Request for Proposal – Baseline Study & Assessment Consultancy – RFP\JOR\2024\500 At World University Service of Canada

You can download the soft copy of the RFP following this link on Google Drive: (Full copy)

[**https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J6aZ21eEEEpWqfqmcUUtT6fnPPBz5vPB/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J6aZ21eEEEpWqfqmcUUtT6fnPPBz5vPB/view?usp=drive_link**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J6aZ21eEEEpWqfqmcUUtT6fnPPBz5vPB/view?usp=drive_link))

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Advertisement – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

WUSC invites proposals for the following «Baseline Study & Assessment Consultancy» services:

«PR\JOR\2024\500 »

The closing date for receipt of proposals will be «05/05/2024» at«16:00 Amman Local time» –

All submissions must be electronically submitted to Jordan procurement email address

« procurement.jo@wusc.ca»

For further information, contact WUSC through « procurement.jo@wusc.ca»

Contents

Contents

INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS 2

1. Description of the Procurement 2

2. Eligibility and Qualification of Bidders 2

3. Language of the Proposal 2

4. Documents included in the Proposal 2

5. Clarification and Amendment 3

6. Modification and Withdrawal 3

7. Payment and Currency 4

8. Format, signing and submission of Proposals 4

9. Deadline for Submission of Bids 4

10. Bid Opening 4

11. Evaluation of Technical Proposals 4

12. Evaluation of Financial Proposals 5

13. Confidentiality 6

14. Notification of Award 6

15. Award of Contract 6

16. Signing of Contract and Performance Security 6

17. Settlement of Disputes 6

18. Compliances 6

Annex 1: Terms of Reference (TOR) 7

INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS

Description of the Procurement

WUSC intends to procure a Baseline Study & Assessment Consultancy as per the Terms of Reference attached in Annex 1.

Eligibility and Qualification of Bidders
1. In order to be awarded the contract, bidders should possess the financial, economic, technical and professional capacity to perform the contract. Bidders should fulfill their tax and social insurance liabilities in the country and should not currently be subject to a debarment penalty.
2. Bidders must adhere to the highest ethical standards, both throughout the bidding process and execution of the contract.
3. WUSC has a zero tolerance for unethical behavior/corrupt practices including:

Bribery: the act of unduly offering, giving, receiving or soliciting anything of value to influence the procurement process;
Extortion or coercion: the act of attempting to influence the process of procuring goods or services, or executing contracts by means of threats of injury to person, property or reputation;
Fraud: misrepresentation of information or facts for the purpose of influencing the procurement process;
Collusion: an agreement between bidders designed to result in bids at artificial prices that are not competitive;
Guilt of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the contracting authority as a condition of participation in the contract procedure or failing to supply this information;
Anti-terrorism: support of any terrorist or terrorist group as defined by donors;
Other civil, criminal acts or otherwise illegal activity which would be detrimental to the financial interests of WUSC

WUSC may declare the consultancy firms, their boards of directors and/or individual personnel ineligible to register with the organization either indefinitely or for a stated period of time.
WUSC will reject a proposal if it establishes that the bidder recommended for award has engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices in competing for the contract.
Freelance consultants are eligible for this RFP.
Languageof the Proposal

The Proposal as well as all correspondence and documents related to the proposal shall be written in English Language.

Documents included in the Proposal

The proposal will be prepared, submitted and evaluated in two parts as follows:

Technical Proposal Format and Content

The Technical Proposal shall be prepared using the format provided below and shall comprise the documents listed**.** The Technical Proposal shall not include any financial information. A Technical Proposal containing material financial information shall be declared non-responsive.

Section 1 (In case of an open tender where the suppliers are not known to WUSC; the following documents should be requested) for eligibility and compliance check/evaluation

Covering letter on firms headed paper giving complete details including email addresses, telephone contacts, office location where applicable; not required for freelance bidders.
Copy of Certificate of incorporation/registration (Commercial registration) where applicable; not required for freelance bidders.
Valid Tax compliance certificate (where applicable)
Copy of Current Trading License (Vocational license) where applicable; not required for freelance bidders.

