I.            Project Background

The Om Habibeh Foundation (OHF), an affiliate of Aga Khan Development Network, is currently operating in Aswan a seven-year skills development initiative, entitled: “The Aswan Skills Development Programme (ASDP)”, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation, Egypt, the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

ASDP focuses on improving the livelihoods of 6,000 young women and men in Aswan City and Kom Ombo District through strengthening the quality and range of vocational and technical training programmes, as well as professional development programmes to young women and men in Aswan Governorate. To achieve this goal ASDP focuses on achieving the following:

1. Improved prospects for employment and employability for young women and men in Aswan and Kom Ombo;
2. Improved job creation opportunities (self- employment, entrepreneurship) for young women and men in Aswan and Kom Ombo;
3. Strengthened local gender and environmentally sensitive labour market system to support young women and men in Aswan and Kom Ombo in entrepreneurship and employability.

II.            Background of the Consultancy

The Aswan Skills Development Programme adopts a Gender Equality Strategy that is in line with Egypt’s National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and GAC’s Gender Equality Policy. The ASDP Gender Equality Strategy focusses on 1) building the capacities of OHF to deliver gender-responsive trainings and services; 2) improving the accessibility of OHF trainings to ensure the participation of targeted beneficiaries; 3) advocating for gender-responsive measures to improve the employability of young women and men through engagement with labour market stakeholders.

ASDP is coming to an end in March 2022. The focus in this final year of operation is on ensuring the sustainability of programme results, including in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Part of ASDP’s sustainability plan is to create a local gender equality community of practice (CoP) in Aswan to embed a strong understanding of gender-related issues in the community, with lasting impact beyond the life of the programme. The CoP will work to ensure a shared understanding of the programme’s gender equality objectives and expected outcomes as well as to share this understanding with ASDP/OHF partners and stakeholders.

III.            Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the implementation of gender equality plans in the final year of ASDP, the main focus of which will be on creating a local gender equality community of practice in Aswan and devising and executing a plan for building the capacities of CoP members in gender equality and related topics. Capacity-building plans may include a variety of (online and offline) workshops and trainings on gender-related topics, participation in community roundtables, conferences, and other relevant events, assigned readings, and peer learning and mentorship.

 

The CoP will be made up of select OHF Aswan-based staff, Continuing Education Programme trainers, representatives of civil society organizations, community leaders, members of the National Council for Women in Aswan, and other stakeholder groups, as appropriate, ensuring the participation of both men and women. “we accept proposals in Arabic or English”

IV.            Major Tasks and Specific Deliverables

The consultant will carry out all major tasks in consultation with the ASDP team, including the ASDP Gender Advisor and the ASDP Senior Programme Manager. The consultant will perform the following tasks at a minimum:

1. Devise a holistic plan for building the capacities of a select group of individuals (CoP members) from Aswan in gender equality and related topics. Topics include, but are not limited to, gender mainstreaming in development programming, gender analysis, gender-responsive workplaces, gender-based violence, gender-sensitive language, gender-related policies and laws in the context of Egypt, and relevant soft skills (communication, etc.).
2. Support the execution of the above-mentioned capacity-building plan, including through field visits to target communities and in-person training delivery to CoP members in Aswan.
3. Support other ASDP year 7 gender equality-related plans, as appropriate, including providing expert advice on mainstreaming gender equality in all ASDP interventions and delivering trainings on gender-related topics to ASDP stakeholders.

 

Specific Deliverables:

1. Develop an inception report that outlines the methodology of work, including an action plan for the delivery of this work (i.e. outline of all tasks, timelines, and dates of output delivery). The draft inception report is to be reviewed by the ASDP team and their feedback incorporated before the report is finalized;
2. Support the selection process of CoP members;
3. Conduct a needs assessment to determine and address the needs of CoP members to be able to design an effective capacity building plan.
4. Facilitate and lead meetings with the OHF team to discuss and agree on the capacity-building plan;
5. Present a detailed and complete capacity-building plan for the Gender Equality Community of Practice, including a sustainability plan for the CoP once ASDP comes to an end;
6. Carry out the tasks outlined in the capacity-building plan;
7. Deliver a final consultancy report that outlines the tasks completed, outcomes, and lessons learned of the capacity building exercise and submit a copy of all training materials to the ASDP team.

