Consulting Services For The Design And Implementation Of A Train-the-trainer Program For Investigators, Prosecutors, And Judges At Pan American Development Foundation

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

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Consulting services for the design and implementation of a train-the-trainer program for investigators, prosecutors, and judges, focused on access to justice and the criminal process in El Salvador

1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION:

Victim participation in the legal process can be an incredibly empowering and healing experience. However, victims must decide whether they want to participate and must be prepared for the type of testimony or evidence they will have to provide, and what the possible outcomes might be. They also need to trust the people they interact with during the prosecution process.

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity for all people. For 60 years, PADF has worked to create opportunities and address challenges affecting the entire region, fostering healthier, fairer, more peaceful, resilient, and sustainable communities. We partner with and empower civil society, governments, and the private sector for the common good of the region.

Within this framework, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) proposes implementing a project aimed at strengthening access to justice for victims of human trafficking and reducing impunity for perpetrators. The project draws on PADF’s more than six years of experience in Central America in the area of ​​human trafficking, its collaboration with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and its established presence in El Salvador as a trusted partner in the region.

The project is justified by the urgent need to:

  • Update and harmonize the protocols for care and referral to victims, with a differentiated and rights-based approach.
  • Strengthen inter-institutional and inter-sectoral coordination between the government and civil society.
  • Increase the technical capacity of justice sector operators to investigate, prosecute and punish trafficking cases with a trauma-informed approach.
  • To ensure that survivors of human trafficking have the necessary support to actively participate in legal proceedings and access adequate protection services.

The project aligns with the objectives of the U.S. Integrated Country Strategy for El Salvador and has the potential to directly contribute to reducing irregular migration and weakening organized criminal networks involved in human trafficking. In this sense, it is conceived as a strategic and timely intervention with high potential for institutional sustainability.

2. OBJECTIVE:

Design and implement a training of trainers (ToT) program, aimed at investigators, prosecutors and judges, focused on access to justice and the criminal process in cases of human trafficking, based on the results of the needs assessment previously developed by PADF.

Specific objectives:

  1. Analyze and operationalize the results of the training needs assessment prepared by PADF, translating them into a structured, prioritized and role-differentiated curriculum proposal.
  2. Design a training curriculum on access to justice and criminal process in cases of human trafficking, aligned with the identified needs and validated with the CNCTP.
  3. Develop pedagogical materials and operational tools that facilitate the practical implementation of training processes.
  4. Implement training programs aimed at officials from key institutions of the human trafficking response system.
  5. Implement a training of trainers (ToT) program with a selected subset of participants, for subsequent institutional replication.
  6. Provide technical assistance for structuring institutional replication processes that allow expanding training coverage to at least 200 additional people.

This consultancy directly addresses the following activity:

Activity 2.4: Design and implement training for investigators, prosecutors and judges, focused on access to justice and the criminal process through a train-the-trainer model.

3. CONSULTANT’S RESPONSIBILITIES:

The consultant will be responsible for providing technical support to PADF, PNC, FGR, and the Judicial Branch in identifying institutional training needs and developing content proposals for training programs aimed at personnel who assist victims of human trafficking. Their responsibilities include:

  1. Analyze the diagnosis of training needs and translate its findings into applied training content.
  2. Design a structured training program that includes:
    • General training on priority topics.
    • Training of trainers program (ToT).
    • Guidelines for institutional replication processes.
  3. Design a modular training curriculum that incorporates:
    • Content differentiated by role (investigation, prosecution, judiciary).
    • Victim-centered and trauma-informed approach.
    • Prevention of revictimization as a cross-cutting theme.
    • Inter-institutional coordination and referral/counter-referral.
    • Differentiation between human trafficking and illicit trafficking.
    • Addressing digital forms of crime and digital evidence.
  4. Develop educational materials, including:
    • Training of Trainers (ToT) Manual.
    • Detailed curriculum.
    • Presentations and teaching resources.
    • Practical cases and applied exercises.
  5. Design operational tools that facilitate the practical application of the content, such as:
    • Initial interview guides.
    • Risk identification and assessment checklists.
    • Referral formats and minimum registration.
    • Guidelines for handling sensitive information.
  6. Incorporate competency-based training methodologies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes), including:
    • Case studies.
    • Simulations.
    • Role-playing games.
    • Inter-institutional coordination exercises.
  7. Implement the training process for officials of institutions in the justice sector, including:
    • Development of training sessions.
    • Pre- and post-training evaluation.
  8. Implement the train-the-trainer (ToT) process, including:
    • Development of training sessions.
    • Pre- and post-training evaluation.
    • Technical support for participants.
  9. Provide recommendations for the implementation of institutional replication processes
  10. Address technical feedback and make adjustments to products.
  11. Deliver all products in editable and final versions.

4. THEMATIC CONTENTS:

Bidders may propose methodological adjustments or thematic expansions, provided that at least the contents established in this section are covered.

Operational foundations: trafficking vs. smuggling and the logic of the criminal process

  • Differentiation applied to early decisions.
  • Roles and points of contact between investigation, prosecution, and the judiciary.
  • Common risks: misclassification, missed opportunity, and decisions that increase exposure.

Victim-centered access to justice

  • Victims’ rights and informed participation.
  • Principle of non-revictimization in criminal proceedings: how to reduce repetition of the story and secondary harm.
  • Coordination with protection/services (what is shared and what is not).

Due diligence and strategic case planning

  • Hypothesis, case theory and risk map.
  • Prioritization of actions (what is done first and why).
  • Coordination for protection measures without hindering the case.

