Short Term Consultants

Protect and Provide Livelihoods in Lebanon

Call for Proposal for Consultants and Institutions

1. Background and introduction

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps promotes economic development and increased opportunity for marginalized communities while responding to emergencies as they have emerged. Until recently Mercy Corps’ focus has focused on bolstering civil society and give voice to under-represented groups through the empowerment of young leaders. Recently, the country office portfolio expanded in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria, to address key needs like non-food items/winterization, water and sanitation, child protection, and capacity building.

Mercy Corps is launching the “Protect and Provide Livelihoods in Lebanon” (PPLL) project. The overall objective of the project is to mitigate the medium to long term impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on Lebanese host communities. The project will be implemented in the Beqaa and it is funded by the European Commission (EC) for a period of 24 months. It will focus on collaborating with market actors within value chains—inputs providers, producers, agro-businesses, and end-buyers—in the agriculture sector to protect the incomes of small and medium producers. In addition, the project will strengthen coping mechanisms of both Lebanese and Syrian households through increased household resource management skills. Lastly, PPLL will help increase the household cash flow of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian households through cash-for-work activities and also strengthen the agriculture infrastructure in the targeted areas

2. Scope of work

The PPLL Project is now seeking to create a pool of experts for Short-Term services to support the PPLL in the implementation of the project in the Beqaa

Mercy Corps is seeking short-term consultants in the following expertise:

Tomatoes Production Expert to provide consultancy services in organic and conventional tomatoes production Dairy Processing Consultant to provide consultancy services to dairy processors Veterinary Physician Consultant to provide veterinary services for goats production Dry Food Processing Consultant to provide consultancy services to cooperatives Small Ruminant Expert to provide consultancy services in small-ruminant’s production systems Agricultural Infrastructure Engineer to oversee the implementation of the infrastructure of agricultural roads and irrigation schemes Marketing Expert to support the cooperatives in producing appropriate marketing materials, including labeling and packaging, and training sessions on sales and marketing techniques
3. Arrangements

The Consultants will work under the overall supervision of the PPLL Program Manager and PPLL Project Staff;

4. Pre-Required Qualifications/skills

Experience in providing consultancies services with international organizations, preferably with European Commission (EC) Advanced level of understanding of agricultural practices in Beqaa area (minimum 8-10 years) Communication skills required, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues Strong written and oral communication skills in Arabic and English, including report development, writing and editing Positive, respectful attitude and collaborative approach to problem solving Demonstrated attention to details; ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members Knowledge and understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of the Beqaa, including prior experience

Submission guidelines

For the interested candidates or institutions, CV’s submission deadline: September 12, 2014 to the following email [email protected] Please mention the title "PPLL Short-term Consultant" in the email subject