Consultancy- Market Research on Green construction materials and services – Kenya

Background

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is anchored on a fundamental vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. This vision has been the driving force in all of Habitat’s actions and activities and has seen HFHI helping more than 29 million people around the world build or improve the place they call home. To further fulfil this vision, Habitat for Humanity International established the Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter (Terwilliger Centre) to Build and Expand Inclusive Housing Markets by supporting local firms to innovate and expand client-responsive services and products. The Terwilliger Centre understands that the role of local markets is critical in closing adequate housing gaps among the low-income and incremental market segment. The Terwilliger Centre strives to make markets work more effectively for low-income people in need of decent, affordable housing.

Among the Terwilliger Centre’s efforts over the past five years includes engaging stakeholders in the affordable housing market system to facilitate efforts to drive housing quality up and housing costs down, taking into account social and community aspects of housing. The aim is to stimulate inclusive housing markets while generating expanded benefits to low-income households in a sustainable manner. The thrust of the interventions is the market system development approach that focuses on systemic change aimed at stimulating the low-cost housing market system to innovate and replicate promising practices on a sustainable basis.

This approach has ensured partnering with key actors to identify impediments and opportunities in the subsystems of the incremental housing markets and facilitating initiatives that strengthen competitiveness of private and public sector actors through market-based initiatives. By adopting the market systems development approach, focus is maintained on housing services and products with potential to be developed in an equitable and inclusive manner through the market leverage. The approach further ensures that efforts are driven with and through private and public sectors and other market-based actors where anchor/lead firms/catalytic companies are evident and strengthened to lead systems change even beyond the programme intervention.

Project Overview

Habitat for Humanity is currently implementing a 3-year project on Driving Green Growth in the Construction Sector project; funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) programme. The project is being implemented in Kenya and co-designed between Habitat, consortium partners, other sector partners and youth working both in formal and informal sections of housing sector. It will apply market systems development approach to facilitate housing firms and relevant stakeholders to link youth to decent green jobs through three interconnected change objectives:

1. Create, match and improve 908 green jobs for youth in the construction sector, of which 34% for women;
2. Increase demand, supply and utilization of green housing products and services;
3. Increase meaningful participation of women and youth in the construction sector.

Purpose and Objectives of the research

The project wishes to conduct market research to understand different knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards green construction products, motivators, and barriers for uptake for products and green jobs. Specific to this project, the research will focus on green construction materials converted from plastic and agriculture waste. The research will also focus on renewable energy products and services targeted to households. The research findings will guide the project partners in developing targeted marketing strategies and address barriers that may hinder uptake of green construction materials and services.

Research Objectives

1. Identify the primary market for green construction materials and services.
2. Understand knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the primary market toward green construction products, jobs and training
3. Identify stakeholders and influencing group for green construction materials and services
4. Map stakeholders within the built environment that can be leveraged to influence attitudes, demand and uptake of green materials and services from the primary market
5. Identify existing structures that can influence attitudes and perceptions, promote demand and uptake of for green materials and services

Tasks and responsibilities

1. Collaborate with Terwilliger Centre and partners to develop and validate a research plan.
2. Conduct a debrief workshop with the project to share preliminary findings
3. Support partners to develop marketing and communication plans based on research findings
4. Lead the research and be responsible for ensuring integrity of the data and its completion within the agreed upon timeframe and following HFHI’s Data Privacy Policy.
5. Analyze data and submit a detailed report outlining the methodology used, presenting the findings with their interpretations, and discussing the strengths, limitations, and implications of findings
6. Facilitate a stakeholder forum
7. Support Habitat partners to develop a marketing and communication plan

Deliverables

1. A detailed report research report
2. Detailed stakeholder mapping report covering the relevant stakeholders working within the build environment; specific to recycled agriculture and plastic waste.
3. Provide an electronic version of the raw data collected from the field survey/assessment
4. Research report
5. Stakeholder engagement report
6. Marketing and communication plan for 3 Habitat for Humanity’s partners.

Duration

The Market Research will be conducted between April 2023 to June 2023. This represents calendar period and not consultancy days.

Experience and qualification

1. Master’s Degree level with experience working in Behaviour Change, marketing research and other relevant fields. Qualification in Behaviour Change will be an added advantage.
2. Have minimum 10 years demonstrated experience in qualitative and/or mixed methods research
3. Strong commitment and capacity to engage staff and partners through participatory and consultative approach in strategy development.
4. Extensive experience in data management and analysis, including data collection tools design, database design and management and data quality checks.
5. Understanding of Market Systems approaches and experience working with housing programmes is an added advantage.
6. Experience in carrying out related evaluations on green products is desirable

Safeguarding and Data Protection

Safeguarding: HFHI requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguarding our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work. Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation, and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct.

Data Protection: The contractor will be required to abide by Habitat for Humanity International’s data protection and security policy during the assignment period.

How to apply

Submission

Interested individuals or companies should submit the following:

• A maximum 5 pages technical proposal clearly outlining understanding of the terms of reference, methodology, duration and the technical team,
• A detailed financial proposal, and
• Profile/resume of the lead expert

Application and Decision Process

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Written proposal (technical and financial) including CVs of key personnel should be sent to AFRNairobiInfo@habitat.org by 24th March 2023, via email on with subject line: Market Research on Green construction materials and services.

Please note that the selected consultant will be required to show proof of professional indemnity cover.