Тендер на закупівлю послуг з проведення дослідження: RfP Baseline Assessment for VIA Program (IREX)

I. Background 

The United Voices in Action (VIA) program is implemented by the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX). IREX brings 25 years of experience in Ukraine to the program, including direct work with youth and over 1,400 local communities in 24 oblasts. The VIA program helps Ukraine’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) learn valuable conflict resolution and advocacy skills to reduce their vulnerability to exploitation and increase community cohesion.  The program brings together IDPs, receiving community members, government representatives, and media figures and connects them with resources to advance local level conflict resolution, stabilization, and integration.  

In our program we use the following definition of IDPs: According to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, internally displaced persons are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized state border. 

IREX is looking for a vendor to conduct 22 in-depth key informant interviews, desk research and a quantitative survey as a part of baseline assessment in the selected communities. 

Goal of baseline assessment: Collect and analyze data to identify current situation with IDPs in selected receiving communities, as well as attitudes, challenges, and opportunities related to IDPs integration. 

Communities:  Uzhhorod, Mukachevo, Cherkasy, Uman, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Kropyvnytskyi, Сhernivtsi, Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro. 

 II. IREX expects that the selected vendor will conduct quantitative and qualitative parts of the baseline assessment: 

1) Qualitative part 

Objectives for qualitative part: 

• Study current situation of IDPs originated after events of 2014, as well as from February 24th of 2022, in selected communities, focusing on IDPs of age 6-18 and 30+. 
• Study current relations between three groups of: IDPs of 2014, IDPs from February 24th of 2022 and host community (tensions, perceived discrimination, viewing each other as partners). 

• Find out if there are visible differences between IDPs in 2014 and IDPs from 24 February 2022. 

• Find out if IDPs from 2014 now act as host communities if they did not have to move again after February 24th, 2022. 

• Identify current level of integration of IDPs of both waves, aged 6-18 and 30+, with host communities. 
• Identify pressing integration-needs of IDPs of both waves, aged 6-18 and 30+, including psychosocial support, advocacy and/or other skills training, mentoring, networking, resources, or other assistance.  
• Conduct mapping of available IDP-focused resources, IDP-oriented organizations, key local officials and governmental agencies, and other potential partners to aid integration of IDPs of both waves in the community, their relevant current and planned activities, and key gaps in these.  

Target audience 1: Representatives of local authorities working with IDPs in target communities. 

Target audience 2:  Representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with IDPs in target communities. 

2) Quantitative part 

Objectives for quantitative part: 

• Study relations between IDPs of age 30+ and host community (tensions, perceived discrimination, viewing each other as partners, Sense of Community). 

• Identify integration-related needs of IDPs of age 30+ and host communities, including skills training, mentoring, networking, resources, or other assistance. 
• Identify the psychological state of IDPs aged 30+ and host community (using instrument of PHQ-9). 
• Study the skills training, mentoring, networking, resources, or other assistance needs of IDPs of age 30+. 
• Study educational (schooling) needs of IDPs of age 30+ with children of age 6-18. 
• Identify advocacy-related needs of IDPs of age 30+, including awareness of IDPs of relevant legislative and policy changes, perceived influence on these changes, relations with key officials, awareness of relevant networks and resources, capacity to affect public opinion, and related needs for skills training, mentoring, networking, resources, or other assistance. 

Target audience 3: IDPs aged 30+ in selected communities who were forced to leave their homes since 2014 or since 24th of February 2022. 

Target audience 4: Host community members aged 30+ in selected communities. 

 III. Scope of work 

IREX expects that selected vendor to conduct the following tasks: 

1) Qualitative part of baseline assessment 

• Develop design and methodology for desk research in 11 target communities. Proposed design should include the following data, but not limited to: 

• Community administrative composition; 
• Socio-economic data (population of different age groups, number of residing IDPs (of both waves), unemployment rate, budget); 
• Mapping of available shelters for IDPs (including those in communal buildings, mobile cities); 

• Analysis of local government documents, policies on IDPs; 
• Organizations working with IDPs in the community, focused on age groups of 6-18 and 30+. 

