Foreign economic-aid-related services

Tender description

This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) only: publication and call for competition will be conducted once scope of work is fully defined and approved. Subject to programme design and funding approval, the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) will be seeking a partner or consortium to implement from April 2016 a successor project to the recently completed programme of capacity building support to the Turkey-based Information Management Unit (IMU) of the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) project. We intend to start the tender process in the January — March 2016. It is envisaged that the programme will run for 2-3 years subject to supplier performance, continuing need and sustained funding. As part of HMGs commitment to build Syrian capacity and institutions and meeting urgent humanitarian needs, DFID has been supporting capacity development of the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU), a Syrian institution based in Gaziantep, Turkey. Most recently, support has been focused on improving the capacity of the information management unit to meet urgent information needs and thereby contributing to improved delivery of aid and assistance. With the intensification of fighting in Syria, access for humanitarian and other actors to provide assistance to beneficiaries have decreased due to security reasons. The decreasing access is also impacting the capacity of these actors to collect up-to-date information on the situation on the ground and needs of Syrian people in affected areas, and inform the delivery of assistance. The new programme of support will explore how the IMU can also meet information needs that contribute to non-humanitarian programming (including stabilisation and long term transition activities) whilst maintaining its role in humanitarian data collection needs. All programme activities will contribute to institutional development (likely to include strategic support, improving the business model and technical and managerial capacity building) of the ACU with particular focus on the IMU. The programme will also support salary and office costs to help ensure greater financial stability during the programme’s duration with the aim of moving to a more sustainable business model. The programme will align with the CSSF strategy for Syria and the wider CSSF Syria programme portfolio. The supplier will be expected to engage with other donors and partners, identifying opportunities and risks for coordination with other programmes. The indicative project value will be up to 3 000 000 GBP, with funding coming from the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which draws together new and existing resources from across Government, overseen by the National Security Council (NSC).A range of skills and experiences will be required for successful delivery of this programme and suppliers may need to form consortia to ensure these requirements are met. Key amongst the skills and experience required are: - Experience of working in the conflict affected states, - Conflict and gender sensitive approaches to programming, - Experience of using a range of approaches to developing capacity of non-governmental organisations in a complex and challenging setting, — Reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills — the ability to effectively monitor programme implementation and outcomes (intended and unintended) will be crucial, — Experience of supporting stakeholder management and engagement in humanitarian and non-humanitarian settings, — Skills and experience in supporting development of strategic plans as well as financial and management systems and structures, including funding models, - Skills and experience in technical capacity building in research and information management, - Arabic speaking trainers (when requested). Desirable but not essential, Arabic speakers in the project team with sufficient fluency to operate within the ACU and the Syria context. A Partners/Suppliers Early Market Engagement (EME) event is planned to take place on Thursday 21st January at the British Consulate General, Istanbul and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London (1530, local time and 1330, UK time). Can Providers please encourage their representatives to attend in person. Alternatively if they cannot make it in person, then details of how to dial in as follows; +44 1355 598360, Then enter VMR 402031620 # Then enter Access Code 8274# DFID would like: - To explore and seek views and feedback from partners/suppliers on the ambition and the scope of the proposed work (in line with the proposed programme’s theory of change and results); — Explore the possible options and challenges to routes to various markets; - Improve our understanding and awareness of new and emerging partners and suppliers including national partners. For our partners to the EME, it should provide a better understanding of the programme focus, proposed scope and activities, and share views to shape the best routes to implementation to maximise VfM. We hope that there will be a wide range of participation at the event from the private sector and NGOs, including organisations with a focus on research. There will be some time available at the end of the event for networking and an attendance list will be circulated after the event. Partners/Suppliers interested in attending the event should register on the DFID Portal (https://supplierportal.dfid.gov.uk/selfservice/) and use the ‘Dialogue/ Clarification' function to provide the primary contact e-mail address and the names of individuals (up to 2 representatives in each location, this may change subject to space limitations) who will attend the event. This will be the main communication channel. DFID will shortly provide the draft Terms of Reference, which will include further details of priority areas for consideration, and Partners/Suppliers are encouraged to use the ‘Dialogue’ function on the DFID Portal in advance of this meeting to raise initial questions or recommendations.