Providing and analyzing information for the purpose of supporting decision-making processes.

Task 4: Government Approval (LOE 14 days)

• The Specialist should conduct a series of meetings with the service providers directorates to present and discuss the developed crises response plan (handbook) with the crisis cell, Provincial Council Governor Office in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. to approve the developed response crises plan
• Obtain approval letter or adoption by local government in Sulaimaniya and Halabja.
• Finalize crisis response plan (handbook), print copies with branding and distribute among stakeholders

Task 5: Final report (LOE 15 days) The final report should outline the activities of consultant, including details of steps taken to implement deliverable; the report should also include the approved plan, participants sign sheet, copy of all minutes of meetings, roundtable agenda, challenges and successes, lessons learned, recommendations, and photos. There should be weekly progress reports including minutes of meeting, photos and approvals, as per timeframe. The Consultant should submit a weekly progress report.

Equality and Inclusion. 

Inclusive participation will be ensured as follows

1. IGPA will encourage and advance the inclusion of women, vulnerable populations (VP), and youth when conducting the public assessment and awareness campaigns. 
2. IGPA will review the information shared to ensure it is understandable to all categories of the population including but not limited to marginalized populations and people with disabilities.
3. Participation percentage should be aligned with the targets of this activity. 

Monitoring and Evaluation

Activities under this SOW will include Site Visits, Meetings, and Workshops events as well as developing handbooks, guidelines and obtaining official letters of different kinds (approvals, adoption, facilitation .. etc.), and hence, is directly linked to AMELP indicators;

#6	Number of government institutions (central, federal, and provincial governments) that have implemented new SOPs as a result of IGPA/Takamul support.
#9	Number of mechanisms developed, or implemented, to establish effective citizen participation, outreach and communication
#10	Number of interventions implemented by IGPA/Takamul-supported CSOs and SAGs
#11	Number of civil society organizations (CSOs) receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions.
#12	Number of policy changes by provincial government as a result of advocacy interventions implemented by CSOs/SAGs or TWGs

         

MEL Requirements:

The STTA Shall coordinate with IGPA Staff to meet bellow MEL requirements:

Site Visits (Tasks 1 and 4):

• Event is created on TAMIS at least 10 days prior to the event date.
• Following the event completion, the following attachments should be uploaded to TAMIS: photos, report, detailed budget (if applicable).

Meetings (Tasks 1 and 4):

• Event is created on TAMIS at least 10 days prior to the event date.
• Following the event completion, the following attachments should be uploaded to TAMIS: meeting minutes and detailed budget (if applicable).

Workshops/Technical Assistance (Tasks 2 and 3):

• Event is created on TAMIS at least 10 days prior to the event date.
• MEL forms required: sign in sheets.
• Following the event completion, the following attachments should be uploaded to TAMIS: sign-in sheets, materials (including presentations and handouts), photos, event report, detailed budget and agenda.

In addition to;

• Official approval letter for the establishment of the crisis cell
• Softcopy as well as scanned copy of signed/approved hardcopy of any other documents developed under this SOW, including but not limited to; Handbooks, Guidelines, Procedures, Plans, Tools, Minutes of meetings, Reports (including progress reports and final report), and Official letters of approval, acceptance, adoption, and thanks and gratitude letters as well .. etc.

III.   Required Deliverables:

_______________________________________________________________________________

Deliverable	Format and structure
Task 1: Establish and enhance the coordination among crisis cell, service providers, and provincial governments in Sulaimaniya and Halabja provinces.
-Official approval letter for the establishment of the crisis cell from PGs in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. -List of crises management team, meeting minute, photo.	Word document and PowerPoint presentation- Kurdish Language
Task 2:  Support local government institutions and service providers to identify forecasted crises and draft crises plan.
-Two days’ workshop for Crises Management team in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. -Draft of Crises plan (handbook), WS Agenda, handouts, participants sign-in sheet, photos, event report.	Word Document PPT Presentation – Kurdish/ English Language
Task 3:  Finalizing the Crises Plan to respond effectively to citizens urgent need in cooperation with CSOs.
-Two Workshops (each workshop for two days – One in Sulaimaniya and one in Halabja. -Developed crisis response plans. Final draft. In Kurdish and English language. -Agenda, handouts, PPT presentation, Participants sign sheet, photo, event report.	Word Document PPT Presentation- Kurdish/ English language
Task 4:  Government Approval
-Approval letter or adoption from local government in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. -Minutes of meetings, Photos.	Printed Crises plan (handbook) with branding.
Task 5: Final Report
The final report in should outline the activities of consultant, including details of steps taken to implement deliverable; the report should also include challenges and successes, lessons learned, recommendations, and photos.	PPT Presentation- Kurdish / English Language Microsoft Word Language: English

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1V. Payment schedule and milestone deliverables:

Milestone	Milestone’s Description and Required Documentation	Payment Amount (%)	Anticipated Completion Dates
1	The STTA submits: Approved Official letter by PGs in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. meeting minute. Photo.	5%	2 Weeks from Contract Start Date
2	Conduct Two days’ workshop for both Crises management team in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. Draft of Crises plan (handbook), WS Agenda, handouts, participants sign-in sheet, photos, event report. All workshop materials a must be pre-approved in writing by IGPA/Takamul.	25%	5 Weeks from Contract Start Date
3	Two Workshops (each workshop for two days – One in Sulaimaniya and one in Halabja. Developed crisis response plans. Final draft. Agenda, handouts, PPT presentation, Participants sign sheet, photo, event report. All workshop materials a must be pre-approved in writing by IGPA/Takamul.	40%	10 Weeks from Contract Date
4	Approval letter or adoption from local government in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. Minutes of meetings, Photos.	10%	13 Weeks from Contract Date
5	Final Report (in both Arabic and English Languages)	20 %	15 Weeks from Contract Start Date

V. Deliverable Timeframe

Task	Sub-task	Deliverable	W1	W2	W3	W4		W5		W6		W7	W8	W9	W10	W11	W12	W13	W14	W15
Task 1: Coordinate with local authorities the establishment of crisis cell and enhance the coordination among service providers and provincial governments in Sulaimaniya and Halabja provinces. (LEO 14 days)	Conduct numbers of coordination meetings.	Approved Official letter by PGs in Sulaimaniya and Dahuk. List of crises management team members. Minutes of meetings, Phots
Task 2: Support local government institutions and service providers to identify forecasted crises and draft crises plan. (LEO 10 days)	Two days’ workshop- In Sulaimaniya.	Draft of Crises plan (handbook in Kurdish and English), WS Agenda, handouts, participants sign-in sheet, photos. One Workshop Attendance sheet One Workshop report.
Task 3: Finalizing the Crises Plan to respond effectively to citizens urgent need in cooperation with CSOs. (LEO 27 days)	Two Workshops (each workshop for two days – One in Sulaimaniya and one in Halabja.	Developed crisis response plans. Final draft ( in English and Kurdish). Two Workshop Report Two WS attendance sheet.
Task 4: Government Approval (LEO 14 days)	Conduct numbers of meetings with PGs.	Approval letter or adoption from local government in Sulaimaniya and Halabja. Minutes of meetings, photo. Printed Crises plan (handbook) with branding
Task 5: Final reporting (LEO 15 days)	The final report in should outline the activities of consultant, including details of steps taken to implement deliverable	The report should in English and include challenges and successes, lessons learned, recommendations, and photos. Sign sheets.