Social PolicyStatement of Credentials

2

Introduction

AASA Consulting was

established in 1995 as a

multi-disciplinary firm with

the primary aim of

improving the lives of

people in Pakistan by

assisting the government,

donor agencies, NGOs and

other organizations working

in the development sector

of the country.

With over 20 years of rich

experience and the

successful completion of

high profile projects, we

remain a reliable partner of

first choice for many

leading organizations in the

country.

We provide a range of

social policy services with a

focus in our specialized

areas.

Our strength lies in the

ability to undertake work at

a national and international

level. We have a close - knit

and small, but committed

team that punches above its

weight. We pride ourselves

in empowering people,

enhancing and rewarding

performance and ensuring

the best results for our

partners and clients.

3

Sectors

Water, Environment and Sanitation

Health and Population WelfareSocial Protection MicrofinanceEducation

Banking and Finance

Housing and Urban Development

4

Services

Impact Assessment

Baseline & EndlineSurveys

Institutional DevelopmentField Research

Monitoring & Evaluation

Policy Formulation

Project Management Grants Management

Gender Studies

5

Our Experience - Education

Project Brief

Independent Expert for Education Management

Organizations for Education and Literacy Department,

Government of Sindh: The Education and Literacy

Department, Government of Sindh, has outsourced the

operation and management of selected government schools

to private sector Education Management Organizations

(EMOs) under a public-private partnership arrangement.

AASA Consulting has been appointed as the Independent

Expert for three EMOs managing a total of 54 schools

across five districts of Sindh, and tasked with verifying and

monitoring the progress achieved at these schools as per

stipulated targets and timelines.

Sukkur, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot, Dadu and KhairpurDistricts covered

IE to 54 Schools

Project scope of work:

a) Facilitating the review, reporting and certification of all

activities associated with the fulfillment of KPIs to the

Government of Sindh, the EMOs, and the Independent

Auditor

b) Approving the annual management plan developed by the

EMOs

c) Supporting the EMOs and the Sindh Government in

designing of the reporting and other Monitoring, Evaluation

and Reporting (MER) tools

d) Facilitating the reviewing and approval of the parameters

for the Training Need Assessment (TNA) of the staff

e) Submitting quarterly reports to the Sindh Government and

other stakeholders on the performance of the EMOs

based on technical aspects

EMOs: TCF, IBA Sukkur & Charter for Compassion

6

Our Experience - Education

Project Brief

Study on Willingness to Pay & Affordability: The study

estimated the willingness and affordability of households to pay

the tuition fee of children studying in the Citizens Foundation (TCF)

schools, through AASA Consulting recommending a location specific

fee. The study scope of work is as follows:

1) Designing the study methodology in consultation with the

client's team, including the assessment and analytical tools

2) Conducting household surveys in clusters representing mutually

selected locations where the client’s schools are present. A

total of 8,040 households were surveyed from 201 different

clusters under the study. A minimum of 1 client school from

each cluster was visited, to compliment the household surveys

3) Determining households’ affordability for children education

in each cluster independently

4) Determining households’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) in each

cluster independently

5) Undertaking periodic review meetings with the client’s study

team as and when required

This was a 5-month study, which resulted in the client being

provided a location specific fee and a survey tool which they

can utilize to independently complete the study in all client

school locations, nationwide.

5 monthsLength of study

8,040Households surveyed

201Schools surveyed

Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & BalochistanGeographic coverage

7

Impact Assessment Study of

Capacity Building of Teachers

Training Institutions and

Training of Elementary School

Teachers in Sindh Province,

Government of Sindh,

subcontracted by Grant

Thornton Consulting

Third Party Validation of

School Management

Committees in Schools in

Sindh, Government of Sindh,

subcontracted by

Grant Thornton Consulting

Third Party Validation

of Girls’ Stipend in

Schools in Sindh,

Government of Sindh,

subcontracted by Grant

Thornton Consulting

Evaluation of Long

Term Outcomes,

The British Council

Understanding the Size of

Computer Based

Exams/Testing Market &

Identifying Delivery Options to

Grow this Market in Pakistan,

The British Council,

subcontracted by Grant

Thornton Consulting

English Language

Testing Needs Survey

in Pakistan,

Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri

Lanka and Kazakhstan,

The British Council

Monitoring and

Evaluation of

Education Sector

Reform Assistance

Program, USAID

Funding Proposal and

Workshop for IBA Center of

Excellence, IBA

Voice of IBA -

Employee Climate

Survey, IBA

Development of a

Five Year

Comprehensive

Business Plan,

Teachers Resource

Center

Strategic Planning,

Pakistan Coalition for

Education

Impact Evaluation of the

Sindh Education

Foundation (SEF) Pilot

Promoting Private

Schools in Rural Sindh

Program (PPRS)

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Our Experience - Social Protection

Project Brief

Targeting Survey – National Socio Economic

Registry (NSER) Update – Phase 1, Benazir

Income Support Program (BISP), Cluster C

(Sindh & Baluchistan): Following AASA Consulting’s

successful completion of poverty scorecard surveys

across 6 districts of Pakistan, BISP engaged AASA

Consulting to conduct a nationwide survey to

update their NSER.

