TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDEPTH ANALYTICAL STUDY

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDEPTH ANALYTICAL STUDY

1. INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

1.1 Welthungerhilfe partner organizations

The EU funded Better Nutrition project is a consortium project LI-BIRD, WHH and WAC Nepal.

Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD)

LI-BIRD is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1995 and registered with the Kaski District Administrative Office (Reg. No. 217/052/053) and the Social Welfare Council (Reg. No. 3394). As the lead organization for the EU-funded Better Nutrition project, LI-BIRD oversees overall project quality, partnership coordination, and governance.

LI-BIRD's mission is to strengthen sustainable agrifood systems while improving livelihoods of rural poor and marginalized farmers, especially women. The organization specializes in:

• Participatory research and development methodologies
• Sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation
• Climate change adaptation strategies
• Environmental and gender-sensitive programming
• Focus on food, nutrition, and income security

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V. (Welthungerhilfe/WHH)

Established in 1962 as Germany's leading humanitarian and development organization, WHH is guided by the vision that all people have a right to a dignified life free from hunger and poverty.

WHH's role in this project includes:

• Technical support on nutrition governance and programming
• Quality assurance of study design and implementation
• Integration of evidence-based, impact-oriented approaches
• Support in Comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) systems
• Promotion of systemic change for sustainable nutrition outcomes.

Working for Access and Creation Nepal (WAC-Nepal) (Local Implementing Partner for Achham): Facilitates community engagement, local stakeholder coordination, participatory processes, and program implementation in 5 municipalities of Achham district

1.2 The Project and its context

The EU funded project “Empowered Communities and CSOs for Inclusive Nutrition Governance in the Hilly and Mountain Regions of Western Nepal (Better Nutrition Project)-NPL 1103 aims to strengthen local governance systems and citizen engagement for inclusive and sustainable nutrition outcomes. Implemented in 10 municipalities across Achham and Bajura districts, the project promotes multi-sectoral nutrition plan (MSNP III) and approaches through local governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), and communities. For this project, LI-BIRD is the lead organization or main grantee of EU and 5 district of Bajura implemented by LI-BIRD itself where as WHH as technical partner and WAC as local implementing partner for 5 municipalities of Achham district.

To ensure equitable access and improved quality of nutrition services, the project integrates Leave No One Behind (LNOB) and Nutrition Friendly Local Governance (NFLG) indicators and frameworks. Despite progress, persistent challenges remain in reaching marginalized groups, improving service quality, and addressing socio-cultural barriers.

To conduct an in-depth assessment to understand the barriers hindering access and delivery of quality nutrition-related public services and to identify culturally appropriate local solutions to overcome these barriers.

2. STUDY PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 Purpose

This study will provide evidence-based insights into the systemic, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers affecting nutrition service delivery and utilization in 10 municipalities of Achham and Bajura districts. The study will assess the status of LNOB and NFLG framework implementation, identify locally feasible solutions, and support adaptive program learning.

2.2 Specific Objectives

The study has three primary objectives:

Objective 1: Identify Systemic and Institutional Bottlenecks

Identify and analyze the key bottlenecks and barriers affecting nutrition service delivery at the supply side (local government policies, guideline, planning, financing, coordination, implementation) and demand side (community awareness, practices, utilization patterns).

Objective 2: Assess LNOB and NFLG status

Assess the current status of Leave No One Behind (LNOB) and Nutrition-Friendly Local Governance (NFLG) indicator status within local government systems, including governance structures, policies, plans, resource allocation on nutrition past 3 years, and monitoring mechanisms.

Objective 3: Co-Design Locally Appropriate Solutions USING Positive Deviance Approach

Explore and co-develop culturally appropriate, institutionally feasible, and locally led solutions that leverage existing strengths and good practices to improve equitable access, quality, and sustainability of nutrition services using positive deviance approach.

Click on the link below for the detailed TOR:

NPL 1103 EU Nutrition Study ToR

AWARDING AUTHORITY AND CONTRACTING ENTITY

The interested and qualified consultant/ consulting firm must apply by 17:00 hours (COB) dated 24 December 2025 via e-tender portal: Public RFT - TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDEPTH ANALYTICAL STUDY

The proposal should include the following documents:

1. Letter of expression of interest (EoI) signed by the main applicant.
2. Detailed technical and financial offer as stated in bullet 13 above
3. Consultant/agency profile detailing the past assignments (at least two similar study report as a sample copy)
4. Detailed curriculum vitae of the consultant and of all team members, if any, highlighting their areas of work and experience
5. Firm profile detailing past assignments, including at least two sample reports of similar studies.
6. Company registration certificate (where applicable)
7. Latest tax clearance certificate of 2081/82
8. VAT registration certificate (for both firms and individual consultants).
9. Signed supplier declaration form

For any queries or concerns, please send you queries via e-tender portal at least by 17:00 hours (COB) dated 18 December 2025

KEY REFERENCES / ANNEX

You can find some additional information of WHH inside the same link of the e-tender portal.