Capacity building consultant for women-led organizations (Home-based)

Background

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides support to Member States’ efforts and priorities in meeting their gender equality goals and for building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

In line with UN Women Global Strategic Plan (2018-2021), and its Country Strategic Note (2019-2022), in Turkey UN Women works towards three overarching goals:  

1) Women lead, participate in, and benefit equally from governance systems,  

2) All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence,  

3) Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action.  

Towards these goals, UN Women implements programmes and projects that aim to advance gender equality, improve women’s access to opportunities, rights and services in political, social and economic life and combat gender stereotypes, discrimination and violence, as required by international and national legal and policy commitments. UN Women collaborates with numerous partners – central and local level government authorities, civil society organizations, including women’s organizations and platforms, academia, private sector companies, other UN agencies. It commits itself to the Leaving No One Behind principle, by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women face in accessing their rights and to promote them as agents of change. 

UN Women in Turkey is working with national governments, UN agencies, local authorities and non-governmental organizations to empower Syrian women and girls under temporary protection - as well as other refugee women; and to improve their access to opportunities, rights and services, as required by international treaties and national legislation. Women’s participation is essential for conflict prevention, the stabilization of societies and the establishment of sustainable peace. Through trainnigs and one-on-one mentoring, since 2019 UN Women has been providing technical capacity building support to women-led organizations and to CSOs working with/for women and girls in the framework of refugee response. This support aims to boost their technical and organisational capacities in areas that have been identified as needing support, such as finance, program management/administration, fund-raising, prevention of gender-based violence, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse1, refugee/migration legislation, international humanitarian standards, gender-sensitive refugee response, women’s empowerment. Given the persisting needs on the ground, UN Women will continue to offer the technical capacity building support through one-on-one mentoring for the benefit of minimum three women-led organizations and/or networks that work towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of the project ‘Strengthening Social Stabilization and Economic Empowerment of Refugee and Host Community Women and Girls in Turkey’ funded by the Government of Japan.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within the scope of the assignment the consultant is expected to provide consultancy services for the below listed generic tasks:

1. Provide one-to-one mentorship to minimum three women-led organizations and/or CSOs working with/for women and girls in the framework of refugee response so that they can access best technical expertise in areas where they are willing to develop capacities. Each mentorship per organization will last seven days over a period of three months on average and will take place in-situ or through online communication tools. Indicative subjects include programme management/administration, financial management, humanitarian programme cycle, fund-raising, gender-sensitive refugee response. Women’s empowerment, gender equality, women’s rights, violence against women will be mainstreamed in the mentoring sessions. The consultant will make use of UN Women’s existing training modules, materials, pre- and post-tests to this end.
2. Submit monthly one-page reports demonstrating the mentoring support undertaken for each women-led organizations and/or CSO.
3. As a final report submit one report per CSO which has received mentoring support, containing the results of the mentoring and pre- and post mentoring tests, documenting the process and lessons learned.

Duration of the assignment is from August 2020 to January 2021. The Consultant is expected to dedicate 4 working days per month on average for this assignment and to spend up to 30 working days on non - consecutive basis throughout the assignment.   

Expected Deliverables and Payment Schedule:The following table summarizes the main activities and expected deliverables against the targeted submission deadlines and indicative working days to be invested by the Consultant.                                                                                                                                                                         

Deliverable	Target Deadline	Estimated number of working days
One-page monthly reports per CSO demonstrating the mentoring support undertaken in  August and September 2020.	End of September 2020 9	9
One-page monthly reports per CSO demonstrating the mentoring support undertaken in October and November 2020.	End of November 2020	9
One-page monthly reports per CSO demonstrating the mentoring support undertaken in December 2020 and January 2021.	End of January 2021	9
As a final report submit one report per CSO which has received mentoring support, containing the results of the mentoring and pre- and post mentoring tests, documenting the process and lessons learned including recommendations.	End of January 2021	3
Total Working Days: Up to 30 days

All deliverables shall be received and cleared by the UN Women in Turkey. All reports shall be presented in English, in electronic version.Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women in Turkey shall be the only criteria for the Consultant’s work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Payment Schedule:The amount paid to the Consultant shall be gross and inclusive of all associated costs such as travel, social security, pension and income tax etc. Payments will be made upon submission and approval of deliverables above, and certification by the UN Women supervisor that the services have been satisfactorily completed.  The Consultant’s payments will be carried out on the basis of monthly timesheets presented to and approved by the supervisor. Payment shall be affected only if all the deliverables in this TOR are submitted to UN Women within the timeframes stipulated in the TOR and they are approved by the supervisor. Without submission and approval of the deliverables, the Consultant shall not receive any payment even if s/he invests time for this assignment. Mandatory Training Courses: Mandatory training courses for this assignment are estimated to take approximately 1 working day to complete. The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor.

Key Performance Indicators

• Adherence to UN Women mandate, standards and rules.
• Timely and quality delivery of the mentoring sessions.          
• Provision of quality and timely monthly reports and the final report.
• Positive feedbacks from the beneficiaries of the mentoring support, to be collected by UN Women.   

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism                                                                                                                                      

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues, particularly in the humanitarian/refugee context
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies 

• Ability to think conceptually, strategically and analytically.
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings.
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Results oriented, flexible and problem-solving skills.
• Good knowledge of technical area.
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail.         

