REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPs) FOR THE SADC HUMANITARIAN AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE (SHOC)

Primary Objectives

The objectives of this consultancy:

1. To develop detailed and practical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the SADC SHOC by function.

These functions are:

• Accounting and Finance
• Early Warning and Monitoring.
• Emergency Telecommunications.
• Emergency Response Team (ERT)
• Human Resources and Administration
• Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Reporting
• Security and Access
• Supply Chain Management

2. Identify and recommend any other function that may require additional SOPs.

3. Conduct a test run of one of the SOPs to assess its effectiveness, identify any potential gaps, and ensure that all procedures are clear and actionable for all involved stakeholders.

Scope of Work:

The scope of this consultancy is expected to include but not be limited to:

**Assessment**

– Conduct an initial assessment to understand current processes and identify gaps in the existing procedures across all functions of the SHOC including but not limited to Supply Chain, Logistics, ICT (assessing regional/national capacities in ICT preparedness using existing Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) – International Telecommunication Union (ITU) tools/resources), Finance and Administration, Security and Access, Reporting, Emergency Telecommunications, Early Warning and Monitoring.

– Research, identify and recommend other functions carried out by other Disaster/Humanitarian Operation Centers within and outside the region, that the SADC SHOC would benefit from adopting to enhance its interoperability with other humanitarian Operations Centers.

**Development**

– Develop SOPs tailored to the specific agreed needs of each identified functional area within SHOC.

– Develop detailed SOPs for identified functions, including incident reporting, Supply Chain, Logistics, ICT, Finance and Administration, Security and Access, Reporting, Emergency Telecommunications, Early Warning and Monitoring, Resource Mobilization, Coordination Mechanisms, and Decision-Making Processes.

– Ensure that SOPs facilitate compliance with international best practices and local regulatory requirements.

– Integrate risk management practices into all SOPs to anticipate and mitigate potential issues during disaster preparation and response.

**Validation**

– Collaborate with SHOC function heads and stakeholders to review and validate each SOP.

– Submit a final report summarizing the SOP development process, challenges encountered, and recommendations for future improvements

The selected consultant will be expected to deliver the following:

• Inception Report.
• A complete set of SOPs for specified functions.
• Implementation support materials to facilitate the adoption and utilization of SOPs.
• A final consultancy report detailing the methodology, findings, SOPs, and recommendations.
• Develop a quick reference guide.
• The final documents must be translated in English, French and Portuguese.