Introduction:

Oxfam is implementing a project entitled “Contributing to Economic Resilience in Central Iraq” with the financial support of BMZ.  The overall purpose of the project is to strengthen the economic resilience of agriculture and food market systems. This is aimed at contributing towards the social and structural economic empowerment of communities and public-private partners (C3P) in Central Iraq, specifically targeting Anbar Governorate. The project’s primary activities include supporting small-scale producers (SSPs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to increase production, income generation, and market development opportunities. Additionally, it focuses on improving the agricultural market system by institutional development, infrastructure rehabilitation, training, and creating synergies for policy reforms that will address structural impediments to agricultural growth and promote innovation.

The agriculture sector is vital to Iraq's economy but today accounts for less than nine percent of the country’s GDP. The size and productivity of the agricultural sector has been affected by decades of conflict, availability of cheap imports and a lack of government policies to effectively manage, protect or preserve Iraq’s natural resources. There are good reasons to believe that the agriculture sector could be a driver of economic growth in post-conflict Iraq in ways that favor the poorest populations. Both rural and urban households would benefit from increased production and lower prices, particularly vulnerable populations, such as female-headed households, which tend to spend a higher proportion of their income on food. Poor households dependent upon low skill labor would also benefit from increased demand for workers and increased wages. Supporting smallholder farming families and promoting linkages with market actors should generate jobs for farm laborers. Oxfam in Iraq aims to support and encourage the local community to buy the local product other than the imported products, therefore, to promote local production purchase and consumption, a national level campaign will be launched to raise local consumers’ awareness of locally produced food and agricultural products.

Promotional event Objectives and Outcomes:

The project includes activities focused on an exhibition as part of promoting the agricultural and food sectors along with awareness raising to local communities of Anbar Governorate, specifically Falluja and Ramadi districts. This exhibition aims to highlight local produce, showcase innovations, and strengthen linkages among SSPs (i.e. farmers and livestock holders), SMEs, it also encourages to involve the public-private partnerships such as private sector agricultural companies, SSPs, agriculture cooperatives, farmer’s unions, academia and civil society actors.

Objectives of the Promotional event:

• Promotion of Local Products: Encourage the consumption of locally produced agriculture and food items, aligning with the "Buy Local" campaign.
• Foster Market Linkages: Facilitate networking between SSPs, SMEs, government agencies, and private sector actors, helping local producers gain access to larger markets.
• Highlight Innovations: Present research and innovations developed within the project, such as climate-smart agricultural practices and sustainable solutions, which could inspire broader adoption in the sector.

Key Messages for Stakeholders:

• Public: Promote the benefits of supporting local agriculture, emphasizing its role in community resilience and economic empowerment.
• Government: Encourage policy support and investment in local agriculture, showcasing the potential of local produce to contribute to the region’s economy and sustainability.
• Private Sector and Other Stakeholders: Demonstrate business opportunities within the agricultural sector and encourage collaboration to address market gaps and improve value chains.

Methodology, and Roles and Responsibilities, and Deliverables of the contracted firm/consultant:

During the preparation phase of the event, the consultant/consultancy firm will have to:

• Develop an event plan promoting the local producers, government, and other stakeholders mentioned above to participate in the event in Anbar community, specifically in Ramadi and Fallujah districts.
• Coordination with the local authorities and line departments, including Directorate of Agriculture, Directorate of Municipality, Directorate of Health, Directorate of Irrigation and Water Resources, etc. to extend invitations to encourage and engagement of line departments, business owners, among others.
• Identify a suitable venue for the event in coordination with the local authorities and Oxfam’s technical team.
• Preparation and equip the venue with all the required needs/materials.
• Extending invitations to ensure attendance and support of line departments, business owners, public, among others through encouraging and engagement with these stakeholders on a regular basis.
• Design promotional messages encouraging the local communities, the different age groups including men, women, boys and girls etc., to purchase and consume locally produced products than imported in collaboration with local authorities in project's target locations.
• Design messages and materials for the “Promotional Event” to spread awareness about the event date, venue and messages and share them for review by Oxfam technical team before printing, or distribution via online channels in collaboration with the local authorities, including social media, TV and Radios.
• A short video documenting the promotional event, including testimonials from the different stakeholders, such as the public and private partners, the government entities, SMEs, Innovators, SSPs attending the event.
• Prepare a final report about the event.

Logistics and Constraints:

The contracted party (consultant/consultancy firm) is responsible to all logistical needs and preparations required to carry out this assignment “i.e. Promotional Event”.

Time frame:

The assignment will be for 20 working days, starting the 20 Nov. 2024. The timeline will be refined based on the company work plan and won't be beyond 15 Dec. 2024.

Scoring criteria for selection of the service provider/company:

TOR LINK: https://oxfam.box.com/s/wnp1s4k1f4a6rg04pevgj9itu1in9kiw 

Required documentation:

Interested parties that would like to submit their offers must submit the following documents:

• Expression of Interest

-A cover letter with a maximum of two pages which introduces the company with an expression of interest to carry out the work as described in this ToR.

• Company profile and Resume: Provide resumes for the main consultant/s and trainers, as well as the mentors, along with the resumes of any company personnel who will be spearheading, coordinating, or participating in this project.

• Technical & Financial Proposal

Technical proposal should include, but not limited to, understanding of the ToR, methodology and tentative work plan. The company should clearly indicate the relevance of their previous experiences and the application of these methods to this assignment.

While the financial proposal includes the total financial expected implications to carry out this work, including a detailed breakdown of costs for each activity to be accomplished.

The interested parties should send all the required documents listed above to the address irqconsultancy@oxfam.org.uk.
 

Email subject: Promotional Event -BMZ-Anbar

Deadline for submission of offers:

The deadline for submitting the offers is: 15th Nov. 2024 (17:00 hr.).