Evidence standards and test construction

  • Investigation phase: orderly collection, traceability and coordination with the prosecutor’s office.
  • Judicialization phase: functional direction, relevance and consistency of evidence, preparation for hearings, analysis criteria and conduct to avoid revictimization (control of stereotypes, management of the debate).

Hearings and no procedural revictimization

  • Good practices in conducting hearings in trafficking cases (according to role).
  • Handling testimony with caution to minimize harm.
  • Protective measures in court and their verification.

5. PLACE(S) OF ASSIGNMENT:

This consultancy will be carried out remotely and will require some face-to-face activities for consultation and product presentation within Salvadoran territory, as established by government institutions.

6. CANDIDATE PROFILE:

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

Academic background:

  • University degree in Legal Sciences, Social Sciences, Psychology, Social Work, Human Rights, Public Policy or related fields.
  • Postgraduate training in teaching, adult education, human rights, victim support, criminal justice or related areas will be valued.

Professional experience:

  • At least 5 years of proven experience in regulatory analysis, judicial processes and design of training processes in institutions of the justice sector.
  • Technical knowledge of the crime of human trafficking and the functioning of the Salvadoran penal system.
  • Mastery of the national and international regulatory framework on human trafficking, due process, victims’ rights, and criminal investigation standards.
  • Ability to design training content adapted to different institutional levels.

Key knowledge and skills:

  • Up-to-date knowledge of the Salvadoran and international legal framework on human trafficking, protection of victims, the criminal justice system and human rights.
  • Ability to apply rights-based approaches, non-revictimization and differential approach in training processes.
  • Assertive communication skills, empathy and active listening, especially when interacting with survivors or frontline actors.
  • Ability to engage with government actors, international organizations and civil society, with a collaborative and diplomatic approach.
  • Proficiency in training tools, document analysis, and clear and structured presentation of results.

Other requirements:

  • Availability for face-to-face or virtual meetings with PADF and government institutions.
  • Organizational skills, adherence to schedules and deliverables.
  • Desirable: knowledge of the Salvadoran context and previous experience with projects funded by international organizations.

7. CONTRACTUAL MECHANISM:

The maximum budget for this consultancy is $8,000 US dollars. The deliverables are presented below:

Milestones/Deliverables Calendar:

  1. Estimated completion date: May 27, 2026
    • Milestone: Approval of the work plan and detailed schedule
    • Deliverables: Consulting work plan and methodology, including timeline, methodological approach, and proposed instruments for data collection
    • Percentage of total: 15%
  2. Estimated completion date: June 18, 2026
    • Milestone: Curriculum design based on diagnosis
    • Deliverables: Curriculum design document that includes: content prioritization, modular structure, learning objectives, methodological approach, and proposed index
    • Percentage of total: 20%
  3. Estimated completion date: July 15, 2026
    • Milestone: Development of ToT manual and training materials
    • Deliverables: Trainer of Trainers (ToT) Manual, detailed curriculum, presentations, methodological guides, teaching tools, and case studies
    • Percentage of total: 25%
  4. Estimated completion date: August 26, 2026
    • Milestone: Implementation of the training process for the course developed for 100 people / Training for 15 ToT who will replicate the training.
    • Deliverables: Implementation report including: workshop development, participant list, evidence (photographs, attendance lists), participant evaluation, and preliminary results of the training process
    • Percentage of total: 20%
  5. Estimated completion date: September 13, 2026
    • Milestone: Delivery of consolidated final report
    • Deliverables: Final report integrating: results of the training process, impact assessment, lessons learned, technical recommendations, and a proposal for the sustainability of the training process
    • Percentage of total: 20%

The consultant must provide a pricing model for each deliverable listed in the table above.

8. PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED:

  1. Please attach your curriculum vitae (CV) to demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the terms of reference.
  2. Include descriptions of similar projects or assignments and at least three client references.
  3. Letter of interest.
  4. Technical and economic proposal.

9. CONTRACT DURATION:

The estimated start date of the contract is May 13, 2026. The contract will have an approximate duration of 4 months from the date of signing.

10. PARTICIPATION DATA:

  1. Applications must be received no later than April 17, 2026 (the original closing date was April 13, 2026). All application materials should be sent to hbolanos@pafg.org following the guidelines outlined in these Terms of Reference.
  2. Amendments: At any time before the deadline for submitting proposals, PADF may, for any reason, amend the Terms of Reference document by means of an amendment that will be posted on the PADF website and/or communicated by email.
  3. Clarifications: Questions can be sent to hbolanos@padf.org. The email subject line should include the reference number and title.

11. TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Award result

These Terms of Reference (TOR) do not obligate PADF to execute a contract, nor do they commit PADF to pay any costs incurred in preparing or submitting proposals. Furthermore, PADF reserves the right to reject any and all proposals if such action is deemed to be in PADF’s best interest. PADF will select the winning proposal at its sole discretion and is under no obligation to share the results of the individual evaluation.

Confidentiality

All proprietary information provided by the bidder will be treated as confidential and will not be shared with potential or existing bidders during the bidding process. This includes, but is not limited to, price quotes, cost proposals, and technical proposals. The results of PADF’s evaluation are confidential.

How to apply

Applications must be received no later than April 17, 2026 (the original closing date was April 13, 2026). All application materials should be sent to hbolanos@pafg.org following the guidelines outlined in these Terms of Reference.

The terms of reference can also be found here: Procurement and Grant Opportunities – Pan American Development Foundation