Call for Proposals: Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) Consultant, Sawt Activity in Jordan

Deadline: 23-Apr-24

Internews is seeking a qualified individual consultant to conduct an Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) for partner media organizations benefiting from Sawt’s media support program, Digital First.

The OCA is an assessment tool that provides quantifiable data on the level of partners’ organizational health, business planning, and IT preparedness to inform a media organization’s development efforts. The OCA is a key step that informs the design and implementation of the forthcoming second cycle of Digital First program, which entails providing a 6–8-month training and capacity building support to 8-10 media platforms. Following the delivery of these trainings, Sawt will extend support to eligible organizations through core grants. This support aims to help address organizational gaps and needs identified during the baseline and possibly midpoint OCA. The implementing consultant will assess media partners taking part in Digital First Cycle 2 support program, applying Internews’ OCA methodology.

The Strengthening Civil Society and Media Systems (Sawt) Activity is implemented by Internews in partnership with Mercy Corps and the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL). Sawt aims to foster sustained civic engagement in Jordan through civil society and digital media innovations through two objectives: 1) Good, Trusted Knowledge-Building Resources: Citizens and civil society build knowledge through accessing and engaging critically with accurate and fact-based information and 2) Participation & Advocacy: Citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Jordan effectively participate in civic spaces and advocate for policies through knowledge-based collective action.

Objectives

• The OCA is designed to fulfil the following key objectives:
  • Comprehensive Evaluation: Conduct thorough assessments of 8-10 media platforms over an extended period (approximately a year), holding baseline, midline, and end-line evaluations, according to the OCA Tool.
  • Inform Capacity Building Support: Provide input that informs offered training, mentoring, and grants, to enhance the organizational development of each multimedia platform based on the OCA results.
  • Capacity-Building Plan: Provide a capacity-building plan for each media partner to improve their management, enhance content quality, or increase audience engagement.
  • Tailored Trainings: Develop tailored trainings addressing specific emerging needs. This could include workshops on journalism ethics, multimedia production, audience analytics, or management skills.
  • Positive Change: Guiding assessed media partners towards a consistent path of positive change, fostering growth across three key areas: organizational, editorial, and technological.
  • Longer-Term Success: Prepare supported media partners for longer-term success by using the OCA as a diagnostic tool and priorities planning resource.
  • Donor Insight: Provide donors with insights into the trending challenges faced by multimedia platforms within the dynamic media landscape.

Scope of Work

• The selected consultant will apply Internews methodologies for conducting an OCA on media partners benefiting from Digital First Cycle 2 program planned to be implemented during the current fiscal year.
  • Targeted Media Partners:
    • Sawt will select 8-10 media partners to enhance their capacity and provide them with technical and organizational support. Targeted organizations for capacity-building activities include multimedia platforms focused on climate and environment, health and science, economic reporting, human rights-based coverage, fact-checking, and those deploying innovative tools such as animation, film, and podcasts. In the case of having a media partner withdraw during the trainings, a replacement will be sought from a reserve list. This measure is meant to keep the total number of beneficiaries between 8 and 10.
    • The assessments approach and frequency will follow Internews’ Guideline Manual and entail the following:
      • Orientation & Preparation
        • In the initiation phase, Sawt Media Team will provide the selected consultant with an orientation to ensure thorough understanding of Internews’ OCA methodologies. The orientation will cover the OCA standards and processes, as per Internews Media Specific OCA Tool Guideline Manual for Internews Projects, to equip the implementer with the needed support to master conducting the OCA, which covers the following areas:
          • Institutional, including:
            • Institutional profile (organization’s background, type of platform(s), audience profile and reach, sectoral expertise, and nature of content, etc.).
            • Governance and management (legal structure, mission, and vision, staffing and existing HR policies, organizational structure, etc.).
            • Financial management (processes, systems, policies, documentation, and reporting, etc.)
            • Business and financial sustainability (business planning, income diversity and fundraising, business development capacity, marketing, etc.).
          • Information and knowledge, including:
            • Collaboration and networks (professional, local, sectorial, and national).
            • Editorial capacity (editorial accuracy, balance, objectivity, clarity, language, inclusivity, policies, etc.).
            • Content production and audience reach (regularity and timeliness of publication, use of multimedia and production standards, audiences targeting and engagement strategies, etc.).
          • Technology and digital security, including:
            • IT & media equipment (types of software and hardware used).
            • IT proficiency in media delivery (staff capacity).
            • IT support (level of available technical support).
            • Digital security planning and policies.
  • Assessments (Baseline, Midpoint, and Endline)
    • Conducting comprehensive assessments at key stages of the project, including Baseline, Midpoint, and Endline stages. The Baseline assessment sets the initial benchmark, the Midpoint assessment tracks progress and validates needed development priorities, and the Endline assessment evaluates impact of provided support. These assessments involve thorough reviews of media partners’ organizational health, business and editorial planning, and security and IT preparedness using the Media-Specific Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) tool. The results, which should be communicated through detailed analytical narrative reports, will inform the delivery of capacity-building and support activities and identify areas for improvement.
  • Interactions with Media Partners
    • Through regular check-ins, visits, and follow-ups with assessed media partners, the OCA evaluator will seek to remain abreast of the provided support, capture challenges they may be encountered, discuss progress, identify partners’ needs and priorities, contribute to aligning partners request for support and that offered by Sawt through core grants to ensure effective provision of support, as well as gauge overall support impact. Interactions with media partners are essential for building rapport, fostering collaboration, understanding evolving needs, and maintaining a responsive approach throughout the project lifecycle. The objective is to establish a feedback loop, enabling agile adjustments and reinforcing the success of the capacity-building support.

