YOUTH INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE FOR EMPLOYMENT (YIEDIE) PROJECT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Date: March 19, 2018

From To

Global Communities Prospective Suppliers/Consultants

Special Instructions

All proposals must be submitted on company letterhead and must include Supplier’s legal address.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE:5PM Local Time, April 30, 2018

QUESTIONS DEADLINE:5PM Local Time, April 13, 2018

Proposal Submission Date: Submit Proposal to:

Terms of Payment:

No later than 5:00pm, Friday April 30, 2018

Email: ghacbids@globalcommunities

.org or dfaidoo@globalcommunities.o

rg

100% upon delivery and acceptance

I. Statement of Work

Background

Cooperative Housing Foundation doing business as Global Communities has been awarded a five-year contract to implement the Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE) project. YIEDIE is designed to create economic opportunities in Ghana’s construction

sector for disadvantaged youth. YIEDIE will directly reach at least 23,700 youth with training in technical, life and entrepreneurship skills leading to employment. The project applies an integrated, youth-led market-systems model to improve the capacity of youth and service providers across the value chain. YIEDIE is part of the Youth Forward Initiative which is implemented in collaboration with Mastercard Foundation, Overseas Development Institute, Global Communities, Solidaridad, NCBA-CLUSA and GOAL. The Youth Forward Initiative is focused on positioning economically disadvantaged young people to find decent employment or start their own businesses. In the YIEDIE Consortium, Global Communities is joined by:

Opportunities Industrialization Centre Ghana (OICG) African Aurora Business Network LLC (AABN) HFC-Boafo Microfinance Services Ltd. (HFC-Boafo) Artisans Association of Ghana (AAG)

Evaluation Summary

Project YIEDIEProject Phase Phase 1Evaluation Type Mid-termEvaluation Purpose Assess the project progress towards attaining

its objectives and outcomes. Review of the appropriateness and clarity of

the roles and responsibilities of consortium partners and other service providers and the level of coordination between them.

Assess the performance of the project in terms of timeliness, quality, quantity and cost effectiveness of the activities undertaken including project procurement: both experts and equipment, training programs among others.

Assess the prospects of the sustainability of the project outcomes and benefits and

recommend measures for its further improvement (translated into actionable recommendation).

Identify and describe the main lessons learned and best practices from the project performance in terms of awareness raising, strengthening of technical and financial capacity of consortium partners, efforts to secure sustainability and approaches and methodologies used.

Methodology The evaluation will employ both quantitative and qualitative methods. It will be based on the findings and factual statements identified from review of relevant documents including the project proposal, monthly, quarterly and annual operational reports, project learning framework, indicator tracking table, in addition to activity reports and technical reports produced by consortium partners and service providers and the different promotional materials. A list of the above reports will be shared with the selected supplier before the beginning of the assignment. The supplier will also undertake field visits, questionnaire administration, focus group discussions and key informant interviews with stakeholders including the target beneficiaries, government officials (both at the national and regional levels), consortium partners, sector associations, service providers and selected YIEDIE staff in the project cities. Participation of stakeholders particularly the target beneficiaries in the evaluation should be maintained at all the times, reflecting opinions, expectations and vision about the contribution of the project towards the achievement of its objectives.

Evaluation Start and End Dates June 1, 2018 – August 31, 2018Review of first draft report First Draft - 7th August, 2018

Anticipated Evaluation Report Release Date

Final Report – 31st August, 2018

Description of Project Being Evaluated

Project Goal, Objectives and Expected ResultsYIEDIE will directly reach 23,700 disadvantaged youth with training in technical, life and/or entrepreneurial skills leading to employment. It is expected that these youth will increase their incomes and savings, and that the interventions will create new job opportunities in the construction sector.The overall goal of the project is to achieve “Increased creation of economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth within the construction sector ecosystem in five cities in Ghana”. Two major project objectives lead to the realization of the goal. These objectives and their intermediate results are listed below:

Objective 1: Increased employment (including self-employment) in the construction sector by targeted youth; o IR 1: Increased Youth Readiness for Employment and

Entrepreneurship o IR 2: Increased Access to Financial Service Providers Capable of

Serving Youtho IR 3: Increased Access to Demand-Driven Training and Service

Providerso IR 4: Increased Youth Enterprise Start-Up and Recruitment by

Employers

Objective 2: Increased coordination and support for a better enabling environment by construction sector stakeholderso IR 5: Increased Collaboration for Improved Government Policies

