Consultant – Industrial Feasibility for Tom Brown Reformulation

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Consultancy - Terms of Reference (TOR) Title: Consultant – Industrial Feasibility for Tom Brown Reformulation Total number of Consultants: 1 Country Program: Nigeria Proposed Dates: May - June, 2026 Duration: 2 months Background of the project IRC is exploring whether Tom Brown can be reformulated into a safer, more consistent, treatment-grade product for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in Northeast Nigeria. The goal is to define a product that remains locally familiar, affordable, and practical to prepare, while meeting stronger standards for nutrition, safety, quality, and production consistency. This consultancy focuses on the industrial feasibility side of the work, with explicit goals to: Define the industrial feasibility constraints and production pathway for reformulated Tom Brown. Clarify what can realistically be produced through local facilities, larger production partners, or a staged pathway across both. Identify the equipment, process, QA/QC, and facility adaptations required for early testing, pilot production, and potential scale-up. Assess 3–4 candidate reformulations against real-world production constraints. Estimate cost, capacity, bottlenecks, and investment needs for moving from early testing to larger production. Identify QA infrastructure gaps and determine what procurement-grade evidence should be collected during prototype production. Scope of work The consultant will lead the definition of industrial feasibility constraints for reformulated Tom Brown and translate those constraints into practical decisions for formulation, production, and scale-up. 1. Define industrial feasibility constraints and production pathway (Primary Deliverable) a. Define the feasible production pathways for reformulated Tom Brown, including roasting, milling, blending, extrusion, or hybrid approaches. b. Identify the key constraints that should shape formulation and production decisions, including machinery, batch size, throughput, process control, ingredient handling, oil content, aflatoxin risk, rancidity, moisture control, shelf stability, and production consistency. c. Clarify which constraints are absolute red lines, which can be solved through adaptation, and which should be tested during prototype or pilot production. 2. Translate constraints into a usable feasibility framework a. Produce a clear decision framework that helps IRC understand: What can be produced locally now What could be produced with modest adaptation What would require larger investment or a different production partner What is not feasible under current conditions Key trade-offs between cost, manufacturability, stability, quality, and complexity The framework should be practical enough to guide formulation selection, partner engagement, and next-stage pilot planning. 3. Assess local production pathways and facility types a. Map the relevant local production economy, including hammer mills, processors, packaging actors, ingredient suppliers, and larger production partners. b. Assess which facility types could plausibly support early formulation testing, pilot production, or larger-scale production. c. Identify where IRC may be able to contract with existing local facilities, where technical upgrades would be required, and where production may need to ladder up to more capable partners. d. Identify QA infrastructure gaps at each candidate facility against institutional procurement expectations (e.g., UNICEF Supply Division, WFP). 4. Define equipment, process, and QA/QC requirements a. Identify the machinery, process steps, utilities, labor, and facility conditions required to produce reformulated Tom Brown safely and consistently. b. Define minimum QA/QC and food safety requirements for pilot production and scale-up, including examples such as raw material acceptance criteria, aflatoxin controls, moisture thresholds, heavy metal limits, microbiological testing, traceability, batch records, and finished product testing. c. Identify where third-party lab testing, external QA support, or additional technical oversight would be required. 5. Determine what procurement-grade evidence should be collected in prototype production a. Define the raw material, in-process, finished product, and stability evidence to be collected during prototype production to support future supplier qualification (e.g., UNICEF SD, WFP). b. Identify which evidence categories require accredited third-party testing and where in-house QA can suffice. c. Initiate accelerated stability testing on prototype lots so the data is in motion, even if it cannot be completed within the consultancy window. 6. Support formulation decisions a. Work with the Nutrition Formulation Consultant to assess 3–4 candidate Tom Brown reformulations against production realities. b. For each option, identify risks related to processing complexity, ingredient reliability, quality control, shelf stability, packaging, cost, consistency, and scalability. c. Recommend practical changes to improve manufacturability while preserving the nutritional intent of the product. d. Coordinate with the Nutrition Formulation Consultant through a joint kickoff and a mid-point sync. e. Co-author a short Joint Reconciliation Note capturing where production realities and nutrition targets converged or diverged. 7. Assess packaging, storage, cost, capacity, and scale a. Define practical packaging and storage requirements for Northeast Nigeria conditions, including heat, humidity, rough transport, multi-handling, warehouse conditions, and shelf-life protection. b. Develop a high-level view of production cost drivers, capacity constraints, bottlenecks, and scale-up requirements, including ingredients, premix where relevant, processing, packaging, testing, labor, storage, and likely facility adaptations. The lead consultant will work closely with IRC's Research and Innovation team, IRC Nigeria Nutrition team and external nutrition and food technology advisors, and is responsible for ensuring deliverables are met. Deliverables: Industrial Feasibility Constraints and Production Pathway — Primary Deliverable o A clear assessment of feasible production pathways, key production constraints, red lines, required adaptations, and implications for formulation and pilot planning. Usable Feasibility Framework o A practical framework showing what can be produced locally now, what could be produced with adaptation, what requires larger investment, and what is not feasible. Local Production Landscape Assessment o Summary of relevant local facility types — hammer mills, processors, ingredient suppliers, packaging actors, larger production partners — with QA infrastructure gaps at each against institutional procurement expectations. Equipment, Process, and QA/QC Requirements Memo o Practical requirements for machinery, process flow, facility adaptation, QA/QC, testing, packaging, and food safety. Feasibility Assessment of 3–4 Reformulation Options o Assessment of each option's production complexity, risks, adaptations needed, and suitability for pilot testing. Cost, Capacity, and Scale Model o High-level estimate of cost drivers, production capacity, bottlenecks, and investment needs. Final Recommendation o Recommendation on preferred production pathway(s), most feasible formulation(s), required adaptations, key risks to test, and go/no-go assessment for local production, with recommendation on sequencing decisions for factories that could advance to larger pilot lots and/or scaled production. Prototype Evidence Plan o What raw material, in-process, finished product, and stability evidence will be collected during prototype production, including which third-party testing is required. Joint Reconciliation Note (with Nutrition Formulation Consultant) o Short joint memo on where production realities and nutrition targets converged or diverged, and the trade-offs made or recommended. Payment Rate and Schedule: Activity-based, linked to delivery of defined outputs, within an overall budget of 4,000 USD Requirements: The consultant should bring: Experience in food processing, especially milling, roasting, blending, extrusion, fortified blended foods, or shelf-stable foods Nigeria or comparable-context experience - preferably in Borno State Strong understanding of production in low-resource settings Ability to assess local mills, processors, equipment needs, and process constraints Familiarity with QA/QC and food safety systems for cereal, legume, or fortified food products ● Ability to translate technical constraints into practical production and investment decisions Familiarity with UNICEF Supply Division, WFP, or analogous institutional supplier qualification processes is a plus PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. 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