Baseline Study Consultancy

Terms of Reference Baseline Study Search for Common Ground     Search for Common Ground (SFCG) seeks an experienced consultant to conduct surveys and FGDs for a Baseline Study for a 24-month project.   The baseline study will be conducted among 4 principle target groups (females aged 15-25, females aged 25-60, males aged 15-25, males aged 25-60) in Lebanon. Data collection will be split between urban and rural locations across Lebanon selected in consultation with the SFCG Lebanon and the MENA DME Specialist.   SFCG invites all interested and qualified candidates to submit a resume, a brief proposal for the baseline study (including tasks, timeline and a tentative budget) and a letter of interest, clearly explaining how their experience meets desired qualifications by February 20th, 2015 to the following contact: lebanon@sfcg.org and naboumrad@sfcg.org   1.     Background   1.1.            Organization Overview   Since 1982, SFCG, an international non-governmental organization, has been working to transform the way the world deals with conflict: away from adversarial confrontation, toward cooperative solutions.  SFCG is engaged in a long-term process of incremental transformation, so we make long-term commitments. We work with partners on the ground to strengthen local capacity to deal with conflict.  SFCG currently has offices in 30 countries.  Our “toolbox” includes mediation/facilitation training, common ground journalism, radio/TV, drama, and music.   1.2.            Intervention Summary   SFCG is now working in the context of the Arab Spring to encourage men and women in Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, Palestine, and Lebanon to adopt more supportive attitudes toward women in public and civic leadership roles. We are developing a 15-episode TV drama series, a program styled after the popular American drama The West Wing, which will chronicle the experiences of a democratically elected female president leading a fictional Arab country. By using TV broadcast and a broad outreach campaign to share credible examples of how women can successfully seek and exercise leadership positions through an entertaining and accessible media program, we hope to impact how Arab citizens think about the processes of democratization, problem solving, and gender equity in their own communities and nations.   The project’s two key objectives are: Males and females in 5 MENA countries believe that the role of women in politics is crucial to build more democratic and prosperous societies. Women and girls will have access to popular role models and strategies for women's leadership in public and civic life.     2.     The Baseline   2.1.            Baseline Objectives   The baseline study will be used to collect data on the below key themes that are aligned with episode messages: Freedom of Expression Role/responsibilities of citizens and democracy/governance Gender Equality Leadership and alternative leadership Security , as well as the below project indicators focused around the two main objectives: % of viewers who talk to friends and family about their support of women in leadership roles % of viewers in agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic, and political opportunities Number of examples shared by female viewers of being inspired to take a leadership action after watching the show/examples of male viewers actively supporting a female in taking a leadership action. % of the viewers who believe that women and men are equally capable in political and economic leadership % of the sampled viewers who believe it is important for women to play an active role in public decision making and governance % of women and girl viewers who feel that they would feel confident standing for office or taking up positions of leadership (future oriented for girls) Other lines of inquiry for the baseline will include: What are the media consumption patterns of men and women in both rural and urban areas for each country? How frequently do they watch TV and on what channels? How do men and women usually make decisions about what to watch on TV?   2.2.            Audience   The primary audience of this baseline is Search for Common Ground. It will also be used by SFCG’s Executive Producer of Common Ground Productions to shape the outreach strategy to potential broadcasters, including decisions about which broadcasters to prioritize.   2.3.            Methods   The baseline will follow a mixed qualitative/quantitative model that includes a survey of 384 people (split across rural and urban sites) and 12 FGDs in the same locations as the surveys (3 rural men/3 rural women/3 urban men/3 urban women). The survey questionnaire should be piloted by the consultant with 10 people (5 men/5 women), and results of the piloting will be share with SFCG’s MENA DME Specialist to finalize the survey tool.   Analysis of all findings will be done from gender, age, educational level, country, urban/rural lenses. All indicator findings will be segregated accordingly.   The consultant is expected to use already drafted and translated survey and FGD tools; those would be shared by SFCG once consultant is selected.   3.     Implementation Information                   3.1.            SFCG Contact   The consultant will work closely with SFCG MENA DME Specialist who will be ensuring that milestones are met, providing logistical support and signing off on the final Report.   3.2.            Location   Data collection will be done in at least 2 sites, one rural and one urban (preferably the country’s capital) in consultation with SFCG.   3.3.            Deliverables                 A baseline plan detailing tasks, timelines and roles A draft report in English (with findings and basic frequencies analysis for surveys, and analysis for FGDS) for review by SFCG Data entry for the surveys (survey data sets, cleaned in English) Raw data/notes for the FGDs (in English) A final report in English incorporating SFCG comments   Analysis of all survey findings will be done from gender, age and urban/rural lenses. All findings will be segregated accordingly. 3.4.            Deadlines   Deadline for consultant bidding: February 20th, 2015   Deadline for consultant selection: February 22th, 2015 Deadline for contract signature: February 23rd, 2015 Deadline for finalizing baseline plan: February 24th, 2015 Deadline for finalizing data collection: March 2nd, 2015 Deadline for submission of survey data sets (cleaned) and FGD entered notes: March 4th, 2015 Deadline for the draft report: March 9th, 2015 Deadline for the final report: March 11th, 2015   3.5.            Logistical Support   The consultant will be responsible for the logistical planning for the surveys and FGDs.   SFCG will provide the consultant with survey data entry sheet template and FGD note taking template. The consultant is expected to enter survey data in the provided template on a daily basis, and share the filled sheet with SFCG immediately once survey data collection has concluded.   3.6.            Price   The financial offer shall have a minimum of 6000 USD and a maximum of 8500 USD.     4.     The Consultant                  4.1.            Role and Responsibilities of the Consultant   The consultant will be responsible for: Designing a baseline plan Recruiting data collectors, survey supervisors, data entry clerks, FGD facilitators and note takers Training data collectors and supervisors on the survey tool as well as sound research methods and ethical research behavior Pilot testing the survey tool Collecting the data through surveys and FGDs (FGDs should be done in a participatory manner following the FGD guide developed by SFCG) Entering and cleaning the data from the surveys and FGDs (in English) Analyzing the data from FGDs and surveys (only frequencies for surveys) Reporting on findings and analysis   4.2.            Consultant’s Qualifications   SFCG seeks an experienced consultant with the following qualifications: Fluency in Arabic and English More than 5 years of experience in project evaluation or the equivalent in DM&E expertise, including collecting and analyzing data from interviews, surveys, FGDs, etc. Experience in working with international organizations Strong communication and writing skills Research and evaluation methods and data collection skills Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule Attention to detail and ability to meet tight deadlines Conflict resolution/peace building experience