REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL – Consultancy for End-of-Project Assessment MENA Region

• RFP Objective

The objective of the call for tender is to recruit a consultant or a team of consultants to conduct a Regional End-of-Project Assessment related to protection of civilians and the effectiveness of its intervention in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya.

• RFP Calendar

The timeline for the RFP process is below. While we do not anticipate any changes to this timeline, Geneva Call reserves the right to adjust the timeline as needed.

Action

Date

RFP Issue Date: 8th April 2024

Deadline for Receipt of Questions: 12th April 2024

Deadline for Receipt of Proposals: 20th May 2024

Vendor Selection Anticipated Date: 29th May 2024

Start Date of Operational Services: 1st June 2024

• Bid Validity

Proposals are expected to be binding for a period of ninety (90) days from the published response date. Please see RFP attached for more details.

• RFP Terms & Conditions

1. The Request for Proposals is not and shall not be considered an offer by Geneva Call.
2. All responses must be received on or before the date and time indicated on the RFP.
3. All proposals will be considered binding offers. Prices proposed must be valid for entire period provided by respondent.
4. All awards will be subject to Geneva Call’s contractual terms and conditions and contingent on the availability of donor funding.
5. Geneva Call reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal or cancel the solicitation process at any time and shall have no liability to the proposing organisations submitting proposals for such rejection or cancellation of the request for proposals.
6. Geneva Call reserves the right to accept all or part of the proposal when award is provided.
7. All information provided by Geneva Call in this RFP is offered in good faith. Individual items are subject to change at any time, and all bidders will be provided with notification of any changes. Geneva Call is not responsible or liable for any use of the information submitted by bidders or for any claims asserted therefrom.
8. Geneva Call reserves the right to require any bidder to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.
9. The bidders are solely obligated to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be incurred by bidder or any third parties, in connection with the Response. All responses and supporting documentation shall become the property of Geneva Call, subject to claims of confidentiality in respect of the response and supporting documentation, which have been clearly marked confidential by the bidder.

Attachments

ANNEX I REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL – Consultancy for End-of-Project Assessment MENA

1. Scope and requirements

2. Scope of Work:

• The project, implemented between June 2022 and June 2024, aims to strengthen regional engagement with AGDAs to enhance civilian protection and promote compliance with humanitarian norms. Activities encompass advocacy, organizing regional conferences, providing IHL training for leaders, developing advocacy materials, and engaging with AGDAs to secure written commitments. Covering Yemen, Libya, Syria, and Iraq, the project also features a regional component to foster synergies, peer influence, and the integration of humanitarian norms into AGDA policies and practices.

  To evaluate the overall effectiveness and impact of the project in achieving its stated objectives and prepare for the next phase, Geneva Call is seeking a consulting company to conduct a Regional End-of-Project Assessment.

2.1 Objective of the assessment:

• This regional assessment intends to gauge the following results:

  1) % of target civilian population perceiving a decrease of violations committed by AGDAs by the end of the invention in the project (determine the community’s perception regarding the reduction of violations as a result of activities held over the course of the project)

  2) % of individuals/target population reporting an improved feeling of safety (with dignity)

  3) % of stakeholders (the list of target stakeholders will be provided by Geneva call) declaring having taken additional action or undergone a change in behavior and/or perception to strengthen civilian protection over the course of the project

  The results of this regional assessment will provide Geneva Call with insights into the effectiveness of its intervention and whether there has been an improvement in the protective environment for civilians in AGDA-controlled areas through compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and internal human rights laws, facilitated by regional synergies and peer & religious influence. Additionally, these findings will inform adjustments to programmatic approaches and engagement strategies with AGDAs in future initiatives.

2.2 Location:

• This assessment will target Geneva Call operations in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The consulting firm will be expected to travel between project locations within these four countries as needed. Specifically, the consulting company will be expected to collect data from at least two locations in each target country. The final number of locations for the assessment will be determined through discussion and finalization by Geneva Call and the selected consulting company.

2.3 Methodology:

• If possible, the assessment should adopt a comprehensive and participatory approach, considering the opinions of various targeted actors and comparing their views and perceptions on issues related to civilian protection and AGDAs’ compliance with humanitarian norms in the target areas.

  The preference is for the study to embrace a mixed-method approach, and the selected company is expected to apply a conflict sensitivity lens and ‘Do No Harm’ principles throughout the data collection process to mitigate potential negative impacts on conflict dynamics.

  This assessment will need to include, at minimum, the following data collection methods:

• Desk review: conduct a thorough review of project documents, pertinent literature, and secondary data sources to gather existing knowledge, insights, and statistics related to civilian protection and compliance with humanitarian norms in the target areas.

• Contextual analysis: undertake a contextual analysis to attain a deeper understanding of conflict dynamics, historical context, and the stakeholders involved.

