CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Smallholder Legume Insurance Evaluation
TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
Title: Smallholder Legume Insurance Evaluation
Entity & Project Name: Palladium Internationally LLC; Growth Poles Project
Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
Type of engagement: Consultancy
Estimated Duration: 4 months
Provisional Start Date: Within 2 weeks of award of bid, Provisional Start Date on or around 30 July 2026
Reporting to: Deputy Team Leader – Program Quality
Deadline to Apply: 17 July, 2026, by 17:00hrs CAT
How to Apply:
- Request a proposal template by 10 July 2026 from ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com with subject line “Request for Legume Insurance Evaluation Proposal Template”
- Submit email proposals to ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com with subject line “Proposal – Legume Insurance Evaluation”
Required Qualifications and Experience: see “Required Qualifications and Experience” below
Proposal Requirements: Interested individuals and/or firms should submit:
- Technical proposal using template
- Financial proposal using template
Company Overview:
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a global team and network of experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.
Project Overview:
The Growth Poles Project 2.0 (GPP 2.0) is a five-year initiative (Oct 2023–Sept 2028) led by Palladium International and funded by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. It aims to accelerate inclusive, sustainable, and resilient wealth creation in Malawi by mobilizing private sector investments in agriculture and natural resource management. Its development objective is to advance a more inclusive, diversified, and resilient private sector that drives sustainable wealth creation while enhancing environmental and ecological diversity.
Assignment Abstract:
Background and Context
The Growth Poles Project is working with a partner that provides smallholder inputs on credit to pilot and evaluate the impact of a smallholder legume crop insurance product on both farmer outcomes and the sustainability of the credit program. The primary objective of the pilot is determine whether well-designed crop insurance is a potential solution for other private sector partners with outgrower programs who are looking to reduce the risk of weather shocks for their loan portfolios.
To support evaluation of the pilot, the Growth Poles Project will contract one or more service providers to conduct an evaluation of the legume crop insurance program, based on quantitative surveys of smallholder clients, a review of partner financial data and financial scenario modelling, and qualitative key informant interviews with partners.
Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to engage one or more qualified firms to implement an evaluation of the legume crop insurance program partnership with the Growth Poles Project and its partner.
This assignment will have two workstreams, which may be contracted to either one or two service providers.
Workstream 1 entails evaluating the impact of insurance on smallholders, including conducting household surveys 200 partner clients and comparison farmers in the same communities to collect data on barriers to adoption of legume crops, perceived risks of adoption, perceived benefits of the inputs on credit program, experiences with insurance payouts, and knowledge and attitudes towards crop insurance. This workstream also includes analysis of the survey data, and producing an evaluation report with findings from the household survey.
Workstream 2 entails evaluating the impact of insurance on the partner organization and program sustainability, using the findings from Workstream 1, as well as key informant interviews with partners and financial modelling to estimate the impact of insurance on risk, profitability, and sustainability of input credit programs under different scenarios. Scenarios will be modelled in part using data on cost of insurance, repayment rates, and client retention from the key informant and household survey data. This workstream will also include providing input into the overall design of the evaluation and questionnaires for both workstreams, and producing a final report synthesizing lessons from both workstreams. It is anticipated that this workstream could be performed remotely.
Key learning questions include:
- How does having input insurance, and receiving a payout, affect smallholder farmers’ decisions to grow legumes over multiple seasons?
- How does input legume insurance affect the viability of smallholder input credit programs, including repayment rates, farmer uptake, and long-term sustainability? Is crop insurance cost-effective from the perspective of the credit provider?
Findings will inform design of activities with the current legume insurance partner, and will also be shared with a number of large agribusinesses with outgrower programs to help support improved resilience of these programs.
Scope of Work
The service provider(s) will work together with each other, Palladium, and the legume crop insurance partner to finalize design of the evaluation, finalize data collection tools, plan and carry out data collection, clean and analyze data, and produce results reports suitable for a broad audience including the Growth Poles Project, development partners, and private sector companies.
