LACRO Shelter and Settlements Expert(s)

https://www.crs.org/about/bid-opportunity Please visit the CRS website for the full scope of work and attachment.

Latin America and Carribbean Shelter and Settlements Expert

RFP Number: US4443

Consultancy Title; Latin America and Carribbean Shelter and Settlements Experts (up to 3 consultants)

Location: Remote (Preferrably in Latin America/The Carribbean)/Field

Contract Duration and LOE: Up to 120 working days over the course of 1 year

Contact Person: Chris Mericle

Deadline for Questions: Monday, May 9^th, 2022 at 3:00 PM ET (GMT-4)

Submission Deadline: Friday, May 13^th, 2022 at 3:00 PM ET (GMT-4)

I. About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS saves, protects and transforms lives in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. We are called to save lives, address the root causes and effects of poverty, promote the sacredness and dignity of human life, and help build more just and peaceful societies outside the United States. Our programs touch more than 190 million lives. We welcome as part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

II. Background

CRS’ ability to respond effectively in the early stages of an emergency is crucial to the survival and well-being of hundreds of thousands of disaster-affected people. CRS’ holistic approach to emergency response and recovery, combined with its early presence on the ground to address immediate needs, enables CRS to accompany disaster-affected households and communities in resuming productive and dignified lives as soon as possible while building their capacity to better withstand future disasters.

In providing safe and durable living conditions to the affected populations we strive to ensure we provide culturally appropriate solutions that use local materials, technologies and skills. We seek opportunities to integrate our shelter programming with activities to restore livelihoods, improve water and sanitation, protect highly vulnerable populations, and ultimately support communities to become more resilient to future disasters. We also consider how our programming can positively influence local markets and help in the wider community recovery process.

The Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) provides leadership and support to CRS emergency programming. The HRD strengthens CRS’ impact through high quality, innovative programs; improved technical and management capacity at the field level; and active engagement in global efforts to promote excellence and learning in humanitarian response. The HRD has technical staff that supports emergency program planning, rapid response, and capacity strengthening of staff and partners worldwide. Under the HRD, the Shelter and Settlement Rapid Response and Recover (SSRRR) team provides leadership and support to programs and activities related to the Shelter and Settlements sector.

III. Primary Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Shelter and Settlements Rapid Response and Recovery (SSRRR) team under the Humanitarian Response Department (HRD), to strengthen CRS and partners’ ability to provide highest quality Shelter and Settlement rapid response and recovery support to disaster-affected communities. The consultant will undertake field-based work to Country Programs (CPs) as well as home-based work according to needs. The position has a focus on the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO), with exposure to other regions depending on needs. **

IV. SOW

The primary function of the consultant is to provide technical support to CRS’ emergency response and recovery Shelter and Settlements programs.

Prior to beginning work on each assignment, a separate Scope of Work (SOW) specific to the assignment would be provided and agreed to between the consultant and the CRS Contact Person by email, and will outline deliverables, due dates, deliverable format, method of submission, number of billable units (or fixed fee), and compensation total (and rate, if more than one rate is possible) for each assignment.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of anticipated tasks to achieve the SOW:

1. Provide in-country and remote support to Shelter and Settlement emergency response and recovery programs; dependent on the consultants’ professional expertise and needs this may include engineering, construction management and organizational risk management advice;
2. Contribute to building CRS and partner’s Shelter and Settlements response and recovery capacity;
3. Contribute to HRD documentation, learning and sharing on Shelter and Settlements programming;
4. Support the development of guidance, tools, and training material supporting Shelter and Settlements programming activities;
5. Support the review and development of high-quality project proposals to donors, including defining strategies and contributing to or leading the development of technical narratives and documentation.

V. Deliverables and Level of Effort

Deliverables

According to the context, the consultant will deliver an end of mission report, handover notes and tools which offer:

1. Sound advice to in-country leadership and management on Shelter and Settlements response and recovery strategy, design, operational planning and organizational risk management issues;

2. Sound advice to technical and programming staff on project design and ensuring proper coordination with operations staff;

3. Sound advice to staff on best practices and architectural designs, building code and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) techniques;

4. Contribute to ensuring consistency, quality, efficiency, and accountability of Shelter and Settlements activities. Provide a clear and consistent guide to CRS CP staff whenever providing support through orientation, follow-up calls, and workshops;

5. Strengthen the Shelter and Settlements technical and management capacity of CRS and partner staff, facilitate trainings and workshops;

6. Promote the use of standard CRS tools and guidance in coordination with other HRD TAs/STAs. Review and/or develop tailored tools such as quality control (QC) checklist, shelter assessment tools, etc. If necessary, conduct training to train CRS staff and CRS partner’s staff on how to use these tools correctly;

