Nat. Consultancy to support the rolling out of the contextualized Adolescent Toolkit for Expression and Innovation (Adol-t Kit) as add-al skills-building prog-me at the Adol-t Innov-n Labs at Centers for Add-al Educ. and through mobile activities in TJK

The purpose of this assignment is to support the process of rolling out of the contextualized Adolescent Toolkit for Expression and Innovation (Adolescent Kit) during the pilot phase through capacity building of the newly hired mentors and quality assurance of activities in the field.

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Background
The Tajikistan Country Office has successfully piloted Adolescent Innovation Labs in 2018 (AILs) within the Centers of Additional Education under the Ministry of Education, following which the Ministry and Committee on Youth Affairs of Tajikistan requested expansion of this contextualized model with a view of sustainability to other regions of the country.

The CO in Tajikistan, is also moving towards integrated adolescents programming, within which a cross-sectoral programming has been launched for achieving results for adolescents. One of the intermediate results of integrated adolescent programming has been the development of Adolescent Competency Framework by ADAP and Learning teams that provides a framework for developing skills, competencies and innovation among adolescent girls and boys through multiple platforms of formal, non-formal and outdoor education. To implement the Adolescent Competency Framework content (curriculums) are required for skills and competency building. The team in Tajikistan builds on UNICEF best practices for this purpose that includes, amongst others, UNICEF Adolescent Kit for Expression and Innovation.

The overall concept is to use the Adolescent Kit as a resource to build a curriculum that will support adolescent experiential learning, practice, and application of competencies, with a focus on utilizing arts and expression methodologies to support positive outcomes for adolescents, specifically with respect to their psychosocial wellbeing, acquisition of life skills, and positive, active engagement in their communities. This curriculum will especially focus on reaching and opening opportunities for those that can access and benefit from skills-building programmes implemented in Tajikistan at the Adolescent Innovation Labs in Centers for Additional Education. The kit will be used by the programme for the majority of adolescents who are not successful in their applications to the labs for UPSHIFT, but who are still interested in taking part in outdoor skills-building activities. In addition, to cover the most marginalized group of adolescents and youth in the remote areas of the country, the adopted mobile version of the programme will be used to provide skills building trainings through implementation of interventions within the camps and outdoor activities.

According to the plan, during the pilot phase in Tajikistan, the use of the kit is being tested in 6 selected Adolescents Innovation Labs and 6 summer camps and if successful, it will be rolled out for use with young people around the country.  By the end of 2019 Young Leaders training with the use of the Kit will be carried out in at least 14 established Innovation Labs, Youth centers and remote communities. The same training will be continued in 2020 in these areas and potentially in the new labs that will be established in coming year.

The overall purpose of the consultancy is to support the ADAP team's ongoing programmes and initiatives to build adolescents competencies through experience, practice and application through non-formal education at the Adolescent's innovation Labs in Centers for Additional Education. A focus of the activities is to support the contextualization of programme guidance, learning resources and supplies from UNICEF's global Adolescent Kit for Expression and Innovation (Adolescent Kit), harmonizing these with UNICEF-Tajikistan's Peacebuilding Competency Framework, and contextualizing them for relevance and usability in the Tajikistan context.  Also, summer time is the period of break in between of academic years and many adolescents are spending time in the summer camps organized by local municipalities. The aim of the summer engagement is to involve vulnerable groups, to have opportunity to recreate physically and mentally by the beginning of subsequent academic year. Despite the existing infrastructure of the camps, the recreational activities are limited to sport activities and spending time outside the living environment only.

Considering the situation mentioned above and based on the integrated annual work plan with Ministry of Education and Science and Republican Center or Additional Education it has been decided to use the adopted Adolescent Toolkit and the Adolescent Competency Framework in the summer camps where the quality time can be used to build the skills of the adolescents.

The programme also aims to reach out to most marginalized adolescents in the country, thus the modality of mobile version of the Adolescent kit is foreseen to cover the adolescents in remote and rural areas.

How can you make a difference?

OBJECTIVE:

In the framework of the preparatory process with support of the international expert ADAP section developed a framework and then a guidebook for UNICEF's partners to use specific resources from the Adolescent Kit to implement competency-based activities in non-formal settings. Functionally, the guidebook (with the kit resources) offer a curriculum for use-up in Innovation Labs, Centers for Additional Learning, summer camps, and other related programmes.

