Organization: Counterpart International
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 20 Jul 2015
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Organize and Facilitate Exposure Visit for 34 Emerging Civil Society Leaders Plus 4 Support Staff to Bosnia and Herzegovina Issue Date: July 13, 2015
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: July 20, 2015
Counterpart International is seeking an experienced training firm/ consultancy to organize and facilitate exposure visit for 34 Emerging Civil Society Leaders plus 4 support staff to Bosnia and Herzegovina under its USAID-funded Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP).
The aim of this initiative is to further enhance the knowledge and understanding of challenges and opportunities facing civil society and youth activists in the region and globally and expose them to best practices of effective civic engagement from countries in the region, specifically focusing on areas of youth and civil society activism.
A. Background
Counterpart International, a global development organization working in Afghanistan since 2005 recently launched a five-year Afghan Civic Engagement (ACEP) program. Based in its Kabul headquarters, the goal of ACEP is to promote civil society and media engagement that enables Afghan citizens to influence policy, monitor government accountability, and serve as an advocate for political reform. The program aims to achieve this goal through five program areas: (1) regular CSO engagement with government; (2) increased CSO and media thematic expertise in democracy and governance; (3) expanded civic engagement; (4) improved access to independent news and public affairs information; and (5) increased CSO organizational capacity.
In PY2, ACEP launched the 2015 Emerging Civil Society Leaders (ECSL) program in order to contribute to the diversity and sustainability of Afghan civil society. The hallmark emerging civil society leaders program is to identify, introduce and support 34 emerging leaders across the country. The program participants are selected from diverse backgrounds fostering the development of a support network and encouraging the discussion of both the triumphs and challenges they will face as leaders working in different capacities to bring about social change.
The Emerging Civil Society Leaders Program-Afghanistan is a highly selective program that inspires, empowers, and connects civil society emerging leaders from across Afghanistan. The program facilitates sustainable idea exchange among participants and within the broader civil society community of Afghanistan by bringing together like-minded individuals who are working to create positive change within their communities and the country. Program participants are selected from diverse backgrounds, including geography and gender, fostering the development of a support network and stimulating the discussion of both the triumphs and challenges they will face as leaders working in different capacities to bring about social change.
B. Scope of Work:
Counterpart International under the ACEP, has initiated the ‘Emerging Civil Society Leaders Program (ECSLP) to contribute to sustainability and diversity of civil society in Afghanistan. Due to Afghanistan demographics where more than 60% of the population is youth, the inclusion of youth and their civic engagement are priority areas that must be considered in civil society strengthening.
The program participants, comprised of 17 young male and 17 young female civil society activists from different provinces of Afghanistan have received series of trainings, provided and participated in networking events in Kabul. In order to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of challenges and opportunities facing civil society activists in the region and globally and expose them to best practices of effective civic engagement from countries in the region, Counterpart would like to recruit a firm/company to organize a study tour for the program participants to Bosnia Herzegovina from 5th September to 14th September 2015. Given the recent transformation in civic engagement and activism in Bosnia as well as considering peaceful co-existence of people from different beliefs, and diverse values and cultural practices, Bosnia presents a unique opportunity for Afghan emerging civil society leaders to learn from the civic activism lessons and experiences of Bosnia.
