Request For Proposals For Local Partners In Liege, Belgium
Request for Proposals
Young Cities is seeking a qualified local partner organisation to support the delivery of a capacity-building programme for 20 young people in Liège, Belgium. Delivery will last approximately 15 months, beginning in May 2022. The contract will require 1-2 project managers working on average 1 day per week total, and support from a financial coordinator. The total partner budget is a maximum of €22,150.
Key deliverables and responsibilities:
A 4-day capacity-building workshop for 20-24 youth (aged 18-29) working in 4 teams. During the workshop, participants will learn the develop and manage social change campaigns while developing their own project idea into a workable project plan, which they will submit as a proposal for funding unto to €4,000. Partner responsibilities will include:
- Workshop preparations: including recruitment, logistical support, and supporting the adaptation of training materials to the local context (including additional research where relevant).
- Workshop facilitation: two members of staff should be available to attend and help facilitate the workshop and assist participants, depending on their expertise.
Youth-Led initiatives: following the workshop, a minimum of 2 (maximum of 4) youth groups will receive up to €4,000 of funding to deliver their projects in Liège. Project delivery will last 3- 6 months. Partner responsibilities will include:
- Work with the Young Cities team to help provide direct support/mentoring for youth- groups.
- Help groups finalise project plans directly following the workshop, to be submitted as an application for funding within 2 weeks of the workshops’ conclusion.
- Throughout delivery, arrange regular meetings with the youth groups to monitor progress against the campaign proposal and budget. Provide encouragement and direction as needed to keep groups on track to deliver their projects as planned.
- Monitor for challenges, to be communicated to the Young Cities team, and help navigate risks/identify solutions.
- HelpYoungCitiesorganiseadditionaltrainingforgroupsasneededbasedon their project’s requirements.
- Facilitate coordination between youth groups and other relevant stakeholders, including creative consultants, civil society and government actors where required.
- Coordinate the spend of youth project budgets, up to €4,000.
- Help support youth groups to evaluate their projects by attending events and activities and ensuring evaluation tells are used properly.
Youth Ambassador Grants: youth groups who deliver their projects successfully can apply for a second round of funding – an Ambassador Grant – intended to help support sustainability of their initiative. A group will be also be able to apply to receive up to €3,500 to continue the delivery of their initiative. Project delivery will last 2-4 months. The local partner will support them by:
- Help assist groups as they plan their Ambassador Grant and submit their application. Coordination and mentorship of the youth groups in line with developed campaign plans per city.
- Work with the Young Cities team to help provide direct support/mentoring for youth- groups.
- Throughout delivery, arrange regular meetings with the youth groups to monitor progress against the campaign proposal and budget. Provide encouragement and direction as needed to keep groups on track to deliver their projects as planned.
- Monitor for challenges, to be communicated to the Young Cities team, and help navigate risks/identify solutions.
- Facilitate coordination between youth groups and other relevant stakeholders, including creative consultants, civil society and government actors where required, with a special focus on sustainability (i.e., helping groups identify additional funding opportunities, partners, etc.)
- Coordinate the spend of youth project budgets, up to €3,500.
- Help support youth groups to evaluate their projects by attending events and
activities and ensuring evaluation tells are used properly.
City initiative: To help support inclusive youth-oriented policy and programming, Young Cities will work with municipal representatives to design a project that supports the city’s youth engagement strategy. The local partner will work coordinate closely with Young Cities and Liège’s local government to:
- Help support delivery of activities and content.
- Coordinate the spend of the City Initiative project budget, up to €5,000.
- Help ensure adequate monitoring and evaluation of the grant.
Operational administration throughout to help ensure successful management of the project, including:
- Regular communication, including regular status meetings with ISD to ensure effective project delivery.
- Reporting on financial management of the activities, including the coordination of project budgets as described above.
Note: Financial reporting of said funds in line with ISD and the U.S. Department of State project guidelines, including providing receipts and signed per diem sheets. - Monitoring & evaluation for overall project and youth-related activities: Support ISD with developing an evaluation methodology, ensuring all surveys are fit for purpose and adapted to the local and legal context of delivery; manage the collection of all evaluation data as required by ISD, including regular M&E status meetings with ISD.
- Supporting with grant reporting throughout at the end of the project.
