SSP is announcing vacancy for appointment of external consultant for report and documentation of the Sterling Investment supported project. Working towards Economic betterment through fostering women’s entrepreneurship is one of the flagship programs implemented by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) for the period of 1st March 2024 to 31 March 2025. Based on the requirement of the assignment, the consultant is supposed to complete the project documentation report with case studies, problems, impact, challenges and recommendations from the field visits.

Project in Brief:

SSP is implementing this project on women entrepreneurship with support from Sterling Investment in Latur and Dharashiv District. To understand the project’s execution process and its impact, an impact study is planned.

The project strategy is divided into two major categories:

• Women Entrepreneurship Development Program: Latur
  This program focuses on creating 120 new women entrepreneurs under the current project. It provides handholding support, linkages, and capacity building to help them start and sustain their enterprises.
• Strengthening Existing Cohort’s Entrepreneurs: Dharashiv
  This initiative supports 513 entrepreneurs from the 3rd cohort in the Dharashiv Block. It offers mentoring for business registration, financial support, market linkages, product promotion, and digital literacy.

SSP’s training modules impart basic skills and confidence, enabling women to revive struggling local economies. Mentors provide guidance to help women create business plans and connect them directly to markets and government schemes. Women’s enterprises in these locations often remain small, informal, and home-based due to limited exposure to external markets, lack of access to capital, and family responsibilities. To address these challenges, SSP will support and mentor women entrepreneurs. By the end of the project, women from four villages across Latur Block of Latur District will benefit from an improved enabling environment for entrepreneurship. This will help them seize new market opportunities, promoting their growth within both economic and social ecosystems.

Need: :

SSP is currently looking for consultant for report and documentation study for the Sterling Investment supported project. which is “Economic betterment through fostering women’s entrepreneurship is one of the flagship program” implemented by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) for the period of 1st March 2024 to 31 March 2025. Based on the requirement of the assignment, the consultant is supposed to complete the project documentation report with case studies, problems, impact, challenges and recommendations from the field visits before 20th March 2025.

The assignment will be carried out through physical field visits, virtual discussions and desk research analyzing the processes and systems involved in project implementation, and tracking both qualitative and quantitative impacts. The consultant will collaborate with the Director of Programs and the Program Manager to carry out report and documentation activities.

Assignment in Brief:

Key components of the assignment include:

• To measure the success and progress of the initiative in terms if the objectives and results.
• To document the lesson learnt, and highlight the best practices which could be used in future programming.
• Developing data collection tools, interview guides, and evaluation tests based on project outcomes.
• Conducting field visits, meetings with stakeholders, and gathering data to assess the project’s impact and effectiveness.
• Analyzing collected data and creating comprehensive impact reports with recommendations.
• Submission of Final reports.
• A PPT that captures key findings from the evaluation study.

Outputs and Deliverables:

The deliverable is an impact study report with data analysis covering the processes, systems, and impact (qualitative and quantitative) of the Sterling Investment supported project. Expected outcomes during the program period include:

• An inception report with review framework, tools, sample size, work plan and travel plan.
• Transcript from of each FGD/IDI
• Draft report for comments
• Final, edited report.
• A PPT that captures key findings from the evaluation study.

Contract Period:

The consultancy contract will be for a period of one month from 20th February to 20th March 2025 on terms and conditions agreed mutually. The contract will be governed by standard terms of service contracts of the organization and will be shared with shortlisted candidates upon request.

Qualification & Experience:

1. Consultant / Agency must have enough qualification in writing Case Studies and Insights Reports in social development /rural development
2. Consultant / Agency must have minimum 5 years of experience and expert team with demonstrated track record of keen interest to conduct the impact study.

Remuneration:

Remuneration will be on par with the norms in the Social sector. Interested candidates are expected to make a financial offer of their minimum expectation.

Selection Process:

A shortlist of maximum three consultants will be established based on expressions of interest. The shortlist will be evaluated on the following criteria on the basis of their updated resume, financial offer and their reference check by Swayam Shikshan Prayog:

• Academic qualifications
• Years of project management and relevant economic development /sector experience
• Experience in working with international organizations and Govt
• Language proficiency (English, Hindi).

Preference will be given to candidates having successfully handled similar assignment. Weightage will also be given to candidates with whom Swayam Shikshan Prayog had prior satisfactory association.

Final selection will be by a Management Committee of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, who may telephonically interview the shortlisted candidates and the decision of the Committee will be final and binding.

Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. In case your profile does not match with the aforementioned requirements, your application will be eliminated at preliminary scrutiny stage and Swayam Shikshan Prayog is not obliged to send any communication in that regard and will not entertain any follow-ups in that regard.