National Consultant to provide technical support to the drafting of a Gender Policy for the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Background

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.  UN Women’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development.  In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to five corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment ; engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes ; advancing women’s rights to live free from violence  and Gender Responsive Governance.   The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Nation’s oldest and largest institution, has seen significant reforms since its establishment in 1864, known then as the PARISH. The changes were manifested in all key areas, including its Mandate, Nomenclature and Structure. In the first few decades of the young Republic, the territorial influence of government could be extended and felt only a few hundred kilometers in-land from the coast. Interaction with the rural masses was very limited. Therefore, the institution’s responsibility was, to Administer Local Governance which basically involved Collection of Taxes, Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility, and Seeking the Welfare of the People. As the years passed and Liberia advanced in age, experience and international recognition, so also the scope and demands of Local Administration broadened and necessitated fundamental changes with the times. Thus, the name of the governing entity was changed from the PARISH, first, to DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR (1927), then to MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND URBAN RECONSTRUCTION (1971), and again, to MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS (1982), the present name. Along with the change of names also evolved the structure of the institution. Under the PARISH, was a single Department of Administration with Divisions and Sections to handle specific duties. Under the INTERIOR DEPARTMENT, special Sections such as Native and Tribal Affairs, and Native Appellate Court, were created to deal with tribal and cultural matters. Under ministry of local government, rural development and urban reconstruction, The two large Departments of Rural Development and Urban Affairs were created; and finally under INTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY, the Rural Development Department was merged with the newly created Ministry of Rural Development at the time, now Ministry of Public Works, and the Department of Operation was created in its place. 

 The Ministry has since remained Internal Affairs, before and after the civil crisis, with four large Departs of Administration, Operation, Urban Affairs and Research and Development Planning, which comprise Divisions, Bureaus and Sections that carry out requisite activities.  The Ministry of Internal Affairs shall ensure equal access to participation of women in local government decision-making as well as in all critical sectors of development, including agriculture, health, education and governance, as well as contractual services offered by various local government administrations.  Against this backdrop, UN Women Liberia through the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection that is responsible to ensure a well-coordinated system-wide approach in mainstreaming gender in our development process and across all line ministries and agencies seeks to hire a National Consultant to develop a Gender Policy for the MIA and a costed Action Plan.  

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to draft and finalize the Gender Policy for the MIA and develop a five-year costed action plan with clear goals and targets, in a participatory manner. In addition, the assignment will envisage to institute mechanisms that promote gender sensitive planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring. At the same time, it will also foresee that adequate resources are allocated, training needs identified, and capacity building opportunities are available to benefit women, men, girls and boys equitably.    The Gender Policy for the MIA will articulate the gender responsiveness of local governance and decentralization in developing and coordinating a gender-responsive strategy to meet the challenges in the ministry and equip employees with the relevant skills and knowledge to become real agents of change in coping with the situations from a gender perspective. It will be a realistic document that reflects the real life needs in the Ministry.  Scope of work and tasks Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Representative of UN Women Liberia and direct supervision from the Program Specialist on Governance and Gender Responsive Budgeting, and in close collaboration with the Assistant Minister for Administration, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:   Task 1. Desk Review and development of the consultancy plan  1) Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents;

2) Conduct preliminary consultations with the MIA Senior Management and the Gender Unit of the MIA, Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, GRB Technical Working Group and UN Women for development of the consultancy plan/inception report.  Task 2. Conduct an institutional gender assessment or gender audit to inform the development of the Gender Policy at the MIA  1) Data collection: conduct desk review and interviews to prepare institutional assessment and capacity building needs to facilitate   preparation of the Gender Policy;

2)  Lead and manage data processing and analysis;

3) Develop a well-structured gender assessment/gender audit report that comprehensively outline the findings, methodology, challenges, recommendations, list of persons interviewed Conduct a workshop to enhance their capacity in gender mainstreaming. 

