Consultant: Shelter Costings Study

Summary

The primary objective of this assignment is to better understand the cost of supporting women and children in shelters, by undertaking a costings study that calculates the per person, per day cost of all functions of a shelter, including food, clothing, hygiene, electricity etc. The costings study will inform shelter funding decisions by the Government of Timor-Leste through the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) and other funding partners. It will also support shelters themselves in understanding their budgetary needs and therefore enhancing their ability to manage annual budgets and request adequate financial support from funders. Further, the study will contribute to efforts to standardise funding allocations to shelters across Timor-Leste from both government and development partners.

The consultant will conduct a shelter services costings analysis to determine the per person, per day cost for shelters including both service and operational aspects of shelter operations. The costs should be calculated both separately (per item) and as a per person, per day cost. A separate costings analysis could also be done based on groups of up to 10 people. The analysis will address the key questions outlined below:

• Which cost aspects should be standardised between funders and which can be considered open to flexibility?
• What is the cost of each of the shelter service and operational areas both separately and on a per person and per group, per day basis?
• What are key costings considerations specific to providing services to women and children experiencing violence?
• What aspects can cause shelter costs to increase or decrease?
• How can government and partners apply the costings analysis to budget disbursements for shelters?

Please refer to the detailed Terms of Reference.

Key Responsibilities

• Consult with Nabilan team and MSSI and develop the workplan
• Conduct literature review
• Consult with service providers to understand the daily, per person costs of their service
• Consult with relevant government institutions
• Conduct cost analysis
• Hold validation workshop on the preliminary findings
• Present the final findings to Nabilan, government and service provider partners

Requirements

• Masters degree in relevant area - social science, statistics, social work, development studies
• Experience in and understanding of how to generate costings analysis
• Understanding of the violence against women and children context in Timor-Leste; experience working in the sector either locally or regionally an asset
• Understanding of shelter operations in Timor-Leste/the region
• Demonstrated facilitation skills
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted in English or Tetum to [email protected] by Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Applications must include a cover letter, CV with three contactable referees, and a proposed daily rate.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. No phone calls or emails will be entertained.