In order to achieve ‘Increased Employment (Objective 1)’, the realization of Intermediate Results (IR) One (1) to Four (4) of the project is critical. IR 1 will contribute to achieving increased employment by creating the conditions that will facilitate ‘Increased Youth Readiness for Employment and Entrepreneurship’. This will happen through the development of training curricula that are youth-focused, as well as providing about 9,000 youth with training in integrated entrepreneurship, life skills and financial education. Related to this is facilitating ‘Increased Access to Demand-Driven Training’, which is the focus of IR 3. Working together with master craftspeople, YIEDIE will provide apprenticeship-based tailored-fit technical training to about

14,700 young people. This training will also contribute to improving the employability of YIEDIE youth. Another dimension of ‘increased employment’ is ‘increased access to financial services’, which is the focus of IR 2. Youth will be educated on how to access various financial services/products for the purposes of starting or growing their businesses. It is expected that this will ultimately contribute to creating new jobs and sustaining existing ones. The program also seeks to ‘Increase Youth Enterprise Start-up and Recruitment by Employers’ (IR 4), by providing Business Development Services to YIEDIE youth, MSMEs, and Master Craftspeople. It is expected that these will further enhance managerial skills of selected YIEDIE youth, with high potential to start and/or manage their own businesses. Critical for the achievement of the Overall Goal is the suitability of the policy environment for construction in the various YIEDIE cities. It is anticipated that continuous engagements with construction sector stakeholders in the five cities will contribute to creating ‘Increased coordination and support for a better enabling environment’ (IR 5). It is expected that this will lead to some improvements in the local policy environment and improve job creation in the construction sector. Figure 1 is the YIEDIE Results Framework which shows the causal linkages described above, and Appendix 6 is the Theory of Change for the project. The indicators that will be tracked to measure the level of success of the project —including core indicators of the wider Youth Forward Initiative (YFI)—are listed below:

Project Goal and ObjectivesProject Goal (evaluation)   Increased creation of economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth by the construction sector ecosystem in five cities in Ghana Objectives

Increased employment (including self-employment) in the construction sector by targeted youth

Increased coordination and support for a better enabling environment by construction sector stakeholders

Indicators  Indicator Definition

# and % of youth who have transitioned to further opportunities

The number and proportion of youth who, 12-months after graduating from the project, transition onto further opportunities, including; jobs, self-employment or entrepreneurship, further training, or further education.

Disaggregated by: type of transition (employment, self-employment, further education or further training), gender, poverty level, city, type of training received.

# and % of youth with increased income

The number and proportion of youth completing a YIEDIE training course who report increase in their incomes as a result of participation in the project. Income will be measured as self-reported values taken at baseline (i.e. at entry), and a follow up survey that will be carried out 12 months after a participant graduates from the training. Participants will be asked about their incomes over the past seven days as well as over the past one year. Disaggregated by: gender, city, poverty level, type of training received, type of work (employed; self-employed)

# and % of youth households with increased assets

The proportion of YIEDIE youth households that have increased their assets after graduating from the program. Assets include, but not limited to all the items listed in the YIEDIE Youth Selection Protocol, including; TV, Radio, Fridge/Freezer, Mobile Phones, Electric Fan, Radio, Sound System, Computer/Lap Top, Bicycle, Car, Working implements/tools, etc.Disaggregated by: Gender, city, Type

of Training Received, Poverty Level

# and % of youth satisfied with their jobs

The indicator measures the number and proportion of sampled YIEDIE youth/participants who indicate that they are very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the jobs they have 12 months after graduation. Job satisfaction is based on the participant’s perceptions and expectations. Disaggregated by: gender, location, poverty level, type of training received, level of satisfaction, type of work (employed; self-employed)

# and % of youth with access to financial services

The number and proportion of YIEDIE youth who have access to financial services: Youth has access to finance if in the last 12 months youth saved money, had insurance, applied for loan or used for other financial transactions semi-formal or formal financial services, such as VSLA/SUSU, cooperative, microfinance institution, savings and loan companies, money lenders, bank and other existing in Ghana. This does not include private borrowing (from family members or neighbors).