Failure to submit the documents requested in section 1 will lead to rejection of the proposal.

Financial Proposal Format and Content

The Financial Proposal shall be prepared in the format below and it shall list all costs associated with the assignment, including (a) remuneration for Key Experts and Non-Key Experts, (b) reimbursable expenses as follows:

Summary of Costs
Breakdown of Remuneration of the key experts proposed
Reimbursable expenses if any

4.2.1 The prices given in the financial proposal must include all taxes and duties in accordance with the laws of the country.

4.2.2 The price offered must remain fixed during the contract performance.

4.2.3 The bid price must be in the requested Currency, which is Jordanian Dinar (JOD).

Clarification and Amendment

WUSC will, within 5 working days, respond in writing or electronic mail to any request clarification received in writing or electronic mail no later than 7 days before expiry of the deadline for submission of the bid. The response will be distributed to all bidders without identifying the source of the request. All enquiries should be written to WUSC through (procurement.jo@wusc.ca).

Modification and Withdrawal
1. The bidder may submit a modified bid or a modification to any part of it at any time prior to the proposal submission deadline. The bidder’s withdrawal notice must be marked as “Modification”. No modifications to the bid shall be accepted after the deadline.
2. The bidder may submit a bid withdrawal notice to any part of it at any time prior to the proposal submission deadline. The bidder’s withdrawal notice must be marked as “Withdrawal”. No withdrawals to the bid shall be accepted after the deadline.
Payment and Currency
1. Payment under the Contract shall be made in the currency or currencies in the bid which is (JOD)
2. Payment will be made within 30 days upon submission of invoice and satisfactory receipt of goods.
Format, signing and submission of Proposals
1. An authorized representative of the bidder shall sign the original submission letters in the required format as one original.
2. The original Technical Proposal shall be clearly marked “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL” Title of the attachment.
3. The original Financial Proposal shall be clearly marked “FINANCIAL PROPOSAL” Title of the attachment. (Note : Technical and financial proposals must be submitted in one email with separate attachments).
Deadlinefor Submission of Bids

The proposal must be submitted through the email with the subject of “Baseline Study & Assessment Consultancy- RFP reference number” and must be received by WUSC by May 5 2024 16:00. Bids received after this date will be rejected.

Proposals submitted must be valid for 90 days from the bid submission date.

Bid Opening
1. WUSC evaluation committee shall conduct the opening of the proposals immediately after the bid submission time.The opening date will be May 7th, 2024.
2. At the opening of the proposals, only the Technical proposal shall be opened while Financial Proposal shall remain at the procurement department and shall be securely stored. bids the following shall be read out: (i) the name and the country of the bidder (ii) any modifications to the bid submitted prior to proposal submission deadline; (iii) any other information deemed appropriate. This information will be filled in the bid opening form.
Evaluation of Technical Proposals
1. The evaluators of the Technical Proposals shall have no access to the Financial Proposals until the technical evaluation is concluded.
2. The tender committee shall evaluate the Technical Proposals on the basis of their responsiveness to the Terms of Reference and the RFP, applying the evaluation criteria, sub-criteria, and point system specified below. Each responsive Proposal will be given a technical score.

A Proposal shall be rejected at this stage if it does not respond to important aspects of the RFP or if it fails to achieve the minimum technical score.

During evaluation of bids, WUSC may request the bidder, in writing using mailing address or email address, to provide clarification of his bid. No change in price or substance of the bid shall be sought, offered or permitted.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Criteria, sub-criteria, and point system for the evaluation of the Technical Proposals:

Points

Technical (which includes; Relevance of education and experience, Experience in conducting similar studies and researches, collecting data and producing quality baseline study reports, for international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies, Experience in management of large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources(70 points)
Financial Proposal (30 points)

Total points for the four criteria***:*** 100

The minimum technical score (St) required to pass is: 65

The minimum Overall score 70

Evaluation of Financial Proposals
1. The Financial Proposals of the bidders who attain the minimum technical scores are opened and the summary of cost prices read out and recorded in the bid opening form by the tender committee. All other Financial Proposals are returned unopened after the Contract negotiations are successfully concluded and the Contract is signed.
2. Arithmetical errors will be rectified in the following manner. If there is a discrepancy between the unit price and the total price, obtained in multiplying the unit price by quantity, the unit price will prevail. If there is a discrepancy between the words and figures, the amount in words shall prevail. If the bidder disagrees with such his bid will be rejected.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

The lowest evaluated Financial Proposal (Fm) is given the maximum financial score (Sf) of 100.