The Objective of this project is to collect 100%

household data in 6 districts (3 in Sindh and 3 in

Baluchistan) with the help of a Proxy Means Testing

(PMT) based Poverty Scorecard, observing standard

protocols, procedures, guidelines and manuals to be

prescribed by BISP, and to undertake

communication and social mobilization activities in

the selected districts, to ensure effective and

efficient implementation of the survey.

This was a watershed

study for BISP, through

the use of Computer

Assisted Personal

Interviewing (CAPI), in

which paper forms were

replaced by an Android

Application provided by

BISP.

DistrictHouseholds Covered

Area Coordinators

SupervisorsSocial

MobilizersEnumerators

Field Office Staff

Thatta 304,662 5 24 24 224 4

Jacobabad 220,014 4 15 15 153 4

Sukkur 204,278 3 20 20 200 4

Kech 68,432 1 5 5 51 4

Nasirabad 43,112 3 5 5 42 4

Killa Saifullah 29,692 2 8 8 22 4

Total 870,190 18 77 77 692 24

9

Our Experience - Social Protection

Poverty Scorecard Survey in Multiple Districts, Benazir

Income Support Program (BISP), World Bank and

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF): BISP is

Pakistan’s largest social safety net program, which cannot

function effectively without reliable household data. AASA

Consulting conducted household surveys for BISP in 6

different districts during which more than 550,000

households were surveyed using the national poverty

scorecard. AASA Consulting was subcontracted

by Grant Thornton Consulting for 4 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

districts. A substantial number of field staff were hired,

trained and monitored in each district as data collection

had to be conducted within a month. Since the shortlisting

of program beneficiaries is done using the household data,

multilayered monitoring mechanisms were designed and

implemented throughout the project to ensure the accuracy

of the collected data.

District Ghotki Sanghar Bannu Upper Dir Kohistan Shangla

Households Covered

80,000 125,000 99,867 98,803 81,010 83,356

EnumeratorsTrained

200 400 293 350 300 307

Project Brief

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Baseline Study Balochistan

under Multi Donor Trust Fund

for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA

and Balochistan, World Bank

Enhancing Access and Rural

Electrification - Cost, Benefits

and Willingness to Pay for

World Bank

Effective, Poverty Focused

Investment Strategy in

Punjab (Component 1) for

Asian Development Bank

Impact Assessment of PPAF

Communities and Skills

Training Programs delivered

to Civil Society

Organizations/Non

Government Organizations,

PPAF

Situation Analysis and

Baseline Surveys for Poverty

Reduction through Rural

Development in Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and

Balochistan, PPAF

Assistance in Monitoring

and Verification Activities

in the Dir District

Development Program

Project, UNDCP

Self Help Program,

USAID

Project Monitoring of the

Provisions Introduced by ILO

for Eradication of Child

Labour Usage in the Sports

Industry

11

Our Experience - Health and Population Welfare

Baseline Survey of Implementation of the Nutrition-

Sensitive Component (ER-3) of the Programme for

Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS) for Rural Support

Programmes Network (RSPN): The Programme for

Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS) is a four-year

programme that will be implemented in selected unions

council of ten (10) districts across Sindh by the Rural

Support Programmes Network (RSPN) in association with

other partners (including Action Against Hunger, National

Rural Support Programme, Sindh Rural Support Programme,

and Thardeep Rural Development Programme).

This Project is part of an overall impact assessment and

evaluation study of the third component (Expected Result

No. 3) of PINS, which focuses on improved community-level

WASH (including infrastructure and behavioural change) and

nutrition-sensitive food production systems adapted to

climate change in rural areas.

AASA Consulting was conducting a baseline study comprising

of village surveys and household surveys using a purpose-

built Data Collection Module and Dashboard (developed in-

house, to ensure progress and process monitoring) across

fifty (50) selected Union Councils of the ten districts. More

than 50 duly trained field team personnel (including District

Supervisors and Enumerators) have been mobilized for the

Project.