V.            Expected Time Frame

The consultant is expected to commence duties in early June 2021. The total duration of the consultancy will be no more than 40 days, with final submission of the consultant report by mid-March 2022.

VI.            Consultant Qualifications and Experience

ASDP is looking for a well-qualified consultant to fulfill the above-mentioned role/tasks. The consultant should meet the following criteria in terms of qualifications, technical competencies, and experience:

• Minimum seven (7) years of professional experience in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in an international development context;
• Master’s degree or advanced diploma in gender studies, international development, or related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Demonstrated knowledge of international best practices in gender equality and women’s empowerment programming.
• Knowledge of the development context in Egypt, specifically related to economic development and employment in Upper Egypt, including approaches to mainstreaming gender in conservative areas;
• Demonstrated experience conducting different capacity-building activities, including developing and delivering trainings and facilitating discussions;
• Full professional proficiency in spoken and written Arabic and English;
• Prior work experience with AKF/AKDN would be considered an asset.

VII.            Application Procedure

Agencies or individuals meeting the above criteria are invited to submit an application consisting of the following:

 

1. Letter of interest, including the names and contact information of two previous clients who can be contacted regarding relevant experience, which discloses any conflict of interest related to this mandate with OHF.
2. Detailed technical proposal of not more than 4 pages clearly demonstrating a thorough understanding of this request for proposals and including the following:
   1. Description of methodology
   2. Evidence of previous experience conducting similar work

• A proposed timeframe detailing activities and a schedule/work plan (including a Gantt chart)

1. Team composition and level of effort of each proposed team member, as appropriate
2. Curriculum Vitae(s) of all proposed staff outlining relevant experience (annexed to technical proposal)

3. A financial proposal with a detailed breakdown of costs for the assessment, using the following template, as applicable (where necessary, please include footnotes to explain assumptions made):

 

1. Summary of costs

 

Item	Cost (EGP)
Consultancy fees
Data collection expenses (as applicable)
Administrative expenses
Other
Total

 

1. Itemized consultancy fees/costs for all team members

 

Name	Title	Days	Daily Rate (EGP)	Total (EGP)

 

• Itemized field data collection expenses (e.g. transport, training costs, per diem, etc.)

 

Description of Item	Quantity	Unit	Cost (EGP)

 

1. Itemized administrative expenses (e.g. phone credit, stationery, etc.)

 

Description of Item	Quantity	Unit	Cost (EGP)

 

4. A Consulting Firm profile (if applicable).

 

Proposals will be evaluated only if the complete package as outlined above is received. Evaluation of proposals will be weighted at 70% for the technical component and 30% for the financial component.

 

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following set of criteria:

 

Criteria	Maximum Score
Technical Component
Demonstrated experience in conducting similar gender equality capacity-building plans/activities (this may include interviews with shortlisted candidates)	30
Education and technical experience of consultant team	20
Proposed methodology and approach	10
Experience working in international development	5
Previous work experience in Upper Egypt and/or with the AKDN	5
Total Technical Component	70
Total Financial Component	30
	100

 

Agencies or individuals meeting the above criteria are invited to submit an application by email to:

 

Moustafa Elamir

Senior Procurement Officer

Om Habibeh Foundation

moustafa.elamir@akdn.org

 

Proposals will be evaluated only if the complete package as outlined above is received.

 

Consultants/Agencies must provide complete contact details in their applications.

Proposals should be received no later than 15 June 2021. Shortlisted applicant(s) will be notified by 30 June 2021 and should expect to begin work as soon as possible.

 

XIII.  Inquiries meeting:

       An inquiring meeting will hold at 7^th June 2021 at 1.00 : 2.00 Pm, according to the written questions you will send before to the contacts mentioned above, the meeting will be online by invitation will be sent for who interested to join.