The formula for determining the financial scores (Sf) of all other Proposals is calculated as follows:

Sf = 100 x Fm/ F, in which “Sf” is the financial score, “Fm” is the lowest price, and “F” the price of the proposal under consideration.

[or replace with another inversely proportional formula acceptable to the WUSC]

The weights given to the Technical (T) and Financial (P) Proposals are:

T = [70], and

P = _______[30]

Proposals are ranked according to their combined technical (St) and financial (Sf) scores using the weights (T = the weight given to the Technical Proposal; P = the weight given to the Financial Proposal; T + P = 1) as following: S = St x T% + Sf x P%.

Confidentiality
1. No bidder will contact WUSC on any matter related to his bid except for requests related to clarifications of the bid. Information concerning procurement process and evaluation of bids is confidential. Any clarification related to the selection process shall be done only in writing.
2. Any attempt by the bidder to influence improperly WUSC officials in the evaluation of the bid or Contract award decisions may result in the rejection of its bid, and may be subject to the application of prevailing WUSC’s debarment procedures.
Notification of Award
1. The Consultant with the Most Advantageous Proposal, which is the Proposal that achieves the highest combined technical and financial scores, will be notified of award of contract by WUSC in writing.
2. At the same time WUSC notifies the successful bidder, WUSC will notify all other unsuccessful bidders and provide a debrief where one is sought in writing within 5 days.
3. The notice of acceptance will be given by the successful bidder within 7 days of the notification of award.
Award of Contract
1. WUSC will award the contract to the bidder whose bid is determined to be substantially responsive and who offered the best evaluated bid.
2. WUSC reserves the right to accept or reject any bid or all bids and to cancel the bidding process at any time prior to award of the contract without thereby incurring any liability to bidders without being required to inform the bidders of reasons for such actions.
Signing of Contract and Performance Security
1. WUSC will send the successful bidder the Contract. The bidder will sign and date the contract and return to WUSC within 14 days of receipt of the notice of award.
2. Together with the signed Contract, the bidder will furnish WUSC with a Performance Security, if required to do so.
3. If the successful bidder fails to submit the performance security, if required to do so, within 14 days, then it shall be sufficient grounds to revoke the award of the contract. In this case, WUSC will award the contract to the next bidder.
4. A performance security may be required in cases where the supplier is given an advance payment. Performance Security must be in the form of a Bank Guarantee or a bond from an Insurance Company licensed by the Bank.
Settlement of Disputes

Disputes that may arise during the performance of the Contract shall be settled in accordance with the laws of the country, by arbitration or mutual agreement between the parties.

Compliances

Bidders must submit valid certificates of compliances from the relevant bodies as requested.

Annex 1: Terms of Reference (TOR)

Template for Terms of Reference – Baseline Study

Burden of Childcare Reduced and Addressed for Women in Jordan (BUCRA)

Introduction

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors, including Global Affairs Canada; the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO); the MasterCard Foundation; World Bank; the Asian Development Bank; and the African Development Bank.

WUSC is implementing the Burden of Childcare Reduced and Addressed for Women in Jordan- BUCRA

project in Jordan. BUCRA project is a five-year initiative (2024-2029) funded by Global Affairs Canada that aims to enhance economic empowerment for women in Jordan (ultimate outcome),which will support over 8,600 women in seven regions (Amman, Madaba, Zarqa, Irbid, Ajloun, Ma’an, Karak). BUCRA takes a systems approach that engages and supports local stakeholders from government, training bodies, the private sector and communities to drive gender-transformative change that addresses the most pressing childcare issues preventing women from participating in the workforce in Jordan.

WUSC is now seeking a qualified consultant or team of consultants to conduct a comprehensive gender-responsive baseline study for the BUCRA project.