Project Brief

5,000Households surveyed using CAPI

176FGDs

Dadu, Jamshoro, Kamber-Shahdadkot, Larkana, Matiari, Sujawal, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, and ShikarpurGeographic coverage

12

Our Experience - Health and Population Welfare

Project Brief

Benchmark Survey for Issues Related to Reproductive

Health Initiatives for Youth in Asia (RHIYA), United

Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): This was a nationwide

survey covering the districts of Chakwal (Punjab),

Jacobabad (Sindh), Kohat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Killa

Saifullah (Balochistan). The purpose of this survey was to

improve the reproductive health status of young people

between the ages 15-24 in both, urban and rural areas.

AASA Consulting provided useful information on issues

otherwise difficult to investigate, such as awareness of

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and use of

contraceptive methods. Households in both urban and rural

areas were surveyed through random sampling, which

increased the difficulty of getting responses from women.

AASA Consulting was successful in collecting reliable data

through innovative methods to engage respondents and the

extensive training of field staff.

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Technical Assistance for

Capacity Building in Midwifery,

Information and Logistics,

USAID

Policy Options for Financing

Health Services in Pakistan,

Health Financing &

Sustainability Project,

USAID/Abt Associates

Training Workshops for

Health Financing and

Sustainability Project for

USAID and Federal Ministry

of Health, Pakistan

Baseline View: Out of

Pocket Health Expenditure,

District Faisalabad for BISP

Health Insurance Program,

World Bank

Data Collection for Protecting

Pakistan’s Poor Against Health

Shocks in Disasters, World

Bank

Review of the Personnel

Management System for the

Government of Sindh’s Social

Action Program Project,

World Bank

Healthcare Development

Project/Northern Health

Project funded by

World Bank

Health Financing and

Sustainability Project -

Feasibility for Development of

Private Health Insurance in

Papua New Guinea

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Report on Long Term

Operational

Assistance for

Children’s Hospital,

Quetta

Review of

Operations and

Strategy, Al Razi

Healthcare

Health Maintenance

Organization System

for AsiaCare

Mid -Term Assessment of

the Pakistan Initiative for

Mothers and Newborns,

Project for Pakistan

Voluntary Health and

Nutrition Association

Reproductive Health

Profile Study for

Takhtbhai, Kohat and

Bannu for Pakistan

Voluntary Health and

Nutrition Authority

Workshop On ‘Managing

Critical Hospital

Resources - People &

Finances’ for Children’s

Hospital, Government Of

Balochistan

Third Party Evaluation of

Autonomous Hospitals for

the Government of Punjab

Children’s Hospital, Quetta

Third Party Evaluation -

Balochistan Nutrition

Program for Mothers and

Children (BNPMC) Project,

Government of

Balochistan

Sub-consultancy Contract

for Combined Effluent

Treatment Plant (CETP)

Phase 1 for M3 Industrial

City, Faisalabad

15

Pakistan Healthcare Corporation

Evaluating the Demand for

Health Services for Aga Khan

Health Service Pakistan

Focus Group for Aga

Khan University Hospital

Community Health Financing

Sustainability Study for Aga

Khan Health Services,

Pakistan

Development of a Strategic

Plan for a 100 Bed for

Murshid Hospital and Health

Care Centre, Karachi

Technical and

Operational Restructuring

of Orthopedic and

Medical Institute Karachi

Survey of General

Practitioners on Family

Planning Practices for

Greenstar Social Marketing,

Pakistan

Feasibility Report on

Network Based Health

Care System for

Pakistan Healthcare

Corporation

Situation Analysis and

Marketing Survey of

Intrauterine Devices in

Karachi for Population

Services International,

Pakistan

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Our Experience - Gender

Project Brief

Gender Differences: Understanding Perceptions,

National Baseline Study for Aurat Foundation, USAID:

AASA Consulting conducted a nationwide baseline study for

the Gender Equity Program (GEP) supported by USAID. The

study was designed to benchmark existing knowledge,

attitudes and practices, which were later used to assess

progress towards GEP objectives. The survey recorded

information on key issues with respect to women’s rights,

women’s access to justice and institutions, women’s

empowerment and gender based violence.

The survey was the first of its kind in recording responses

for the same questions from male and female household

members. The responses of male and female members were

then compared. The survey was conducted using both

quantitative and qualitative survey instruments, which

consisted of social and economic indicators of gender

equity.

The study also comprised of diverse multi-stakeholder

surveys (focus group discussions, key opinion maker

interviews and case studies).

Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Gilgit - BaltistanGeographic Coverage

11,273Respondents

43Focus Group Discussions

53Key Opinion Maker Interviews

15Case Studies

6 monthsProject

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Gender Assessment for

USAID’s Office of Economic

Growth and Agriculture

Nationwide Gender

Analysis for Office of

Stabilization and

Governance for USAID

UNICEF Analysis of

Madadgar Data on Human

Rights Violations

Review of Gender Policy

Issues for Employer

Federation of Pakistan

18

Our Experience - Field Research

Project Brief

Study on Profiling and Segmenting the Road Transport

(Logistics) Sector and Assessment of Informal

Financing, Karandaaz Pakistan: The primary aim of the

assignment was to provide formal financial institutions

insights into the sector. This enabled the designing of

suitable products and services to formalize lending and

grow the portfolio of financial services available to the

sector. The objectives were to establish:

(i) Bankability potential of the sector

(ii) Segmentation in the sector

(iii) The growth potential and economics of the sector

The study provided valuable information on the following

aspects of the transportation sector:

(i) Sector sizing, profiling and segmentation

(ii) Policy and regulatory framework

(iii) Sector economics

(iv) Sources of financing and mechanics

This was a country-level study based on an analysis of

both, secondary data and information, and primary data

collected through a nation-wide survey, engaging all

pertinent stakeholders. During the course of the study, more

than 5000 stakeholders were interviewed including: truck

drivers, truck owners, service providers, etc. The study was

completed in approximately 7 months.

Karachi, Lahore & Peshawar

Geographical Coverage

5140

Vehicle Owner Interviews150

Key Informant Interviews6

Focus Group Discussions

54

Field Team Members

19

Our Experience - Field Research

Project Brief

Pakistan Off - Grid Lighting Consumer Perception

Study, IFC/World Bank: AASA Consulting was

subcontracted by Grant Thornton Consulting for this study.

The project aimed to accelerate the development of

commercial off-grid lighting markets in Pakistan, as part of

the World Bank’s wider efforts to improve access to energy.

The major objectives of the study were to:

1) Provide valuable socio-economic information pertaining

to ultra-poor households

2) Estimate the size of the national off-grid population

3) Estimate the willingness-to-pay of ultra-poor households

for pico (domestic) solar products

Under the project, AASA Consulting developed research

tools, conducted primary (direct surveying, focus group

discussions and expert interviews) and secondary research,

managed data and presented their findings to IFC. This

research designed a consumer awareness campaign,

assisted and attracted new companies to the market,

provided guidance for market entry and strategy and a

source of lighting to millions of underprivileged

households.

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Market Research on

Home Textiles and

Garments for Dawood

Group of Industries

Brand Audit of Lawrencepur

Brand for Dawood Group

Consumer Survey for

Lawrencepur Textiles

Third Party Validation

- Water Environment

and Sanitation,

UNICEF

Water Environment and

Sanitation Baseline Survey

in Sindh for UNICEF

Decentralization Support

Program, Improving Solid

Waste Management

Services at Town

Municipal Administration

Level, Government of

Sindh

KAP Study on Rural

Water Supply and

Sanitation for

Government of AJK

Market Assessment and

Prototype Product Design

for the Low Income

Housing Finance Market in

Pakistan for Acumen Fund

Nationwide Comparative

Research of the Outreach

Clinical Laboratory Market

in Pakistan for Aga Khan

University Hospital

Multiple Consumer

Profile Studies For

Lakson Tobacco

Company, Pakistan

PTCL - Monitoring of

Services/Mystery Shopping

Survey for PTCL Help Line

and Customer Service

21

Fact-Finding Study on the

Regulatory Requirements

for Import and Export

Cargoes for Japan

International Cooperation

Agency

Pakistan - Manufacturing

Establishments Survey

“Towards Vision 2030:

Direction of Industrial

Development in Pakistan”

for Japan International

Cooperation Agency

Aman Foundation

Brainstorming Session

with Social Sector Experts

Generic Pharmaceutical

Industry Survey for ABS

Swiss Pharmaceutical

Emerging Markets

“Discovery” Research -

Pakistan, Citibank

Pakistan Wood Product

Market Research for

British Columbia Based,

Forestry Innovation

Investment (FII) Ltd.

Marketing Survey for

Compost Fertilizer

Plant

Market Sizing Survey

for Greaves PakistanService Demand

Assessment for Eva Air

ABS Swiss

Pharmaceutical

Compost

Fertilizer Plant

22

Chinese Impact on

the Pakistan

Pesticides Market for

Investructure -

Belgium

Customer Satisfaction

Survey for Shell Pakistan

Limited

Service Demand

Assessment for Olympic

Airways

Standard Chartered

Bank Mystery

Shoppers Survey

Multiple Customer

Satisfaction Surveys -

Market Research Study of

Standard Chartered Bank’s

Customers in Major Cities

of Pakistan

Consumer Banking Study

- Research Study For

American Express Bank

Market Sizing Study

for Pak Global Star

(Pvt) Limited

Focus Group Discussions

and Quantitative Analysis

to Determine User

Perception, CyberNet

Internet Services

Surf Detergent Baseline

Survey for Lever Brothers,

Pakistan Ltd.