Disaggregated by: Gender, City, Poverty Level, type of financial service

# and % of youth microenterprises started or expanded

This indicator measures the number and proportion of youth who start or expand their own microenterprises during or after training. Youth microenterprises are defined as economic activities, including services, production and sale of goods, operating independently of an employer or master craftsperson, and controlled by YIEDIE beneficiaries. Business expansion is measured by an increase in the number of employees, assets, additional business/ trade (at the same location or a different

location) and/or an increase in the profit of the business. Disaggregated by: Gender, City, started (new business), expanded (existing business)

Output (monitoring)  

# of MSMEs provided with business development services

The number of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) who are provided with Business Development Services. The MSMEs may be formal or informal, registered or unregistered, a sole-proprietor or a partnership. They may or may not employ other people. They may be either established by youths graduating from the project, employing graduates of the project, or have consented to employ YIEDIE youth. Disaggregated by: Gender of owner, City, Ownership/Management (i.e. YIEDIE Youth, Other)

Project and Target Population Project Target Population

Direct Target Population

Youth 23700Technical Skills

14700

Entrepreneurial skills

9000

Total 23700

1. Evaluation Target Audiences (i.e., for whom is the evaluation intended?)

# Stakeholder Assumed Expectations and InterestPrimary1. Youth To learn and appreciate the current situation.

To support in data collection. (Youth willingness to give adequate and accurate information).

2. YIEDIE Staff To learn and document what the current situation is in terms of training of youth

To share lessons learnt in order to improve upon future interventions.

3. Consortium Partners

To know and appreciate the current situation in the training of youth

To identify the factors that influenced their collaborative role with each other

To apply lessons learnt in subsequent collaborative relationships and improve upon future interventionsTo support in data collection. (Willingness to give adequate and accurate information).

4. Master Trainers To learn and appreciate the current situation. To support in data collection. (Youth willingness to give adequate and accurate information).

5. TVET Institutions To know and appreciate the current situation in the training of youth

To identify the factors that influenced their collaborative role with GC YIEDIE project

To apply lessons learnt in subsequent

collaborative relationships and improve upon future interventionsTo support in data collection. (Willingness to give adequate and accurate information).

6 Mastercard Foundation

To understand Mastercard’s priorities in the next 5 years

To gather Mastercard’s experiences and lessons learnt in the implementation of the Youth Forward Initiative

To collate Mastercard’s perspectives on the characteristics of Urban youth in Ghana and Uganda and how the various interventions is shaping them for the future

7 Learning Partners

To collate learning partners perspectives on the Youth Forward Initiative implementation in Ghana

To gather experiences and lessons learnt in the implementation of the Youth Forward Initiative

2. Evaluation Type

This will be the mid-term evaluation of the YIEDIE project after three years of implementation. It will be conducted to review progress of planned and executed interventions of the project. The evaluation will mainly focus on assessing progress made towards achievement of objectives and goals of the project. The results of the evaluation will be used by the YIEDIE consortium partners and the Mastercard Foundation to improve on project implementation.

The project evaluation should provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful, enabling the timely incorporation of findings,

recommendations and lessons learned into decision-making processes towards further implementation.

3. Evaluation Purpose and Objectives

3.1. Purpose of the Project EvaluationThe purpose of the Project Evaluation is to assess the impact of the project interventions on youth livelihoods and assessing the extent of achievement with regards to the project goals and objectives.

3.2 Specific objectives of the project evaluationThe project evaluation will focus on four (4) evaluation criteria: effectiveness, sustainability, impact and accountability.

3.2.1 Impact Assessing the repercussions of the interventions in the medium and long-term at city level:

- What have been the effects of the project interventions on target population? To which extent are changes in the youth attributable to the projects? What were other contributing factors?

- In what ways and to what extent did project activities affect key stakeholder groups? (e.g partners)

- To what extent has the project brought about social transformation e.g. empowerment.

- Which factors have hindered positive impact? How can they be overcome?

- Did any significant external factors affect project impact – positively or negatively? If so, what can be done in the future to build on these positive influences, and mitigate against negative influences?

- To assess any unintended impact of the project to date

3.2.2 Sustainability

Replication and multiplying effects (in terms of likelihood of continuation of the stream of benefits as a result of the project interventions after their end)

- To what extent is the YIEDIE project working with systems and structures existing in project areas?

- What recommendations will help improve sustainability?- The extent of local ownership of YIEDIE project

3.2.3 Accountability- Are there mechanisms in place for youth to provide feedback?

3.2.4 Effectiveness- To what extent are targets being met- What factors have hinder or facilitate target realization

3.2.5 Additional specific issues:In addition to the above, the evaluation team will specifically assess the following:

3.2.5.1. Cross-cutting themes:

The evaluation will assess to which extent the following three (3) cross cutting themes have been addressed: disability, environment, gender. The evaluation will also highlight strengths in terms of addressing cross-cutting themes, and will provide meaningful recommendations for improvements.

3.2.5.2 Lessons learned:

The evaluation will highlight key lessons learnt through the period of the project and indicate how they can be used to strengthen project implementation in the future.

