Request for Expressions of Interest

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST DAI-TABEER - CONSOLIDATING DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN

EOI Issuance Date: December 13th, 2017 EOI Closing Date: December 27th, 2017 Reference: RFA2017-18/DAI-TABEER-CDIP/IRF/EOI-01

BACKGROUND TABEER-Consolidating Democracy in Pakistan (CDIP) is implemented by DAI Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd, and funded by the UK government. It is working to support the consolidation of democratic processes in Pakistan by strengthening the capacity of the country’s institutions to be more effective, accountable and responsive to the needs of Pakistani people. The project will support improved policy dialogue, political debate, and public discourse, supporting citizens to play a more active and informed role in decision-making. TABEER works closely with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the national and provincial assemblies, political parties, media, civil society organisations (CSOs), academia and other relevant institutions. It pays particular attention to increasing the participation of women, young people, minorities, and people with disabilities in electoral and political processes. Through an Innovation and Research Fund (IRF), TABEER aims to pioneer a range of innovative programming initiatives to strengthen the capacity of citizens, civil society and the media to actively engage the institutions referenced above. It also seeks to expand voice and accountability mechanisms, to nurture a more responsive political culture. The ultimate aim is to expand the democratic space in Pakistan. Employing a challenge fund approach, the IRF will provide grants to test and/or scale up new and promising innovative ideas to expand the three dimensions of the democratic space that defines TABEER’s programme approach under this output: civic knowledge, civic engagement and demand-side accountability mechanisms. In pursuance of the above-mentioned objectives, TABEER intends to award grants in all the four provinces to undertake ‘Social Mobilisation Around the SDG 16 Agenda’. The procurement for these grants will be undertaken in two stages via a competitive process. In the first stage, TABEER welcomes organisations with relevant experience to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Organisations, institutions, companies legally registered in Pakistan and implementing programmes aligned with TABEER’s objectives are encouraged to apply. Further details are available in Section III under the eligibility criteria. TABEER will review the EOIs received according to the criteria laid out in Section IV. Only shortlisted organisations will be invited to participate in the second stage and requested to submit detailed proposals. TABEER will aim to reach out to all shortlisted organisations within one month of receiving the EOIs with further information regarding the next steps.

Interested organisations are requested to provide the information on templates enclosed in Section IV for consideration in the EOI process. All submissions must be made on or before December 27th, 2017. Any applications received after this date will not be considered.

1 Section I: Grant Details

1.1. Purpose of Grant The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have collectively gained significant traction within the political and bureaucratic tiers of Pakistan. The country has also made significant progress by establishing National and Provincial Taskforces as well as SDG Support Units. While these steps are commendable in their own right, implementation and integration of SDGs within the national and provincial frameworks remains a challenge.

SDG 16 is considered to be the critical enabler for achieving the other SDGs and provides an optimal platform for implementation of economic and social development programmes. Given its focus on governance and security, it arguably remains most challenging in terms of its implementation. The SDG 16’s focus on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions is firmly aligned with TABEER’s overarching programme design. TABEER aims to support progress towards select SDG 16 targets through providing grants to support tailored civil society initiatives across all four provinces.

The objective of these grants is to:

 Establish SDG 16 civil society coalitions in each province to mobilise research and advocacy initiatives around a specific set of SDG 16 targets.

1.2. Detailed Scope of Work

Through a competitive process, TABEER will bring together multiple grant partners in each province to mobilise a ‘Provincial SDG 16 Coalition’. Each grant will focus on a specific set of targets under SDG 16, with separate targets (mentioned below) to measure SDG 16 progress within the respective provinces themselves. Each coalition should have representation from women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and transgender communities. It is intended that the Provincial SDG 16 Coalitions will emerge as representative and inclusive platforms to undertake social mobilisation around the SDG 16 Agenda and raise collective voice for its implementation. To this end, TABEER will also work on developing a coordination mechanism to ensure consistency of actions across within and between provinces.

The following specific tasks are to be completed successfully under the grant:

 Contribute towards suitable coordination protocols for the Provincial SDG 16 Coalition members  Host provincial dialogues/seminars on appropriate indictors for respective SDG 16 target(s) with actionable outcomes  Agree on a consistent methodology for gathering data and undertaking gap analysis for each indicator at the provincial level  Document the specific challenges for achieving the SDG 16 target(s) in the province – political and logistical (administrative & financial) – and highlight specific problems encountered by minorities, transgender, youth, PWDs and women

2  Host provincial consultative session(s) to discuss legislative reforms conducive to achieving SDG 16 target(s) with actionable outcomes

 Undertake advocacy meetings with relevant Standing Committees in the Provincial Assembly on the basis of the recommendations of the consultative sessions and dialogues.  Develop a comprehensive Provincial SDG 16 Status Report.  Participate in the Provincial Symposium convened by TABEER or one of TABEER partners in early 2019 to present the findings of the SDG 16 report to the Provincial SDG Task Force  Participate in the National Symposium convened by TABEER or one of TABEER partners in early 2019 and make recommendations for legislative reforms required at the national level to achieve SDG 16 targets 1.3. Period of Performance: 14 months

