The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC has been operational in Serbia and neighboring countries since October 2015, supporting programs in response to the mass influx of refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine (March 2022), the IRC Serbia office expanded the scope of activities to additional five countries. The IRC Serbia works with a group of non-governmental organizations, as well as relevant institutions and international organizations delivering a comprehensive protection program and continues to design new strategies to address the needs of the refugees, especially children.

Context of the Assignment -------------------------

In countries where the IRC does not have a direct presence (BiH, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and the Czech Republic), IRC Serbia operates solely in partnership with local non-governmental organizations (referred to as "local partners" hereafter), which possess varying programmatic and administrative capacities.

IRC Serbia's support to local partners encompasses three main areas: 1) financial support for program delivery, 2) technical-programmatic support, and 3) administrative support.

1) Financial support: IRC Serbia currently maintains a portfolio of 30 active partnership agreements, with grants of varying sizes and scopes of work. Each partnership is tailored to correspond with the internal capacity of the partner organization and the needs of refugees residing in the areas where our partners operate.

2) Technical support: The capacities of IRC Serbia's partners differ from one partner to another and from one country to another. Recognizing that local organizations in Central and Eastern Europe may need more experience in supporting refugees on a larger scale, IRC provides thematic online and in-person training to empower partners in delivering high-quality services that align with international standards.

3) Administrative support: Given the diversity of our portfolio, our partners possess varying levels of organizational capacity to support program implementation. At the beginning of each partnership, IRC Serbia conducts a Partnership Capacity Assessment to identify specific needs, tailoring its administrative capacity-building efforts accordingly. Administrative support primarily focuses on assisting partners in developing policies and practices across various areas, including but not limited to safeguarding, financial administration, grant management, and supply chain administration.

While IRC and its local partners maintain standard feedback mechanisms according to IRC's policies (such as monthly check-ins, quarterly review meetings, monitoring visits, and feedback mechanisms at the end of partnership agreements), an additional analysis providing an independent view and recommendations for improving our partnership efforts would be valuable to our office.

Purpose of the Assignment --------------------------

This assignment aims to conduct an assessment to gather honest and independent feedback from IRC Serbia staff and our local partners (at least 20 partners from our portfolio in FY22 and FY23). The focus of this assessment is to gain insights into various aspects of our cooperation, including procedural components such as IRC procedures and funding mechanisms, as well as the softer components of our partnership, such as communication, engagement, decision-making, and flexibility.

By undertaking this assessment, we aim to comprehensively understand the strengths and weaknesses of our current collaboration processes. The feedback received from IRC Serbia staff and local partners will serve as a valuable resource for identifying areas of improvement and developing an action plan at the office level. The ultimate objective is to enhance our ongoing and future partnerships and to ensure that our collaborative efforts align with the needs and expectations of our partners.

Additionally, this evaluation seeks to determine the positioning of IRC Serbia on the scale between donors and partners. By exploring the perceptions and experiences of both staff and partners, we aim to gain insights into whether IRC Serbia is perceived primarily as a donor or a true partner. This understanding will help us shape our approach and foster stronger partnerships that are based on mutual respect, shared decision-making, and effective communication.

SCOPE OF WORK

Specific objectives of the assignment --------------------------------------

1. Gather Feedback on IRC Procedures and Funding Mechanisms: Obtain partner and IRC Serbia staff feedback on the procedural components of our collaboration, including the effectiveness of procedures such as project approval (PA), Partnership agreements, financial and administrative arrangements, payments, reporting, risk management, and tracking. Identify areas of improvement and potential bottlenecks to streamline these procedures and enhance overall efficiency.

2. Assess Partnership Dynamics: Obtain partner and IRC Serbia staff feedback on the soft components of our partnership, including communication, engagement, decision-making, power dynamics, and flexibility. Understand the level of satisfaction and identify any challenges or gaps in these areas. Use the findings to improve partnership dynamics and strengthen the overall working relationship.

3. Evaluate IRC Serbia Capacity Strengthening Approach: Gather partner feedback on IRC Serbia's capacity-strengthening approach and implementation, focusing on both programmatic administrative capacity-strengthening efforts. Assess the usefulness and impact of these initiatives from the perspective of our partners. Identify areas for improvement and ensure that capacity-strengthening activities effectively and timely address the needs and priorities of our partners. Besides, it is needed to be measured how and if capacity strengthening and partners' networking support provided by IRC Serbia, affected or potentially increased partners’ overall performance, visibility and sustainability.

4. Positioning Assessment: Explore the perceptions of IRC Serbia's positioning on the spectrum between donors and partners. Determine whether IRC Serbia is perceived as primarily a donor or a true partner in the eyes of our staff and partners. This assessment will provide insights into the nature of our relationships and guide us in shaping our approach to collaboration.

