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Background
Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) is a German relief and social welfare organisation providing various social services in Germany and internationally. ASB began its operations in Indonesia in 2006 following the Yogyakarta earthquake. Through partnership with local organisations, ASB expanded into the Philippines in 2014 and other South and South-East Asian countries in 2017. ASB Regional Office for South and South-East Asia (ASB S-SEA) focuses on inclusive humanitarian response, climate action, socio-economic development, and disaster risk reduction. ASB co-founded the Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Network (DiDRRN), significantly contributing to disability inclusion in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
ASB and its local partners are developing a new project entitled Paving the Way for a Green Future: Green Income Prospects for Marginalised Youth. Key project components will be implemented via local partner organisations in Bhutan (READ Bhutan) (tbc), Nepal (READ Nepal) and the Philippines (Center for Disaster Preparedness/CDP) with technical support from ASB. ASB and partners have developed a concept note, which was preselected by the BMZ (Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany). Currently, ASB and partners are preparing the full proposal development. The proposed project is expected to run from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2028.
The proposed project aims to empower marginalised youth in the Philippines, Nepal, and Bhutan by equipping them with green skills, fostering youth-led enterprises, and enhancing collaboration with stakeholders to create sustainable employment opportunities. By addressing the unique socio-economic, environmental, and cultural challenges of each country, the project will build the capacities of marginalised youth, including those with disabilities, Indigenous youth, those from low-income or rural backgrounds and other minority identities. The project seeks to promote inclusive and resilient green economic development through targeted skills training, mentorship, financial support, and advocacy, ensuring that marginalised youth can actively participate in and benefit from sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurship, and climate resilience initiatives.
This project contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). It addresses poverty, promotes green jobs, and fosters social inclusion through education, skills training, and entrepreneurship for marginalized youth in the Philippines, Nepal, and Bhutan. Additionally, the project aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) by strengthening disaster risk awareness, improving disaster governance, investing in resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness (SFDRR Priorities 1–4). Through this holistic approach, the project supports sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience, and inclusive development for at-risk youth in disaster-prone regions.
Purpose of the Consultancy
In line with BMZ regulations and to support the further development of the project concept, ASB is seeking a team of independent consultants to conduct the feasibility study. The feasibility study aims to identify project prerequisites, opportunities and risks to enhance project effectiveness further and help avoid bad investment decisions from the start.
This consultancy assignment aims to develop and conduct the feasibility study in preparation for the final drafting and submission of a full project proposal, building on a project concept prepared by ASB and local implementing partners and pre-selected by BMZ.
Specific objectives of the consultancy:
- To identify the complexity of the project in question and consider the political, economic, and cultural context.
- To examine the capacities and commitment of the local implementing partners and the government.
- To analyse the situation and the issues the target group and stakeholders face.
- To critically review the planned project regarding relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
- To provide concrete recommendations for adjustments to the specific project concept, including impact matrix and project measures. In doing so, the stakeholders involved, opportunities and risks, and suggestions for the range and scope of monitoring on outcome and impact measurement should be considered.
Scope of Work
a. Responsibilities
This consultancy will be carried out by external consultant(s) with management by ASB from the MEAL Manager.
The consultant will be responsible for:
- Developing relevant designs and tools for the feasibility study in consultation with ASB and partners and in line with the feasibility study guideline[1];
- Conducting desk review and site background information gathering. This includes, but is not limited to, youth demographics (age, gender, income levels, and population distribution of marginalised youth in the Philippines, Nepal, and Bhutan); the regulatory frameworks on youth employment, climate resilience, and sustainable development (i.e., the Green Jobs Act in the Philippines, Bhutan’s National Organic Programme, and Nepal’s National Adaptation Plan; employment statistics (current unemployment rates, underemployment rates, and labour force participation, especially for marginalised youth groups; entrepreneurship landscape (information on existing youth entrepreneurship trends, challenges, and opportunities, particularly in the green sector); etc.
- Conducting fieldwork, including meetings/interviews with key project stakeholders (i.e., representatives from the Local Government Unit and target communities at least in one sample country.
- Presenting and validating the initial findings with ASB and local partners through an online session;
- Preparing the draft and final feasibility study report in English with annexes (documentation of interview and FGD transcripts, minutes of meetings, signed informed consent forms, and good quality photographs of 300 dpi).
b. Study principles and requirements
The study design should consider the following principles and requirements:
- Participatory and inclusive approaches that capture a cross-section of views from project stakeholders, including target project participants.
- Use of relevant sampling and qualitative and participatory methods/tools to generate an understanding of the situation.