7. Promote the appropriate use of technologies. Whenever needed, enhance project documents such as drawings by using 2D and 3D software (AutoCAD, SketchUp, etc.), and comprehensive Bill of Quantities;

8. High-quality contributions to concept papers, proposals, and related documents, and efforts to document best practices (as needed);

9. Support to M&E and programming staff in putting appropriate M&E systems in place. Assist the CP staff in developing technical monitoring tools such as daily activities report, weekly reports, monthly reports template and train them on how to use these monitoring forms;

10. Support to CP in putting in place adequate construction contracts.

Level of Effort

The consultant will be paid for the agreed number of days worked up to 120 days from May 30^th, 2022 to May 29^th, 2023. However, either party has no obligation to offer or be available on the total number of days stipulated above.

VI. Qualifications, Experience, and Place of Performance

Qualifications and Experience

1. Master’s Degree in Architecture, Civil engineering, or fields related to S&S programming
2. Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience in the humanitarian sector with an international NGO, with significant field experience in designing, planning and implementing S&S programming
3. Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in S&S program. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.
4. Experience in project design and proposal development in the field of S&S
5. Knowledge in capacity strengthening best practices in the field of S&S
6. Experience with program monitoring, evaluation and analysis
7. Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Solid understanding of partnership principles
8. Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, ERP systems, information and budget management systems, and AutoCAD
9. Strong English and Spanish, written and verbal skills

Preferred qualifications

1. Previous experience with CRS is a strong advantage
2. Previous experience in LACRO is a strong advantage
3. Previous experience working with local partners
4. Knowledge in graphic design software
5. Command of French language (both written and verbal)

Place of Performance

This position will entail a mixture of both remote and on-site work. Short-notice trips may be common, so the incumbent must be willing and able to travel under those conditions.

VII. Key Working Relationships

Internal: The CRS contact person for the consultant is Humanitarian Response Department Shelter and Settlement Senior/Technical Advisor. When deployed, the consultant will work with in-country CP management staff.

External**:** The consultant will coordinate with all relevant stakeholders including government and other actors in the humanitarian architecture field.

VIII. Application Components

Applicants must submit the following:

1. Cover letter, which describes a brief summary of approach that demonstrates qualifications in undertaking the Scope of Work. This summary should highlight how the applicant will complete the deliverables (Document cannot exceed 2 pages single-spaced).

2. Compensation rate per day

3. Résumé/ CV (Document may be no longer than 2 pages).

4. Three professional references, with the following details about the references: (a) name, (b) position, (c) company, (d) phone number, (e) email address, and (f) city, state, country

IX. Travel and Insurance Requirements

If international travel is planned, prior to obtaining airline tickets, the identified consultant will complete and submit an “Acknowledgement and Warranty of Insurances” form to CRS HQ/GSCM at [email protected] and to the CRS Contact Person. Medical insurance and medical evacuation insurance must be valid for the country and duration of travel and the consultant(s) shall be responsible for their costs and obtainment. CRS will not purchase medical, or, medical evacuation, insurance on behalf of any consultant for this consultancy.

Travel Budget (All costs are MAXIMUMS and in USD):

Lodging; 60 x $85.00 per night = Up to $5,100.00

Local travel; $150.00/trip = Up to $900.00

Long distance travel = Up to $1,500.00 per trip or up to $4,500.00 total

Visa = Up to $200.00 per person or up to $600.00 total

Per Diem 60 Days x $75.00 = Up to $4,500.00

Total Travel Budget – Up to $15,600.00

Total Travel Budget not to exceed $15,600.00

CRS will be responsible for deployment costs for long distance travel/lodging/local travel/ and per diems of up to $15,600.00.

X. Q&A Opportunity

Prospective bidders may submit any clarification questions to Chris Mericle at chris.mericle @crs.org, by 3:00 PM EDT (GMT-4) May 9^th, 2022. Responses will be provided to any known prospective bidders on May 11^th, 2022.

XI. Proposal Deadline

All proposals must be received by Chris Mericle at [email protected] no later than May 13^th, 2022 at 3:00 PM EDT (GMT-4) for electronic submission. The solicitation name “**US4443: LACRO Shelter and Settlements Expert**” must be included in the subject line.

XII. Terms of Payment

Consultant will submit one invoice after each deployment for payment – plus the approved SOW/communication between Consultant and Budget Holders which will be secured before deployment. Consultant will also submit email approvals per charge, per Budget Holder when submitting itemized invoice for payment. Consultant will also provide dates of work performed on invoice. CRS requires a minimum of 30 days to process approved invoices.

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