Consultancy for the implementation of a baseline, endline and impact studies At Bibliothèques Sans Frontières

Project IDEAS BOX INITIATIVE – Phase 2

Project co-financed by the French Agency for Development (AFD)

Publication date : 05.12.2024

Bibliothèques Sans Frontières / Libraries Without Borders ​

A. INTRODUCTION

1.Bibliothèques Sans Frontières / Libraries Without Borders

Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF), a French association under the French law of 1901, has been working since 2007 to bring knowledge to those who are deprived of it. Today, 750 million people in the world cannot read or write and only 35% of people in developing nations have access to the internet (World Bank 2023). People’s vulnerabilities are exacerbated when they do not have access to the information they need to make decisions, acquire new skills and integrate into societies. Access to knowledge allows people to exercise their rights, to be included in society and to be empowered.

Therefore, for the past 17 years, BSF has been working with 6 million people in France and in 50 countries around the world to provide access to information, education and culture. BSF intervenes in various fields where school time is reduced, family units are broken up and where the lack of information and open spaces reinforces resentment between communities. BSF campaigns for a better consideration of the intellectual dimensions (information, education, culture) in the aid provided to vulnerable populations.

To act, BSF has created revolutionary tools such as the Ideas Box – a multimedia library in kit form designed by Philippe Starck1 – or the Ideas Cube – a digital and ultra-portable offline library2. In all its projects, the association defends innovation, sharing, respect and cultural diversity.

BSF’s expertise in content creation has been recognized for many years. Therefore in 2019, BSF created the Lab. Both a product and a research and development centre, the Lab is the embodiment of BSF’s innovative spirit. The Lab is the core of BSF’s expertise and innovation.

2.The “Initiative Ideas Box” project

Between 2020 and 2023, BSF implemented a first phase of the project, aiming to empower refugees, displaced persons, returnees, and host communities through access to information in Burundi, Iraq and Lebanon.

Following the first phase of the project, BSF is now implementing a second phase, focusing on the Middle East, with activities in:

• Lebanon, which continues to be strongly affected by the Syrian crisis with nearly 1 million Syrian refugees (25% of its population) on its territory, while facing since the end of September a large-scale military operation by Israel, putting the country on the brink of war;
• Iraq, where the impact of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)’s occupation can still be felt, with nearly 3 million people, including 1.3 million children, in need of humanitarian assistance;
• Palestine, where the conflict has resumed since the Hamas’ attacks on the Israeli territory in October 2023 launched a high-intensity war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

By equipping 5 partners with one or more multimedia centers (Ideas Boxes) and an ultra-mobile offline digital library (Ideas Cubes) containing contextualized content, the project aims to improve access to quality education and training programs, enhance access to information and, the development of psychosocial well-being, and promote the inclusion and autonomy of vulnerable groups (including women and people with disabilities).

The following table describes the project financed by the AFD:

Duration : 36 months (1st of January 2024 – 31st of December 2026)

Countries : Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine

Global Objective :Contribute to increasing the autonomy and capacity to act of the most vulnerable communities and populations by strengthening their access to information, education and culture in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine

Specific objectives

• Specific objective 1: Strengthen communities’ access to quality education and training programs through the deployment of 8 new Ideas Boxes and the strengthening of 3 existing ones
• Specific Objective 2: Improve access to information and psychosocial support well-being through the establishment of creative, playful and secure spaces
• Specific Objective 3: Foster social cohesion, inclusion, and autonomy among vulnerable groups and contribute to peacebuilding through innovative exchange spaces

Direct beneficiaries

• 100 000 participants in the three countries, including 50% of women, 5% of people with disabilities and 50% of youth
• 50 professionals from each partner, coming predominantly from the communities where BSF tools will be deployed

Indirect beneficiaries

• 90 professionals within partner teams benefitting from access to tools and educational resources
• 70 000 family members and close associates of activity participants

Expected Results

R1.1: Partner Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and their staff are equipped and trained in the use of innovative content, learning methods and facilitation techniques adapted to each audience and integrated into the practices of partner CSOs

R1.2: Ideas Box users develop skills adapted to their needs around entrepreneurship, employability, life skills and non-formal education (including tutoring and literacy)

R1.3: A community of practice is created where the teams of partner CSOs have access to platforms and forums for exchanges between professionals

R2.1: Professionals from partner CSOs are trained and supported in the implementation of activities aimed at improving the wellbeing of users

R2.2: The wellbeing of Ideas Box users is improved through the implementation of psychosocial support activities

R2.3: Ideas Box users have access to information and knowledge to help them make informed decisions

R3.1: Communities are sensitized to peacebuilding and activity slots are dedicated to social cohesion

R3.2: Communities are sensitized to gender issues and girls and women have access to dedicated space and slots

R3.3: Communities are made aware of disability and people with disabilities have access to the Ideas Box spaces and all of its service as well as dedicated slots

Please note that since the escalation of the Israel – Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon in October 2024, the current project has seen some modifications. These modifications are described in Section C.1.

