DAWERR - Call for Consultancy | Strategic Communications Expert

1. BACKGROUND:

On June 30, 2020, USAID/Lebanon awarded ECODIT LLC (henceforth ECODIT) the Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity, a five-year project that will establish sustainable and replicable integrated solid waste diversion and valorization solutions in rural areas of Lebanon, leading to improved social and economic well-being for Lebanon’s population. The Activity aligns with USAID/Lebanon’s desire to introduce financially sustainable solutions that increase the reuse, recycling, and monetization of solid waste to reduce the amount of solid waste that goes into landfills. The Activity has the following three objectives:

1. Build the capacity and commitment of municipalities to provide improved solid waste management (SWM) services either directly or indirectly;
2. Empower communities to sort at the source and participate actively in various stages of the recycling value chains (RVCs); and
3. Develop successful business models that create green economic opportunities and generate net incomes along the value chains.

The Activity’s period of performance is August 1, 2020, to July 31, 2025.

During start-up, DAWERR developed a Communications and Outreach Plan for the Activity, as well as a Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Strategy and Plan to guide SBC efforts and updated it during the course of the Activity.  

During the first two years of the Activity, DAWERR worked with four pilot municipalities (interventions) to support them in the development of SWM solutions including:

• Designing and implementing sorting at source awareness campaigns with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs);
• Developing optimized selective collection of waste (schedule and routing);
• Selecting the most suitable technology for the treatment of organic waste;
• Designing the composting stations based on selected technology, getting the needed permits for construction (establishment permit from Ministry of Industry, construction permit from Order of Engineers), and implementing construction activities for the pilot composting stations (yet to be launched); and
• Enhancing the existing value chains for recyclables.     

As of October 1, 2022, in addition to the initial pilots, DAWERR started supporting three groupings of municipalities, each bringing together 3-4 municipalities under one SWM solution – These groupings are:

1. Anfeh, Bechmezzine, Kfarhazir and Fih, in the Koura District
2. Ras el-Matn, Qortada and Deir el-Harf, in the Baadba District
3. Ansariyyeh, Sarafand Loubieh, and Saksakiyyeh, in the Saida District

DAWERR has now co-created the technical solutions for these groupings and will be developing SBC strategies and action plans and implementing them with local CBOs in the targeted municipalities.  

DAWERR also plans to expand some of the pilots and/or groupings into clusters of 8-10 municipalities and develop SWM Strategies and Action Plans at the cluster level. DAWERR plans to engage marketing companies to implement SBC campaigns on sorting at source to buttress its SBC activities in target municipalities.

In terms of challenges, DAWERR is facing delays in the permitting process for the composting stations which is significantly hindering the general communication efforts on the Activity (progress, updates, etc.) and its various interventions, as well as DAWERR’s ability to engage the targeted beneficiaries including communities and individuals in SBC activities.

1.  DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

Because SWM can be a polarizing issue, and to refine its Activity-Level and intervention-level communications strategies and action plans, ECODIT is engaging the Consultant to support the DAWERR team with the following activities:

1. Conduct kick-off meeting with DAWERR team immediately following contract signature;
2. Review and update DAWERR communications and outreach plan including recommendations for improvement;
3. Analyze and assess DAWERR’s strategic communication and online presence and provide recommendations to better communicate on DAWERR’s progress, updates, etc. on social media;
4. Review and update DAWERR SBC Strategy and Action Plan and propose out of the box solutions to improve community engagement in SBC activities for all DAWERR municipalities (pilots, replications/groupings, clusters); and
5. Review existing intervention-level SBC strategies and action plans, including social media plans, and provide recommendations for improvement - in coordination with DAWERR team, the consultant will meet with / interview some of the beneficiaries in the targeted communities to gather additional information that will feed into the update of DAWERR SBC Strategy and Action Plan.  

The consultant shall request from DAWERR any additional information deemed necessary for his/her SOW.

1. DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE

The Consultant is expected to complete and submit the following deliverables in English:

1. Meeting Notes from Kickoff meeting;
2. Draft Updated DAWERR Communications and Outreach Plan;
3. Succinct analytical report on DAWERR strategic communication and current online presence, including evidence-based conclusions and recommendations;
4. Final Updated DAWERR Communication and Outreach Plan based on the analytical report and DAWERR’s feedback;
5. Draft Updated SBC Strategy and Action Plan;
6. Succinct analytical reports (including recommendations for improvements) on existing intervention-level SBC strategies and action plans (one per intervention);
7. Final Updated SBC Strategy and Action Plan based on the analytical report of the intervention-level SBC Strategies and Action Plans and DAWERR’s feedback.

The period of performance (POP) for this assignment is from 14 August 2023 till 20 September 2023. The level of effort (LOE) over the POP is not to exceed 15 days. The Consultant will coordinate all tasks with the DAWERR team and will conduct all activities and prepare deliverables under the technical direction of the Chief of Party (COP), in coordination with the Communications/SBC Specialist. The consultant may also be asked to attend certain meetings and liaise with DAWERR subcontractors including Compost BALADI, Berytech and ECODIT Liban, as well as other USAID Implementing Partners, as requested by the COP, and meet with DAWERR beneficiaries.

Exhibit A summarizes deliverables, indicative LOE per deliverable, and submission date.

Exhibit A. Deliverables, LOE (days), and Timeline

Activity 1 - Deliverable : Meeting notes from kickoff meeting - 0.5 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on August 14, 2023

Activity 2 - Deliverable: Draft updated communication and outreach plan - 2 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on August 19, 2023

Activity 2 - Deliverable: Succinct analytical report (strategic communication and online presence) - 2 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on August 25, 2023

Activity 3 - Deliverable: Final updated communication and outreach plan - 1 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on September 1, 2023

Activity 4 -  Deliverable: Draft updated SBC strategy and action plan - 3 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on September 7, 2023 

Activity 5 - Deliverable: Succinct analytical reports (on existing intervention-level SBC strategies and action plans; one per intervention) - 3 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on September 14, 2023

Activity 6 - Deliverable: Final updated SBC strategy and action Plan - 1.5 LOE Ceiling (days) to be submitted on September 20, 2023

1. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

The Consultant is expected to have the following experience and skills to be able to perform the tasks under this SOW:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in marketing, communications, advertising, social sciences, or a related field.
• Proven experience in media planning, advertising, or social marketing roles.
• Hands-on experience in executing successful media campaigns;
• Experience in executing social marketing campaigns is a plus;
• Strong understanding of media planning principles, media channels, and audience segmentation.
• Proficiency in media (including social media) analytics tools;
• Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills;
• Knowledge of digital marketing strategies and tactics, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), social media advertising, and programmatic advertising.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate strategies, present campaign plans, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.