RFP 2017 9132666 – TOR Regional Review of Gender Data

UNICEF Bangkok

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INSTITUTIONAL CONTRACTS

Requesting Section: Gender EAPRO (jointly with Gender ROSA and Gender CEE-CIS)

TITLE: Terms of Reference: Regional review of gender data and situation analysis for

girls in Asia and the Pacific

1- Background

Context
Asia and the Pacific is home to more than half of the world’s 1.1 billion girls younger than 18 years. Governments in the region have committed to respect and ensure the rights of every child irrespective of their sex. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) also aim to address inequities within and among countries, with SDG 5 seeking specifically to “Achieve genderequality and empower all women and girls”. Empowering girls with the knowledge, skills and resources they need to reach their full potential, is not only good for girls. It will also support the achievement of other SDGs by driving economic growth, improving health, promotingpeace and reducing poverty.

To understand the barriers girls face in achieving gender equality, there is a need to collect and analyze data relevant to the lives of girls. Inadequate information can provide an incomplete picture oftheir situation and make gender inequalities invisible. Whilst gender datacollection has improved in recent years, major gaps still exist. It is estimated that girl-relevant data is limited or non-existent for two thirds of the SDG indicators. For Goal 5 only three of the 14indicators are collected consistently in most countries. Often, there is either insufficient data collectionon issues of critical importance to girls, or data is not disaggregated bysex and age to allow for analysis from a gender perspective.

Data remains scarce across many sectors andissues, including violence against girls, adolescent health, learning outcomes, informalemployment and unpaid work. The need to close these information gaps has been recognized by many developmentpartners. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed $80 million toimprove gender statistics and accelerate progress for women and girls around the world.Plan International is complementing its well-recognised reporting on the State of the Girl with the initiative 'Counting the Invisible' that explores the current state of gender data and exposes the gaps. UNICEF and partner agencies devoted the International Day of the Girl (IDG 2016) to the gender data movement under the headline of Girls Progress = Goals Progress. During the 71st session of the UN General Assembly UN Women launched a new public-private partnership to support its flagship programme initiative ‘Making Every Woman and Girl Count’. The five-year programme will invest resources and expertise to generate, prioritize and use gender data. Within this programme, ADB and UN Women are collaborating on the SDG Baseline Publication: Evidence-based Advocacy for Gender Equality and Localization of the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific. The baseline publication is expected to provide a snapshot of the current status (baseline) and to identify data gaps (in statistics) in Asia Pacific.

Scope of the Initiative

The proposed initiativerepresents a multi-agency collaboration, led by UNICEF, under the Asia Pacific Regional Thematic Working Groupfor Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (RCM-TWG-GEEW) Gender & Statistics. The envisagedRegional review of gender data and situation analysis for girls in Asia and the Pacific will buildupon existing data and publications, to assess the extent of gender inequalities as they concern children, and will evaluate issues of critical importance to girls.

The review will identify the set of indicators most relevant to assess the situation for girls in the region; review the literature,and quantitativeand quantitative data relevant to these indicators; analyze and highlight gender inequalitieswhere they exist;suggest underlying determinants of inequality where related information exists; pinpoint data gaps; and describe the situation for girls in the Asia Pacific region in low and middle income countries in the 4 sub-regions: Central Asia, East Asia, the Pacific and South Asia.

Analytical framework


It is proposedthat the analytical framework for the review is in keeping with the structure of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021, and considersrelevant indicators and data withinfour domains: 1) Every Child Survives & Thrives, 2) Every Child Learns, 3) Every Child is Protected, and 4) Every Child lives in a Safe and Clean Environment.These domains provide the structure to analyze and describe the situation for girls, and also intersect with SDGs 1-8, 10 & 16[1]and related target/indicators (see Figure 1. below).

Figure 1. Analytical Framework for review and SDG Intersections

2- Objectives, Purpose & Expected results

The objectives of the initiative are to:

  1. Develop a first of its kind, evidence-based analysis report of the situation for girls in Asia-Pacific.
  2. Examine gender issues for girls and boys in the region, based on existing quantitative and qualitative data.
  3. Draw attention to data gaps and limitations in understanding of the situation for girls.
  4. Make available a body of evidence,which can be used by stakeholders to strengthen programming and policies for gender equality and impact for girls, and progress to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The report is expected to be made available in the public domain and to be utilized by the United Nations, International and Nationalcivil society actors, government agencies and others to advocate for and supportthe implementation of improved gender data collection and analysis; the design and implementation ofevidence-basedactions, programmes and policies to advance gender equality and the empowerment ofgirls; and support progress to achieve the SDGs.