- Triangulation and cross-checking of data through utilising multiple methods and validating early findings.
- Clear communication of the data collection schedule, including an outline of who will make the information available.
- Clear outline of the approaches for analysis and interpretation of data.
- Adherence to ASB’s policies, namely, the Antifraud and Anticorruption Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) Policy, Feedback and Complaints Response Mechanism, and Code of Conduct.
c. Timeline
The consultancy is planned to run for between approximately 20 to a maximum of 25* working days over the period of October – December 2024. The intended start date is 15 October 2024, and the final deliverable must be completed by 15 December 2024. Interim deliverable dates below are indicative and will be confirmed in consultation with the selected consultant(s).
Days of the consultancy and tentative plan:
| Interim deliverables | Number of working days | Expected finalisation dates |
| Inception Meeting with ASB and partners (online) | 0.5 day | 15 October 2024 |
| Desk review of key project documents and further design of study plan (considering information received from the inception meeting) | 5 days | 1 November 2024 |
| Presentation and discussion to finalise the data collection plan, including establishing a travel plan in consultation with partners (online) | 0.5 days | 1 November 2024 |
| Data collection in the sample country/ies* | 5-10 days* | 15 November 2024 |
| Data analysis and report drafting | 5 days | 27 November 2024 |
| Validation meeting with ASB and partners | 0.5 day | 27 November 2024 |
| Report finalisation and submission to ASB and partners | 2 days | 9 December 2024 |
| Report revisions and final report submission | 1.5 day | 15 December 2024 |
* Note: It is expected that the consultant will conduct field data collection in the Philippines and possibly Nepal (TBD). Data collection for countries that are not visited will be covered through online interviews and desk reviews. If the field data collection is only in the Philippines, the expected number of working days is a maximum of 20 days.
d. Consultancy outputs
The consultant(s) will be responsible for the quality and timely submission of these deliverables:
- Relevant design, tools and proposed budget for a feasibility study.
- Professional record and documentation of the feasibility study.
- Structured consultation and coordination with ASB and partners, as well as potential stakeholders, to ensure the relevance of the study
- A comprehensive feasibility study report covering aspects mentioned in the feasibility study guidelines.
- Validated initial findings with ASB and local partners.
Requirements of experience and qualifications
- Extensive experience undertaking high-quality feasibility studies, ideally in South or Southeast Asia.
- At least 10 years of technical experience in project development; in-depth study experience on topics related to youth employment, green economy/climate change adaptation, disaster management, and social inclusion. Demonstrated experience in disability inclusion is an advantage.
- Based in the region. Philippines-based consultant is strongly preferred.
- Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
- Good cross-cultural communication ability and sensitivity.
- Fluent in written and spoken English.
- Local language skills of the project locations are an advantage.
- Willingness to travel to project areas and ability to travel independently.
- Availability to undertake the consultancy within the desired timeframe.
Proposal information
Proposals should be in English, no more than 10 pages, including any appendices, and should include:
- A cover letter outlining their experience against the requirements.
- Short CV of the consultant (no more than 2 pages). If applying in a team, send the CV of the lead consultant and a concise summary of the team, including a demonstration of suitability and relevant experience as per the above.
- Proposal of the Feasibility Study to achieve the required deliverables and overall aim. Suggested contents: a) background; b) brief methodology and approach of the feasibility study outlining key activities and key deliverables; c) work plan, and d) personnel involved.
- Budget proposal (in Euro), broken down by activity, including:
- Travel costs, meals, accommodation, and per diems during times of travel from the consultant’s home base for the consultancy.
- Incidentals (including meeting room hire, translator hire, and catering if required).
- Daily rate for individual team members, inclusive insurance. Please indicate whether the daily rate is inclusive of tax or not.
- You may also wish to include (attached as links or appendices):
- Examples of relevant work and materials produced.
- References or testimonies from previous partners or clients.
ASB encourage persons with disabilities, persons from minority groups, and women to apply.
Please ensure that all documents, including the cover letter, CV, proposal, budget, and relevant work links, are combined into a single PDF file (maximum size: 10 MB). Submit the PDF to asb.procurement@asbindonesia.org, with a carbon copy (cc) to dwi.sakti@asbindonesia.org, no later than 27 September 2024. Kindly use ‘September 2024 – Feasibility Study Consultancy’ as the subject line of your email.
Candidates will be reviewed in the order that their resume is received, so please apply early. Also, please note that we only contact shortlisted candidates.
[1] BMZ’s Guidance Note on Procedures for Feasibility Studies and other relevant documents will be provided.