Background of BUCRA Project

Burden of Childcare Reduced and Addressed for Women in Jordan (BUCRA – meaning Tomorrow in Arabic) is a 5-year initiative (2024-2029), designed to enhance the economic empowerment of women in Jordan. BUCRA takes a systems approach that engages and supports local stakeholders from government, training bodies, the private sector and communities to drive gender-transformative change that addresses the most pressing childcare issues preventing women from participating in the workforce in Jordan. BUCRA project targets over 8,600 women in 7 regions (Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Madaba, Ajloun, Maan, and Karak). The approach of equipping key stakeholders to address systemic barriers will enable the impacts to be experienced by women throughout Jordan over the long term.

The project further aims to increase the number of qualified childcare professionals throughout the county, support the growth of childcare businesses available to Jordanian families and increase the numbers of employers offering viable childcare options for employees. It also aims to increase the number of women employed in the sector, to help offer more inclusive childcare services for children living with disabilities and influence changes in social expectations around women’s participation in the labor market. BUCRA project would support Canada’s Middle East Strategy by building resilience and fostering economic growth that works for everyone, including equitable employment in Jordan. It would also contribute to Canada’s commitments to unpaid and paid care work by supporting the professionalization of the early childcare sector and improving the recognition and value of care work overall, particularly among vulnerable communities.

BUCRA is a collaborative initiative to be led by WUSC, and delivered in partnership with several local implementing partners, including: i) the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) working toward enhancing the environment for Jordanian families’ stability and well-being; ii) the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) responsible for training services and vocational development in Jordan; and iii) SADAQA, a Jordanian NGO working towards an enabling and inclusive work environment for women.

2.1 The project’s Outcomes

The project’s ultimate outcome is to enhance economic empowerment for women in Jordan (ultimate outcome 1000). Two intermediate outcomes are expected to contribute to it:

Intermediate Outcome 1100: Enhanced equitable access of women to employment and self-employment opportunities in the Early Child Care Development (ECCD) sector in target regions of Jordan.
Intermediate Outcome 1200: Increased use of ECCD services, particularly by women, in target regions of Jordan.

WUSC and partners interventions are expected to contribute to the above intermediate outcomes through the achievement of five immediate outcomes : i) enhanced capacity of training providers to provide quality, market-relevant, gender transformative, and inclusive ECCD training; ii) increased access by women to ECCD-related services to secure employment or start/expand their home-based nurseries; iii) improved capacity of key stakeholders to develop and implement gender-responsive policy and regulation fostering the availability of quality ECCD services; iv) improved attitudes among women and their communities about women’s work and ECCD; and v) enhanced capacity of ECCD employers to provide quality, gender-responsive and inclusive ECCD services.

2.2 Theory of Change

BUCRA’s Theory of Change is based on the premise that the childcare issues that are preventing women’s economic empowerment in Jordan can only be meaningfully addressed by improving the underlying systems – the actors and factors – at the policy, institutional and community levels that collectively influence the ECCD sector and the associated barriers identified above. Rather than directly delivering ECCD-related programming to the women who will ultimately benefit, BUCRA will deliver interventions that enable stakeholders who influence the system (e.g. training providers, government policymakers, BDS providers, ECCD employers and others) to drive necessary changes. Applying an inclusive systems approach, BUCRA will help to build a supportive ecosystem where women have access to ECCD options and can choose paid work that aligns with their desires and interests. A key assumption is that if more Jordanian families use childcare services, it will enable more women to pursue economic opportunities and that addressing these interconnected issues will lead to more women being employed and ultimately to their economic empowerment and poverty reduction. Also based on the assumption that women are economically empowered through income generation, their social relationships within and outside the home will also become more equal.

BUCRA is premised on the key assumption that by addressing both the supply and demand side barriers of ECCD, and creating an enabling environment for ECCD in Jordan, women will be enabled to access, control and benefit from improved economic empowerment in Jordan. A key hypothesis is that as childcare options increase (and more women begin working in the ECCD sector), it will become normalized for women to work outside the home, particularly in areas and among populations in Jordan where this currently is less accepted. In order to achieve this, a number of challenges need to be addressed, including: i) availability of quality, inclusive and market-relevant ECCD training; ii) a weak employment and entrepreneurial support system to work in and/or start-up ECCD operations; iii) lack of meaningful ECCD-related policy implementation; iv) negative attitudes about the value of women’s work and the use of ECCD services; and v) poor quality, availability, and inclusiveness of ECCD services.