• Survey of civilian population and relevant stakeholders: conduct surveys among the civilian populations and relevant stakeholders in the target areas to gather insights addressing the aforementioned indicators.

2.4 Roles and Tasks:

• This study will be conducted by a consulting company specializing in project monitoring and evaluation in conflict-sensitive contexts, with support from Geneva Call HQ and field teams.
• The Regional Programme Coordinator and the different Country Directors, Head of programmes, and field colleagues will take the lead in coordinating support to the consultant by mobilizing field staff and coordinating logistical arrangements, meetings and interviews, as well as collecting and compiling data to be shared with the lead consultant for further analysis.
• If the consulting firm is unable to travel to all field locations, they must ensure that field staff are adequately instructed and assigned to carry out data collection.
• The consulting firm will be responsible for providing a data collection plan, designing methodology for data collection, developing tools and questionnaires for interviews, and giving guidance on the selection of samples among the targeted populations.
• Once data collection is completed, all data available will be compiled and sent to the lead consultant for processing to provide an analysis and final report.
• The timeline for the entire process of this survey should be discussed and approved by Geneva Call’s Head of Region before any activities take place.

2.5 Deliverables:

• Inception report, at minimum, explaining the detailed methodology, instruments to be used for data collection and analysis, identifying risks and mitigation plan, work plan, etc. This document will be used as an initial point of agreement and understanding between the consulting firm and Geneva Call.
• Draft assessment report, which should encompass at the minimum the following elements:
  • Executive Summary
  • Table of Content
  • Introduction
  • Limitations
  • Methodology
  • Key findings
  • Recommendations
  • Conclusion
• The final report should not exceed 30 pages, excluding annexes.

3. Proposal Guidelines:

The proposal should include a list of references. The proposal should also be split in a financial proposal, daily rate, and a technical proposal (see point 3 in main RFP) as well as links and/or copies of previous similar work and studies.

4. Eligibility Criteria:

• Demonstrated experience and competence in research and evaluation in the field of protection of Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law/Internal Human Rights Law, or humanitarian affairs.
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills, especially in the context of assessing the impact of armed conflict on civilian populations.
• Experience in conducting regional research/assessments/evaluations in MENA, with a specific focus on the impact of armed conflict on civilian populations. Research experience with armed groups, vulnerable populations, and marginalized groups, particularly the most at-risk individuals and communities, will be preferred.

Administration:

• Geneva Call will facilitate access to the country offices, visas and accommodation for the selected consulting company.
• The selected consulting company will be paid a daily fee as per standard rates • Insurance and per diem will not be paid by Geneva Call

5. Evaluation and Selection Process:

The criteria to be used in assessing the tenders and lead to the final selection will be:

• The proposed cost of the assessment on a daily basis;
• The prior record of the applicants in the abovementioned fields of law;
• Availability for follow-up of Geneva Call’s cases.

6. Terms and Conditions:

Invoicing needs to be issued in original format with unique invoice numbers. Payment term 60 days net.

7. Confidentiality/Immaterial rights:

By “immaterial rights” is meant the rights to all immaterial property, including, but not limited to, software, discoveries, inventions, methods, processes, product/design plans and more generally any other form of immaterial rights to which the Consultant contributes in producing in connection with this Assignment. The Consultant is obliged to inform GC immediately about any immaterial property or right to such property. Under this Agreement, the Consultant hereby transfers all immaterial rights to GC, and GC hereby accepts all rights to the immaterial property, including the right to sue for losses and other remedies concerning other violation or misuse of any or the immaterial rights, as well as the right to retain compensatory damages. This also applies to all written and visual material prepared by the Consultant during the Assignment period. Such material is to be handed over to GC immediate after the termination of the Assignment Contract. GC holds in other words the right to use all material produced in connection with this Assignment, and this is free of charge. Nor does the Consultant hold any right to any special compensation for the transfer of the material rights to GC. Upon termination of the contract, all material which the Consultant is in possession of, and which belongs to GC, shall be returned to GC, unless otherwise is agreed in writing.

8. Third Party Performance Reviews and Audit

8.1 Performance Review.

In addition to internal measures of performance, Geneva Call retains the right to require independent evaluation of Contractor performance. Geneva Call may, contract with independent third parties to audit the contract service levels. The Contractor will cooperate fully with any third-party audit and agrees that all information shared with Geneva Call may be shared with such third party contractor.

8.2 Financial Audit.

Geneva Call requires the Contractor to retain all financial documents related to the costs and revenues of its account for the standard financial data retention period in the country of incorporation.

9. The Contract

9.1 Term of Agreement

The Agreement resulting of this solicitation shall be for an initial period of two (2) months.

9.2 Termination

Geneva Call may terminate the Agreement resulting from this solicitation, or any services under such Agreement, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies, by giving thirty (30) days written notice to the Contractor.