Consultancy for Digital Data Gathering System Review to the Programmes Approaches and Learning Unit

Background

Concern Worldwide is an international non-governmental humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. In 2023, Concern worked in 26 countries.

Concern has been using iFormBuilder, developed by Zerion Software as its official software for digital data collection since January 2016. It is commonly referred to as Concern’s DDG (Digital Data Gathering) platform and is widely used across Concern’s programmes. Concern is also using Zoho Analytics for dashboard development – the two software are currently integrated using Zerion’s Dataflow Automation software. The DDG system is currently supported by the DDG team at the Head Office, who are responsible for its roll-out and training for staff across the organisation, technical backstopping and identifying improvements in efficiency, as well as managing a survey request process through which countries can submit requests for questionnaires to be built on iFormBuilder by the team in Dublin.

The DDG system has been previously reviewed internally in 2018 and 2020 to identify whether the contract with the current supplier should be extended. Both reviews concluded that iFormBuilder was the most relevant software for Concern’s needs at the time.

Given the evolving needs of the organisation, Concern is planning to conduct another supplier review in 2024. Concern has established a Steering Committee to lead on the review process. It consists of a mix of stakeholders from both country teams and the Head Office. The review will be implemented by an external consultant, who will be liaising with the Steering Committee throughout their assignment.

Purpose and objectives of the Consultancy

The consultancy will support Concern in determining whether the current Digital Data Gathering system is the most effective solution to meet the organisation’s needs. It will help determine whether any changes need to be made to the existing set-up, including the choice of suppliers and level of integration between different software.

In particular, the review will provide in-depth commentary and recommendations on the following elements:

• The opportunities for integration with the RedRose ONESolution software, developed by Red Rose, used to facilitate beneficiary and transfer management for cash-based programmes. Currently, countries opting in to use this software are required to cover the costs of both ONESolution and iFormBuilder to meet all of their monitoring needs.
• The main challenges and opportunities associated with localised survey building, taking into account the organisation’s increased motivation for decentralisation.
• The sustainability of Concern’s current system compared with other systems most commonly used in the sector, taking into account Concern’s increased focus on localization and engagement in multiple consortia.
• The identified need to digitalise Concern’s Feedback and Complaints Response Mechanism (FCRM) system. The review will analyse the necessary functionalities to allow for a roll-out of a digital solution for the FCRM, such as case management, ease of use and compatibility with other software.

Specific Tasks to be undertaken by the Consultant(s)

The specific tasks to be undertaken by the Consultant are as follows:

• Map out the minimum needs required to support a functioning digital data gathering system which will meet both countries’ and the Head Office’s needs (the initial mapping to be provided by the Steering Committee and to be verified by the consultant)
• Gather feedback from the country programme perspective on the use of iFormBuilder, Zoho Analytics and any other software they might be using to have a comprehensive picture of the current system’s practicality (including tailored examples of Syria, Turkey and Kenya, where the use of iFormBuilder and Zoho is very developed)
• Gather feedback from the head office perspective on the use of the software (in particular from Technical Advisers and IPD, but also from the Logistics department, currently using iFormBuilder for Vehicle usage tracking)
• Compare the current set-up (iFormBuilder, DataFlow Automation and Zoho) with other options on the market, in terms of their capacity and efficiency through an in-depth benchmarking exercise with suppliers based on the mapping exercise
• Identify whether the current software or any of the other potential suppliers could offer solutions to digitalization of the FCRM and Vehicle Usage tracking across the organisation
• Gather feedback from a sample of other NGOs in the sector to understand their use of other available solutions
• Produce a report with recommendations on the most appropriate software to be used going forward and suggestions for integration with the existing set-up.
• Deliver presentations and engage in discussions with the Steering Committee at two stages; with initial findings (September) and again with final findings and recommendations (October) prior to finalising the report.

Methodology

It is suggested that the consultant uses a mix of methods for the organisation-wide consultation process to map out the required functionality and gather feedback from all users. The detailed methodology will be proposed by the consultant, but can include:

– An online survey

– KIIs with each country team

– KIIs or FGDs with partner organisations’ teams

– KIIs with key HO stakeholders

It is expected that the consultancy can be conducted remotely, no travel to country offices will be required.

Expected Outputs and Timeline

The consultant is expected to conduct the majority of the work between August – October 2024. If feasible on both Consultant’s and Concern’s side, the consultancy can be finalised sooner. The consultant is expected to suggest a workplan based on the requirements outlined above, but it is estimated that the consultancy should take between 20-30 working days, this can be reduced for teams of bigger size.

The following deliverables are expected as part of this consultancy:

• Initial findings PowerPoint presentation to the Steering Committee (September)
• Benchmarking Outcome Overview Document outlining in detail how each of the suppliers meets the required criteria (October)
• Detailed report outlining the recommendations based on the consultation process and benchmarking exercise (October). The report should include:
  • Summary of findings from the consultation process
  • Summary of findings from the benchmarking exercise outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each of the evaluated software
  • Clear, precise and actionable recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of the DDG system at Concern
  • Roadmap for a transition period to adapt to the recommended solutions
• Summary PowerPoint presentation delivered to the Steering Committee with the final findings and recommendations (October)

Essential and Desirable Experience/Qualifications

Essential:

• At least five years’ experience in information management/data visualisation or identifying technological innovations and solutions for M&E in humanitarian or development sector
• Proven experience in conducting supplier reviews
• Previous experience of managing a MEAL system (either at country or head office level) and familiarity with standards and best practices (including donor requirements) for M&E
• Familiarity with data protection requirements under GDPR
• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Availability to carry out most of the work between August and October 2024

Desirable:

• French language skills