BRAC was established in Bangladesh by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972 and is now present as BRAC International (BI) in 10 other countries in Asia and Africa. BRAC International is a leading non-profit organisation with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Its approach is to identify innovative and holistic solutions toward sustainable livelihoods and socioeconomic resilience, achieving large-scale, transformative change by empowering individuals, especially women, and their families and communities to overcome poverty and become self-reliant and resilient. BI works primarily with local communities to innovate demand-driven programmes that integrate social development with market-based solutions.

The security and safety of our staff is of paramount importance to us. BRAC International (BI) has a duty of care in relation to employees and aims to mitigate and/or prevent any safety & security risks. It is in this regard that the organisation seeks to engage a consultant to undertake a comprehensive review and development of safety & security policy, manuals, guidelines and training of staff to ensure the safety and security of staff and assets.

Objectives:

The objectives of this consultancy are to enable the BRAC International to rapidly:

1. Identify relevant sources of threats and to mitigate identified security and safety related risks to human security and company assets across regional and country office operations; and
2. Help establish a system for safety and security risk management (SSRM) in accordance with best practice and global standards.

The consultant shall be expected to meet the following objectives.

• Conduct a comprehensive safety and security review of the region’s operations, personnel safety, offices, travel and field security routines, and other relevant areas in the regional office and at the Country offices.
• Draft (where none exists) and review (where older versions exist) security procedures, and guidelines based on non-profit organisations best practices and tailored to the BRAC International’s specific needs in the Regional Office (Kenya) and Countries of operation (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia).
• Review and provide recommendations on the current safety & security measures and propose necessary improvements to enhance the overall safety & security posture.
• Provide training and capacity building to relevant staff on safety and security awareness, risk management, emergency response, and other relevant topics.

Scope of Work:

The security consultant shall perform the following tasks:

• Conduct a thorough review of the organisation’s existing safety & security measures, physical security, personnel security, communication protocols, travel and accommodation arrangements, and other relevant areas.
• Identify potential safety & security gaps, vulnerabilities, and risks based on the organisation’s operations and the security situation in the region.
• Working closely with and guiding relevant stakeholders at BI, develop comprehensive security procedures, and guidelines for Regional Office and Country Offices that align with the organisation’s mission and objectives; and are practical and feasible to implement.
• Inspection of offices/facilities at the Regional Office and in sample locations both BV and NGO offices to determine staff safety risks safety and security consideration
• Provide recommendations in implementing necessary improvements to the organisation’s security measures.
• Provide training and capacity building sessions to the organisation’s staff on security awareness, risk management, emergency response, and other relevant topics.
• Prepare a final security review report, including findings, recommendations, and an action plan for BI to implement.

Terms of engagement:

This is a short-term position 6 months and commencing as soon as the selection team finds a suitable and available candidate. The engagement will involve some pre-approved travel to offices in the region where BI has operations.

Deliverables:

The security consultant shall undertake the following:

1. Detailed safety and security risk assessments relating to the regional and country offices.
2. Individual regional and country office specific security and safety procedures (SOPs) and guidelines tailored to the organisation’s operations and safety & security risks. including travel, program and office operations.
3. Training material and capacity building sessions for the organisation’s staff on safety & security awareness, risk management, emergency response, and other relevant topics.
4. Recommendations and assistance in implementing necessary improvements to the organisation’s safety & security measures.

Notes:

• In high risk countries like South Sudan the consultant will be encouraged to meet with UN OCHA or security focal points in peer INGOs for relevant briefings on safety and security matters.
• In the rest of the COs and the RO, the consultant must meet and where possible work with the Security company contracted to provide facility security services. The Consultant may also work with a locally identified security person ideally from the company providing security services to BI Country offices.

Consultancy reporting and timelines:

During this consultancy, the consultant shall prepare the following reports for submission to BRAC International. Reports will be submitted electronically to BI.

The Inception Report shall contain, at a minimum:

1. Mobilisation of consultant and logistical dispositions.
2. Review of documents and an outline of all initial pertinent activities that need to be performed and the obligations of BI. The report shall also bring to the attention of the BI a list of potential issues that warrant early attention.
3. Overall and detailed work plan featuring a concept of operations, pertinent activities, and critical pathways to successful completion of the assignment.

The Safety & Security Risk Assessment Report shall contain, at a minimum.

1. Risk assessment methodologies and tools.
2. Identification of risks, impacts and recommendations for mitigation.
3. Security risk management strategy.
4. Recommendations on hardware aspects in support of Comprehensive Staff safety security strategy

The Safety & Security Management Plan shall contain, at a minimum:

1. Risk description; contingency actions; risk impacts on BI operations; risk matrix analysis.
2. Risk assessment and mitigation measures.
3. Overview of the local security situation and contingency actions.
4. Safety & Security management plan.

Final security review report, including findings, recommendations, and an action plan for the organisation to implement. The content plan of the deliverables should be discussed prior to full development, presented in an inception report after the agreement is signed.

Qualification of the Firm/Individual Consultant

• The consultant should have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in security and personal safety in non-profit organisations context.
• There must be demonstrated understanding of the security context in the countries where BI operates, including different contexts within the individual countries.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and with minimum supervision.
• Skills and capabilities in performing a range of risk assessments, including a deep understanding of processes, procedures, mechanisms, and operations of security and safety related issues.

Reporting

The Consultant shall report formally to BI’s Deputy Regional Director – Africa or his designated representative.