Duration

• The duration of this program is one year starting from 1 May 2024 to 1 May 2025, subject to extension if needed.

Deliverables

• Orientation & Preparation 
  • Outline for implementing baseline indicating number of days and efforts. Proposed structure for filing and managing data sets on media partners, including content sampling.
• Conducting a Baseline Assessment
  • Completed OCA reports which should be communicated through detailed analytical narrative reports, including the score tables, evidence and support documents, priority development scores, findings and recommendations, and comments on assigned scores, in Excel and word format according to the templates and tools provided by Internews. OCA reports sent to each media partner for validation. A narrative report summarizing and analyzing findings, outcomes, and trends related to the media partners’ capacities in the specified areas, providing insights and recommendations based on the conducted assessment, according to the templates and tools provided by Internews. Updated database, reflecting documents and evidence acquired through the Baseline assessment. A report identifying partners’ needs and priorities and aligning partners request for support and that offered by Sawt through core grants to ensure effective provision of support.
• Monthly On-line check-in meetings during the Digital First Cycle 2
  • Monthly briefs capturing partners’ assessment of training impact.
• Conducting a Mid-point OCA Assessment
  • Up to 10 completed OCA reports including the score tables, priority development scores, arguments, and comments for offered scores, in Excel and Word format according to the templates provided by Internews. OCA reports sent to each media partner for validation. A comprehensive final narrative report summarizing the findings, outcomes, and trends with an overview of the media partners’ performance in the specified areas, providing insights and recommendations based on conducted assessments, and showcasing change since baseline assessment. Updated database, reflecting documents and evidence acquired the the Midpoint assessment.
• Feedback and progress report
  • A comprehensive report highlighting the connection between identified needs, priorities, and planned support.
• Conducting an End-line OCA Assessment
  • Up to 10 completed OCA reports including the score tables, priority development areas, findings, recommendations and comments for offered scores, in Excel and Word format according to the template provided by Internews. OCA reports sent to each media partner for validation. A comprehensive final narrative report summarizing the findings, outcomes, and trends with an overview of the media partners’ performance in the specified areas, providing insights and recommendations based on the assessments conducted, and showcasing change since midpoint assessment. Updated database, reflecting documents acquired from Endline assessment.

Eligibility Criteria

• Required Qualifications
  • Experience in media development and organizational capacity assessments.
  • In-depth understanding of the media landscape in Jordan, in particular the operating context and environment of independent media platforms.
  • Strong research methodologies and data gathering experience.
  • Readiness to visit identified media platforms across Jordan and collect on-site evidence, data and observations.
  • Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and spoken.
  • University degree or equivalent of relevance to the assignment.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Previous experience and knowledge of Internews OCA tool is an advantage.
  • Strong facilitation skills and the ability to lead a group through a set process.

For more information, visit Internews.