BUCRA is further grounded on an assumption that increasing the quality of ECCD training (including mainstreaming support for children with disabilities) will lead to higher quality and more accessible childcare services becoming available to Jordanian families, including families with children living with disabilities. It also assumes that women are interested in working in ECCD and that interventions that support their access to related training and decent employment and business opportunities can connect them to this work. It assumes that interventions that have positive impacts on the quality and availability of childcare will lead to increased demand for these services. A related assumption is that increased demand for and uptake of ECCD can result from challenging gendered social norms, bolstering trust in ECCD by increasing parent engagement in these services, and highlighting the benefits of childcare and women’s employment. A key risk at the ultimate level is that there will be backlash from community members in response to increased economic empowerment of women. This includes the potential for increased levels of domestic violence and community discord. This risk will be mitigated through the engagement of men and boys, families, and community leaders applying proven male gender champion models which WUSC has successfully employed in previous programs, and the integration of related key messages in awareness campaigns.

Objectives of the study

The purpose of BUCRA project’s baseline study is to support key stakeholders to define, measure and document project’s achievements in terms of a set of expected outcomes; and aims to empower them to collaboratively set appropriate and achievable targets, measure progress towards these outcomes, as well as review them as needed and appropriate. Aligned with this purpose, the baseline study will be designed to achieve five specific objectives:

Support a better understanding of the implementation contexts for the BUCRA project before the beginning of the implementation, providing initial insights to feed into the project’s planned Market Systems Analysis and mapping exercise;
Provide evidence to validate the assumptions in the project’s Theory of Change (ToC) as well as to inform the program implementation strategy, also gaining insights on key stakeholders and community members perspectives and experiences, to revise and update the program design as appropriate;
Establish baseline values for all indicators in the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) and their relevant disaggregations, recommending adjustments in their formulation if the need emerges and supporting the definition of their end-of-project targets;
Gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative data on gender and power dynamics[1] to inform the program gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) strategy;
Provide recommendations for the development and implementation of the results-based monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) plan for the project, including (but not limited to) emerging learning questions and future data collection exercises.

Scope and research questions

A preliminary list of research questions that the study is expected to answer can be found below, as well as the list of indicators to inform. The list will be finalized in consultation with the BUCRA Team during the inception phase of the study.

4.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators in the Project’s PMF

Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators in the Project’s PMF

1. % of women ECCD providers in the regions of project implementation reporting increased income (disaggregated by age)

2. Empowerment progression index among women providing & using ECCD services

3. % of supported women securing employment or self-employment as ECCD service providers in targeted regions (disaggregated by age, geographic area)

4. Perception on opportunities for decent employment & self-employment opportunities among supported women (disaggregated by age, geographic area)

5. % of families accessing ECCD services in targeted regions (disaggregated by geographic area)

6. Quality perception of ECCD services among women, family members, guardians in targeted regions (disaggregated by sex, age & geographic area)

7. Level of knowledge of training providers staff of best practices in the delivery of ECCD training (disaggregated by sex, age, geographic area)

8. Perception of trainees regarding quality & relevance of ECCD training (disaggregated by age, geographic area)

9. % of women ECCD providers reporting access to ECCD-related business services in the past six months (disaggregated by age, geographic area)

10. Perception of women ECCD providers on accessibility of business ECCD-related services (disaggregated by age, geographic area)

11. % of engaged stakeholders reporting confidence in their capacity to implement gender responsive policies & regulations (disaggregated by type of stakeholder, geographic area)

12. Perception of community members regarding women’s work in ECCD (disaggregated by sex, age, geographic area)

13. Perception of women & communities regarding use of ECCD services (disaggregated by sex, age, geographic area)

14. % of ECCD employers reporting increased capacity of their staff (disaggregated by geographic area)

15. Perception of ECCD service users on the quality & inclusivity of the ECCD services provided (disaggregated by sex, age, geographic area)

4.2 Research Questions

Research Questions

1. What are the key supporting functions (products and services) and rules (social norms, laws, regulations) that need to be in place for the ECCD sector to function well? What areas are functioning well? Where are the gaps?What existing structures are available and in place in the ECCD sector? What opportunities are available to be further explored to support the functioning of the ECCD sector? Are there any differences among target geographies? Who are the key actors engaged in the sector in target geographies?