The service provider(s) shall undertake the following interrelated components:
Workstream 1: Smallholder Evaluation
Component A: Survey Design and Preparation
Key Tasks:
- Review draft survey questionnaire provided by the project and provide feedback
- Program the questionnaire in electronic data collection tool
- Conduct pilot testing and revise tool based on feedback
- Prepare enumerator manuals and field protocols
Deliverables:
- Final survey instruments and programmed questionnaires
- Enumerator training materials
Component B: Data Collection
Key Tasks:
- Recruit and train enumerators
- Plan survey logistics
- Conduct in person surveys
- Monitor response rates
- Ensure adherence to data quality assurance protocols including daily data checks, and spot check/back checks
Component C: Data Management, Cleaning and Analysis
Key Tasks:
- Prepare and present a short data cleaning and analysis plan, including proposed report outline
- Clean and validate datasets
- Develop a data codebook/indicator guide
- Conduct descriptive and comparative analysis
Deliverables:
- Data analysis plan presentation in PowerPoint
- Cleaned dataset and codebook
- Data analysis code for replication of results using cleaned data set
- Results outputs and tables for use in report
Component D: Reporting and Dissemination
Key Tasks:
- Prepare a comprehensive evaluation report, including:
- Methods
- Key findings aligned to learning questions
- Limitations and interpretation guidance
- Develop presentation materials for validation workshop
- Participate in a stakeholder validation event and incorporate feedback
- Prepare a final baseline report incorporating feedback from validation workshop
Deliverables:
- Draft baseline report
- Validation workshop presentation slides
- Final baseline report (post-validation)
Workstream 2: Program Evaluation
Component A: Evaluation and Survey Design and Preparation
Key Tasks:
- Participate in co-creation of final evaluation plan for Workstreams 1 and 2 and smallholder questionnaire design
- Develop survey questionnaire(s) for Workstream 1
Deliverables:
- Final evaluation plan
- Final survey questionnaires
Component B: Data Collection
Key Tasks:
- Plan survey logistics
- Conduct key informant interviews with 4-5 partner organizations
- Collect data required for financial modelling
Component C: Data Management, Cleaning and Analysis
Key Tasks:
- Prepare and present a short data analysis and synthesis plan, including proposed report outline
- Conduct qualitative analysis of interview data
- Conduct financial modelling analysis
Deliverables:
- Data analysis plan presentation in PowerPoint
- Interview transcripts, with coding if applicable
- Final financial models
Component D: Reporting and Dissemination
Key Tasks:
- Prepare a comprehensive evaluation report, including:
- Methods
- Synthesis of findings from Workstream 1 and Workstream 2, aligned to learning questions
- Limitations and interpretation guidance
- Develop presentation materials for validation workshop
- Participate in a stakeholder validation event and incorporate feedback
- Prepare a final baseline report incorporating feedback from validation workshop
Deliverables:
- Draft baseline report
- Validation workshop presentation slides
- Final baseline report (post-validation)
Duration
The assignment is expected to last approximately 4 months.
Management and Reporting Arrangements
- The service provider(s) will report to the Deputy Team Leader for Program Quality and Learning.
- Deliverables for each Component must be approved by Palladium before work on the next Component begins.
- The service provider(s) will provide weekly progress updates, and participate in other calls and meetings with Palladium as required.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Workstream 1: The consulting team should demonstrate:
- Proven experience implementing detailed multi-module household surveys in Malawi;
- Expertise in agricultural outcome measurement; experience with evaluation of crop insurance or other innovative financial products desired
- Capacity for rapid survey data collection implementation, including ability to mobilize enumerator teams and access to all hardware and software required for the assignment;
- Strong data quality procedures and practices;
- Expertise in data management and data analysis;
- Ability to produce a polished, error-free final report accessible to non-technical audience;
- Strong communication and project management skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with the Workstream 2 service provider
Workstream 2: The consulting team should demonstrate:
- Extensive experience with the design and evaluation of crop insurance products in the smallholder context, including the factors that affect product uptake and viability;
- Expertise in financial and risk modelling;
- Knowledge of the weather risk and insurance product landscape in Malawi;
- Expertise in qualitative and mixed methods evaluation;
- Ability to produce a polished, error-free final report accessible to non-technical audience;
- Strong communication and project management skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with the Workstream 1 service provider
Applications will be assessed on a best value trade-off basis, balancing applicant qualifications and quality of the technical proposal, with cost. Value for money will be an important consideration, as
How to Apply: email ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com to request a proposal template.
Proposal Requirements: Interested individuals and/or firms should submit:
- A brief technical proposal describing their approach and expertise using the provided template
- Financial proposal
- One example of a previous household survey report produced by the applicant
Use of Results
The outputs of this consultancy will be used by Palladium and partners to:
- Understand poultry business and community nutrition needs
- Establish a baseline for evaluation of impact of programming on business and nutrition outcomes
Post expires at 11:59pm on Monday July 13th, 2026