Task 3.  Develop a Gender Policy and Costed Action plan with the MIA

1) Based on  the gender assessment/gender audit results, finalize the Gender Policy and develop a  detailed Costed Action Plan (2021-2025) with clear goals and targets. The plan should further state roles and responsibilities for concerned stakeholders and outline an implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting framework and include an indicative budget; 

2) Develop a concept note to organize the workshop for the validation of the Gender Policy and facilitate the validation workshop, incorporate recommendations from the validation workshop into the Gender Policy and the Costed Action Pan 

3) Submit the Gender Policy for approval by MIA Senior Management 

4) Make preparation and work with the MIA Gender Unit for the Launch of the Gender Policy and ensure its dissemination including its publication on the MIA website  Task 4. Strengthen the capacity of the MIA Gender Unit and the Senior Management to facilitate  implementation of the Gender policy  1. Develop a term of reference for the gender unit at MIA,

2. Conduct a capacity building training for staff of the gender unit 

#	Deliverables	Indicative Deadline
1	Consultancy work plan	23 October 2020
2	Report on the Institutional Gender Assessment/Gender Audit	6 November 2020
3	Validated and approved Gender Policy and Costed Action Plan for MIA. The policy will incorporate goals and targets and will further describe tasks and responsibilities, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting frameworks with indicative budget;’  TOR of the Gender Unit at the MOA   Capacity building training for the staff of the Gender Unit (based on the capacity needs assessment) and final report containing results, changes in knowledge and skills, and recommendations, as well as annexes (pre- and post-tests questionnaires)	27 November 2020
4	Consultancy report containing results, changes in knowledge and skills, and recommendations, as well as annexes (pre- and post-tests questionnaires)	18 December 2020

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English. Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of review is one week after receipt.   Inputs   - UN Women and MIA will provide the Consultant with background materials relevant to the assignment;

- The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer;

- The Consultant will be based at MIA; and

- MIA shall facilitate consultations/meetings between the consultant and relevant stakeholders    

Competencies

Performance evaluation:  Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered;

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis. 

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%] 

• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]  A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.   Technical qualification evaluation criteria: The total number of points allotted for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:  Technical Evaluation Criteria       Obtainable Score

Experience and skills                     90 %

Language and other skills              10 %

Total Obtainable Score                  100 %  Only the candidates who fit the minimum requirements will be longlisted and may be requested further documentation. Candidates with a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates and will be shortlisted for potential interview.  Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated. 

The total number of points allotted for the price component is 100.  

 The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technically qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.  Annex I: Financial Proposal   BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL  Breakdown of Cost by Components: 

Deliverables	Percentage of total price (weigh) for payment	Fixed price	Due Date
Consultancy work plan	10%		23 October 2020
Report on the Institutional Gender Assessment/Gender Audit	20%		6 November 2020
Validated and approved   Gender Policy and Costed Action Plan for MIA. The policy will incorporate goals and targets and will further describe tasks and responsibilities, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting frameworks with indicative budget;  TOR of the Gender Unit at the MIA	30%		27 November 2020
Consultancy report containing results, changes in knowledge and skills, and recommendations, as well as annexes (pre- and post-tests questionnaires	40%		18 December 2020

The lump sum costs should include all travels and administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation. 

Required Skills and Experience

Required experience and qualifications The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:  a. Education  Master’s degree is required, but PhD would an added advantage in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Political Science, Governance, or other related fields. 

b. Experience:

- At least 3 years of proven experience in gender and gender mainstreaming;

- Proven exposure/experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment including the design/development/implementation of capacity development support programmes, experience on agricultural programmes would be an added value;

- Proven experience in leading and facilitating workshops;

- Previous experience in conducting gender audits and developing gender policies would be an asset; and 

Language and other skills: - Proficiency in oral and written English

  - Ability to effectively utilize computer software (i.e. MS Excel, 

- MS Word) Excellent facilitation and training skills  VI. Submission of application Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to liberia.procurement@unwomen.org  no later than 10 October 2020.  Submission of package 

1. Cover letter; 

2. CV, including contact information of 3 referees;

3. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.  All applications must include (as an attachment) a CV and financial proposal. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.  Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited for the interview. 

Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:  1. A copy of the latest academic certificate

2. UN Women P-11 form, available via  http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

3. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’

4. Before any travel outside of Monrovia, the consultant will need to provide proof (certificate) of “Basic and Advanced Security in the Field” (which can be accessed here: undss.trip.org)