Background      

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development.  In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to five corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes (WPS); advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and Gender Responsive Governance.

Education for all is a fundamental human right. So too is equality of women and men. The mission of the Ministry of Education in Liberia is to provide quality education for all and prepare future leaders who are capable of handling the task of nation building, protecting our national heritage, and enhancing the socio-economic growth and development for the sustenance of the Liberian state[1]. In the educational field, both sexes still continue to focus on traditional gender roles which strongly steer and reduce their choices of education, occupation, and life concepts, thus reinforcing the male norms in society, the unequal power relationship of the sexes, the sex-segregation of the labour market, the sex-specific allocation of family responsibilities, the violence against girls and women. Male concepts of gender and ethnic inequality and male acts of violence suggest that the equalization process in Liberia is stagnating or even in danger of reversing.

The Ministry of Health was established by an Act in 2015 which be responsible for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of health policies, plans and standards; deliver, coordinate and delivery of decentralized medical care in public facilities; develop health manpower; undertake preventive and promote health services including specific health interventions[2].

The National Investment Commission was created by an Act of the National Legislature on September 6, 1979 and amended on July 19, 2010 to promote and coordinate investment related activities in all sectors of the Liberian economy. The Liberia National Investment Commission (LNIC) aspires to be the premier dynamic investment promotion agency for a sustainable, vibrant, and inclusive economy in Liberia.

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission was established in 2008 by the Act to Establish the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission as an independent organization to investigate, prosecute and prevent acts of corruption of public officials in Liberia. Men and women are affected by corruption in different ways and are subjects and objects of different corrupt practices and behaviors. Gender inequality allows corrupt networks to grow, which in turn entrenches gender inequalities. A gender perspective is a key component when developing effective programmes and projects to combat and prevent corruption and achieve sustainable development. There is no gender-neutral interventions when the ultimate goal is to improve the lives of all people, women and men, girls and boys, as well as individuals of bodily characteristics, diverse sexual orientation and/or diverse or plural gender identities

Against this backdrop, UN Women Liberia seeks to hire two National Consultants to develop internal Gender Policies and costed action plan for the above institutions

Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to draft and finalize internal gender policy and develop a five-year costed action plan with clear goals and targets, in a participatory manner. In addition, the assignment will envisage to institute mechanisms that promote gender responsive budgeting and Social inclusion so that resources are allocated, training needs identified, and capacity building opportunities are available to benefit women, men, girls and boys equitably and leaving no one behind.

Scope of work and tasks

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Representative of UN Women Liberia and direct supervision from the gender-responsive budgeting programme specialist, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the firm/consortium will perform the following tasks:

Task 1. Desk Review and development of the consultancy plan

1. Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents.
2. Conduct preliminary consultations with the two institutions Senior Management and the Department of Research, Policy and Planning, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, GRB Technical Working Group and UN Women for development of a consultancy plan.

Task 2. Conduct an institutional gender assessment or gender audit to inform the development of the Gender Policy

1. Data collection: conduct desk review and interviews to assess capacity building needs to facilitate   implementation of the Gender Policy.
2.  Lead and manage data processing and analysis.
3. Develop a well-structured report that comprehensively outline the research findings, methodology, challenges, recommendations, list of persons interviewed and workshop participants 

Task 3.  Develop a Gender Policy and Costed Action plan with the two institutions

1. Based on   the gender assessment/gender audit results, finalize the Gender Policy, and develop a detailed Costed Action Plan (2022-2025) with clear goals and targets. The plan should further state roles and responsibilities for concerned stakeholders and outline a monitoring and reporting framework and include an indicative budget;
2. Develop a concept note to organize the validation workshop for the Gender Policy
3. Organize and facilitate the validation workshop
4. Incorporate recommendations from the validation workshop into the Gender Policy and the Costed Action Pan
5. Print 100 copies of the gender police and costed action plan
6. Organize and launch the approved gender policy for each institution

Expected Deliverables

The consultant will produce the following deliverables:

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of review is one week after receipt.

Inputs

• UN Women and the four government institutions will provide the Consultant with background materials relevant to the assignment;
• The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer;
• The Consultant will spend 75% of their time at assigned institutions; and
• The institutions shall facilitate consultations/meetings between the consultant and relevant stakeholders
• The draft gender policy document must be shared with the Department of Research, Policy and Planning, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Inclusion for inputs before validation  

Performance evaluation:

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application no later than 30 June 2022.

Submission of package           

1. Cover letter;
2. CV, including contact information of 3 referees;
3. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

All applications must include (as an attachment) a CV and financial proposal. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited for the interview.

Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:

1. A copy of the latest academic certificate
2. UN Women P-11 form, available via  http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
3. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’
4. Before any travel outside of Monrovia, the consultant will need to provide proof (certificate) of “Basic and Advanced Security in the Field” (which can be accessed here: undss.trip.org)

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allotted for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who fit the minimum requirements will be longlisted and may be requested further documentation. Candidates with a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates and will be shortlisted for potential interview.

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allotted for the price component is 100.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technically qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

Annex I: Financial Proposal

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

Breakdown of Cost by Components:

The lump sum costs should include all travels and administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

Required experience and qualifications

The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:

Education

Master’s degree is required, but PhD would an added advantage in Gender Studies, social sciences, political science, governance, international development, public policy or other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 5 years’ experience in policy development and implementation;
• At least 3 years of proven experience in gender and gender mainstreaming;
• Proven exposure/experience in gender and emergency including the design/development/implementation of capacity development support programmes
• Proven experience in leading and facilitating workshops;
• Previous experience in conducting gender audits and developing gender policies would be an asset; and
• Familiarity with the UN system would be an asset;

Language and other skills:

• Proficiency in oral and written English
• Ability to effectively utilize computer software (i.e. MS Excel, Access, oracle, SPSS etc.) for database development and management.

Excellent facilitation and training skills