B. INSTRUCTIONS TO TENDERERS

1.Purpose of the tender

The purpose of the Call for Tenders is to select the consultant(s) to carry out the external evaluation of the Ideas Box Initiative – Phase 2 project in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, which is implemented by BSF and its local partners, with the financial support of the AFD.

This external evaluation will be composed of 3 evaluations:

• A baseline assessment, at the beginning of the project
• An endline assessment, at the end of the project
• An impact study, at the end of the project

The endline assessment and impact evaluation will happen at the same time.

By submitting a tender, the bidder accepts without any restriction the entirety of the specific and general conditions of this Call for Tenders as the sole basis for this procurement procedure. Submission of a bid that does not contain all the information and documents requested by the deadline indicated may result in the rejection of the bid in question.

2.Tender schedule

STEPS AND DATES

• Issuance of the Call for Tenders :5th of December 2024
• Clarification deadline by BSF :19th of December 2024
• Proposal submission deadline :16th of January 2025
• Evaluation of proposals :20th of January 2025
• Offer to candidate :22nd of January 2025
• Signature of contract :26th of January 2025

3. Available budget

The maximum budget for the whole evaluation (baseline, endline and impact evaluation) is 40.000 euros, including all taxes and field missions.

4.Timeline

The tentative timeline for the baseline would be from January 2025 (contractualization) to May-June 2025 (submission of the final report).

The tentative timeline for the endline and impact evaluation would be from September 2026 (design of the scoping report and methodology) to February 2027 (validation of the final report).

5.Questions and clarifications

If BSF, on its own initiative or in response to a request from an applicant, adds or clarifies information to the Call for Tenders documents, this information will be sent in writing and shared with all other potential bidders at the same time.

Bidders may address their questions in writing to the following address, ideally by e-mail, or by post, up to fifteen (15) working days before the deadline for submission, indicating the Call for Tenders reference.

Name of the contact: Julie PINOCHET

Tel: +962 7 9121 3344

Mail: admin.ME@bibliosansfrontieres.org

Any bidder seeking to arrange a private meeting with BSF during the Call for Tenders will risk being excluded from the tender procedure.

6. Eligibility

Participation in the tender procedure is equally open to the entities that respect the following eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be a registered company: individual consultants will not be eligible to apply to this tender
• The applicant must be legally and physically able to conduct onsite activities (with staff operating on the field) in the 3 countries of the project
• The applicant must have an experience of conducting similar assignments in the 3 countries of the project

Eligibility is also subject to the signature of the integrity declaration in Annex 1 of the tender.

However, in order to respect the rules of the donors who finance BSF’s programs, the participants in the Call for Tenders must clearly stipulate in their offer the nationality of their company.

7.Tender procedure

Tenders should be sent to Julie Pinochet, Regional Program Coordinator, by email at the following address: admin.me@bibliosansfrontieres.org

Tenders must be received by 16th of January 2025 at 6pm (Amman time).

Bidders may modify or withdraw their bids by written notification prior to the deadline for submission of bids. Proposals arriving after the deadline will not be accepted and will either be returned to the sender or discarded.

BSF reserves the right to negotiate, accept or reject any proposal at its sole discretion and to continue the competitive dialogue for any response it considers advantageous. BSF is not obliged to accept the lowest price or any proposal.

BSF reserves the right to establish a shortlist of contractors, based on the criteria of the call. Further discussions and a competitive dialogue may then be conducted with the pre-selected contractors.

8.Instructions for submitting a tender

The bidder must provide in its Tender sufficient information to demonstrate its compliance with the requirements set out in each part of this Call for Tenders.