5. As all of IRC Serbia’s partnerships in the above-mentioned countries are managed remotely, provide practical guidance and recommendations for improvement of remote partnership management.

The outcomes of this assessment project will inform the development of an office-level action plan, enabling us to make informed decisions, implement necessary improvements, and enhance our collaboration with partners. Additionally, the findings will contribute to internal capacity-strengthening efforts within IRC Serbia, ensuring our staff members have the knowledge and skills to effectively engage with partners and foster successful partnerships.

Deliverables ------------

Deliverable

Description

Partnership portfolio

Based on the information provided by the IRC staff, develop the partnership portfolio document, which will outline all IRC Serbia partnerships in FY22 and FY23. It should include general information on each partner, the scope of their work within the IRC funding framework, as well as key achievements to date. Each fiche should be approximately 150 words/800-900 characters long.

Assessment Methodology

Assessment Methodology should Include, at least, assessment design and a workplan, sampling, data collection methods and procedures, data analysis explanation, ethical considerations, and limitations.

Assessment Report

Assessment Report should include, at least, an Introduction, Review of relevant Literature and Global Initiatives (on localization of humanitarian aid), a Description of the Assessment Methodology, Results, Discussion and Recommendations, a Conclusion, and References.

Timeframe ---------

Deliverable title[1]

Timeframe

Partnership Portfolio, V1 (Draft): A draft of the partnership portfolio developed and shared with IRC staff for review. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 2023

Partnership Portfolio, V2 (Final): The final partnership portfolio, incorporating all IRC feedback, shared with IRC staff for approval. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 2023

Assessment Methodology, V1 (Draft): A draft of the assessment methodology developed and shared with IRC staff for review.

August 2023

Assessment Methodology, V2 (Final): The final assessment methodology, incorporating IRC feedback, shared with IRC staff for approval.

August 2023

Data Collection: Collecting data from IRC Serbia staff and local partners.

August - September 2023

Assessment Report, V1 (Draft): A draft of the assessment report developed and shared with IRC staff for review.

September 2023

Assessment Report, V2 (Final): The final assessment report, incorporating all IRC feedback, shared with IRC staff for approval.

September 2023

Competencies and skills -----------------------

· Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated professional and technical experience in grants and partnership management (including an understanding of key principles, frameworks, and best practices) within humanitarian and/or development contexts.

· Advanced university degree (at least M.A. of Science) in humanities or a related field such as Sociology, International Relations, Human Rights, Economy, or Management.

· Excellent command of the English language (C1 and above) with exceptional writing and communication skills to effectively convey complex information.

· Extensive experience in conducting (cross-country) research projects, particularly qualitative research, showcasing the ability to design and implement comprehensive research methodologies.

· Strong analytical skills to interpret and derive meaningful insights from research data, enabling the formulation of evidence-based recommendations.

Application Process and Requirements:

This call for consultants is open to both individuals and groups of consultants who meet the required qualifications and possess the necessary expertise. All applications should be submitted through the IRC Portal. Applications by a group of consultants should be submitted in a single application.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, while the call for applications will be open until 15 July 2023.

Application Documentation:

· Curriculum Vitae/s: updated Curriculum Vitae/s, highlighting your key expertise, relevant experience, and a comprehensive list of performed and/or published research/publications/analysis.

· Proposed Methodology (summary): Prepare a concise one-page document summarizing the key points of your approach in conducting this assessment. This should outline your proposed methodology, data collection techniques, and other relevant aspects demonstrating your understanding of the project requirements.

· Anticipated Compensation: Clearly indicate your anticipated compensation for the assignment. This should include a breakdown of fees and any additional expenses associated with the consultancy.

Agreement and payment terms ---------------------------

The specific type of agreement will be determined and mutually agreed upon by the selection of the appropriate consultant/group of consultants for the project. The payment terms will be set with payment due within 30 working days upon the completion and submission of the final deliverable by the consultant/group.

IRC will reserve the right to the final publication of the assessment outcomes. Given the sensitive nature of the work and the need to maintain confidentiality, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) will be signed between IRC and the selected consultant/group of consultants. This ensures that all parties involved are committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of the data, findings, and other relevant information throughout the engagement.

The specific details of the agreement, including the scope of work, timelines, deliverables, intellectual property rights, and any other pertinent provisions, will be negotiated and outlined in the contractual agreement to ensure clarity, transparency, and mutual understanding between IRC and the consultant/group of consultants.

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[1] IRC deserves the right to require additional edits, if unsatisfied with the deliverables.

Qualifications

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Added 10 months ago - Updated 8 months ago - Source: rescue.org