3.2.5.3 Evaluation Scope:

The evaluation will cover the five (5) implementing cities: Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tema and Ashaiman. It covers the implementation period of February, 2015 to March, 2018.

4. Evaluation Methodology

The evaluation will be participatory, led by a consultant and supported by a team of YIEDIE partners and enumerators selected by the consultant for the purpose. This evaluation will use both quantitative and qualitative methods such as focus group discussions, interviews among others for data/information collection. The target group will be made aware of the evaluation in order to facilitate their maximum participation.

The Evaluation will be undertaken for the project following the goal and objectives set for it. Youth will be sampled using a confidence interval of 95%. Other methodologies that may be considered by the Evaluation team include the following:

Document review (Secondary data): This will involve gathering and analysis of pre-evaluation information (Partners reports, YIEDIE quarterly and annual reports, other records, KAP survey report, monthly report etc). The review would be limited to the critical information that the evaluation team needs to fulfill the evaluation tasks.

Onsite visual inspection: Onsite visual tasks will include:- To observe youth physical condition and activities; ask questions.- To visit training sites, partner offices.- Take photographs, or use videos, photos, video footage, and even

sketches as communication tools to convey the reality of the situations.

Focus Group Discussion: The focus group discussions will be conducted with youth in training and those who have completed training to measure project impact and prospects of sustainability. FGDs would involve 8-10 carefully chosen participants grouped to discuss one or more issues of concern.

Questionnaires: This method will be used to elicit information on the impact of the interventions. The approach will be structured sets of closed and open-ended questions. Fixed-choice or fixed response questionnaires are good for gathering data that needs to be analyzed statistically, while open-ended or free-response questions can be particularly good for determining people’s feelings and attitude. However, purposive sampling will be used for interviewing master trainers to elicit views for project impact.

5. Limitations

Getting the youth after they have completed training is a challenge. Steps will be undertaken to address this challenge at the beginning of the evaluation. The evaluation team will work with the YIEDIE M&E team to develop an appropriate analytic agenda. Also some perceptions and mindset of youth and master trainers regarding the purpose of the evaluation could influence their responses to certain question which may not necessarily be the reality. Language barrier might also affect the outcome of the evaluation.

6. Authority and Responsibility

The exercise will involve a multi-disciplinary team with diverse skills, knowledge and background from the planning stage to the final stage. The YIEDIE team in Ghana and the Headquarters together with the consortium partners would ensure quality work is undertaken.

6.1 Team Members and Roles

The consultant would lead the Project Evaluation team. The team would work as per the direction of the consultant with support from the YIEDIE M&E team. As part of the contract, the successful consultant would be required to hire and train between 10 and 15 enumerators for field data collection with the approval and consent of the YIEDIE M and E team. . The enumerators would be trained by the evaluation team for the field work.

7. LogisticsYIEDIE Project will make available logistics that will be required for the evaluation exercise. This will include vehicles to convey data enumerators to the field and tablets for data collection.

Requirements of the Evaluation Team

The supplier(s) must have adequate experiences in project management particularly in the evaluation of youth focused skills development and employment projects involving multiple partners within an urban setting. Extensive experience in the fields of project formulation and execution is required. Previous involvement and understanding of Mastercard Foundation and other donor funded projects monitoring and evaluation requirements will be an added advantage. The supplier must have adequate knowledge and skills in the use of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and have an impeccable skill in collecting relevant data from disadvantaged youth with limited or no formal education. A deep understanding of the cultural nuances and working knowledge and understanding of the widely spoken languages in the YIEDIE project cities will be ideal. Aside the above technical competencies and skills, the selected supplier must be able to meet strict deadlines without compromising on quality and have strong writing skills coupled with relevant experience in results-based monitoring and evaluation techniques.

8. Timeline & DeliverablesDeliverable Ja

nFeb

Mar

Apr May

Jun Jul Aug

Sep

Oct Nov

Dec

Bids DueAward of contractWork Plan due (*)Data Collection instrument Due (*)Field work completeData Analysis/interpretation completeFirst Draft report due (*)Receive YIEDIE comments on First DraftEvaluation DisseminationEvaluation Final draft due (*)

9. Products

The successful supplier will be expected to deliver the following prior to the start of the data collection for review by the YIEDIE M and E team:

1. Proposed Workplan for the assignment 2. CV of enumerators and other team members who are non-YIEDIE staff3. Instruments and Tools for the Evaluation.

In addition to the above, the supplier will be required to produce both drafts and final report for the evaluation which will detail out the findings of the evaluation with regards to the training of youth across project cities. The findings will be made available both in soft and hard copy to all relevant stakeholders at all levels.

