Position description
Launched and managed by Habitat for Humanity International and advised by Triple Jump, the MicroBuild Fund 1 supports microfinance institutions in developing or refining affordable, housing-specific loan products tailored to the needs of low-income families. Launched in 2012, MicroBuild was the first housing-specific microfinance investment vehicle. The Fund invests in financial institutions, which lends this capital as housing microfinance loans to low-income borrowers. These loans are paired with advisory services provided by Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, specific to the housing finance portfolio development and include market analysis, product design, and capacity building for loan officers. By offering both long-term capital and advisory support, MicroBuild takes a systems-level approach to addressing the lack of housing finance options available to low-income households. The fund has demonstrated the financial viability of housing microfinance products and showcased opportunities for scaling them to meet the vast demand for housing finance. This has encouraged other investors to support and invest in this market.
MicroBuild has invested in 62 microfinance institutions operating in 33 countries. As the fund approaches its wind-down phase, an end of fund investee survey is desired to assess changes in perception of investees towards affordable housing finance, performance of their affordable housing finance portfolios, and the challenges and opportunities investees identify or associate with affordable housing finance.
The results of the survey will serve to inform key stakeholders as to the contribution of MicroBuild in advancing affordable housing finance, and to enable Habitat to continue providing critical insights to investors and stakeholders in the housing finance ecosystem to help them better understand the dynamics associated with affordable housing finance investments. These insights are a key tool in addressing the risks perceived by potential investors and encouraging future investments in this sector.
2. Objectives of the Survey
The survey should cover the following:
- Perception Analysis: Understand how financial institutions perceive affordable housing finance as part of their portfolio and how this has changed since initial engagement with MicroBuild.
- Portfolio Performance: Assess the performance of affordable housing finance portfolios over time, including default rates, repayment trends, and profitability using new data to compare to the baseline dataset.
- Challenges Identification: Capture key challenges identified by financial institutions in offering affordable housing finance.
- Opportunity Identification: Identify opportunities investees see for growth and innovation in affordable housing finance.
- Advisory Services: Assess the impact and value-add to the investees of the technical assistance provided by Habitat, as well as future needs these financial institutions identify related to the growth of their housing finance portfolios.
3. Scope of Work
Habitat will provide baseline quantitative data on the MicroBuild portfolio. The selected agency is expected to develop and implement a primary survey combining qualitative and quantitative indicators, analyze results, and provide a comprehensive report of the results.
The expected scope of work is as follows:
Survey Design:
- Review relevant studies and other analysis previously completed for MicroBuild
- Develop a detailed survey framework and methodology
- Design and validate survey instruments, including questionnaires and interview guides
- Ensure the survey captures both qualitative and quantitative data
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Identify and engage all relevant stakeholders, including MBF investees with affordable housing portfolios
- Ensure adequate representation from diverse geographic regions and entity types
Data Collection:
- Administer the survey through appropriate channels (online recommended)
- Conduct key informant interviews or focus group discussions to gather in-depth insights
Data Analysis and Reporting:
- Analyze survey results to identify trends, challenges, opportunities, and risks
- Provide a comparative analysis of affordable housing finance performance across key segments, such as institutional profile and geographical regions, etc.
- Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing the insights, noting both longitudinal performance, changes in perception, and current, as well as forward-looking trends
Dissemination:
Present findings to MicroBuild stakeholders, including investors and board members
Create a summary and infographic(s) for broader dissemination
4. Deliverables
Inception Report:
- Summary of key issues to explore based on document review
- Detailed survey design, methodology, and work plan
- Draft survey instruments for review and approval
Progress Updates:
- Periodic updates on survey implementation and data collection
Final Report:
Comprehensive report summarizing findings, including:
- Perception analysis
- Portfolio performance insights
- Challenges and opportunities
Visual representation of data (e.g., charts, graphs, infographics)
Presentation Materials:
- Slide deck summarizing findings for key stakeholder presentation
5. Timeline
To be completed within a 12-week timeframe from the date of contract signing. The final project deadline is Oct. 21, 2025. Below is a tentative timeline:
- Week 1-2: Inception phase, survey design, and approval of instruments
- Week 3-7: Data collection and stakeholder engagement
- Week 8-10: Data analysis and draft report preparation
- Week 11-12: Final report submission and dissemination
Qualifications of the Agency/Individual
The selected agency must have:
- Demonstrable experience in conducting surveys and research in the financial sector, particularly in microfinance, financial inclusion, housing microfinance or affordable housing finance.
- Expertise in risk assessment and portfolio performance analysis.
- Strong capacity for data analysis and reporting, including the use of statistical tools.
- Proven track record of working with financial institutions and impact investment funds.
- Multilingual capabilities to engage stakeholders across diverse regions.
The Habitat team will work with the selected agency to send out the survey to prior investees and follow up on responses. Agencies with a deep network in the microfinance industry are preferred, as this would facilitate better response rates and more meaningful engagement.
7. Proposal Requirements
Interested agencies are requested to submit a proposal containing:
1. Technical Proposal:
Understanding of the assignment
- Proposed methodology and approach
- Work plan and timeline
- Profiles of the key team members
2. Financial Proposal:
- Detailed budget, including professional fees and any other associated costs
3. Previous Work:
- Examples of similar assignments undertaken
8. Evaluation Criteria
- Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Understanding of the assignment and proposed methodology (30%)
- Relevant experience and expertise of the agency and team members (30%)
- Cost-effectiveness and financial proposal (20%)
- Quality of previous work (20%)
Application instructions
- Questions and Proposals should be submitted by email to Emily Simmons ([email protected]) w/ cc: to Naeem Razwani ([email protected]) with the subject line: “For Consideration: Proposal for MB Investee Survey”.
- Deadline for submission is June 20, 2025.
Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on Globaljobs.org
