International Consultant to conduct a mapping and assessment of Civil Society Organizations working on Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action in Southeast Asia

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women Indonesia Country Office (CO) hosts the ASEAN liaison office which extends support to ASEAN and its Member States in advancing Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in line with global normative frameworks. UN Women in partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is implementing the regional programme, “Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: preventing violence and promoting social cohesion in ASEAN” (The Programme). 

The Programme aims to advance the implementation of the WPS agenda in ASEAN, including preventing violence against women and promoting social cohesion in the region. More specifically, the Programme will strengthen the capacities of ASEAN institutions and ASEAN Member States (AMS) on WPS. Although the programme largely focuses on advancing normative frameworks, capacity building and exchange of knowledge and good practices, it encompasses country-level implementation, where synergies between the regional and country-level interventions can be enhanced and leveraged. The programme also aims at strengthening the capacity of Civil Society Organizations with a focus on women organizations and networks to facilitate their participation in decision making processes and responses to implement the WPS agenda.

The programme will also support ASEAN to develop the first-ever Regional Plan of Action on WPS (RPoA). The development of the RPoA is envisioned to be participatory as recommended by the Regional Study on WPS launched by ASEAN in 2021.

Against this backdrop, UN Women seeks to hire an International Consultant to conduct a mapping of existing CSOs including women organizations and networks in Southeast Asia working in the area of Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action.

Objectives of the assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a mapping of CSOs in Southeast Asia that are supporting the implementation of Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action agenda. The mapping exercise will result in creation of CSOs web-based database which will allow for better engagement between ASEAN and CSOs, as well as ASEAN Member States (AMS).

The second purpose of this assignment is to assess capacities of selected women organizations and networks that are working at regional level on WPS to engage with ASEAN for evidence-based advocacy. Thirdly, the IC will support the development of a capacity strengthening plan for selected regional level women organizations and networks.

Scope of work and tasks

The objective of the mapping exercise is to identify CSOs including women organizations and networks at national (Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia) and regional levels with relatively significant capacity, expertise and reach to deliver and advocate for WPS implementation.  Given the multiplicity, diversity and variety of women organizations and networks in the region, the women organizations and networks identified in the process could serve as intermediaries or conduits for ASEAN and AMS to reach other organizations at national and community levels.

Under the overall guidance and management of the ASEAN Governance, Peace and Security Specialist  and supervision from the Programme Coordination Specialist, the IC will perform the following tasks:

Task 1. Desk Review and development of a consultancy work plan and inception report.

• Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents, and directories.
• Conduct preliminary consultations with members of the project team.
• Develop a consultancy work plan report and inception report. The report should be structured as follows:

– Introduction

– objectives, and research questions

– Methodology specifying data collection tools

– workplan

Task 2. Develop a web-based database

• Develop data collection tools and collect data to develop a web-based database
• Submit a report of no more than 20 pages with a summary of findings and recommendations and the draft database
• Design and create a web-based database with the support of UN Women’s web developer

Task 3. Conduct capacity needs assessment and capacity-strengthening plan of selected CSOs

• Develop data collection tools and analyze data collected
• Develop a well-structured report that comprehensively describes findings of the capacity assessment. The report should be structured as follows: 

· Executive summary

· Acronyms

· Introduction 

· Table of contents  

· Background information 

· Methodology

· Analysis

· Findings

· Conclusion and recommendations

· Annexes 

• Develop a concept note, a presentation, and an agenda for two online workshops
• Facilitate an online workshop to review and validate the capacity assessment 
• Submit a capacity strengthening plan which will include capacity objectives, activities, a timeline, measurable indicators and a realistic budget, to address capacity needs identified through the assessment
• Facilitate a review of the capacity strengthening plan with CSOs 
• Following feedback on the draft capacity strengthening plan by CSOs and UN Women make final revisions to the document 
• Submit final versions of the capacity assessment and capacity-strengthening plan

Expected Deliverables

The IC will produce the following deliverables:

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of review is one week after receipt.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background information and documents, and a list of stakeholders relevant for the assignment.
• The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer.

Scope of bid price and schedule of payments

The contract price is a fixed deliverable-based price regardless of the extension of the contract duration. Payment will be done once deliverables detailed in section II are submitted and approved by UN Women.

The lump-sum costs should include a consultancy fee, administration costs, communication costs, and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump-sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation using the template in Annex 1.

Performance evaluation:

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Leading by Example

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education

• Master’s degree in Political Science or Social Science, Sociology, Gender Studies, International Development and or any relevant field.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experiences in the field of women peace and security
• Previous experiences in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Southeast Asia is an advantage
• Proven experiences facilitating consultative workshops for civil society organizations (CSOs) and/or multi-stakeholder groups
• Proven experience in conducting research in the area of WPS and working experiences with women organisations and civil society
• Prior experience in conducting similar assessment and/or mapping exercises of stakeholders
• Experience of the UN and/or UN Women’s programme design and implementation in the areas of women peace and security is desirable

Language and other skills:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required
• Previous experiences in facilitation and working in a multi-cultural environment
• Computer literacy and ability to use office technology equipment, Internet and email. 

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit the electronic application no later than 8th December 2021

Submission of package           

1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae including contact information of at least 3 referees
3. A financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

Applications without any of the items listed above will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited to the interview.

Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:

1. A copy of the latest academic certificate
2. UN Women P-11 form, available via  http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/about-us/jobs

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The candidates will be evaluated by comparing CVs on the basis of the following criteria: (i) educational background and relevant professional experience as reflected in their CVs; and (ii) writing sample iii) financial proposal, which includes daily consultancy rate as well as the breakdown for each deliverable and the proposed lump sum amount. The evaluation will be based on the combination of the weighted technical and financial scores (70 per cent technical and 30 per cent financial). The technical evaluation includes education background, experiences and skills outlined above. The evaluation methods include desk review and/or validation interview.

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allotted for the price component is 100.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technically qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

Annex I: Financial Proposal

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS

Breakdown of Cost by Components:

The lump sum costs should include administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.