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637.                                                                                          

UN Women does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:	Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, law, human rights, gender/ women’s studies, development studies or any other relevant discipline.
Experience:	At least three years of experience in developing and delivering training programmes, technical capacity building support and/or mentoring support in the following fields: programme management/administration, humanitarian programme cycle, fund-raising, gender-sensitive refugee response. At least three years of experience in the field of gender equality and/or women’s empowerment. Previous experience in the field of humanitarian/refugee response is an asset. Previous experience in working with women’s CSOs is an asset. Previous experience in working with UN entities is an asset.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in written and spoken Turkish and English required

Travel 

The Consultant will be responsible for all travel arrangements and expenses and daily subsistence allowances associated with undertaking this assignment. All travels shall be coordinated with UN Women Turkey Office and shall be included in the total contract amount of the Consultant.  Indicatively three domestic travels are expected to take place to Gaziantep, Istanbul and Izmir for the mentoring sessions. Each mission is expected to last two to three days. There may be different number of days required for accommodation. The financial proposal template is explanatory in this regard. The taxi fees for attending the meetings are also under the responsibility of the Consultant. In case of unforeseeable travel exceeding the travel budget of the Consultant, such costs should be agreed upon between UN Women and the Consultant prior to the travel, and will be reimbursed, in line with the travel policy.

In the context of the assignment, wherever possible, the meetings should be carried out through online conferencing such as Skype, Zoom, etc. For the all travels under this assignment, the Consultant is required to provide the relevant project staff with the requested travel documentation in a timely manner, both before and after the travels. Please note that failure to do so may result in no entitlement. 

Application Procedure  

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application: 

• Cover letter to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised assignment.
• CV in English containing the relevant educational and professional experience.
• Signed UN Women Personal History (P11) Form including past experience in similar assignments which can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment
• Financial proposal to be sent via e-mail to turkey.procurement@unwomen.org  indicating the name of the position applied in the subject line of the e-mail no later than the application deadline - Please see Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template and Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form.

When applying; the Cover Letter, CV and the signed P11 Form should be merged into one (1) single PDF document since the system will allow only to upload maximum one document. Therefore, please combine these forms and documents into one (1) single PDF document and upload them to the system.  As for the Financial Proposal, please send it separately via e-mail to turkey.procurement@unwomen.org indicating the name of the position applied in the subject line of the e-mail.  Since it is to be submitted separately via e-mail, the Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to the system or be included in the merged PDF which shall consist of the applicant’s Cover Letter, CV and Signed P11 Form. Please make sure not to include the Financial Proposal in the merged PDF document.  Should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy, candidates should be able to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certifications or any other requested document. Incomplete applications such as applications without a financial proposal may not be considered. Applicants are responsible to make sure to have provided all the requested application materials before the deadline.

Evaluation of Applicants

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the Consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Criteria	Total points	Max. Points
Technical Evaluation (70%)	70
At least three years of experience in developing and delivering training programmes, technical capacity building support and/or mentoring support in the following fields: programme management/administration, humanitarian programme cycle, fundraising, gender-sensitive refugee response.		20
At least three years of experience in the field of gender equality and/or women’s empowerment.		15
Previous experience in the field of humanitarian/refugee response is an asset.		10
Previous experience in working with women’s CSOs is an asset.		12
Previous experience in working with UN entities is an asset.		8
Fluency in written and spoken Turkish and English required.		5
Financial Evaluation (30%)	30
TOTAL	100

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion. A suggested formula is as follows:

p = 30 (µ/z)

Using the following values:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

An interview/written test may be used as part of the evaluation procedure.

Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template The prospective Individual Consultant should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal. 

1. Daily feeThe daily price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, communications, consumables during field related missions, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price. UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

2. Travel costsThe Consultant will be responsible for all travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment. All travels shall be coordinated with UN Women in Turkey Programme Management Specialist and shall be included in the total contract amount of the contractor. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs should be agreed upon, between UN Women in Turkey and the Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

3. Daily Subsistence AllowanceNot applicable.

4. Currency of the price proposal The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in Turkish Liras.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref:

Dear Sir / Madam, I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment. Having examined, understood and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference. My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:                                                                                                                            

Costs	TRY
Daily Fee, all inclusive
Total Fee for the Assignment based on the Deliverables
Travel Fee
Transportation ticket, Transfer Cost x 3 travels                                             (This is in line with the maximum estimated number of travels for this assignment. The transportation ticket will be from the duty station of the Consultant to the city of mission and back. The travel cost should reflect the cost of a round trip for 3 times as well as the transfers within the duty station and the city of mission. For each travel the Consultant will be paid for one item.)
Daily Substance Allowance (DSA) Cost x 9 days                                        (This is in line with the maximum estimated number of travels for this assignment. The missions may be for two days DSA or three days DSA based on the number of nights spent in the city of mission.  As per UN Women guidelines; the DSA consists of accommodation (50%), breakfast (6%), lunch (12%), dinner (12%) and miscellaneous expenses (20%). The DSA fee of the consultant should indicate the lump sum fee for accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner and miscellaneous expenses.  The consultant will receive reduced DSA for the items as per the percentages stated above covered within the organization provided by UN Women.  Important notice: For each night away from the duty station, the consultant will be paid one day DSA.)
Total Travel Fee
Total Fee (Deliverables + Travel)

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged for 120 days. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 120 days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

 

[Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax:

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