Consultancy (Request for Proposal): Disaster Management HR Capacity in the Caribbean

*** Applications should be submitted with the subject line, “Proposal: Disaster Management HR Capacity in the Caribbean”

Request For Proposals (RFP)

Consultant to Conduct A Comprehensive Analysis of National and Regional Authorities’ Access to Disaster Management Human Resource Capacity in the Caribbean Region

Country: Global

Organization: Global Support and Development (GSD)

Location: Remote with possibility of travel to Charlotte, North Carolina (USA) as needed

Type: External Consultancy

Years of Experience: 10+

Duration: Up to 40 days in five months, from the contract award date (Feb-Jun, 2025)

Application Deadline: Jan 6, 2025

Introduction

Global Support and Development (GSD) is a humanitarian organization whose mission is to work with regional, national, and local authorities and key actors across the Caribbean, Central America, and South Pacific for resilience to crises through rapid response, disaster preparedness, and climate adaptation.

Since its founding in 2015, GSD has worked to support disaster preparedness and response in up to 14 priority countries working to ensure our support is locally-led, impactful, and ideally sustainable.

Background

The Caribbean countries are prone to natural disasters including back-to-back hurricanes, floods, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Government, NGOs, and several INGOs are active in these countries working with local entities and communities to respond to such natural disasters where needed and strengthen the local capacity to respond to and cope with in the future.

Several Disaster Management agencies have spoken of gaps in the availability of local talent and expertise with academic, vocational, and practical exposure to the fields related to disaster management.

GSD is interested in exploring the feasibility and potential opportunities to support national disaster management agencies at all levels including providing accessible and targeted formal training to meet this need and link graduates to positions/commitments within the national bodies for disaster management in the Caribbean.

GSD seeks a consultant to conduct research primarily through desk review and targeted key informant interviews to help GSD better understand the challenges and potential opportunities to help ensure sustained high capacity for disaster management in the Caribbean including a specific focus on opportunities through local and regional higher education. The consultant will review, analyze, and report on prior academic collaborations and partnerships, identify current gaps in disaster management education, and illustrate how innovative partnerships can support GSD’s national disaster management partners throughout the Caribbean and Central America to prepare for and respond to disasters.

Objectives

The objectives of this consultancy are to conduct a comprehensive study on:

1. The scope and root causes of the problem for National Disaster Management Agencies (NDMA’s) in accessing and sustaining qualified human resources to support disaster management at the national and local level in the Caribbean (including but not limited to GSD priority countries).
2. An analysis of the learning to address this problem in the last 20 years through an examination of local, regional, and international initiatives; for example, there have been several US-based academic and government initiatives to support Disaster Management certificate programs, internships, and learning exchanges; there are many similar international investments and initiatives from key donors such as the Canadian government and EU, as well as those from UN and INGOs. A synthesis of who has done what and to what level of success and sustainability along with the key lessons learned is needed.
3. Finally, this should logically lead to a description of a few options and the strengths, weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats to help GSD better understand if and where it can intervene to support local and regional disaster management agencies in addressing the human resource challenges, including in the area of formal higher education related to disaster management. Currently, GSD is making an assumption that a potential solution could come from the education systems, however, we are interested in a comprehensive study to understand if and how this could be positioned to help address the problem more sustainably. In addition to the points above, the study should point out the current gaps between market needs, availability of skilled workforce in disaster management vs what the education system has to offer, as well as the causes behind such gaps.

The geographic focus of the study will be on the Caribbean with a special emphasis on GSD’s priority countries in the past 10 – 15 years with a special focus on more recent learning (last five years).

Suggested Methodology

The consultant should propose a methodology in their application but the following is what GSD is currently thinking:

1. Secondary data review
2. Key informant interviews:
   1. Targeted NDMA (5 – 6) and regional personnel (~3); GSD can facilitate connection with key contacts and introductions
   2. Targeted civil society and local actors in GSD priority countries (~5); GSD will provide countries and some suggestions but the consultant can also suggest
   3. Key significant donors to the Caribbean (~3); GSD can provide some bilateral contacts and introductions
   4. Key higher education institutions in the Caribbean (~3) (GSD can provide contacts for the University of West Indies, though there may be others)
   5. Relevant international organizations such as World Bank/GFDRR, UNDP, WFP, etc., and possibly INGOs.