• Conduct 11 in-depth interviews with local government officials working with IDPs in target communities. One interview for each selected community. 
• Conduct 11 in-depth interviews with local NGOs working with IDPs in target communities. One interview for each selected community. 
• In cooperation with IREX, finalize the guide for conduction of in-depth interviews. IREX will share the first draft of guide for in-depth interviews in English and Ukrainian. 

• Conduct fieldwork.  
• Conduct desk research. 
• Prepare narrative analytical report. 

1) Quantitative part of baseline assessment 

Survey questionnaire is provided by IREX. Interview duration: 20-25 min.  

Method of interview: Propose the most suitable data collection method (F2F/CATI/online survey). 

Total sample size not less than 1,000. At least 50% of total sample should be IDPs.  

Among sample of IDPs: 25% of IDPs sampling should be those who forced to leave their homes since 2014. IREX is not providing a base of IDPs contacts for this research. 

Vendor will:   

• Develop design of the survey, including sampling plan (sample size, quotas, method of recruitment, distribution by communities). 

• In cooperation with IREX, finalize the survey questionnaire. Survey questionnaire is provided by IREX in English 
• Translate the survey questionnaire into Ukrainian. 
• Conduct pre-test of interviews with a sample of potential respondents to address potential issues. 
• Conduct fieldwork.  
• Prepare technical report. 

• Prepare analytical report. 

Deliverables 

• Work plan (with timelines) in English for each part of the assessment. 
• Methodology and tools for desk research and survey, including detailed sampling plan, in English and Ukrainian. 
• Final guide for in-depth interviews in English and Ukrainian. 

• Prepare transcripts for in-depth interviews in the language of respondents. 
• Data files for desk-research (tables, etc. depending on selected methodology) in original language. 
• Narrative analytical report for conducted in-depth interviews and desk research in selected communities in English and Ukrainian. 
• Piloting report (up to 1 page). 
• Final survey questionnaire in English and Ukrainian. 

• Final cleaned database with coded open question and codebook for survey in Excel (xls/csv) or in SPSS (sav) with labels in English and Ukrainian. 
• Excel tables with basic social demographic disaggregation in English and Ukrainian. The disaggregation list will be finalized in cooperation with IREX. 
• Analytical report in Ukrainian and English for survey in English and Ukrainian.  
• Power Point presentation highlighting key results of survey and in-depth interviews in both aggregated form and desegregated by key factors (e.g. indexes if used) in English and Ukrainian.  
• Technical report for survey (including sampling procedures, fieldwork description, response rate, data quality control results, etc.). 

Timing/duration 

Work should start immediately after agreement signature and must be completed by September 19th, 2022. 

 IV. Proposal requirements 

Proposal should be sent to [email protected] no later than 16:59 July 15th, 2022. 

Any clarification questions regarding RfP should be submitted to [email protected] not later than 16:59 July 11th.  

Once the vendor is identified, all companies that apply will be informed about the selection results. 

IREX reserves the right to re-announce RfP in case less than 3 (three) technically qualified proposals are received through this call. 

Elements of the proposal: 

• Narrative proposal (maximum size of the narrative proposal in MS Word is 5 pages (font size 12, 1.5 line spacing) which includes: 

• Methodology and design for conduction of in-depth key informant interviews and desk research; 
• Methodology of quantitative survey including method of recruiting respondents and expected sample size 

• Capacity of the organization. Relevant examples of completed similar assignments performed during the last 2 years, and specifically a description of one assignment performed during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine; 
• Timeline by different activities. Timeline should include two options: no list of contact persons for in-depth interview are provided by IREX, and list of contact persons for in-depth interview are provided by IREX. 
• Registration documents including the following: certificate on state registration, taxpayer certificate, Charter, order for the appointment of the organization head, and any other relevant documents (for example, references) 

• Budget calculations by budget lines. Budget calculations to be sent in a separate MS Excel file, using recommended budget template: IREX_VIA_Baseline assessment_Budget template.xlsx  
• Budget options should include two scenarios: no list of contact persons for in-depth interview is provided by IREX, and a list of contact persons for in-depth interview is provided by IREX.  

Budget ceiling is 25,000 USD including VAT.  

The payment is made in UAH according to the official currency exchange rate, determined by the National Bank of Ukraine as of the date of invoice issue. 

Language of submission is English. 

 V. Selection criteria 

RfP_Baseline assessment_VIA