Call for Consultant – Gender Analysis

ABOUT ABAAD

ABAAD– Resource Center for Gender Equality is a UN ECOSOC accredited organization that aims to achieve gender equality as an essential condition to sustainable social and economic development in the MENA region. ABAAD advocates for the development and implementation of policies and laws that enhance women’s effective participation, through a rights-based approach that would bring about tangible change to gender justice. With the purpose of ending gender-based violence, ABAAD adopts a holistic care approach to provide protection and support services to GBV survivors/right holders during times of peace, war and disasters since 2011.

OVERALL GOAL OF THIS ASSIGNMENT

ABAAD is seeking to recruit an experienced consultant to develop a comprehensive Gender Analysis Guidance Manual specifically tailored to guide practitioners on how to design, implement, and analyse findings from a gender analysis. This guide will help practitioners on how to better understand the gender and power related barriers and opportunities unique to the Lebanese context when designing our programming. It is essential for ABAAD to design interventions that respond to communities’ intricate political and sociocultural dynamics. In doing so, ABAAD can develop programming that is not only responsive and effective but also aligned with the on-the-ground realities, thereby maximizing its impact.

It is expected that the Consultant will develop Gender Analysis Manual that will complement and build upon ABAAD’s Gender Integration Toolkit . This Toolkit aims to enhance the capacity of partner organization to better integrate a gender perspective into their work and introduces a general framework for gender analysis. It is expected that this new Gender Analysis Manual will:

• Have the overall aim of providing step-by-step guidance to ABAAD staff on how to conduct a gender analysis that identifies gender-related challenges and obstacles to achieving gender equality and other programmatic goals*;
• Provides guidance on how to design gender analysis tools (e.g., qualitative interview guides);
• Provides guidance on how to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data emerging from the gender analysis;
• Provides guidance on how to apply the emerging data to improve proposal design and strengthen project design in ways that address disparities and resonate with the communities we serve;
• Provides guidance on how to incorporate an intersectional lens throughout the gender analysis that will facilitate a thorough understanding of the diverse factors that influence gender dynamics in Lebanon.

*While this tool will in fact be owned by ABAAD, the organization would also like it to be universal to all other CSOs operating in Lebanon across different sectors (e.g., livelihoods, education, SSS).

KEY ACTIVITIES

The selected consultant will be required to:

• Participate in an inception meeting and frequent team check-ins with ABAAD staff to align on key objectives and ensure expected deliverables will be met upon a mutually agreed upon timeline;
• Adopt a collaborative and participatory approach throughout the assignment by maintaining ongoing communication with ABAAD’s technical and programs teams;
• Conduct a thorough mapping of both external and internal preexisting resources to ensure the tool meets international standards and builds on ABAAD’s already-established technical capital;
• Create a comprehensive proposal that outlines what the consultant will develop for the gender analysis manual;
• Draft the overall Gender Analysis manual and submit drafts for review and feedback. The consultant must be able to receive feedback well and incorporate recommendations that reflect the needs of the organization;
• Present the full Gender Analysis Manual to ABAAD and lead a validation workshop with ABAAD’s technical and programs teams (see Deliverables section for more information).
• Finalize the manual based on findings from the validation workshop and submit it to ABAAD for final approval.

DELIVERABLES

• A comprehensive inception report containing:

A summary of key insights gathered from the consultant’s review of existing ABAAD and other gender analysis-related resources in terms of what these resources missing and what can be addressed in a new gender analysis manual;

• A detailed outline of the gender analysis manual the consultant proposes to develop. This should include what frameworks the manual will use, key thematic topics, what methodologies, and what types of resources will be required to develop the manual (e.g., designed worksheets, PPT’s, interactive materials, videos, etc), and examples of handouts / worksheets that will be developed
• Lead a validation workshop with ABAAD’s programs and technical teams to:
• Present the draft gender analysis manual and its components to gather input and ensure alignment with ABAAD’s objectives;
• Facilitate discussions to address any gaps and make a plan to incorporate diverse perspectives from team members;
• Collect feedback to refine the tool based on insights from various stakeholders;
• A finalized gender analysis manual that incorporates all the feedback obtained during the abovementioned validation workshop along with any agreed-upon annexes or supplementary materials (e.g., PPT’s, worksheets, handouts, videos) that enhance the manual’s usability.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Applicant is required to have a BA or MA in gender studies, anthropology, social sciences, or other related fields;
• Applicant must have at least 5 years of proven expertise in conducting gender analyses, and developing accessible gender-focused analysis tools and frameworks in international settings especially in the Middle East;
• Applicant must have robust applied research experience in qualitative and quantitative design and analysis;
• Applicant must have experience training practitioners in the development sector on how to conduct gender analysis;
• Applicant must have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the local context in Lebanon -particularly the sociopolitical landscape and cultural dynamics.
• Experience in providing guidance on how to manage and respond to immediate security and safeguarding concerns is a desirable;
• Experience in providing guidance on safeguarding information and data protection is desirable;
• Must be able to speak and write in English fluently;
• Fluency in Arabic is a plus.

