Social and Behavior Change Communication Sub-contractor in Uganda

Deadline: 28-May-21

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Uganda Biodiversity for Resilience Activity (B4R) is seeking the services of a Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) sub-contractor to:

design, execute and monitor a landscape-specific interactive radio program and promotional DJ/Presenter Mentions, and
conceptualize, design and develop Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials and tools aimed at reaching diverse groups of men, women, youth, and their influencers (elders and other local leaders) in the targeted landscapes.

Objectives

Stakeholders who understand how wildlife and forestry conservation and management positively affect their daily lives, are more likely to appreciate and engage in biodiversity conservation efforts. As part of the B4R broader Communications and Outreach Strategy, the integrated SBCC Campaign aims to:

Raise community awareness about biodiversity conservation and its benefits to the communities.
Promote ownership and increase support of community conservation at the landscape level, for example in supporting establishment of the Community Conservancies and Collaborative Forest Management Model.
Promote stakeholder engagement with men, women, youth and other marginalized community members at landscape level.

Scope of Work

Radio Talks and Presenter Mentions: The Sub-contractor will oversee all production and post-production services of the radio talk shows and Presenter Mentions with close guidance from the B4R technical team. The sub-contractor shall work closely with B4R to develop content such as talking points and key messages to ensure that the product speaks to the specific themes and objectives of B4R and is consistent with the Activity’s overall messaging. The initial radio campaign will run for six weeks simultaneously across the four landscapes in Kidepo, Murchison Falls, Budongo Forest and Lake Mburo. To successfully complete the assignment, the subcontractor will:
- Hold regular consultative/briefing meetings with B4R team
- Develop a concept for an integrated radio program, propose the execution plan with methodology and clear timelines, and proposed budget. Concept development should consider the views of multiple stakeholders including B4R consortium team, UWA, NFA and should be done through a gender and community inclusion lens.
- Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for developing, monitoring, and airing radio shows
- Identify appropriate media houses, negotiate terms and recommend these to RTI for procurement.
- Working closely with B4R, identify and contact talk show guests. Conduct briefing meetings with talk show guests that may include local government, UWA and NFA officials and other community leaders. Guest selection should be inclusive with elders, men, women, and youth.
- Implement the proposed execution plan for the radio campaign including briefing community radio presenters and talk show hosts as well as radio program guests. Translate, develop talking points for panelists and talk show guests, and develop questions for talk show host(s) and make sure they understand the subject matter beforehand.
- Develop promotional DJ Mentions and translate these into appropriate languages.
- Liaise with the B4R Communications and Knowledge Management Specialist to ensure that all content is approved by USAID.
- Leverage existing listener groups or create listener groups targeting men, women and youth and marginalized groups and monitor these throughout the radio program.
- Schedule regular call-in mentoring and troubleshooting for radio stations.
- Carry out a post-radio program assessment and write a quantitative and qualitative knowledge assessment report with recommendations for further improvement as part of the end of assignment report.
SBCC Materials Development: The subcontractor is also expected to conceptualize, design, develop and pre-test print materials with appropriate messaging for the targeted audiences. Working closely with the B4R Technical Team, the subcontractor will review relevant documents such as the Conservancy Sensitization Curriculum and the Conservancy Roadmap to develop appropriate content and imagery for the materials. They will also liaise with the technical team to determine the specific type of materials to be developed. Kindly note that the subcontractor will not be responsible for the materials rollout. Activities for the successful completion of assignment will include:
- Hold consultative meetings with B4R Consortium technical team to generate ideas for materials development.
- Review B4R documents for context and background information as well as identify running themes.
- Conceptualize, design and develop draft materials tailored to each landscape.
- Pretest materials such as discussion guides, community dialogue guide, and others for attractiveness, comprehension, relevance, acceptance and call to action in the appropriate landscapes.
- Incorporate feedback and suggestions and finalize materials.
- Translate materials into appropriate languages where necessary.

Eligibility Criteria

USAID is looking for a Ugandan-based firm or organization that possesses the following:
- A valid company registration certificate
- A valid tax clearance certificate
- Memorandum and Articles of Association for companies
- A valid registration certificate and a Permit to Operate as an Organization for NGOs.
Qualifications and Experience
- The ideal subcontractor should be a Ugandan-based firm or organization and should have an experienced SBCC team that meets the following qualifications and experience.
- Bachelor’s degree in mass communication, development communication, journalism, advertising, education, public health, environmental sciences, or related fields.
- At least 5 years’ experience of working with or supervising advertising or media agencies.
- At least five years’ hands on experience managing SBCC campaigns including development of IEC materials in local languages.
- Prior experience with USAID-funded SBCC projects is an added advantage.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated experience and expertise in integrated communication and marketing.
- Experience in working with media houses, and working knowledge of audio/visual production approaches, tools, techniques, and technology. Demonstrated experience of developing engaging SBCC materials for local communities.
- Knowledge of media buying and monitoring.
- Excellent communication, coordination, and negotiation skills.
- Experience in successfully engaging in the private sector.
- High level of interpersonal, technical, and analytical skills including a demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of public and private sector audiences.