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Requête nº: req12650

Intitulé de poste: Consultancy ( Contextualization, and Translation of Village Saving and Loan Association)- National

Secteur d’activité: Protection et autonomisation des femmes

Type de contrat: Consultant

Taux d’occupation: Temps partiel

Ouvert aux expatriés: Non

Lieu de travail: Islamabad, Pakistan

Descriptif du poste

Introduction and Project Background:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) established in 1933, works in 42 countries, responding to the world’s worst humanitarian situations. In Pakistan, IRC has been offering comprehensive emergency rehabilitation services such as supporting health systems, environmental health, education, child and women services, and livelihoods. Since 1980, IRC Pakistan has effectively responded to all major humanitarian situations emanating from earthquakes, catastrophic floods, and temporary displacements. Currently, IRC Pakistan has an average annual portfolio of around $40 million implementing projects in all the four provinces of Pakistan. With the support of the federal and provincial governments, and generous donors like DFID, ECHO, USAID, and Australian Aid Agencies, IRC has reached 1.8 million people in Pakistan in the year 2018-19.

USAID’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Project (WEE) aims to promote women’s economic empowerment through safe and dignified access to livelihood opportunities, information, resources, and services in the province. The targeted districts of the WEE project include:  three Newly Merged Districts (NMDs): South Waziristan, North Waziristan, and Kurram, and one settled district and Bannu[1].

The project focuses on multipronged extensive interventions to attain increased incomes for women-owned micro-businesses and women workers. These interventions will stimulate women’s economic and social empowerment in the community and prepare a solid foundation for integrating further interventions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV).

Rationale and objectives of the Assignment:

To improve the economic conditions of the women, WEE Project intends to support and facilitate women in NMDs (EX-FATA) and KP to establish new enterprises and support existing enterprises. WEE project will establish the VSLA  to provide simple savings and loan facilities, in a community that does not have access to formal financial services. Loans can also provide a form of self-insurance to members, supplemented by a social fund that provides small but important grants to members in distress. VSLAs play an important role in meeting the needs of women and men whose principal purpose for accessing finance is to help them manage household cash flow, respond to life-cycle events, or invest in small income-generating activities. Moreover, VSLAs provide people, no matter how remote or poor, with access to small amounts of local capital on flexible terms and to transact such loans frequently at very low risk and negligible cost.  

In order to build the capacities of VSLA, project has planned various capacity-building sessions through a comprehensive package/tool kit of VSLA, which is already designed and developed by IRC. However, the tool kit needs to be adapted, contextualized considering the KP, especially in NMD’s context, and will be translated into the national language.

Working Scope and Methodology of the Assignment:

IRC is looking for applications from an individual or team of consultants, or a company to review, revise and translate in the Urdu language of already developed IRC’s VSLA curricula in the local context of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Particularly Newly Merged areas (NMDs). This also includes developing both resource persons’ guide and participants handbook along with Training need assessment formats, Training Design, all relevant teaching aids, and curriculum including training delivery and post-training assessment in the Urdu language. The toolkit is expected to include all modules so that the materials can be used by the project’s trained facilitators for training delivery purposes.

The consultancy should include the following:

–          Contextualized the VSLA guidelines developed by IRC.

–          Review the other organizations’ manual/guidelines, identify and recommend the good practices on VSLA in Pakistan especially in NMD’s context.

–          Translate the VSLA guidelines in the Urdu language after contextualization.

–          Test the complete package of VSLA curricula in one of the project areas[2] with both men and women for its contextualization and adaptation.

–          Revise the text and images/sketches in the identified material based on the tested trial along with discussions with the team and redevelop (design and print) the selected material in the English version.

–          Design and print the document ensuring the same quality of existing VSLA curricula.  

Specific tasks of the assignment:

The following tasks are outlined for adaptation, contextualization, and translation of VSLA.

Deskwork (First stage):

This stage has the following substages;

1.       Review the IRC’s developed VSLA curricula, available in the English language.

2.       Identify the important elements that are missing in the existing VSLA materials/package

3.       Based on the review, Identify the changes that need to have occurred and modified in the context of NMDs

4.       Identify other organizations that are working in the areas and based on the study of their VSLA curricula, suggest recommendations for improvement in the existing curricula 

5.       Recommend the comprehensive package (complete tool kit) that need to be contextualized, adapted, and translated as a result of the above- mentioned sub-stages of desk review.

Second Stage (Development of Contextualized and Adapted Curricula and its modules)

The second stage comprised of the following sub-stages;

1.    Field testing and validation

As a result of desk review, the consultant/consulting firm should propose an appropriate and complete toolkit to be tested in one of the project locations by conducting a well-planned FGD’s session in the field with both men and women. Testing of VSLA curricula in the project area will enable the consulting firm to incorporate participant’s feedback. This may include the development of resource materials, teaching aids, curriculum, interactive learning materials, digital resources, and other relevant materials covering up to different modules of VSLA curricula. All the materials should be appropriate for both literate and illiterate clients of the project areas

2.    Incorporation of changes, and suggest recommendations as a result of field testing:

In this stage, the consulting firm is expected to incorporate changes as a result of field testing and provide recommendations for the first draft of contextualized and adapted curricula.  

