CFPs: Research Consultancy, Civil Society Public Participation Assessment (Jordan)

Deadline: 23-Dec-2024

The Internews is seeking proposals for Research Consultancy, Civil Society Public Participation Assessment to engage a service provider/research organization to conduct an assessment on the consultation of CSOs in public policy making in Jordan, henceforth referred to as the CSO Public Participation Assessment.

The assessment aims to provide an in-depth contextualized assessment of the policies, processes, resources and practices currently mandating, guiding, and leading the consultation of the CSOs in Jordan. The research will focus on in public policy design, implementation, and monitoring also will aim at providing actionable recommendations to enhance consistency and quality of CSO engagement by Government of Jordan (GoJ). The selected organization, henceforth referred to as “Research Organization”, will lead the design, implementation, and delivery of this research.

Objectives

• The conducted CSO Public Participation Assessment will focus on consultation laws, processes, and practices at the level of the central and local Jordanian government. This is envisioned by Sawt to take place through a policy review and analysis as well as in-depth discussions with stakeholders, experts and decision makers. The study findings should be relevant to CSOs, GoJ, donors and all stakeholders involved in advancing civic engagement and ensuring its sustainability.
• Focused on the engagement of civil society in public decision making in Jordan, the CSO Public Participation assessment overall research objective is to identify and analyze what specifically needs to be reformed at the policies level to ensure institutionalized, accessible, and inclusive CSO consultations and engagement take place. The study will accordingly identify the current status of CSO public participation on paper and in practice including both opportunities and challenges to reform leading to CSOs meaningful engagement.
• Moreover, it will serve the following specific objectives:
  • Mapping of current laws, regulations, strategies and other policies that guide and inform GoJ’s direction and practices with regard to public consultations. Assessment of CSO consultation guidance in key national documents including the Public Sector Modernization Road Map, Political Modernization plan, the Open Government Partnership commitments and other relevant documents.
  • Examining current public participation practices focusing on regularity, consistency, and quality of CSO participatory mechanisms. This includes capturing the experiences of policy makers as well as civil society organizations with regard to accessibility, openness, effectiveness, inclusion, and resulting interest/engagement. The research should probe into details such as access to sufficient information on the subject matter, enough time provided to ensure engagement, and accountability towards feedback among other areas.
  • Identifying current organizations, platforms, and tools that facilitate or could facilitate CSO or public dialogue and commenting on their effectiveness, utilization, and comprehensiveness. Special attention should be provided to the newly launched e-participation platform and relevant data on its implementation and potential to date. CSOs preferences should also be assessed when tools and processes are identified.
  • Providing insight on available resources, including human resources and their competency, needed to plan and conduct quality consultation opportunities.
  • Providing recommendations, based on collected information and insights, on how to achieve institutionalized, inclusive, and accessible CSO public participation with attention to available resources and local context. The recommendations should tackle both policy and implementation and should be applicable to CSOs with various organizational capacities and in diverse geographic locations.

Duration

• The duration of this research is 5 months, 1 January — 1 June 2025, subject to extension if needed.

Expected Deliverables

• The scope of work includes the following deliverables and milestones:
  • Inception:
    • Develop research methodology and approach.
    • Recruit research team.
  • Research Design:
    • Map and identify experts and stakeholders to be engaged through interviews.
    • Design data collection tools.
    • Identify resources list for desk research.
    • Conduct desk research and analysis.
  • Data Collection and Analysis:
    • Conduct interviews and consultations.
    • Process and analyze collected data.
    • Writing up first draft report.
  • Report Finalization:
    • Final report: delivering a final report document including text, pictures, graphs, illustrations, annexes, and cover page. In addition to a report brief as well as a presentation with main findings and recommendations from the research.

Eligibility Criteria

• The organization must be legally registered and has permission to operate in Jordan.

Application Requirements

• The organization must have a documented record of employing staff with experience in research and assessments related to the fields of politics, international development, civil society or related field.
• The organization must have proven experience of designing and implementing recent research and assessments on civil society or public participation.
• Languages: Expert level proficiency of English and Arabic languages is required for communication, data collection and reporting purposes.
• Service providers interested in participating in this solicitation must provide the following:
  • Registration Certificate: Provide proof of legal registration in Jordan.
  • Technical Proposal detailing the approach and methodology:
    • Explain the proposed approach and methodology for conducting the CSO Public Participation Assessment.
    • Describe how the Research Organization will design and implement data collection and tools.
    • Provide the composition, names, and brief bios of the team members with relevant expertise in conducting research and assessment in the Jordanian civil society landscape, public and political participation.
  • Full Financial Proposal: Include a comprehensive financial proposal outlining the detailed budget for the proposed project.
  • Provide previous work sample(s) showcasing experience in designing and implementing research studies and assessments.

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