The consultant will be required to develop a comprehensive inception report using an outline agreed upon by GSD that clarifies the scope, approach, methodology, and workplan along with the outline of what the final product could look like.

The findings of this study will inform GSD’s strategy to better support national systems strengthening in disaster management in the Caribbean through improved access to qualified and experienced disaster management human resources.

Scope of Work

GSD is suggesting the consultant undertake the following tasks over a four-month period, but the consultant can propose a revised methodology and scope of work to achieve the objectives as relevant:

Desk Review and Analysis

• Inception Report: Conduct limited research into the problem statement and some attempts to address it via secondary data review; complement this with a few GSD and external actor stakeholder interviews to better ground the feasibility and approach of the research; based on this information and the TOR, develop an inception report per an agreed template with GSD that details the problem statement, the scope (and identifying what is out of scope), the methodology and overall workplan including a timeline.
• Conduct a thorough desk review of the scope and root causes of the problem described, the strategies and interventions supported and attempted over the last twenty years with an emphasis on the last five; this should be followed by an analysis of the learning (what has worked, what has not, etc).
• Conduct key informant interviews to further inform and validate the research and analysis noting that this won’t be a linear process.
• Conduct needs assessments to determine the official academic programs and skills needed in each country’s job market
• Provide a summary of the key actors supporting national disaster management authorities’ capacity building in GSD priority countries in the Caribbean, the key interventions as well as the main key learnings over the past five years (bilaterals, UN, International Organizations, etc.) Compare and present the training: type (certificate, degree), courses offered, credit hours, fees, mission, longevity of the program, etc.

Job Market Gap Analysis

• Engage with local stakeholders such as the universities, NEMOs, and NDMAs to gain first-hand knowledge about the availability of knowledge and skilled workforce as well as a potential gap in the education system to produce such a workforce.
• Identify countries in the Caribbean with the highest gap in access to official higher education related to disaster management.

Previous engagements and partnerships

• Research and provide an overview of previous academic partnerships in each country, in the past five years, with case studies illustrating program access or failures. Include in the analysis:
  • Type of the program
  • Cost
  • Longevity
  • success/challenges
  • Reasons for ending, if applicable
• Identify the reasons for existing gaps despite previous partnerships

Deliverables

• Inception Report using an agreed outline (consultant can suggest) which details out the problem statement, the scope of work, the feasibility, methodology, risk management plan, stakeholder mapping, work plan, and timeline
• Zero Draft Report (following an agreed outline, the consultant can suggest)
• Draft 1 Report, including at least 1 case study
• Final report including max eight-page executive summary covering objectives, methodology, constraints, context, problem statement, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• PowerPoint presentation: Prepare and deliver a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation illustrating key components of the report (draft 1 and final version)

Duration and Timeline

The consultancy is for up to forty days over four months February and June (but could be delivered sooner).

Consultant Qualifications and Experience

The consultant should have the following minimum qualifications:

• Master’s or higher level degree in the relevant field, including but not limited to education management, international development, International relations, disaster management, sociology, management, or economics.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in evaluation or related field with a focus on international disaster management
• Proven experience with the international disaster management sector; track record in the education sector is a plus.
• Experience working with humanitarian organizations in the post-disaster context.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Ability to work effectively, and independently in a fast-paced and often challenging environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and departments.

Consultancy Management

The consultant will directly work with and report to the MEAL Manager and work with the Director of Program Quality and Information where needed.

Application Process

Interested candidates can apply to this consultancy by providing a technical and financial proposal/offer by January 6, 2025, midnight US Eastern Time zone (Please submit the following documentation requirements, combined as a single document or PDF and attach within the resume/CV attachment section):

• Narrative proposal with a plan to undertake the assignment, max 5 pages
• Financial offer including all costs (travel, taxes, fees, or other costs)
• Applicant’s CV (or CV of the lead facilitator, if a firm), and CVs of any proposed subcontractors, if applicable
• Contact information for 3 professional references with the ability to comment on similar projects
• One writing sample on a relevant subject