3- Description of the assignment

In consultation with the contract supervisor, UNICEF EAPRO Regional Gender Adviser (RGA), and relevant UNICEF staff assigned by the supervisor, the selected institution will carry out the following tasks:

  1. Phase I - Inception report

Develop and present an inception report, that details the analytical framework and indicators to be used to describe the situation for girls(below the age of 18 years) in the Asia and the Pacific region. Phase I should include the following activities:

  1. Review the literature regarding gender statistics and indicators relevant to girls and boys below the age of 18 years. This should include, amongst other publications,SDG priority indicators for children, UNICEF Strategic Plan and Gender Action Plan indicators, UNESCAP Core Set of Gender Indicators for Asia & the Pacific, the Minimum Gender Indicators recommended by the Global Statistics Programme, relevant publications by UNFPA, WHO, ADB, PLAN International and others, as well as the UN Women flagship initiative on gender data and upcoming publication Evidence-based Advocacy for Gender Equality and Localisation of SDGs in Asia and the Pacific.
  2. Identify the indicatorsthat, based on the literature, best describe the situation for girls and highlight gender inequalities, where they exist. See Annex 1 for guidance regarding the analytical framework, potential research questions and indicatorsto be considered.
  3. Develop the inception reportwhich details the selected indicators, and potential data sources, within the four domains for analysis: 1) Every Child Survives & Thrives, 2) Every Child Learns, 3) Every Child is Protected, and 4) Every Child lives in a Safe and Clean Environment.The inception report should include:1) a table which indicates alignment of the indicators with global and other supporting documents; and 2) broad guidance on how data sources for indicators will be selected e.g. will priority given to global and regional data sources, how will conflicting data sources will be managed, and whether any extrapolation or estimation will be used in disaggregation.
  4. Present the inception report to Thematic Working Group for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (TWG-GEEW), Gender Statistics Group meeting.
  5. Revise inception reportbased on feedback from the TWG-GEEW Gender Statistics Group, and other partners, as directed by the UNICEF RGAs from EAPRO, ROSA and CEE-CIS.
  1. Phase II - Data collation

During Phase II data is to be gathered, from existing sources, and collated, with tasks including:

  1. Review existing literature and data repositoriesfor quantitative and qualitative data relevant to the indicators, including, amongst others, government (NSO) and international agency surveys and research, MICs and DHS.
  2. Develop a data collation tool (Excel or similar) to capture data relevant to the indicators.
  3. Collate data for the low and middle income countriescountries in the four sub-regions of Asia and the Pacific:
  4. Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
  5. East Asia(including Southeast Asia), Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam;
  6. Pacific including Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu;
  7. South Asia including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
  1. Phase IV - Report development
  2. Develop a report (maximum 120 pages), comprised of four sub-reports (one for each sub-region) which:
  1. Visualizes data and describes the situation for girls in the sub-regions;
  2. Describes data availability, drawing attention to data gaps when information is lacking;
  3. Highlightskey gender inequalities for each sub-region (or particular countries in a sub-region), where they exist, and provides some analysisregarding underlying determinants;
  4. Provides clear and concise narrative;
  5. Incorporates case studies, provided by UNICEF or partner organisations; and
  6. Includes graphic visualization of the data.
  7. Present the report to the TWG-GEEW.
  8. Revise and finalise the report based on feedback from the TWG-GEEW, Unicef EAPRO, ROSA and CEE-CIS offices.

Note. Innovative graphic data visualization is encouraged, and the service provider is requested to provide conceptualized graphics in the submitted report. Please see the website and publication links below for graphic styles in keeping with those sought for this report:

  • Global Peace Operational Review:Featured Data
  • WomanStats Maps
  • Status of Women in the United Nations System

4- Deliverables & reporting requirements

It is anticipated that the project will take approximately eight months in total. During each phase there will be a requirement for regular meetings, either virtual or in person, to confirm progress, answer questions, address issues and feedback by UNICEF and/or partners.

Deliverable* / Assigned days / Due end of month
1. Inception Report
Development of an inception report with recommended indicators (and potential data sources) forassessing the situation for girls in Asia and the Pacific.
/ Approx. 25 days / 1
2. Data Collation
Review of the literature for qualitative and quantitative data relevant to the indicators, including government and international agency surveys and research, MICs and DHS. / Approx. 35 days / 3
3. Draft Report
Draft four sub-reports, one for each sub-region, analyzing existing gender data and describing thesituation for girls; highlighting inequities anddata gaps; and providing analysis of underlying determinants. Submission of draft to be accompanied by the supporting data collection tool. / Approx. 30 days / 4
4. Draft Powerpoint Presentation
For presentation to the TWG-GEEW Gender Statistics Group meeting. / Approx. 1 day / 4
5. Report Revision & Finalization
Revision and finalization of report incorporating feedback. / Approx. 20 days / 7
6. FinalisedPowerpoint Presentation
For presentation at the report launch. / Approx. 1 day / 8
Total Days / Approx. 100-160 days

*All reports are to be submitted electronically, as a Word file, to the designated supervisors.

In addition to the above deliverables an author from the reporting team may be asked to speakat the report launch, on a date to be determined, in Bangkok.

