Vacancy: Proposal Writing Expert

BACKGROUND:

IMPACT – Civil Society Research and Development e.V., founded in Berlin in 2013, is a non-profit civil society organization with offices in Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. Civil society support is the core of IMPACT’s mission through long-term and balanced support to individuals and organizations in the conflict and developed countries. IMPACT main areas of intervention are capacity building, research, peacebuilding and diaspora engagement. 

This call is for The Learning and Reflection (L&R) project, which aims to strengthen civil society in North and East Syria. Operating in Hasakah, Raqqah, and Deir Ezzor, the 9.5-month project seeks to empower 30 emerging civil society organizations (CSOs) through comprehensive capacity building and small grants. The project addresses the challenges faced by local communities in the aftermath of conflict and displacement. By equipping CSOs with essential skills in project management, civic engagement, and social cohesion.     

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT: 

Enhance partner organizations’ understanding of proposal components and their ability to write proposals for projects for learning and reflecting grants. This will be achieved through preparation with local trainers, who will conduct training workshops for proposal writing. These workshops aim to produce initial project drafts that will be reviewed by the expert, in collaboration with the capacity development field trainers, who will relay feedback to the partner organizations.
This training seeks to provide organizations with comprehensive guidance in proposal writing, focusing on key elements like project design, needs assessment, logical frameworks, and impact measurement. Participants will learn how to tailor proposals to specific donors, craft compelling narratives, and align projects with donor’s or larger programs objectives. Ultimately, the goal is to equip organizations with the skills to create persuasive, well-structured proposals that not only secure funding but also implementable and drive sustainable growth and impact.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The expert will be responsible for preparing with the local trainers of WIII—who have experience in training and proposal development—to enable them to conduct their training workshops. The expert will review the project’s proposal drafts for 30 organizations created by the trainees with the support of local trainers and provide feedback, which the organizations will use to make revisions with the support of the local trainers.

There will be three workshops held in parallel: one in each of the three regions: Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Qamishli. Each workshop will last for three or four days, with a total expected participation of 30 organizations. The expert won’t be asked to join all the training sessions. 

METHODOLOGY:

  • Deliver using a blended learning approach and might consist of presentations, interactive sessions of practical exercise, and group works. 
  • Participatory training methods such as brainstorming, simulation, group discussion, and case analysis.

KEY DELIVERABLES:

  • Training outline, including any support documents in Arabic.
  • Preparing Sessions with the field trainers to ensure their readiness for conducting the workshops 
  • Comments and provide feedback on 30 small projects proposals to improve the proposal drafts (each project will be with a budget of no more than $15.000).
  • Written report on the entire process.

 LOCATION:

The assignment will be online, and the target groups will be in three regions: Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Qamishli.

TIMEFRAME:

This is a short-term assignment for individual consultants, with a duration of one month, comprising maximum 15 working days. The workload includes preparation with local trainers, reviewing project drafts, providing feedback, and conducting a final review of the proposals.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The trainer/consultant/resource person will:

  • Sign with IMPACT a consultancy agreement.
  • Prepare with the local trainers’ team to conduct a training workshop, including proposing the key topics and agenda.
  • Follow up with the trainers before and during their workshop implementation, answering their questions and addressing their workshop-related needs.
  • Review the initial drafts and provide the trainers’ team with feedback.
  • Conduct a final review of the drafts after revisions to ensure they are ready for submission by the organizations to the grant management.
  • Submit a detailed report on the entire process, outlining the key steps, major challenges and achievements, and proposed recommendations for improving the process or enhancing the partner organizations’ work.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES:

The resource person/consultant should possess the following qualifications and expertise: 

  • An advanced degree in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, or related fields is preferable. 
  • Proven experience in conducting similar trainings, preferably in conflict or post-conflict regions.
  • Excellent command of Arabic and English.
  • Strong facilitation and interpersonal skills.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL:

The technical proposal should include but not be limited to the following information:

  • A brief outline of recent experience and client references in carrying out assignments of a similar nature (Max. 1 page)
  • A detailed description of how the consultant/firm understands and will respond to the ToR including an initial training outline and a time frame.
  • Curriculum Vitae of Trainer. 

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL:

The financial proposal must contain an overall quotation in Euro for all the services to be provided and must follow the following:

  • Summary of the total costs for the services proposed
  • An itemized breakdown of the costs associated with each working day.
  • Any taxes if applicable 

PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

100% of the payment will be released to the trainer after completing the assignment.

Weighting and Selection Criteria: 

Application will be assessed as follows:

  • Financially: 20%
  • Technically 80% will be weighted as follows:
  1. Context Knowledge: Familiarity with the region’s specifics and proven experience in capacity building within this context 20%.
  2. Topic Expertise: Depth of experience and knowledge in the specific training topic 20%.
  3. Training Experience and Skills: Demonstrated proficiency and effectiveness in training delivery and facilitation 20%.
  4. Proposal Assessment: How well the proposed outline aligns and responds to the stated objectives 20%.

How to apply: 

Interested Consultants, Individuals/Firms are invited to submit a technical and financial proposal to [email protected] no later than Oct 03rd, 2024 at 00:00 UTC as follows:

  1. Updated CV or profile if applying as a team or firm
  2. Technical proposal: should highlight the consultant’s approach to implementing the tasks included in this ToR, a work plan outline, and a timeframe. The technical offer should include a direct reference to the number of estimated working days needed to complete all tasks listed in this ToR
  3. Financial proposal as per the RFQ form providing a daily rate inclusive of all costs.
  4. Conflict of interest declaration form must be signed.
  5. ToR must be signed with supporting documents that demonstrate skills/competencies, otherwise the proposal will not be considered.
  6. Writing sample: one or two documents from previous similar work. 
  7. References: names and contact information of two references.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks after the closing date, please assume your application is unsuccessful.

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