Request for Proposals: Consultant to develop facilitation training for CanWaCH’s Gender Equality Trainer Program

1. Summary and Background:

The Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) is currently seeking a consultant to develop a targeted facilitation program to complement our flagship Virtual Gender Equality Training. 

CanWaCH’s virtual gender equality training was developed with the central belief that achieving gender equality is everyone’s responsibility, and that opportunities to promote social change can be found throughout our work. This training has been successfully delivered to dozens of participants.

In late Spring 2022, CanWaCH now is looking to engage a select group of interested individuals to participate in our first-ever Gender Equality Trainer Program. Through this program, participants will familiarize themselves with CanWaCH’s gender equality training as well as benefit from workshops and personal feedback to bolster their facilitation skills, in order to be able to deliver this training themselves. The selected consultant will develop the latter part of this program.

The Gender Equality Trainer Program should provide a quality virtual experience accommodating the unique needs in the time of COVID-19, but also to continue to be relevant for years to come. 

2. Project Description and Scope 

2.1 CanWaCH is seeking a consultant to collaborate with our team of gender equality experts to understand CanWaCH’s existing virtual gender equality training curriculum, and to develop robust facilitation learning materials to complement this content. Deliverables should include:

• Facilitation module(s), to be delivered live in a virtual setting, that has been tailored to complement a condensed version of the current virtual gender equality training. 
  • We anticipate that as part of this work, some one-on-one feedback or role play will be provided for participants. We are interested in the potential for 1-1 coaching (within a limited scope) following the training.
• Written and/or recorded facilitation guidance for participants, including expert recommendations for best practices, facilitation techniques (‘tips and tricks’), technology, resources etc. 

While we seek guidance from the chosen consultant on the exact duration of the facilitation training to be offered, we anticipate a total number of 5-8 hours will be allocated to the facilitation portion of the program. Quotations can be for more or less time as recommended.

2.2 The intended audience for this facilitation program will be experts working in gender equality and women’s empowerment issues in the context of global health. We anticipate between 6-12 participants in each training, but will discuss this with the chosen consultant to maximize the value of the program.

2.3 By the end of this program, individuals should:

• Be equipped to deliver engaging gender equality training in their workplace and in other sector spaces;
• Benefit from in-depth and personalized training and feedback regarding their facilitation skills;
• Acquire increased confidence in their group facilitation and presentation skills.

3. Project Timeline

3.1 The final version of any written or presentation materials must be submitted to CanWaCH no later than Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 11:59pm ET. The chosen consultant should also have availability between May 9th and June 17th to support the virtual delivery of this training program.

3.2 Anticipated schedule (subject to discussion with consultant):

1. Week of February 28, 2022
   1. Selection of successful Consultant and finalization of contract
2. Week of March 7th, 2022
   1. Initial meeting with CanWaCH for comprehensive review of project scope, deliverables, and work to date
3. Week March 14, 2022 – April 15, 2022
   1. Weekly progress meetings with CanWaCH and other key stakeholders as required
4. Week of April 18, 2022
   1. Final version of Gender Equality Trainer Program written components submitted to CanWaCH 
5. Week of April 25, 2022 
   1. Preparatory pre-training meeting.
6. Week of May 9, 2022 – June 17, 2022
   1. Delivery of Gender Equality Trainer Program by CanWaCH and consultant

4. Budget

4.1 All proposals must include proposed costs to complete the tasks described in the project description and scope. Please note that CanWaCH will provide the following:

●      Graphic design of any facilitation training program materials if desired

●      All technical and logistical support for training sessions

4.2 All costs and fees must be clearly described in each proposal. If the consultant submitting a proposal must outsource or contract any work to meet the requirements contained herein, this must be clearly stated in the proposal. Additionally, all costs included in the proposals must be all-inclusive to include any outsourced or contracted work, and applicable taxes. Any proposals which call for outsourcing or contracting work must include a name and description of the organizations being contracted.

5. Bidder Qualifications

Bidders should provide the following items as part of their proposal for consideration:

• Description of experience and expertise with facilitation, particularly with a focus on attitudinal and behaviour change, and ideally within the virtual landscape
• Description of experience and expertise in the gender equality, development and/or global health contexts if applicable
• Specific examples or portfolio of relevant facilitation tools, training programs, guidance notes, etc. that you have developed and attest to your specific skills and expertise in this subject matter area.
• Name(s) and CVs of consultant(s) involved in the project
• Testimonials from previous clients if applicable
• Project work schedule and proposed methodology, including a proposed table of contents based on the above requirements. As part of this work, please confirm that you will be able to meet the project schedule and required meetings as outlined above.

6. Proposal Evaluation Criteria 

CanWaCH will evaluate all proposals based on the following criteria. To ensure consideration for this Request for Proposals, your proposal should be complete and include all the following criteria:

●      Consultant Expertise: Bidders will be evaluated on their demonstrated knowledge as it pertains to the scope of this project;

●      Previous work: Bidders will be evaluated on examples of their work experience pertaining to the the subject matter;

●      Value and cost: Bidders will be evaluated on the cost of their proposal based on the work to be performed in accordance with the scope of this project.

7. Submitting a Proposal

7.1 All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Any proposals received after this date and time will be returned to the sender. 

7.2 The selection decision for the winning bidder and to bidders who were not selected will be made no later than Monday, March 7, 2022.

7.3 Upon notification, the contract negotiations with the winning bidder will begin immediately. Contract negotiations will be completed no later than Friday, March 4, 2022.

7.4 Bidders should submit their proposal to the attention of: 

Erica Fotheringham, Manager of Programs and Equity: [email protected]

8. About CanWaCH

CanWaCH catalyzes Canadian collaboration to deepen effectiveness in improving women’s and children’s health in communities around the world. Our more than 100 members and associates are instrumental in reducing maternal and child mortality, promoting accountability to women, adolescents and children, seeking innovation, generating research, and  supporting monitoring and evaluation using a gender transformative approach.

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How to Apply:

All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Any proposals received after this date and time will be returned to the sender. The selection decision for the winning bidder and to bidders who were not selected will be made no later than Monday, March 7, 2022.

Upon notification, the contract negotiations with the winning bidder will begin immediately. Contract negotiations will be completed no later than Friday, March 4, 2022.

Bidders should submit their proposal to the attention of: 

Erica Fotheringham, Manager of Programs and Equity: [email protected]