1.4. Key Deliverables

 Agreed Coordination protocols for Provincial SDG 16 Coalition  Consistent methodology for data gathering on respective target providing detailed justification for selected districts where applicable  Gap Analysis of legal framework outlining the proposed provincial legislative reforms  Report on the status and challenges in achieving the respective SDG 16 target outlining the proposed provincial legislative reforms  Active participation in Provincial and National Symposia.  Documented evidence of advocacy meetings with legislators with actionable recommendations/outcomes

1.5. SDG 16 Targets prioritized under TABEER

Notwithstanding the significance of all the 12 targets under Sustainable Development Goals 16, TABEER will focus on the following five targets (along with their assigned indicators) that have the most resonance with the programme’s objective:

16.3. Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all 16.6. Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels 16.7. Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels 16.9. By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration 16.10. Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international

Section II: Eligibility Criteria

3 Organisations, institutions, companies, which are legally registered in Pakistan with established on-going programmes or new and innovative programmes directly related to the activities and objectives of TABEER, will be eligible for grant award(s).

The organisations/entities eligible to apply includes but is not limited to:

 Educational institutions;  Academic, research or policy institutions;  Media, including journalist’s organizations and production houses;

 Associations and other professional associations;  Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including:  Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs);  Community-based Organizations (CBOs);  Advocacy organisations, including coalitions and networks;  Other not-for-profit institutions;  Private sector institutions.

The following organisations/entities are ineligible for a grant award(s):

 Organisations that are not properly constituted as above;  Organisations that do not comply with Government of Pakistan regulations;  International organisations that are not registered in Pakistan;  International organisations that cannot demonstrate partnerships with local CSOs;  Any entity whose name appears on the list of parties excluded from receiving development assistance from donors and cooperating partners;  Any entity affiliated with CDIP team or any of its staff (unless such affiliations are declared well before hand and the concerned person excluded from the determination process); or  Any otherwise eligible entity whose participation in, or benefit from, other activities supported by CDIP could create a perception of conflict of interest;  An entity listed as a terrorist organisation or associated with terrorist activities.

Section III: Evaluation Grid

EOIs will be reviewed on the basis of the following criteria:

Section Maximum Score Does the organisation have sufficient project and financial management experience? 5 Does the Organisation have geographical outreach in the selected province/s? 10 Does the applicant have sufficient technical expertise and past experience in the selected SDG 16 theme? 10 Does the organisation have sufficient operational and human resource capacity (including key staff members with relevant past experience on SDG 16)? 10 Organisation has worked with women, youth and socially excluded groups (including minorities, PWDs, transgender) 5

4 Does the organisation have the necessary permissions/authorisation such as: No Objection Certificate (NOC)/Letter of Commitments (LoC)/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from the relevant government authorities, as applicable, to implement the proposed project. 10 Maximum Total Score 50

Section IV. How to Apply

Interested organizations must send an electronic submission of the filled EOI form under the following sections (Annex A - 2.1 and Annexure B – 2.2). All applications must be sent to Mr. Rana Arif Rafiq, Finance & Grants Manager, DAI-CDIP, at [email protected] before 11:59Pm, Pakistan time on December 27th, 2017. In case of any query please contact at 03215141815

Please follow the following steps / guidelines before sending an electronic submission:

 Subject line of the email should be “EOI-01- Name of Your Organization (abbreviation)”

 Change the name of “Annex A EOI Form” to “Annex A, Name of Your Organization (abbreviation)”

 Change the name of “Annex B Capacity Building Statement” to “Annex B, Name of Your Organization (abbreviation)”

Note: Please note that late submissions will not be the part of evaluation process.

2.1. Annex A- EOI FORM (Only Excel Sheets will be Accepted)

A. Brief profile of the organisation: B. Selected SDG 16 target C. Selected Provinces D. Status of Authorisation E. Brief Profiles of Key Management Staff F. Details of Relevant Ongoing & Completed Projects or Activities

2.2. Annex B- CAPACITY STATEMENT (Maximum 1 page, font Arial (style), size 10)

Please provide a brief statement of capacity and experience to undertake the assignment. This summary should clearly articulate the organisational capability to undertake the scope of work as described in section I making clear reference to their strengths within the selected SDG 16 target(s) and past work experience in the selected province/s. Any additional documents that may support your application may be attached as annexes; however, these will not be counted towards the formal application.

5 Disclaimer:

This is to affirm that your participation in this mapping exercise is on voluntary basis and shall not be construed as a commitment of any form or level from the side of DAI Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd.

TABEER will only contact shortlisted organisations and share information about the next steps for submission of detailed proposals.