TERMS OF REFERENCE

Household and Agricultural Survey Data Collection Services in Areas with Limited Access in Myanmar

Background

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has implemented a sustained program of data collection and analysis in Myanmar since 2021 to better understand the impacts of ongoing economic, political, and climatic shocks on household welfare, food security, and agrifood systems. These efforts generate timely evidence on evolving conditions across Myanmar and provide insights into changes in livelihoods and agricultural conditions over time.

As part of this work, IFPRI implements two large-scale phone surveys in Myanmar twice per year. The Myanmar Household Welfare Survey (MHWS) collects information on household and individual welfare across Myanmar, including poverty, food security, dietary quality, subjective well-being, shocks, and coping strategies, from approximately 12,000 households in 310 townships. The Myanmar Agricultural Performance Survey (MAPS) is a farm survey conducted with a sub-sample of approximately 5,000 farming households from the MHWS database and collects information on crop production, input access, marketing, agricultural services, and production constraints.

As conditions have worsened and communications have become more difficult, reaching respondents by phone has become increasingly challenging in some parts of Myanmar, especially in Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, and Kayah. To improve survey coverage in these limited-access areas, IFPRI is seeking qualified survey firms or organizations to support survey implementation in these states. The objective is to improve survey coverage through practical and locally feasible approaches.

Scope of Work

The selected survey firm(s) or organization(s) will support efforts to improve survey coverage in selected areas of Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, and Kayah. Firms may propose implementation in all target states or in a subset of locations where they have established operational access and implementation capacity.

The selected firm(s) will be expected to work in close coordination with IFPRI throughout all stages of preparation and implementation. IFPRI will play an active role in survey design, sampling, implementation planning, training, and data quality assurance. Final implementation approaches and survey protocols will be agreed jointly prior to implementation.

IFPRI anticipates that survey preparation activities will begin in mid-2026, with data collection expected to take place between August and November 2026.

Given the operating constraints in limited-access areas, IFPRI is interested in two broad implementation approaches. Firms may propose one or both approaches, depending on their access, capacity, and assessment of local feasibility.

Option 1: Facilitation of Participation in IFPRI Phone Surveys (Preferred Option)

Under this approach, the selected firm(s) would support participation of respondents from limited-access areas in IFPRI's existing phone-based survey operations.

Responsibilities may include:

• Identifying feasible approaches for respondent identification and recruitment;

• Facilitating communication between respondents and IFPRI survey teams;

• Supporting respondent scheduling, tracing, and follow-up activities;

• Providing or facilitating access to phones, internet connectivity, or other communication arrangements where needed;

• Assisting with respondent verification and recontact activities where necessary;

• Maintaining records of respondent participation and implementation activities;

• Preparing a technical report summarizing implementation activities, challenges, and lessons learned.

Indicative Sample Targets

The table below provides indicative sample targets for proposal development purposes, including the target number of households by state, the number of village tracts and wards to be covered per township, and the target number of farm households.

Township	Total Sample Target	Farm Household Target
Chin State	240	114
- Hakha	24	7
- Thantlang	25	13
- Falam	24	11
- Tedim	44	22
- Tonzang	16	8
- Mindat	21	9
- Matupi	26	12
- Kanpetlet	11	5
- Paletwa	49	26
Kachin State	390	162
- Bhamo	30	9
- Hpakant	75	36
- Mansi	15	9
- Mogaung	40	18
- Mohnyin	55	27
- Momauk	15	9
- Myitkyina	55	9
- Puta-O	15	9
- Shwegu	15	9
- Tanai	30	9
- Waingmaw	45	18
Kayah State	190	108
- Loikaw	58	39
- Demoso	66	37
- Hpruso	25	13
- Hpasawng	6	3
- Shadaw	9	3
- Bawlakhe	21	11
- Mese	5	3
Rakhine State	522	260
- Sittwe	37	7
- Ponnagyun	32	17
- Pauktaw	36	20
- Rathedaung	28	16
- Mrauk-U	47	23
- Kyauktaw	43	23
- Minbya	42	22
- Myebon	34	19
- Maungdaw	10	4
- Buthidaung	14	7
- Kyaukpyu	41	22
- Munaung	14	8
- Ramree	24	13
- Ann	30	17
- Thandwe	33	18
- Toungup	39	19
- Gwa	16	8

Option 2: Direct Survey Implementation

Under this approach, the selected firm(s) would conduct survey data collection directly in selected locations using survey instruments and protocols developed in collaboration with IFPRI.

Responsibilities may include:

Survey Design and Implementation Planning

• Propose feasible approaches for survey implementation, sampling, respondent identification, and household recontact where feasible;

• Assess the feasibility of household listing activities and support implementation where agreed with IFPRI;

• Develop implementation plans, supervision arrangements, logistics plans, and data quality assurance procedures;

• Adapt implementation approaches as needed to reflect local operating conditions while maintaining consistency with agreed survey standards.

Survey Programming and Preparation

• Program the survey instrument into computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) platform, including skip logic, validation checks, and quality control features;

• Prepare training materials, enumerator manuals, and implementation protocols in coordination with IFPRI.

Training and Pilot Activities

• Organize and conduct training for enumerators or other personnel involved in survey implementation;

• Facilitate participation of IFPRI staff, both virtually and in person, to provide technical guidance on questionnaire content, survey protocols, and implementation expectations;

• Conduct a short pilot of the survey instrument and incorporate revisions based on findings and feedback from IFPRI.

Survey Implementation and Data Quality Assurance

• Implement survey data collection in accordance with agreed protocols and timelines, including enumerator supervision, respondent tracing and recontact where feasible, and field coordination;

• Coordinate closely with IFPRI during implementation to support ongoing monitoring of survey progress and data quality;

• Provide survey data to IFPRI on a rolling basis throughout implementation to enable periodic review, quality checks, and identification of issues requiring corrective action;

• Conduct respondent verification or recontact, where feasible and necessary, to address data quality concerns identified during implementation.

Final Dataset and Documentation

• Provide a final Stata (.dta) dataset with complete variable and value labels, unique respondent and household identifiers, and all relevant metadata necessary for analysis;

• Prepare a technical report summarizing the survey methodology, sampling and respondent identification approaches, implementation process, training and pilot activities, data quality assurance procedures, fieldwork timelines, challenges encountered, and any deviations from the agreed implementation plan.

Indicative Sample Targets

The table below provides indicative sample targets for proposal development purposes, including the target number of households by state, the number of village tracts and wards to be covered per township, and the target number of farm households.

Township	Total Sample Target	Farm Household Target	# of Ward(s) Covered	# of Village Tract(s) Covered
Chin State	300	162	1