Investructure -

Belgium

Pak Global

Star Pvt Ltd

23

Our Experience - Institutional Development

End of Project Brief

Capacity Building of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)

for Malakand Rural Development Project (MRDP), Asian

Development Bank: Our services were engaged for a 2

year project with a focus on capacity building of CSOs. Our

scope of work entailed interaction with selected CSOs in

the Malakand region and the government line departments

to develop a detailed capacity building plan for MRDP. The

project required a review, assessment and stratification

of existing community support strategies and building the

capacity of the implementing CSOs so they could be

transformed into a District Rural Support program (RSP).

This also included undertaking a training needs assessment

and the development of training modules for CSO staff

members.

In addition, we were assigned the task of providing on-the-

job training by assisting and supervising community

organization processes, preparing comprehensive

assessment and recommendations on the institutional and

managerial capacity for the implementation partners, and

the success of the adopted strategy. The key outputs of

the project included development of a capacity building

strategy, over 25 training sessions, development of policy

and procedures for administration, procurement, accounting

and human resource management, as well as extensive

community needs assessment reports. There were 20 full

time experts deployed by us over the course of the

project.

Our institutional development experience includes capacity building, organizational development, training, recruitment, governance, and strategic planning.

24

Development of

Recruitment Manual

for UNDP Project

Staff, Pakistan

Review and Training of

Personnel and Performance

Management for the Project

Cycle Operations Manual

for UNDP

Devolution Support Study

for the National

Reconstruction Bureau -

UNDP

UNDP funded

Evaluation Test of

Election Officers for

Election Commission

of Pakistan

Provision of Training

Coordinators for

UNDP/Election Commission

of Pakistan

Development of a Strategic

Direction for Sindh

Agricultural and Forestry

Workers Coordinating

Organization

Development of Job

Analysis for Save the

Children Fund

Workshop On ‘Project

Management’ for

Sustainable

Development Policy

Institute, Islamabad

25

Strategic Planning

2010-2015 Study for

State Bank of

Pakistan

Management/HR

Development Program

under Technical Assistance

for Banking Sector for the

State Bank of Pakistan

Technical Assistance on

the Micro - Financing

Program for NGOs/MFIs,

Rural Community

Development Society

Workshop on Good

Governance for

Children’s Hospital,

Government of

Balochistan

Review of Aga Khan

Rural Support Program

Job Evaluation Process

Review of Aga Khan Rural

Support Program Human

Resource Management

Process

Implementation of Organizational

Restructuring in Multan Electric Power

Company (MEPCO), Pakistan, USAID funded

Power Distribution Program

Organizational Assessment and Restructuring

for MEPCO, USAID funded Power Distribution

Program

26

Our Experience - Banking and Finance

Employee Opinion

Survey

Designing Human

Resource Management

Strategy 2008-2010

Developing Job

Profiles & Conducting

Job Evaluations for

Karachi Stock

Exchange

Due Diligence of RBS HR

Functions (Cricket) for

EFG Hermes

Buy Side Due Diligence

of Human Resource

Management of Allied

Bank Limited for Askari

Bank

Management Audit

of Zarai Taraqiati

Bank Limited

Compensation and

Benefits Study for Pak

Kuwait (Pvt) Limited

Salary Survey for Pak

Oman

Diagnostic Study of the

Human Resource

Management System and

Development Assessment of

Key Personnel

27

Our Clients

28

29

Our Core Team

Zohair AshirChief Executive

Riaz Hussain Director –

Social Policy & Research

Dr. Akbar Zaidi Advisor, Economics

Birjis JaleelDirector, Operations

Haroon JamalAdvisor, Statistics &

Econometrics

Meher NoshirwaniAdvisor, Sociology &

Gender

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Komal HakimAliAssistant Manager

Adnan SherHead, Field Operations

Faizan Hashmi Manager Muhammad Safdar

Senior Officer

Huma KhanAdvisor, Education

Minhajuddin SiddiquiHead, Data Analytics

Our Core Team

31

For further information, please contact:

Birjis Jaleel

Director

M: +92 (0) 302 2292692

T: +92 (0) 21 35171481-4

E: b.jaleel@aasaconsulting.com

W: www.aasaconsulting.com

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