3.    Submission of contextualized and adapted curricula to IRC in English

The first draft will be submitted to IRC for their feedback and Incorporate their feedback/comments by submitting the 2nd draft and final draft of the curricula. In addition to this, the consulting firm will design/develop activity plans along with handouts for trainers as well as for trainees.  

4.    Translation in the Urdu language:

The consulting firm is required to fulfil the following five sub-stages for completing the task of translation of contextualized and adapted curricula into the Urdu language. These sub-stages are;

                     i.            Submission of 1^st draft in the Urdu language  

                   ii.            incorporation of IRC comments and feedback

                 iii.            Submission of 2^nd draft

                 iv.            Reviewed by IRC

                   v.            Submission of final translated curricula in hard and soft versions

Deliverables:

The following deliverables are expected as the outcomes of the assignment.

1.       Based on the desk review, collate (in hard as well as in soft versions) recommended toolkit of VSLA curricula in the English language that will be tested and adjusted based on user feedback.

2.       Submission of field-tested materials (contextualized and adapted)

3.       Reports of field testing of the toolkit and their outcomes.

4.       Final set (in hard and soft versions) of VSLA curricula in English as well as in Urdu languages after contextualization, adaptation  

5.       Handover the complete package (in hard and soft versions) of training Manuals /Training Modules/Participants’ handbooks based on the testing trials and modules and other relevant material in English and Urdu languages including activity plans.

Update
 

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Requirements

1.       The contextualized, adapted, and translated VSLA curricula, tested training materials, timing, and other detailed technical requirements should consider specific gender needs (i.e. flexible time of day, venue, etc.), with close collaboration with the WEE project team including implementing partners.

2.       For travel, the consultancy firm is expected to arrange all domestic travel

3.       Travelling and Boarding costs should be inbuilt into the budget. However, it needs to be consulted with IRC and implementing partners before the field visit/s.

4.       IRC and IP will facilitate in arranging FGD’s during filed testing of the curricula

Work Plan

Below is the tentative work plan along with the tasks and timelines.

Assignment Duration:

60 working days (Two months) beginning with the date of contract signing and ending with the submission of draft report along with the following specific period.

Performance Based Payment Schedule:

Payment to the consulting firm will be made based on the following deliverables based on performance.

Profile of the Consultancy firm/Consultant:

1.       Expected Competencies

The successful firm will be expected to have the following competencies:

·         Understanding of financial inclusion and VSLAs.

·         Fluent in English and Urdu with extensive translation, designing (layout, sketches, editing, images etc.) and printing experience from English to Urdu and Urdu to English

·         Knowledge and understanding of cultural context of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly NMDs areas

·         Significant experience of designing training materials and modules

·         Commitment to safeguarding and protection of all individuals involved in their work.

Submission of Proposals

Consulting firms are requested to submit both technical and financial proposal for this assignment.

1.    Technical Proposal

The Technical proposal should include but not limited to the following information: –

·         A brief outline of your recent experience and client references in carrying out assignments of a similar nature. You should also provide any other information that will facilitate evaluation of your competency to execute this assignment (Maximum 4 pages).

·         Detailed description of the methodology that how the consulting firm will follow the process to achieve the desired deliverables (Max 4 pages).

·         Clear description of roles of the proposed members involved in the assignment. (Max 2 pages)

·         Relevant Signed curriculum Vitae of all the professional members of the team (Max 2 pages for each personnel)

2.    Financial Proposal

The financial proposal must contain overall quotation in Pakistani Rupees (PKR) for all the services

to be provided and must itemize the following:

The consulting firm should provide a reasonable budget for each stage, which includes all anticipated expenses, including staffing, overhead, travel, and training costs, together with an all-inclusive daily rate for all consultants involved in the project. The publication costs of the toolkit will be covered by IRC, and all materials created under this assignment will remain the property of IRC.

Submission of Expression of Interest:

Consulting firm that meets the requirements should submit an expression of interest, which should include the following:

Ø  Cover letter detailing the consultant’s/institutions’ suitability for the assignment, current contact information together with 2 references from previous clients (organizations or individuals).

Ø  CVs including detailed work experience and education.

Ø  The consultant/firm will submit technical proposal including methodology and work plan

Ø  Indicative budget for the consultancy fee and travelling cost (boarding /lodging, stationery for the facilitators and any other expected costs).

Deadline to submit the expression of interest is—- February 2021. Shortlisted consulting firms will be requested to submit and present a detailed plan, methodology and contents to undertake this assignment. If approved, it will act as part of the agreement between parties as to how the work will be undertaken.

Applications should clearly be marked as “Development of VSLA Curricula” and should be sent in sealed envelope to “Building #2, Plot 272, North service Road, I-9/3, Islamabad”.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION of Best Offer:

Upon the advertisement of the proposed assignment, qualified consulting firms are expected to submit both the Technical and Financial Proposals. Accordingly, the firms will be evaluated based on Cumulative Analysis as per the following conditions:

Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. In this regard, the respective weight of the proposals is:

Ø  Technical Criteria weight is 70%

Ø  Financial Criteria weight is 30%

Proposed standard technical proposal evaluation criteria:

Only candidates obtaining a minimum 70% mark in the technical evaluation will be considered eligible for financial evaluation.