The Tender shall include, as a minimum:

• A Technical Proposal which shall indicate:
  • The methodology(ies) proposed for the conduct of the external evaluations and their compliance with the Tool Sheet 6 “Evaluation Principles and Capitalization” of the AFD Methodological Guide for CSO Support Mechanisms (Annex 2)
  • A proposed timetable for implementation, specifying in particular the mission periods and the production of expected deliverables
  • A description of the evaluation(s) carried out by the consultants with characteristics in common with the present Call for Tenders, with the reference of the persons who can be contacted regarding this/these evaluation(s)
  • A presentation of the planned evaluation teams (with their CVs, references and experience, maximum 2 pages)
  • A presentation of the points of vigilance to be taken into consideration
• A Financial Proposal which shall indicate:
  • The total costs of the evaluation in EUR, including VAT
  • An estimate of the workload in men/day
  • An estimate of all other costs, including travel
  • No costs for the preparation and submission of the Tender will be refunded
  • Payment terms (schedule)
• The profile of the evaluators, which should indicate:
  • Its experience in conducting external evaluations for projects financed by AFD or other international donors
  • Its experience in the psychosocial support and social protection and/or social cohesion sectors
  • Its experience in the project territories, in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, and with the target populations of each of these countries

Tenders as well as all correspondence and documents related to the Call of Tenders exchanged between the bidder and BSF must be written in English. Supporting documents and other documents provided by the bidder may be written in another language, provided that they are accompanied by an accurate translation into English.

Any bidder who fails to provide all of the above documents in the requested formats may be disqualified.

Contractors undertake to submit a bid that will remain valid for a minimum period of sixty (60) days from the deadline for submission. However, the prices and conditions defined in the contract signed with the selected contractor shall be valid for 3 years after the signature of the contract.

9.Evaluation of tenders and selection criteria

The purpose of opening and evaluating the tenders is to check that they are complete and valid.

No excuses will be accepted for late submissions. Tenders that arrive too late will be rejected without being evaluated.

Subsequent evaluation of bids will be carried out in Amman, Jordan by an evaluation committee composed of representatives from Bibliothèques Sans Frontières.

The tenders will be evaluated according to the criteria listed below:

• Ability to meet the requirements of the tender
• Compliance with the terms and conditions of BSF
• Technical offer: understanding of the terms of reference, methodology, experience of the consultant(s)
• Financial offer: daily rates, number of days proposed, ancillary costs, overall offer corresponding to the available budget

CRITERIA AND PERCENTAGE

Technical offer :65%

• Understanding of the ToRs :10%
• Presentation of the methodology used and its application to the project : 30%
• References and experience of the consultants : 25%
• Experience in the evaluation of projects financed by international public donors : 25%
• Experience of evaluations of social protection and cohesion projects :40%
• Experience of project evaluations in the territories and with the populations concerned :30%
• CV of the person(s) in charge and Organizational Capacity :10%
• Provisional timetable for intervention / estimated workload in days/manpower :10%

FINANCIAL OFFER :35%

TOTAL :100%

All information relating to the project and included in the documents of this Call for Tenders or provided separately must be treated as strictly confidential by the bidder. The applicants agree not to disclose or publish any information relating to this Call for Tenders.

Similarly, any document provided by the bidder will be treated as confidential. Nevertheless, no bidder, including those not retained by BSF, will be returned to the bidders.

In the interests of transparency and equal treatment, the evaluation committee may ask the service providers, in writing, to provide clarifications concerning their offer within 48 hours, without them being able to modify it. Any such request for clarification must not be aimed at correcting any initial errors or shortcomings affecting the performance of the contract or distorting the competition.

Any contractor attempting to influence the evaluation committee in the process of examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of bids, to obtain information on the progress of the process or to influence BSF in its decision regarding the award of the contract will have its bid rejected immediately.

10. Notification of award and signature of the contract

The selected tenders will be informed in writing that his tender has been accepted (notification of award).

Unsuccessful tenders will be informed by email within 15 days of the date of award.

11.Security

BSF emphasizes that security meetings will be held prior to each trip by the evaluators, to assess whether or not it is possible to visit the Ideas Box deployment sites.

Should this not possible, data collection can then be carried out remotely, while respecting the methodology, sampling and tools, adapted accordingly.

12.Cancellation of the tender procedure

In case of cancellation of the Call for Tenders, bidders will be informed by BSF.

A cancellation may occur when:

• The Call for Tenders has been unsuccessful, i.e when BSF has not received any valid or financially viable offer or any response at all;
• The economic or technical parameters of the project have been fundamentally changed
• Exceptional circumstances or force majeur make the normal execution of the project impossible;
• All technically compliant offers exceed the available budget;

BSF shall in no case be liable for damages of any kind (in particular damages for loss of profit in case of cancellation of a Call for Tenders), even if BSF has been warned of the possibility of damages.

The publication of a procurement notice does not commit BSF to implement the announced program or project.

C.TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

1.Objectives of the evaluations

The objective of the baseline assessment will be to establish a comprehensive reference point for each of the indicators of the logical framework that reflects the initial conditions and context before the project’s interventions begin.

The endline assessment will aim at evaluating the project’s outcomes in the three countries of intervention by measuring the conditions and indicators at the conclusion of the project and providing a clear comparison with the baseline.

