Consultant Trainer, To Deliver Training On "project Cycle Management And Proposal Writing"

Project Cycle Management and Proposal Writing BACKGROUND The Building Alliances for Local Advancement, Development, and Investment – Plus (BALADI Plus) offers technical assistance to municipalities that have been selected for awards by the BALADI program, have submitted promising proposals, or otherwise expressed an interest in improving governance and civic participation in local development. BALADI Plus aims to: Improve or put in place financial, administrative, and regulatory systems that promote transparency and effective governance at the local level. Promote accountability and participatory governance by engaging civil society organizations (CSOs) and local stakeholders in development projects centered on citizens’ needs. The content of such technical assistance is tailored to the needs of each municipality, as determined in a participatory needs assessment that has been conducted with each municipality and facilitated by BALADI Plus to assist municipalities in diagnosing their own strengths and weaknesses in key areas of institutional development. BALADI Plus seeks a Trainer/Consultant to deliver a series of 2-day introductory workshops on “Project Cycle Management” and “Proposal Writing”, explaining the principles of the project cycle, the requirements and stages of project design, and the basics of project proposal writing.   DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIRED SERVICES The Consultant will be responsible for the followings tasks and duties: -          Conduct at least three workshops on “Project Cycle Management” and “Proposal Writing” to be held in various locations on the Lebanese territory. -          Initiate participants to the project cycle and to the basics and stages of project design (needs assessment, stakeholders’ analysis, risk analysis, budgeting, monitoring & evaluation, etc.) before moving to proposal writing. The emphasis should remain very practical. The approach should be highly participative, use concrete examples relevant to Lebanese municipalities and tools should be simple and adapted to the audience. -          Rely on good practices and existing tools for similar trainings. While it is expected that the training will help participants to understand the requirements of writing a project proposal for USAID, the training should not focus entirely on this donor and the elements of training and examples provided should be suitable also for projects submitted to other funding sources, such as UN agencies, foundations, or EU countries. To this end, the consultant will prepare a draft presentation in Arabic and submit it to BALADI Plus for approval at least one week before the first workshop.   Target groups The intended audience consists of mayors, members of municipal councils, and municipal employees involved in development planning and project design. The number of participants in each workshop should not exceed twenty five.   BALADI Plus will provide the consultant with the following facilities: -          Venue rental and logistic support; -          Printing and distribution of all handouts and training documents.   GEOGRAPHICAL AREA & SCHEDULE The workshops will be delivered in at least three different locations in Lebanon, starting February until March 2014.   ELIGIBILITY & QUALIFICATIONS The Trainer/Consultant should meet the following criteria: -                In-depth understanding of development issues in Lebanon and demonstrated expertise in project design and proposal writing for a variety of donors; -                Demonstrated communication skills in Arabic, both written and spoken, as well as a good command of English; -                Significant experience in preparing, animating, and running training courses on similar topics, preferably for municipal representatives and employees; -                Experience in writing quality training reports and presentations; -                Willingness to conduct workshops in various parts of the country.   MONITORING & EVALUATION OF PROCESS The consultant will propose target results and must describe the output and outcome indicators they will use to track the achievement of results in their draft M&E plan to be submitted with the application. M&E efforts will incorporate both quantitative and qualitative measurements of results, and the use of both outcome and impact indicators with realistic, achievable targets. The collection of data will consist of the following: (1)   General information on the participants’ profiles (sex, age, qada’, profession, position at the municipality, size of municipality, etc.) (2)   Qualitative data gathered during group discussion and case studies, individual and group exercises, etc. This data is collected through observation, formal and informal discussions throughout the coaching.  Data will be disaggregated by participants’ profiles.  After the completion of the last activity, the consultant will produce a final report summarizing main accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned, overall results and impact, including explanations for any deviation from estimated targets. Deliverables will include reports with lists of attendees, photos, questionnaires, test results, raw qualitative data including observations and discussions.   DELIVERABLES -          Workshop Agenda; -          Draft presentation and handout to participants, in Arabic; -          Conduct at least three workshops; -          Final report in English including recommendations for future workshops.   APPLICATION The consultant should present the following documents as part of his/her application: -                A cover letter highlighting relevant experience; -                An updated Curriculum Vitae; -                At least 3 professional references preferably in training municipality members; -                A proposed agenda for the workshop; -                A detailed financial offer (rate per day, detailing preparation, transportation, and reporting); -                A completed AID 1420-17 (contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet). AID 1420-17 forms can be downloaded from this site: http://www.usaid.gov/forms. Applications are to be sent to: baladiplus@msi-lebanon.com  no later than Sunday, January 26, 2014. Please include “PCM-PW Trainings” in the subject line. Note that applications may be viewed and applicants contacted prior to the close date.