2. To what extent are home-based nurseries currently operating in the ECCD sector in Jordan in the target geographies? What markets are they currently serving? What are the unique constraints and opportunities they face compared to larger providers? What environmental considerations exist for the home-based nurseries operating in the ECCD sector in the targeted project areas?

3. What supporting functions/rules are specifically needed for women running home-based nurseries(including business and financial services)? Who is currently providing these services? What is working well and where are the gaps? What opportunities are available for women wanting to start home-based nurseries and women currently running home-based nurseries in the targeted areas?

4. To what extent are ECCD service providers serving the needs of children with disabilities? What are some of the key considerations for service providers seeking to serve this market while paying attention to the unique care needs of children with a variety of disabilities?

What support services exist in the ECCD sector for children with disabilities? Who are the key actors providing services for children with disabilities in the targeted project areas? What safeguarding mechanisms are available for home-based nurseries owners and for early childcare workers?

5. What are the unique considerations for the project in engaging in the ECCD sector among the refugee population in Jordan? Where are their opportunities/constraints in engaging with this population (as both users and providers of ECCD)? What are the age-based barriers faced by refugee users and providers of ECCD products and services, i.e., female youth vs. adult women? What are the specific environmental considerations for refugee nurseries providers?

6. What are the perceptions of parents and community members of the ECCD sector? What are the perceptions of home-based nurseries specifically? Who makes decisions regarding childcare and what factors are most important to parents when considering whether or not to utilize ECCD services? In cases where external childcare services are utilized, how much does paying for childcare outside the home cost? Who pays for the services?

7. How do employers currently identify and select employees for ECCD jobs? What are the key skills that they are looking for? What are current skill gaps? What type of training/support do these enterprises offer to build the capacity of their employees? Who are the key actors offering training and skills development in the ECCD sector?

WUSC will be conducting a Gender equality and social inclusion analysis concurrently with this baseline study. The teams conducting both studies will share regular updates and coordinate under the leadership of the WUSC team in order to ensure streamlined processes of data collection across the two studies, explore synergies and minimize duplications of efforts. A Market Systems Analysis of the ECCD sector will also be conducted internally by WUSC, using secondary data and insights provided by the baseline study and the GESI analysis.

Study approach and methodology

The preliminary draft of the methodology for the baseline study should be included in the submitted proposal.

The following elements should guide the design of the overall methodology and, during the inception phase, the development of the tools for this baseline study:

The study should not only consciously apply qualitative and quantitative research methods that are gender and youth-sensitive, but also adopt as much as possible participatory and feminist approaches, engaging in consultation with stakeholders and participants at all stages, from the design of the methodological details to the analysis, interpretation and dissemination of all collected data;
The geographic scope of the study will be aligned with the areas targeted by the program’s interventions, as laid out in the project description;
The data collection approaches and specific tools used to establish indicator baselines should be adapted to the local contexts, to assure the appropriateness and reliability of the data collected.

Additionally, the methodology described in the proposal should provide explicit details on the process to determine the selection of respondents for the qualitative data collection, the key elements in the sampling strategy for the quantitative data collection, as well as details on how key ethical issues related to the data collection, analysis and dissemination processes will be addressed.

Key Activities and deliverables

The selected Consultant will have overall responsibility for the design of the methodology and implementation of the study, and for ensuring quality and timeliness of all deliverables. The Consultant will be tasked with designing the methodological details of the study, including the choice of the appropriate sampling/selection strategy, as well as with the data collection tools development and piloting; the enumerators’ recruitment, training and supervision; data entry and analysis; report writing and dissemination of findings for validation with stakeholders and participants.