How to apply

Applicants are invited to submit their offer by email to careers@abaadmena.org with email title “Consultancy – Gender Analysis” October 28, 2024 Your email should contain the following:

• A technical proposal outlining the applicant’s understanding of the assignment and their suggested methodology to achieve the objectives;
• A financial proposal providing a detailed budget breakdown in USD;
• Supporting documents:
  • Company name, address, registration, registration and financial number/tax ID
  • If Individual, registration and tax number/IDA cover letter (maximum one page).
  • A Minimum of Two references of humanitarian I/NGO clients for whom similar assignments have been undertaken along with contact person and budget.
  • Portfolio/ Proven track record in rendering similar services/previous experience.
  • CV/profiles of key involved consultants, demonstrating previous experience in the same requested field.
  • A tentative timeline required to complete the assignment, including key milestones

Documents Comprising the Bid

The submitted bid must include the following information. Failure to supply all requested information or comply with the specified formats may disqualify the bidder from consideration.

• Valid Certificate of Business registration or Trading License
• Profile of the company or individual
• Taxpayer documents and Tax Compliance Certificates
• Cover letter explaining interest in being a contracted vendor or supplier.
• Three (3) References from current or past clients (at least in the last one year)
• Submit samples of previous work that are relevant to the scope of this assignment.

SELECTION AND EVALUATION PROCESS:

Bids determined to be substantially responsive to the abovementioned requirements will be considered for the evaluation process with the below scoring criteria.

Eligibility:

To be considered eligible for this consultancy tender, bidders must meet essential ‘go or no-go’ criteria, primarily based on the submission of required legal documentation. This includes, but is not limited to, valid tax registration and appropriate legal papers demonstrating lawful operation. The tender is open to a diverse range of bidders, including companies, individual consultants, and non-profit organizations. Compliance with these criteria is mandatory for the acceptance of any bid. Failure to provide complete and accurate documentation will result in the disqualification of the bid.

Evaluation:

Upon passing the initial ‘go’ decision based on eligibility, the evaluation of bids will proceed in two distinct parts: technical and financial. The technical evaluation will assess the relevance and adequacy of the proposed approach and the expertise of the bidder, ensuring alignment with the assignment’s objectives and requirements. The financial evaluation will review the cost-effectiveness and overall budget feasibility of the bid. Both sections must be satisfactorily addressed for a bid to be considered for award. Bidders must excel in both technical and financial aspects to advance in the selection process.

A- Technical Evaluation

Bidders must submit the mandatory requirements. These documents and the information therein will be used to conduct the technical evaluation based on the following considerations:

• • Expertise and experience.
    – Methodological robustness.
    – Relevance of the proposal.
    – Quality and relevance of the previous work.
    – Interview performance.

Evaluation Criteria – Score Weight

Technical Proposal matching the ToR – 10%

Clear and Strong methodology – 10%

Portfolio/ Proven track rendering similar services – 10%

Qualifications of consultants – 10%

Proven background in gender analyses and research – 20%

Technical Interview – 10%

Sub-Total – 100%

• To get maximum scores, Bidders are encouraged to submit all documents and / information listed above.
• Only service providers who meet the score threshold of 50% will proceed to the evaluation of the financial proposal.

B- Financial Proposal

All Bidders should provide/submit the Financial Proposal/ Quote in a separate file while including the following information:

• Bidders must quote for the Cost of Materials separately/ show a separate line for each category.
• Bidders to indicate Lead Times (number of days) needed to deliver to designated focal points full consignment from the date of contract signing.
• Bidders to clearly state the quote validity period. The prices for the contract are fixed and not subject to revision.
• To get maximum score bidders are encouraged to ensure all the above information and instructions are clearly stated and included in the financial proposal.

The evaluation/ adjudication of financial bids will be done based on the following criteria for the financial proposal:

Evaluation Criteria – Score Weight

Offered price within the range – 15%

Lead Time – 10%

Breakdown of the budget and offer validity – 5%

Sub Total – 30%

Note: Total Financial and Technical = 100%

Period of Validity of Bids shall remain valid for 90 working days after the date of bid opening prescribed by the Purchaser, a bid valid for a shorter period may be rejected by the Purchaser as non-responsive.

Any questions related to this consultancy should be sent by email by October 20th,2024 to careers@abaadmena.org with the subject line “Consultancy – Gender Analysis”.