The initial guidebook that has been developed by an international consultant met the expectation of the programme. However, section also recognized an opportunity to strengthen the guidebook by working with implementing partners to use, test and adapt it collaboratively for a period of approximately 4-5 months. This process will enable partners who work directly with adolescents to gather, and share with UNICEF, lessons learned from experience with respect to which elements of the guidebook worked as planned, and what should be revised, eliminated, or added to make the guidebook effective.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this assignment is to support the process of rolling out of the contextualized Adolescent Toolkit for Expression and Innovation (Adolescent Kit) during the pilot phase through capacity building of the newly hired mentors and quality assurance of activities in the field.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT:

• Close work with International Consultant during the visit to Tajikistan and support in adaptation of the developed curriculum based on the country-context needs and feedback from implementing partners.
• Conduct a refresher trainings and TOT for mentors and educators, who are newly hired by implementing partners in August- December 2019.
• Conduct monitoring of delivery of Adolescent kit activities in the districts and towns and provide quality assurance of trainings delivered by IPs.
• Provide support to implementing partners in managing the content of the adopted curriculum. 

KEY DELIVERABLES and PAYMENT SCHEDULE: 

Upon completion of the deliverables, the following documents shall be developed and submitted to the UNICEF ADAP Section in soft copy:

• Brief report on consultancy period;
• Technical recommendations and step-by-step guidelines on rolling out plan based on deliverables;
• Ready to use and conceptualized training materials;
• Documentation of the piloting of Adolescent kit in Tajikistan as evidence-based document.

Estimated duration of contract and remuneration: The total duration of the assignment from  September - 31 December 2019 (30 working days). 

Travel involved: The consultant will have 4 in-country travels for training delivery (3 days per each training) and minimum of 3 monitoring visits (6 days per each visit) based on the needs of the programme (maximum of 30 days).  UNICEF will cover the cost of in-country travel and DSA based on UNICEF standard rates. 

Supervision: The consultant will work  under the technical guidance and the day-to-day supervision of the ADAP Officer in charge of Skills and Innovation.

Reporting to: Reporting to: Chief, ADAP, UNICEF Tajikistan 

Insurances: UNICEF does not provide or arrange life or health insurance coverage for consultants and individual contractors, and consultants and individual contractors are not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to United Nations staff members. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming all costs related to required inoculations, vaccinations and medical examinations.  
Consultants and individual contractors are fully responsible for arranging, at their own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the period of their services as they consider appropriate. The responsibility of UNICEF is limited solely to the payment of compensation for service-incurred death, injury or illness as per the provisions detailed below. 

Recourse: UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. 

Ethical considerations: Adequate measures should be taken to ensure that the process responds to quality and ethical requirements. The contracted consultant should be sensitive to beliefs, manners, and customs and act with integrity and honesty in their relationships with all stakeholders. It should also protect the anonymity and confidentiality of individual information. 

Mandatory trainings: Consultants and individual contractors, regardless of contract duration, must complete the applicable mandatory trainings. The link will be provided during the selection process for the successful candidate.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have: 

Education: Master's degree in Education and Social Science

Work Experience: Minimum of 2 years of productive work in the field of Education, Skills building and Adolescent Development.

Competencies: Good knowledge of Adolescent Toolkit for Innovation and Expression. Experience in provision of trainings and developing skills-building curriculum for trainers and educators based on adolescent’s skills needs. Past experience of working with non-formal/formal education programming and contextualization of skills-building content and toolkits.

Technical Knowledge: Excellent analytical thinking and strategic planning skills, proven ability to develop training content and to deliver training, excellent writing skills, oral communication skills and facilitation skills and ability to work under commitment to work to tight timeframe. 

Language: Fluency in Tajik, Russian and English.

EVALUATION PROCESS:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter/application/CV.
2. A technical proposal with proposed methodology/approach to managing the project, showing understanding of tasks.
3. Financial quote for the consultancy in TJS per day, stating also the timeframe for completion of deliverable and/or daily rate in TJS.
4. Examples of previous, relevant work related to the deliverables.

Queries can be sent to: tad-procurement@unicef.org  with subject line "National Consultancy to support the rolling out of the contextualized Adolescent Toolkit for Expression and Innovation (Adolescent Kit) as additional skills-building programme at the Adolescent Innovation Labs at Centers for Additional Education and through mobile activities in Tajikistan". Applications must be received by the 29 August 2019.  

Please indicate your availability and rate per deliverable in TJS to undertake the terms of reference above.  Applications submitted without a rate per deliverable in TJS will not be considered. Currency of payment will be agreed upon at time of contracting.

Travel costs and DSA will be covered in accordance with UN rules and regulations. No other remunerations apply. UNICEF considers best value for money as criteria for evaluating potential candidates.  As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant or individual contractor follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Please note that consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visas and travel insurance.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis methodology. The award of the Contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a weighted set of technical and financial criteria.

* Technical Criteria weight - 80%;

* Financial Criteria weight - 20%;

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 64 points in Technical Criteria evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial Proposal 

Please provide a rate all-inclusive price (in Tajik somoni) for delivery of professional services in accordance with the assignments described under this TOR. 

FP Rating = (Lowest Priced Offer / Price of the Offer Being Reviewed) x 100

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF's core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
 
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.