|
Tenders are invited for Consultant for ICSP Syria Learning Initiative on Integrated Programming. Closing Date: 15 Jun 2026 Background Trócaire received funding from Irish Aid under the five-year Ireland Civil Society Partnership (ICSP 2023-2027) funding scheme to implement a programme in Syria. The program supports crisis-affected communities through a multi-sectoral response in a complex and protracted context. Programming has included basic assistance, livelihoods and early recovery, protection and referral pathways, and social cohesion, implemented through local partners and in coordination with relevant stakeholders. As part of its strategic direction, Trócaire is seeking to strengthen integrated programming approaches that better respond to intersecting vulnerabilities and support more coherent pathways between sectors. The Syria programme has generated implementation experience over recent years, including lessons related to sequencing, referrals, coordination, package design, partner roles, and the enabling environment for integration. To support programme adaptation in the current funding period and future decision-making, Trócaire intends to commission a consultant to lead an applied learning initiative focused on integrated programming in Syria. This initiative is intended to generate practical learning for programme improvementand future design for Trócaire and its partners. 2. Purpose of the consultancy The purpose of this consultancy is to document, analyse, and synthesise practical learning on how integrated programming has been designed and implemented under the ICSP Syria programme from 2023 to 2026, and to translate that learning into clear and actionable recommendations, tools, and guidance for future programming. The review is undertaken for learning and improvement purposes only and should not be understood as a formal evaluation. The consultancy should build on existing evaluations, monitoring evidence, programme documentation, partner reflections, and limited primary qualitative inquiry to interpret what has worked well, what has been challenging, under what conditions integration has been more or less appropriate, and what practical improvements are needed going forward. 3. Objective The overall objective of the consultancy is to strengthen Trócaire Syrias understanding and practice of integrated programming by generating learning on the processes, mechanisms, enabling conditions, constraints, and practical outcomes associated with integrated approaches under ICSP. 4. Specific objectives Document how integrated programming has been understood and applied in practice within the Syria ICSP portfolio from 2023 to 2026. Identify key enabling factors, bottlenecks, and implementation conditions affecting integration, including issues related to sequencing, referrals, coordination, targeting, package assignment, partner roles, and access. Analyse how existing evidence and stakeholder experience suggest integrated pathways have functioned in practice, including what appears to have added value and where important limitations or risks have emerged. To understand the perceived added value, limitations and risks of integrated support compared to more stand-alone or fragmented assistance, based on available evidence and stakeholder experience. Examine how integrated programming interacts with specialised protection services, particularly GBV-related response services relevant integration supports complementarity and where it may risk compromising service quality, confidentiality, safeguarding, or survivor-centred approaches. Differentiate between contexts or cases where integrated service packages are appropriate and those were standalone, specialised, or protection-led responses may be more suitable. Produce practical recommendations and tools to support more coherent, safe, and context-appropriate integrated programming in future cycles. 5. Scope of work The consultant is expected to review and synthesis learning related to integrated programming across relevant sectors and pathways, which may include, but are not limited to: basic assistance and referral pathways; livelihoods (vocational training (VT), apprenticeship pathways, business development training (BDT), grants and business support) and early recovery pathways; protection-linked integration and referral mechanisms; social cohesion and community-level dimensions where relevant; and engagement with specialised actors, institutions, and service providers that shape the enabling environment for integration. Particular attention should be given to practical implementation questions such as how integration was planned, understood, and operationalised by Trócaire and its partners; how decisions were made around sequencing and package assignment; how referrals worked in practice, including follow-up and drop-off points; how roles and responsibilities were shared across teams and partners; how partner profiles and technical mandates influenced integration; what conditions enabled or constrained integration; what risks emerged when integrating with specialised protection services; and where a more protection-led, standalone, or phased approach may have been more appropriate. 6. Core learning questions How do Trócaire and partners currently understand and apply integrated programming in the Syria ICSP context? What activities, approaches, support packages, referrals or ways of working are considered integrated in practice? What forms of integration are currently happening or being considered in Syria, including partners combining different types of support for the same participants, referrals across sectors, or possible coordination between partners working in the same geographic areas? Based on existing evidence, programme experience and partner perspectives, what appears to be working well, and what has been more challenging, in these approaches? What are the main factors that enable or limit integration in practice, and what minimum practical steps or conditions would make integration more meaningful, realistic and safe in the Syria context? How are decisions currently made, by whom, and based on what criteria, regarding targeting, referral pathways, sequencing of support, and the provision of different combinations of assistance across sectors, including referrals from MPCA to livelihoods? What refinements are needed to strengthen clarity, consistency, fairness and accountability? How do current partnership approaches, programme decision-making, MEAL practices and capacity strengthening support enable or limit integrated programming in practice? What additional partner capacities, tools, coordination mechanisms, MEAL approaches or technical support are needed to strengthen integrated programming in a way that is practical and useful for partners and communities? What forms of integration are most realistic and useful for future programming in Syria, including for the next ICSP, and where might standalone, phased, referral-based or partner-coordinated approaches be more appropriate? The consultant should also consider how partner roles and selection influence integration in practice, including the role of specialised and women-led organisations as technical actors within integrated programming. 7. Methodology The consultant is expected to propose a robust, feasible, and learning-oriented methodology. The approach should be practical, participatory, and adapted to the Syria context. The methodology should include a combination of desk review of key programme and learning documents; review of existing evidence, including relevant evaluations, monitoring data, partner reflections, case examples, and internal learning materials; key informant interviews with Trócaire staff, partners, technical advisors, and other relevant stakeholders; focused qualitative inquiry with selected programme participants, where feasible and appropriate; facilitated reflection and validationsessions with Trócaire and Partners ; and synthesis and sense-making oriented toward practical learning, not impact evaluation. The learning should analyse similarities and differences across geographical areas, recognising that integration may function differently depending on location, partner presence service availability, and operational context and the delivery model used; including whether integration is led primarily by one partner or through coordination across multiple CSOs and/or state services. Any primary qualitative inquiry should be limited and proportionate, and should be used to deepen understanding, triangulate findings, and support practical learning while keeping the assignment clearly framed as a learning exercise rather than a formal evaluation. The methodology should build on existing evidence rather than duplicate past evaluative work, focus on practical interpretation and actionable learning, explicitly consider ethics, safeguarding, confidentiality, and do-no-harm, ensure that any discussion of specialised protection services is handled in a survivor-centred and protection-sensitive manner, and remain realistic in scope and proportionate to available time and resources. Safeguarding should be treated as a cross-cutting consideration throughout the learning process, including in the design of tools, stakeholder consultations, analysis, and recommendations related to integrated programming. 8. Key tasks and responsibilities Phase 1: Inception and design Review the relevant background documents provided by Trócaire. Hold inception discussions with Trócaire to refine scope, expectations, and priority questions. Develop an inception report including refined methodology, workplan, learning questions, stakeholder map, and data collection plan. Develop or adapt data collection and facilitation tools. Phase 2: Evidence review and learning inquiry Conduct a desk review of key programme Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4213552/consultant-icsp-syria-learning-initiative-integrated-programming
|