The key activities and deliverables expected from the Consultant(s) for this assignment are as follows:

Review all relevant documents, studies and available secondary data sources regarding women employment and ECCD sector in Jordan and related to the research questions as well as to the performance indicators included in the project PMF[2].
Participate in an inception meeting with project staff and key stakeholdersto clarify expectations of the mandate and provide contextual information necessary to produce the inception report, timeline and work plan.
Submit a detailed inception report and work plan, including (but not limited to) the following elements:
- Detailed methodology to respond to each research question;
- Sampling strategy and proposed sample size for quantitative data collection tools;
- Selection criteria for qualitative data collection tools;
- Detailed work plan that includes all tasks by the Consultant and team members and incorporating the overall study timelines[3];
- Revised level of effort of each team member and detailed budget including professional fees, expected reimbursable, etc.;
- All quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and protocols, as well as the plan for testing the tools, translation and/or back translation if applicable (see point below).
Develop all data collection tools. These tools will be reviewed during the inception phase and must be included in the inception report/work plan.
Develop Enumerator Guidelines and Protocols for Data Collection and Conduct Enumerators Training following a detailed agenda and outlining study protocols (this agenda should be included in the inception report).
Coordinate/conduct/supervise data collection, as per the agreed methodology.
Ensure Data Quality by supervising data collection and reviewing data entry, where applicable.
Analyze all primary data collected, also triangulating with secondary data whenever available and appropriate.
Draft the Study Report (to be submitted in both Word and PDF versions with all annexes, data collection tools and raw data files included). The Table of Contents will be provided during the inception phase.

Expected key deliverables are listed below:

Inception report, containing detailed methodology and timeline, data collection tools and protocols, enumerators training tools, data analysis plan, informed consent forms,
Research approvals, if applicable;
Final report with key findings and recommendations[4];
PMF with updated indicators values;
All raw data, recordings and notes from both the quantitative and qualitative data collection processes.

Timeframe

The period of the contract is expected to be from 12th of May, 2024 to 22nd of July, 2024. The consultant is expected to carry out all the preparation required to roll out the study as per the suggested time frame below.

Task/Output

Expected Time Frame

Contract signing

12 May 2024

Inception Meeting[5]

12 May 2024 – 13 May 2024

Submission of draft Inception Report and Work Plan

22 May 2024

Integration of feedback and submission of Final Inception Report

(WUSC will provide any feedback within five working days of receipt of the complete draft report)

27 May 2024

Data Collection (field work)

28 May to 25 June

Submission of draft baseline Report (following report structure outline provided)

8 July 2024

Presentation of key findings at a validation workshop with BUCRA team and key stakeholders

11 July 2024

Integration of feedback[6] and submission of Final baseline Report

(WUSC will provide any feedback within 5 working days of receipt of the complete draft report).

15 July 2024

Submission of final baseline Report

22 July 2024

The expected level of effort for each of the above listed tasks should be included in the submitted proposal.

The final timeline will be discussed and agreed upon during the inception meeting.

Ethical Standards

The research for this baseline study must consciously abide WUSC’s Code of Conduct and Child Protection and Safeguarding Policies[7], as well as by relevant recognized professional and ethical guidelines and codes of conduct for individual researchers.[8] The Consultant must also be sure to obtain the relevant research permits, as required, from Jordan’s authorities. Codes of conduct must be specifically referenced and commitment confirmed in writing by each researcher involved in this study. The design of the study must clearly specify how data collection and use will be undertaken with integrity and honesty, respecting human rights and differences in culture, customs, religious beliefs and practices of all stakeholders.

The Consultant must explain how its researchers will be mindful of gender roles, ethnicity, ability, age, language and other differences when designing and carrying out the study. The design and implementation of the study must strike an appropriate balance between recognition of the potential benefits of the research, and the protection of participants from potential research-related harms. Safeguarding principles to protect key informants from sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and bullying, including child protection, must be explicit.

