Action Against Hunger - Lebanon is seeking offers for a consultancy on the topic of “Lessons from ACF 2025 Cash and Voucher Assistance Interventions in Lebanon”
BACKGROUND
In 2025, Action Against Hunger (ACF) has been one of the leading cash partners in Lebanon. ACF has implemented multiple cash modalities, including:
❖Emergency Cash Assistance (ECA)
❖Cash for Food
❖Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)
❖Cash for Work
❖Cash for Nutrition
Table 1 ACF cash portfolio in 2025 Cash modality
Cash modality -Target (HH)
Cash for Food - 4,685
Cash for Nutrition - 142
Cash for Work 4,380
Emergency Cash Assistance - 1,620
Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) - 656
Grand Total - 11,483
ACF has actively contributed to the national cash response architecture, playing leadership roles in coordination mechanisms such as the Basic Assistance Sector (until its dissolution in December 2025), Food Security and Agriculture Sector (FSAS), Cash for Work Working Group, participated in the joint FSAS & BA Targeting Technical Group, and is a co-leader of the newly established Cash Working Group (CWG).
Despite this operational footprint and strategic engagement, ACF has not systematically consolidated, documented, and disseminated lessons from its cash programming in Lebanon. This gap limits institutional visibility, evidence-based advocacy, and strategic positioning as a thought leader in cash programming.
With the evolving humanitarian landscape in Lebanon—characterized by intersecting crises, economic collapse, and weak social protection systems—ACF documented experience can reinforce the organization’s voice in shaping coordinated cash responses, linking humanitarian cash to social protection, and advocating for inclusive targeting and flexible assistance modalities.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
To address this, ACF aims to hire an external consultant to conduct a thematic study to:
❖ Document, capitalise, and disseminate the lessons learned from ACF cash programming in Lebanon.
❖ Influence sector-wide practice and donor strategy, positioning ACF as a thought leader in innovative, inclusive, and strategic cash programming eventually raising awareness of the role of cash programs in Lebanon.
❖ Communicate ACF vision around cash (e.g. targeting approaches, linkages with social protection, sectoral integration).
❖ Inform future programming and advocacy, including potential replication of good practices and methodological innovations.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The study specific objectives are:
1. Document and analyse ACF CVA interventions in Lebanon
o Consolidate programmatic data across modalities (ECA, Cash for Food, MPCA, Cash for Work, Cash for Nutrition).
o Identify successes, challenges, and operational innovations.
o Assess performance against Core Humanitarian Standards.
2.Evaluate linkages between humanitarian cash and social protection systems
o Examine how ACF interventions complement or integrate with national safety nets, including targeting, delivery mechanisms, and coordination.
o Identify opportunities and constraints for strengthening these linkages.
3. Assess the added value and strategic positioning of ACF in Lebanon’s cash ecosystem
o Review ACF role in sector coordination, advocacy, and technical leadership.
o Highlight comparative advantages, including operational approaches, inclusion strategies, and sectoral integration.
4. Generate evidence-based recommendations for programming and advocacy
o Provide actionable guidance to improve targeting, delivery, and monitoring.
o Suggest ways to innovate or expand cash modalities (e.g., digital payments, cash + approaches, flexible multipurpose transfers).
o Offer strategic insights for ACF to enhance visibility, influence sector coordination, and contribute to policy dialogue.
5. Produce knowledge products for internal and external dissemination
o Develop a thematic report that communicates key lessons, recommendations, and ACF positioning in a clear, visually engaging, and accessible format.
o Include a concise executive summary for donor and sector audiences.
METHODS
ACF will hire an external consultant that is expected to adopt a mixed-methods approach, including:
❖ Desk review of secondary data, including program documents, assessments, and sectoral reports.
❖ Analysis of ACF monitoring data, focusing on output, process, and outcome indicators.
❖ Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with ACF staff, partners, and coordination actors.
The consultant is expected to frame the study into the broader global CVA discussion such as:
o Cash as a modality for systemic change, not just emergency relief.
o Best practices in multi-purpose cash programming and cash plus approaches.
o The role of digital payments and financial inclusion.
o Evidence-based advocacy, using documented lessons to influence policy, coordination, and donor priorities.
o Approaches for enhancing accountability to affected populations (AAP).
o Lessons on linking humanitarian cash to national social protection systems, where feasible, considering Lebanon’s complex socio-political and economic context.
EXPECTED OUTPUT
The main output of this consultancy is a thematic paper/report that:
❖ Can be shared and disseminated widely within the ACF network and externally (e.g., on ReliefWeb and relevant sector platforms).
❖ It is visually engaging, including infographics, charts, and tables that effectively communicate key findings and recommendations.
❖ Uses clear, concise, and accessible language that avoids excessive technical jargon, while still maintaining analytical depth.
❖ Highlights ACF added value, lessons learned, and positioning in the cash response in Lebanon.
❖ Provides actionable recommendations for programming, coordination, and advocacy .
❖ The report should not exceed 25 pages (excluding annexes). A short 2–3-page summary/brief should also be produced for wider dissemination.
REQURIED APPLICATION PACKAGE
The study should be users-oriented and adopt ACF guiding principles (adapted from the OECD/DAC evaluation principles) of impartiality and independence, credibility, usefulness, transparency and participation and gender equality.
The evaluator should submit – as part of the application package – the following documents:
1. Narrative description (1-2 pages) of the study approach, including reference to methods that will be used for collecting information, both qualitative and quantitative, triangulation methods to be used, and possible methodology limitations.
2. Workplan.
3. CVs.
4. Financial proposal within budget (6,452 EUR including VAT) with disaggregated budget lines.
DELIVERABLES
Application package - Narrative description, workplan, CVs, financial proposal. - Expected timeline: 6 November 2025
Draft Study Report - The consultant will share the draft report with the evaluation lead who will be in charge of circulating the report within the steering committee to collect their feedback and share it back with the evaluator.
Then, the evaluator will integrate the feedback and share it again with the evaluation lead who will follow the same pathway until the final validation of the inception report. Once the inception report is validated, the evaluation could star. Expected timeline: 20 December 2025. Payment (% of contract value) - 50%.
Full Study Report - The evaluation lead receives the draft of the evaluation report from the evaluator and circulates it for comments to the steering committee.
The evaluation lead share back the report to the evaluator for edits and revision of the report and make the final amendment.
If there are many feedbacks/comments, a meeting could be organized with the evaluator to ease the review process. Expected timeline: 15 January 2026. Payment (% of contract value) 50%.
Restitution: The debriefings are designed to provide a summary of the main findings, conclusions, lessons learnt, best practices and recommendations of the evaluation practices and recommendations of the evaluation. It is organized by the steering committee with the evaluator once the final version of the report has been approved. Expected timeline: 15 February 2026.
This consultancy can be done remotely.
Deadline for Submission: All offers must be submitted before 16:00am (Lebanon time) on Wednesday, 5th November 2025.
Offers must be submitted by email to the procurement-bt@lb.acfspain.org before the submission deadline to be considered.