The final document will provide YIEDIE and its partners with researched information for management to take decisions to set realistic and achievable targets as well as develop appropriate interventions for youth in the future.

Format of Final Report

The report must have a maximum of thirty (30) pages excluding the Table of Content and annexes. The format of the report is outlined below;

Executive summary (3-5 pages) Purpose and evaluation questions Evaluation methodology Evaluation key findings Lessons learned Recommendations for duration of YIEDIE Annexes (SOW, all instruments used, list of documents reviewed, list of

people interviewed/reached through evaluation, indicator tables)

Lessons LearnedThe evaluation team will be encouraged to keep a personal diary using simple format that will be developed and agreed upon during the enumerator training and tools pre-test process. These lessons will be consolidated by the evaluation team leader and shared with the YIEDIE team at each phase of the evaluation.This will be done through debriefing and brainstorming sessions that will be organized along the various phases of the evaluation. At the end of the evaluation exercise a major lessons learnt event will be organized for all partners to share their various observations and possibly give out recommendations for future exercises. YIEDIE will organize a dissemination/lessons learnt workshop and the Evaluation team will disseminate the final findings/recommendations of the evaluation report to partners and the project beneficiaries who are the youth.

II. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

A. The Bidder is requested to submit a proposal directly responsive to the terms, conditions, and clauses of this RFP. Proposals not conforming to this solicitation may be categorized as unacceptable, thereby eliminating them from further consideration.

B. Proposals must be received no later than 5PM Local Time, April 30, 2018. Proposals must remain valid for a minimum of thirty (30) days. The proposal shall consist of two (2) physically separated parts: Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal. Technical Proposals must not make reference to pricing.

C. The Bidder shall submit its proposal by one of the two following means:1. By Internet email to: ghacbids@globalcommunities.org or dfaidoo@globalcommunities.org2. Hand delivery of one (1) original and (1) copy of the Technical

Proposal and the Cost Proposal to the address below:[Global Communities# 7 Addis Ababa StreetEast Legon, AccraP. O. Box CT1762, Cantonments,Accra-Ghana]

D. Any proposal received in response to this RFP will be reviewed strictly as submitted and in accordance with the evaluation criteria.

E. The person signing the Bidder’s proposal must have the authority to commit the Bidder to all the provisions of the Bidder’s proposal.

F. Global Communities is not obligated to make an award or to pay for any costs incurred by the Bidder in preparation of a proposal.

G. The Bidder should submit its best proposal initially as Global Communities intends to evaluate proposals and make an award without discussions. However, Global Communities reserves the right to conduct discussions should Global Communities deem it necessary.

H. Global Communities reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, and to cancel the proposal process and reject all proposals, at any time prior to award, without thereby incurring any liability to bidders or any obligation to inform bidders of the grounds for the Global Communities’ action.

I. This RFP is issued on a Technically Acceptable with a maximum percentage score of 80% and lowest price with a score of 20% basis.

Award shall be made to the highest percentage score for technically acceptable proposal with the lowest cost

J. Bidders are informed that Global Communities complies with U.S. Executive Order #13224 on Terrorist Financing, which effectively prohibits transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit or support terrorism. Any person or entity that participates in this procurement process, either as a prime or sub to the prime, must certify as part of the proposal that it is not on the U.S.Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and is eligible to participate. Any proposal received by a person or entity that is found to be on the List or otherwise ineligible will be disqualified.

K. The anticipated type of contract to be awarded under this solicitation is firm fixed price.

III. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A. The Technical Proposal should provide a straightforward, concise delineation of how the Bidder intends to carry out and satisfy the requirements of the Scope of Work described in this RFP. No price information is to be included in the Bidder’s Technical Proposal in order that it will be evaluated strictly on its technical merit.

B. The Technical Proposal shall contain the following:

1. Technical Approach – limit 5 pages

The Offeror shall demonstrate its understanding of the requirements described in the Scope ofWork and its overall approach to performing those requirements.

2. Personnel Qualifications of Program Manager – limit 3 pages

The Bidder shall propose an individual as Program Manager to fulfill the requirements described in the Scope of Work. The Bidder shall submit a complete and current resume for the Program Manager not to exceed 2 pages. This resume must clearly describe the Program Manager’s education, experience, and professional credentials.

3. Capabilities and Experience of Organization – limit 2 or 3 pages

4. Estimated Timeline for Completion – limit 1 page:

Bidder shall present, in the form of a Gantt chart or similar presentation, a timeline demonstrating start and finish dates of the program and all activities within the period of implementation. Program activities must finish by no later than August 31, 2018.