Timeline for Proposals and Period of the Project
The timeline for the proposal period is as follows:
- 21st April: Request for Proposals published;
- 27th April – 4th May: ISD’s Senior Operations Manager and Young Cities Coordinator are available for discussions and to answer any proposal related questions via email or phone;
- 6th May: Deadline for proposal submissions (to [email protected] with subject line “Young Cities Liège”);
- 16th – 18th May: Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of ISD staff members;
- End of business day on 19th May: The successful organization(s) will be contacted for follow-up interviews, with estimated appointment date of 23rd May 2022.
The approximate timeline of project delivery is as follows:
- 23rd May – 17th June 2022: Youth consultations held to better understand young peoples’ challenges and opportunities. Workshop preparation conducted, including participant recruitment, logistical support (such as invitations and participant outreach, venue selection, catering, participant travel and accommodation where relevant), and adaptation of training materials to the local context (approximately 2-3 days per week)
- 26th – 27th July 2022: 2-day training preparation
- 29th July – 1st August 2022: 4-day Workshop delivery
- 2nd August 2022: 1-day consultations with City stakeholders
- 2nd – 15th 2022: Finalizing plans and timelines for youth-led initiatives
- 19th August 2022: 6-month youth-led project implementation begins, including group coordination, support and financial administration
- August 2022 – February 2023: City initiatives coordinated and implemented
- March – July 2023: 6-month coordination and implementation of Youth Ambassador grants
Current dates are tentative and will be determined together with the local partner organization, and in line with any potential future COVID-19 related government regulations and restrictions. Should the delivery of offline activities not be possible, ISD will work with its local partner to adapt activities to online deliverables where possible.
Mandatory Qualifications of the Local Partners
Proposals will only be considered from organisations that can positively confirm and evidence that they meet the following criteria:
Programming
Project Management
- Strong project management skills, as evidenced by the successful delivery of projects and grants
- Experience with overseeing micro-grants (desirable)
Local Partnerships
- Experience of developing partnerships with local government stakeholders and civil society organisations
Youth Engagement
- Experience in running and sustaining youth engagement projects
- Experience with supporting youth-led projects and initiatives, online and offline (desirable)
- Experience working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Experience in youth engagement
- Experience in training resource development
- Training & Facilitation
- Strong facilitation and training expertise
-
Monitoring & Evaluation
- Experience in collecting data, through surveys and/or qualitative methods such as interviews and focus groups;
- Experience in evaluating the impact of projects, using both quantitative and qualitative methods (desirable)
Communications Skills
Administrative Requirements
- Officially registered organisation in Belgium.
- Eligibility to receive foreign funding
- Robust financial management and accounting systems
Contractual Arrangement
The contract will be awarded by ISD and will enter into force from the date of its signing by both Parties, for the duration of the project until the satisfactory completion of all project deliverables and final reporting. The contract may be modified only through mutual agreement in writing signed by both Parties. The Partner shall not disclose nor communicate any confidential information relating to ISD’s business activities to any third party, save where required by law or with the express written consent of ISD.
How to submit Proposals
All proposals should clearly state:
- The fee for this work, inclusive of VAT or any other taxes or surcharges;
- The Partner’s qualifications as they relate to each of the criteria outlined above;
- The Partner’s proposed personnel to conduct the project activities and trainings with
their CVs; - Two references.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based upon the service to be provided weighed against the cost of the service. This will be done in line with ISD’s Procurement Policy.
Factors that will be considered include:
- The responsiveness to the request for proposal and demonstrated understanding of ISD’s business, needs and context;
- Relevant experience and qualifications;
- The results of the two references provided;
- Cost and value for money.
ISD reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted and to request additional information from all proposers. ISD reserves the right to appoint before the closing date, 16th May 2022.
The deliverables outlined in this tender may be subject to change, as required by the donor. The awarding of funding to the successful organisation by ISD is dependent upon ISD’s receipt of funds from the donor.
The point of contact at ISD is Ashlea Brewer on [email protected].
The full tender document as PDF can be downloaded here.
About ISD
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to safeguarding human rights and reversing the rising tide of polarisation, extremism and disinformation worldwide. Young Cities seeks to enhance the role that young people play in this effort globally. This local youth engagement programme is part of ISD’s longstanding Strong Cities Network and works empower young people to become key stakeholders in building community resilience and strengthen their collaboration with local governments.
About Young Cities
Young Cities works at the community level with youth and local government stakeholders to enhance their capacities, develop a shared understanding of local youth issues, and facilitate new opportunities for cooperation. This programme supports a collaborative approach that bridges the gap between municipal efforts to engage youth in peacebuilding and the needs and contributions of their young citizens.
Terms
ISD Guiding principles
Equal Opportunities