Data collection firm / consultant(s) (Ukraine)

TERMS OF REFERENCE: Data collection firm / consultant(s) (Ukraine)

Understanding the perceptions of aid recipients to support an improved humanitarian response in Ukraine and surrounds

Duration: 6 months – tbd

Location: Ukraine

Reports to: Senior Programme Manager

Ground Truth Solutions seeks the services of a research firm or independent consultant(s) to conduct quantitative perception surveys exploring community perceptions of humanitarian aid in Ukraine. This study is part of a project by implemented by GTS and funded by the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC).

About Ground Truth Solutions (GTS)

Our mission is to ensure that people affected by crises have a say in humanitarian action, from individual aid projects to global humanitarian reform. To achieve this, we collect feedback from people at the receiving end of aid. We challenge and support aid agencies to use this feedback to optimise their work. We help agencies to understand and communicate the resulting insight back to affected communities. We work with policymakers, governments, and aid agencies to bring about the change we want to see.

About the project

GTS will support the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) and its implementing partners to exemplify their Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and listen to Ukrainian and host community voices and improve programming in real time, by enabling a better understanding of the perceptions, priorities and feedback of aid recipients and their communities.

Objectives

• Catalyse better quality and more adaptive programming, with response-wide strategies being shaped by collective community feedback
• Ensure community perceptions and priorities form a significant and tangible element in DEC’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts in Ukraine and surrounding countries
• Provide evidence of DEC partners collectively responding to feedback and adapting accordingly
• Provide a model for a management response combining both the supply (progress toward CHS commitments) and demand (people’s feedback) elements of accountability
• Enable DEC partners to become accountability champions across the response, catalysing broader cultural change, and providing lessons learned for future DEC-funded deployments

The consultancy

GTS seeks the services of a research firm or independent consultant(s) to conduct perception surveys exploring community perceptions of humanitarian aid in Ukraine. These perception surveys will be preceded by qualitative consultations, that will be help inform the design of the survey tool. The combined findings from the surveys and qualitive study will be used to generate recommendations directed at the DEC members and implementing partners and other humanitarian actors on how to strengthen humanitarian programming in line with community feedback.

Methodology

Research questions – Is the humanitarian response accountable to people’s needs, priorities, and expectations?

How can aid be more responsive to the unfolding needs of the affected population in and around Ukraine?

Number of rounds of data collection: at least two

Target group – People living in Ukraine, with a special focus on marginalised populations and people who are targeted for receiving aid. A second group of interest is local aid provider

Geographic scope – Ukraine (the precise geographic scope will be refined in collaboration with GTS)

Data collection

• At least two rounds in 6 months
• Questionnaire approximately 15-20 questions (binary, Likert scale, multiple choice, and open-ended questions)
• Phone surveys, potentially complemented by face-to-face surveys for difficult-to-reach populations
• Sample size: representative sample of the Ukrainian population (the sampling criteria and sample size will be determined in collaboration with GTS).
• Target group: people targeted for aid, people living in rural areas, marginalised populations (e.g. older persons, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ communities, and so on)

Scope of work

• Attend orientation meeting with GTS
• Develop communication plan with GTS team, including regular check-ins
• Translate survey tool from English to Ukrainian and Russian
• Co-facilitate enumerator training
• Conduct a test phase and pilot phase with pre-agreed number of interviews and submit test survey results in csv or Excel format to GTS
• Conduct perception surveys by phone and/or face-to-face
• Submit survey results (initially) on a daily base in csv or Excel format to GTS
• Submit final cleaned raw data set
• Submit short final report after data collection, with information on number of successfully completed interviews, attrition rate, and any relevant issues
• Participate in a virtual ‘lessons learned’ call after the completion of data collection

Deliverables

1. Survey tool translated in Ukrainian and Russian
2. Raw data of test and pilot phase
3. XX number of completed perception surveys that adhere to GTS’ quality standards
4. Regular updates including submission of raw data during data collection
5. Final cleaned raw dataset upon completion of data collection
6. Short final report with information on attrition rate, completion rate, etc.

Timeline

It is anticipated that all tasks will be completed by February 2022, with the potential for an extension. A detailed work plan will be agreed upon at the beginning of the consultancy.

Relevant experience & skills

Essential:

• Proven experience with conducting nation-wide representative (phone and face-to-face) surveys
• Staff members with proven experience and strong background in survey and sample design and quantitative methodology
• Proven quantitative data analysis skills
• Excellent communication and reporting skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English, Ukrainian and Russian. Excellent written English.
• Familiarity with the context of Ukraine, preferably with experience working with Civil Society Organisations and humanitarian actors and organisations

Preferred:

• Experience with research in the field of Social Sciences, International Development, Humanitarian Action, or any other related area of study/equivalent experience.