WUNRN
The deadline for submission is 4:00 PM (EST), November 30th,
2007.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Development of a Gender Policy for Oxfam Canada
Closing Date & Time: 4:00 PM (EST), November 30th, 2007
Proposals must be submitted in writing via email to:
Hélène Paquet-Young at helenep@oxfam.ca
1. Introduction: Oxfam Canada is an international development agency committed to the equitable distribution of wealth and power through fundamental social change. Within the larger Oxfam family of organizations, we work in relationships of solidarity and partnership to eradicate poverty, underdevelopment and powerlessness with a special focus on women’s rights and gender equality.
Oxfam Canada funds its program from a combination of public donations and institutional funders, most notably CIDA. Oxfam’s head office is in Ottawa, with a network of regional offices across Canada and overseas.
2. Background: Gender equality has been a long-standing pillar of Oxfam Canada’s development program. In 2006, the organization decided to focus its program specifically on the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality.
Given this new focus and direction, Oxfam Canada will adopt in the coming year a new organizational Gender Policy. The design of this policy shall be the product of a consultative process across the organization and be informed by a recently completed, comprehensive gender audit of Oxfam Canada’s policies, operations, programming and structures.
3. Purpose: The new policy will serve as a public statement of Oxfam Canada’s commitment to women’s rights and gender equality. It will also provide guidelines as to what this commitment means for Oxfam’s work domestically and abroad, as well as Oxfam staffing, culture and systems, political leadership and governance structures.
4. Methodology: The policy will be developed through a participatory process with staff, partners, directors and other stakeholders. The work of the consultant will be supported by a Gender Working Group comprised of staff from different parts of the organization.
5. Deliverables: A set of three products shall be the output of this assignment:
· a Gender Policy document for internal purposes (6 - 8 pages);
· a summary statement of that policy for public communication (1 page); and,
· a draft implementation/action plan incorporating indicators to monitor implementation and progress.
6. Time Frame: The successful candidate shall be selected by December 7th. In the ensuing two weeks, initial meetings will be convened to review expectations, methodology, and finalize the work plan. The required consultative tools and processes will also be elaborated.
Through the month of January, an initial round of consultations will be convened with input from the Gender Working Group, leading to the production of a policy green paper and/or draft policy. In February, this document will be presented to the Oxfam Canada Board of Directors which will provide strategic feedback and direction.
This may or may not lead to a further round of consultation through the month of March, with a final policy statement produced by March 30th and draft action plan submitted by April 15th.
7. Roles And Responsibilities:
Roles
Oxfam will:
· oversee the selection of the consultant and implementation of the policy development process; comment and provide feedback to the consultant on drafts; facilitate access to staff and stakeholders; sign off on final policy.
The Consultant will:
· develop and implement the participatory methodology for development of the policy; draft the policy and incorporate feedback; be available for various presentations to Oxfam in regard to these; draft an implementation/action plan for the policy which incorporates the outputs of the Gender Audit.
Responsibilities
Oxfam will:
· provide timely comments/feedback on draft methodology and various drafts of the policy (to include the Gender Working Group, staff and the Policy Committee of the Board);
· ensure availability of/access to staff, internal and external stakeholders; partners and the Policy Committee of the Board for the consultative processes;
· provide appropriate direction to the consultant as needed;
· provide internal documentation for literature review.
The Consultant will:
· develop and conduct, using appropriate methodology, the participatory process to develop the gender policy (to include staff, internal and external stakeholders, partners and the Policy Committee of the Board);
· present policy development methodology to staff/Board for discussion and revision;
· undertake a literature review of relevant documents (to include but not limited to Oxfam strategic documents, existing policy and programming frameworks, Oxfam Gender Audit, relevant external documents);
· produce a draft policy for comments and revisions (X 2);
· revise and finalize policy;
· contribute to the drafting of an implementation plan for the policy (building upon and incorporating the results of the Gender Audit;
· Present the Policy to Oxfam staff and Board.
8. Required Competencies:
Technical Competencies
· relevant post-secondary education in the area(s) of gender and international development
· particular experience in the development of gender policies for institutions and preferably NGOs
· experience in international development contexts
· experience in integrating gender equality into development programs, campaigns, advocacy and organizations
· experience in analyzing and synthesizing information
· good understanding of cross-cultural communications
· knowledge of the CIDA Framework for Integrating Gender Equality into programs
· ability to read program documents written in Spanish is an asset
Personal Competencies
· excellent written and verbal communications skills
· strong analytical skills
· able to conduct meetings, briefings and facilitate group discussions
· able to maintain confidentiality of records and information
· abilities in Spanish language (reading/comprehension/spoken) preferred
9. Proposal Requirements: Proposals shall comprise four sections:
· profile of bidding organization (outlining relevant experience); names and summary résumés of key personnel, specifying the principle contractor and the respective roles of other personnel; contacts of three references (8 page maximum);
· statement of the candidate’s understanding of the role, function and components of a gender policy (2 page maximum);
· outline of proposed approach and methodologies; work plan, including intended approach, activities and timeline (2 page maximum);
· proposed budget (all inclusive) for the assignment (i.e., including travel and other costs as appropriate) (1 page).
Examples of organizational policies produced with / for other organizations may be appended.
It is anticipated that the successful proposal will cost under $15,000 and involve a maximum of 300 hours of professional services over the period of the contract.
10. Intellectual Property: Ownership and copyright of all data, drafts and final products will be the sole and exclusive property of Oxfam Canada.
11. Conflict Of Interest: Oxfam Canada staff, board members, their spouses, spousal equivalents, dependent children, parents or siblings are not eligible to bid on this project.
12. Other: Oxfam Canada will not fund the preparation, submission or presentation of proposals in response to this RFP. Oxfam Canada does not bind itself to accepting the lowest bid submitted in response to this RFP. Signed proposals must be valid for 60 days. Oxfam Canada does not bind itself to accepting any of the proposals received.
13. Tendering Procedures and Contact Information: One electronic copy of the proposal is to be provided to Hélène Paquet-Young at helenep@oxfam.ca .
The deadline for submission is 4:00 PM (EST), November 30th, 2007.
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