Key deliverables/Activities: The successful firm/Consultancy will be required to organize the following activities:
Introduction to Civil Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina and informal networks Introduction with context of Bosnia and Herzegovina Introduction and visit to State Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina Introduction to International Institutions in Bosnia and Herezegovina Meeting with Youth Associations (OKC Abrašević and Student Union) Introduction to Bosnia and Herzegovina University/Academia Visit to Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina Visit to Srebrenica Potočari Memorial Presentation of the Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presentations and discussion with representatives of informal networks:
- EU Integration
- Coalition Equality
- ACCOUNT Network – monitoring of the transparecy and public spending
Meeting and discussion with representatives of:
- ERMA – European Regional Specialist in Democracy and Human Rights
- Professors from Faculty of Philosphy and Journalism
- Director of Center for Human Rights of University of Sarajevo
- Activists/Students from YIHR BH
Meetings with:
- European Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU)
- Council of Europe (CoE)
- Office of High Representative (OHR)
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Visit to Srebrenica Potočari Memorial and meeting with some youth associations All local logistics,including local arrangement, hotel, accommodation, meal, airport pick and drop, local transportation and visa process for 38 people C. Proposal Requirements: The Firm/Consultancy will propose an approach to achieve the above mentioned deliverables/activities on time and with high quality. The proposal should include:
Detailed description of the exposure visit, including daily plan and technical assistance Timeline of activities – in days – required for each stage of this initiative The qualifications of the firm/consultancy, including description of similar type of work in Bosnia or other countries in the region The itemized budget in USD including all local arrangement, hotel, accommodation, meal, airport pick and drop, local transportation and visa process for 38 people. Three references (contact information) from past relevant experiences. CVs of key personnel Valid license (in case the applicant is a firm) When drafting the proposal, the firm/consultant(s) should be careful to include all information requested above. Failure to do so will weigh heavily against the firm /consultancy selection.
D. Period of Performance he firm/ consultant (s) is expected to start the actual work on 20th August 2015 and finish on 15th September 2015 with the following anticipated timelines for the deliverables required:
Deliverable Anticipated dates Visa Process by 1st September All local arrangements 5th 14th -September 2015 Conduct Actual Exposure Visit 5th 14th -September 2015
E. Submission of Questions on this RFP Questions regarding clarifications on this RFP shall be in writing and must be submitted to Harris Ayuk-Takor, hayuktakor@counterpart.org; with a cc to Sandra Phelps, sphelps@counterpart.org; and Sevak Amalyan, samalyan@counterpart.org. No phone calls shall be answered to respond to questions.
Please use as the email subject line: RFP ACEP Organize and Facilitate Exposure Visit for 34 Emerging Civil Society Leaders plus 4 Support Staff to Bosnia Herzegovina .
Counterpart will not respond to questions in relation to this RFP received after Monday, July 20th 2015.
F. Submission of Proposals and Selection of Successful Firm/Consultant(s) After a competitive assessment of proposals received from qualified companies/consultants, Counterpart will appoint one or more firm/Consultants (s) under this RFP. The detailed proposal requirements, enclosures and supporting documents are listed in C. Proposal Requirements above.
Proposals should include detailed budget (price list) in USD stating the individual cost of each separate service offered under this Request for Proposals. All rates quoted should be inclusive of all costs including labor, material expenses, administration costs and applicable taxes and fees. Indirect/overhead costs as well as profit are not allowable.
Interested companies/consultants are invited to provide portfolio of their services, list of clients, and any other information in support of their proposals.
Please submit all proposals and related enclosures via email to Harris Ayuk-Takor, hayuktakor@counterpart.org; Ahmad Fawad Rastaak, arastaak@counterpart.org; with a cc to Sandra Phelps, sphelps@counterpart.org; Enayatullah Safi, esafi@counterpart.org. Simply attach your proposal to the e-mail and click send. Once in our inboxes, you will receive a written response confirming receipt.
Proposals received after Monday, July 20th 2015 will not be considered.
This RFP does not constitute a solicitation. Counterpart reserves the right to change or cancel these requirements at any time in the pre-qualification and/or solicitation process.
We thank you in advance for your interest in working with Counterpart International.
How to apply:
Please submit all proposals and related enclosures via email to Harris Ayuk-Takor, hayuktakor@counterpart.org; Ahmad Fawad Rastaak, arastaak@counterpart.org; with a cc to Sandra Phelps, sphelps@counterpart.org; Enayatullah Safi, esafi@counterpart.org. Simply attach your proposal to the e-mail and click send. Once in our inboxes, you will receive a written response confirming receipt.
Proposals received after Monday, July 20th 2015 will not be considered.
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