The impact studies will rigorously assess the causal effects of specific aspects of the project on the target population. This evaluation will seek to determine the extent to which the project’s activities have contributed to the observed changes, rather than other external factors. This study could include comparison to control centers, run by the partners, wherever possible. It will cover extensively the project’s activities in Lebanon, as well as specific project’s topics (gender, inclusion and disability, peacebuilding, employment skills, etc) across all three countries.

This whole assignment will focus on the project’s actions implemented in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine:

• 2 Ideas Boxes deployed in Mosul with a local partner
• 1 Ideas Box deployed in Sinjar with a local partner
• 2 Ideas Boxes deployed in Palestine, with local partners
• 6 Ideas Boxes deployed in Lebanon (South Lebanon, South Beirut and Bekaa), including 3 that were deployed during the first phase of the project*

The scope of the external evaluations, and in particular the endline and impact studies, may be subject to change and may be modified in line with the evolving situation in Palestine and Lebanon, in order to reflect any modifications to the project that might be required to meet the needs of the partners.

*Since the escalation of the Israel – Hezbollah conflict in October 2024, BSF and its partner in Lebanon have adjusted the project accordingly to answer to the needs of the displaced communities of the South and Beirut:

• The 3 Ideas Box that were deployed during the first phase of the project will still be part of the current activities
• One Ideas Box will be replaced by 6 “cultural corners” that will be deployed in emergency collective shelters. A “cultural corner” is composed of a micro-library (between 200 and 300 books and games) as well as an Ideas Cube kit offering access to thousands of digital content thanks to tablets and an offline server.
• One new Ideas Box will still be deployed

2.Expected tasks and services

The selected consultants will conduct the following tasks:

Desk Review :

• Analysis of the project documents
• Analysis of the operational context

Scoping Report with:

• An accurate and justified sampling plan
• A precise description of the methodology used for data collection (quantitative and qualitative)
• Data collection tools, in a usable and open-source format
• A timetable for the logistical implementation of the evaluation
• Proposition of a workplan

Collection of qualitative and quantitative data :

• Data collection during missions to each deployment site, according to the methodology(ies) approved by BSF and its partners
• Delivery to BSF of the raw data collected with a note describing the data sets and the processing applied to them

Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data :

• Processing, cleaning and analysis of the collected data

Production of reports :

• Production of interim reports following each field mission
• Presentation of the results to the teams and stakeholders following each mission
• Production of a final report containing all the data and analyses carried out
• Formulation of recommendations to reinforce the actions implemented within the framework of the project, by BSF and its partners

3. Methodology of the evaluation

The evaluators will propose a scoping report for each evaluation. This report should specify the method(s) that will be used to evaluate the various objectives and results of the project, and their consistency with Tool Sheet 6 “Evaluation Principles and Capitalization” of the AFD Methodological Guide for CSO Support Mechanisms (Annex 2). It will also explain the proposed methodology for collecting data in each field (collection methods, preferred qualitative evaluation techniques, frequency and duration of missions in particular).

The evaluators will carry out all the steps they deem necessary to formalize their opinion. They shall request from BSF all details, information or documents necessary for the exercise of their mission.

4. Conduct and scope of the evaluations

Within one month of the signature of the contract, a scoping meeting will be organized by BSF with the evaluators, in order to validate together the scope and the methodologies implemented for the evaluation. The project partners in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine will be involved, as far as possible, in this meeting.

This meeting will enable the evaluators to produce a scoping report containing their recommendations for the evaluation. This report will specify the objectives and results to be evaluated, including the definition of indicators if necessary, and propose a more precise timetable for the evaluation.

The external evaluations will then take place during several missions to each of the 11 Ideas Box deployment sites in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, in order to collect the data needed for the analysis.

An interim evaluation report will be produced and submitted to BSF following each field mission. A final evaluation report, for each of the evaluations, will be submitted to BSF following the last mission.

5. Expected deliverables

The expected deliverables are the following:

• A scoping report setting out the main recommendations (including the methodology) for the conduct of the baseline and endline
• A scoping report setting out the main recommendations (including the methodology for the conduct of the impact studies
• Data collection and analysis tools
• Raw and cleaned collected data, with an explanatory note of the data cleaning log showing how, what and why data transformations occurred
• Intermediate reports following each field mission
• Baseline report
• Endline report, answering one or several evaluation questions, based on the OECD evaluation criteria, and providing a narrative presentation of the project’s data.
• Impact studies report

A PowerPoint presentation for each of the report’s main outcomes. All deliverables must be written in English. ​

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