Qualifications of Consultant(s)

Lead researcher must demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of experience in designing and conducting similar studies and researches, collecting data and producing quality baseline study reports, for international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies;
Demonstrated experience in designing baseline studies including proven experience in participatory research methods and feminist evaluation approaches, management of large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources;
Excellent facilitation skills and ability to recruit and manage facilitators for consultation with key stakeholders as well as for the collection of relevant qualitative data;
Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis;
Ability to produce high quality work under tight timeframes
Knowledge and experience with women’s economic empowerment, systems approaches and ECCD policies and systems in Jordan
Excellent writing proficiency and strong analytical abilities.
1. Letter of interest

Application Packages and Procedures

The BUCRA project team will be in charge of the selection, recruitment and supervision (as appropriate and needed) of the enumerators and all logistical aspects and budget related to the field work. Additional details on this aspect of the process will be discussed during inception. Qualified and interested parties are asked to submit the following:

Detailed technical proposal (8 to 9 pages maximum) clearly demonstrating a thorough understanding of this ToR and including the following:
1. Description of the Capacity and qualifications of the consulting/consulting firm, including previous relevant experience (1.5 to 2 pages).
2. Description of the proposed approach and methodology, including data collection, sampling strategy, data analysis, integration of gender considerations and ethical standards, quality assurance (3.5 to 4 pages).
3. A proposed timeframe detailing activities and a schedule/work plan (including a Gantt chart) (1 page)
4. Team composition, qualifications and level of effort of each proposed team member.

Note that each proposal will be assess based on a list of criteria, including but not limited to the following elements:

Years of experience in the sector and the geographic context of the project, as well as with the key stakeholder groups participating in the project’s activities.
Documented experience in facilitation of consultations with different stakeholders groups.
Team’s composition that includes local experts (possibly from the communities in which the project will be implemented) in key roles, from the design to the execution of the study.
Methodological choices centered around inclusive participatory and consultative approaches, right from the design of the proposal, including elements of feminist evaluation approaches as much as possible.

11. A financial proposal (in JOD) with a detailed breakdown of costs for the study:

Itemized consultancy fees/costs, detailing the level of effort of each team member
Itemized field data collection expenses
Itemized administrative expenses
Validity period of quotations
Expected payment plan and method
1. Curriculum Vitae(s) of all proposed team members outlining relevant experience (max 3 pages per CV)
2. Names and contact information of three references who can be contacted regarding recent relevant experience
3. A copy of a previous reports of similar recent work undertaken
4. A Consulting Firm profile (if applicable).

12. Pre-bid Clarification (Q&A)

All inquiries, questions & clarification requests should be directed to the email address procurement.jo@wusc.ca. The Deadline for the Pre-bid Clarification (Q&A) is 25 April 2024 at the close of business at 16:00 Jordan time.

13. Applications

Complete applications should be submitted electronically to: procurement.jo@wusc.ca with the subject line of: “BUCRA Baseline Study & Assessment Consultancy Application” In case of any inquiries, please contact WUSC Jordan Country Office Email: procurement.jo@wusc.ca with the subject line of with the subject line of: ‘PR\JOR\2024\500. The closing date for submission of the application package is the end of business day on 5/05/2024 at 16:00 Amman local time.

14. Price and payment

Quoted price would be open to negotiations, WUSC reserves the right to choose certain items from the itemized budget submitted.

Key Milestones

Payment Percentages

Inception Report- Final Report Submission

30%

Finish all field work, sharing necessary M&E tools alongside of raw data (All field work as agreed during the inception phase)

40%

Baseline Study & Assessment Report- Final Report Submission

30%

[1] Coordination with the planned GESI analysis consultancy will be ensured by the BUCRA team.

[2] A copy of the PMFs and other relevant documentation will be provided to the consultant prior to the inception meeting.

[3] Timelines will need to be coordinated with WUSC project team.

[4] A detailed table of contents for both the inception and the final report will be provided during the inception phase.

[5] Prior to the inception meeting all documents, PMFs, and relevant documents will be provided to the successful candidate.

[6] Feedback to the submitted report as well as received during the validation workshop.

[7] WUSC’s suite of Child Protection and Safeguarding Policies will be provided prior to contracting.

[8] For example: Tri-Council Policy Statement, Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, TCPS2 2018, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council https://ethics.gc.ca/eng/documents/tcps2-2018-en-interactive-final.pdf