5- Location and Duration

The work provided is to be based at the offices of the successful institutional supplier with 1-2meetings at the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok. Any travel costsshould be included in the initial institutional bid. No travel to field locations is required, anyliaison with Country Offices or partners may be done online or via Skype. Indicative start date for theassignment will be September 2017, the contract spanning aneight-month period withcompletion by May 2018. Minor deviations from submission deadlines may be negotiated withthe contract supervisor as required.

Note: The duration of the meetings each in Bangkok are approx 1 week (10 days max);meetings will be either (i) at beginning of the initiative to establish the indicators and data sourcesin consultation with UNICEF Sectors and inter-agency partners, (ii) to present thedraft report to stakeholders to seek input for finalization; and/or (iii) forlaunch event by Regional Directors of UNICEF, UNFPA, UN WOMEN, UN ESCAP, etc, date TBD.

6- Qualification requirements or Specialized skills/Experience Required:

For this assignment, UNICEF seek an institution to propose a team with team members thathave as a team the following qualifications:

  • Advanced university degree in International Development, Gender Studies, or a related field.
  • Demonstrated expertise, and/or a university degree, in Statistics and Information Management.
  • Demonstrated technical expertise in gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and/or gender data collection.
  • At least 8 years of individual experience in development related research,conducting and leading data collection and situation analysis.
  • Proven ability to analyze and synthesize information from a broad range ofsources from a gender perspective
  • Good understanding of the rights-based programming environment for childrenand their guiding international frameworks (especially CRC, CEDAW).
  • Excellent and proven English communications skills.
  • Experience in working with international organizations or corporations, UNICEFand other UN agencies an asset.
  • Familiarity and experience in the Asia and the Pacific environment.
  • Access to international statistics networks and connections with national statistical offices are considered desirable.

The qualifications, experience, resumes and roles of all team members should be included inthe institutional proposal, along with their anticipated contribution in days.

7- Evaluation process and methods

Each proposal will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price. Inmaking the final decision, UNICEF considers both technical and financial aspects. TheEvaluation Team first reviews the technical aspect of the offer followed by the review of thefinancial offer of the technically compliant vendors. The proposal obtaining the overall highestscore after adding the scores for the technical and financial proposals is the proposal that offersbest value for money and will be recommended for award of the contract.

The Technical Proposal, should be a maximum of 10 pages (excluding Annex with resumes), and should include the following:

  1. Description of the organization (maximum 1 page) - Describe your organization, its suitability for the proposed assignment, and regional experience.
  2. Team members (maximum 3 pages) - Provide brief biographies (relevant educational qualifications and professional experience) for each team member, their roles and responsibilities in the team, examples of team members having worked together in the past, and envisaged working modalities among team members (locations; % of face-to-face interaction and virtual collaboration). Please note that full resumes should be attached as an Annex to the technical proposal.
  3. Gender synopsis (maximum 2 pages) – Briefly describe your understanding of gender, with examples of what you believe to be the most critical gender issues in the four sub-regions.
  4. Quantitative data analysis (maximum 2 pages) - Describe your methodology/approach to quantitative data analysis and interpreting data from a gender perspective. List and provide samples of work (or links to publications) which demonstrate your ability to collate, review and analyse data, such as situation analysis or other publications.
  5. Work plan (approximately 1 page) – Provide a work plan, which details tasks, timelines and milestones, including allocation of days per team member, for completion of the assignment.
  6. Samples(provide 2 links or attachments) - Provide a maximum of two samples of work that demonstrate (i) data visualization and (ii) reporting writing style.
  7. References - Bidders are requested to back up their submissions by providing references including contact details of persons that may be contacted by UNICEF during the technical evaluation process.
  8. Annex - Comprehensive resumes of all team members.

Financial Proposal

Bidders are expected to submit a lump sum financial proposal to complete the entireassignment based on the terms of reference.The financial proposal should include an estimate of travel costs, however, the finaltravel component will be agreed based on the effective work calendar. Travel costs willbe pre-approved and reimbursed by UNICEF as per the UNICEF rules and regulationsfor travel for consultants/non-staff. Please note that i) travel cost shall be calculatedbased on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel and ii) costs foraccommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistenceallowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission(ICSC). Details can be found at

PROPOSAL EVALUATION WEIGHTING CRITERIA

For this RFP, the weight allocated to the technical proposal is 70%, with the followingbreakdown of points:

Overall Response (20 points)

a)Clarity of the technical proposal (all sections)

b)Timeline, tasks and days within keeping of the proposed scope (section 5)

Organisation and team members(40 points)

a)Demonstrated gender understanding and gender analysis (sections 2,3 and 7)

b)Demonstrated quantitative data analysis (sections 2, 4 and 7)

c)Familiarity and experience in the Asia Pacific region (sections 1, 2 and 7)

d)Team composition and collaboration modalities (section 2)

Quality of products (10 points)