National Democratic Institute 

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Development of the online training course on gender equality

RFP Release Date: March 23, 2023

BACKGROUND

The National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) has actively supported Ukrainian efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and advance democratic reforms through supporting good governance and citizen engagement, political party strengthening and civil society development, election monitoring and strengthening the political participation of women.

According to January 2023 NDI’s poll, 74% of the Ukrainians would like to see a greater balance of women and men in political life. The large-scale war disclosed new leaders and role models among men and women, breaking the existing gender stereotypes and the results of the poll clearly show that Ukrainian society fully accepts this parity and equality as a value that should be followed.

At the same time the large-scale war brought new complex challenges that women and men are facing. Therefore the ability and readiness of the state agencies and in particular civil servants to address those challenges is crucial in solving the existing problems for women and men in an inclusive, timely, and efficient manner.

To develop the capacity of civil service, NDI in cooperation with the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, the Ukrainian School of Governance and the National Agency for Civil Service of Ukraine developed a training program for civil servants of categories “A”, “B” and “C”. It includes modules on gender-responsive governance, gender-responsive budgeting, gender audit of public authorities, institutional mechanism of formation and implementation of gender policy in Ukraine, gender aspects of public service and service in local government bodies, methods of gender analysis for making effective management decisions and other.

To complement this comprehensive educational program, NDI and its partners will develop an online course on gender equality in policy making and its implementation in Ukraine for civil servants.

SUMMARY

NDI will engage a vendor specializing in online course development and design to develop an online course on gender equality for civil servants on the topic “Gender equality” (working title). The course would be developed within the framework of the Sweden supported program “Promoting Inclusion and Combating Discrimination”. The course would aim to reach civil servants of various categories in order to educate them on gender mainstreaming and gender sensitive approaches to policy making and implementation. It is expected that the course would become a part of the professional development programs on gender equality for civil servants.

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

In close cooperation with NDI and its experts, the selected company will adapt educational materials to the formats of an online course, test and launch an online course, and provide technical and user support for the online course. All materials must be created in Ukrainian with Ukrainian subtitles.

The online course will contain thematic tasks in the format of modules. A standard format of an online course videos with one or two speakers and use of graphics. Each module will include testing materials, answering which gives an opportunity to continue learning. At the end of the course, all users must pass a final test, developed by the trainers, which will confirm the completion of studies. The work of trainers/speakers will be covered by NDI separately.

The vendor is expected to:

1. Engage in preparatory work with NDI and its experts.

2. Design and develop an online course in close coordination with NDI and its experts. NDI expert(s) will be engaged to help with the course content development. The structure of the course and scenarios of educational videos must be approved by NDI and its experts.

3. The course will be placed on a “Moodle” platform.

4. The course will cover the following topics, but not limited to:

   ●  national and international law on gender equality;

   ●  institutional mechanism of formation and implementation of gender policy in Ukraine;

   ●  powers of authorities in the field of ensuring gender equality;

   ●  the main conceptual apparatus of ensuring gender equality;

   ●  key instruments for implementation of a comprehensive gender equality approach in public governance.

5. The online course may include, but not limited to:

   ●  Video lectures filmed in a professional studio and interactive presentation of the concepts through text, animation, audio narration and video clips. Please indicate the cost of 1 min of video lecture.

   ●  Interactive examples and exercises throughout the course for conceptual clarity;

   ●  Tests and scenario based exercises for testing the knowledge of the users to receive certification upon completion of the course.

6. Post-production of recorded videos (editing and processing the videos; composing the videos into the one course; adding test materials; adapting videos to the platform requirements). The videos must be finalized and ready for uploading on the online platform.

7. Pilot delivery and testing. The vendor will be expected to test the first version of the online course with potential users through focus groups or other similar methods. The vendor should be prepared to undertake any subsequent changes and enhancements of the course, within the scope of the contract, based on the feedback collected through this process.

8. User support and course maintenance and its cost for 1 month. The vendor is expected to provide user support, including the technical maintenance of the course on the online platform.

9. Collect metadata and engagement metrics. Provide NDI with the courses metadata and engagement metrics for 2023. The metrics will be developed in coordination with NDI and its partners by the successful bidder.

Example of the previous online course developed by NDI.

ANTICIPATED TIMELINE

*The proposed timeline may be amended and negotiated separately with the selected vendor.

April 23, 2023 Proposals received

End of April, 2023 The implementing partner is selected

May, 2023 Preparation stage

May - July, 2023 Design and development stage

July - August, 2023 Pilot delivery and testing

September, 2023 Final delivery of the online course

October-December, 2023 Collection of analytics and metrics

September-December, 2023 User support and technical maintenance

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Potential vendors should submit a written proposal to NDI in English by close of business on Friday, April 23, 2023 for full consideration. Proposals should indicate the bidder’s qualifications to provide the services outlined in their proposal.

A bidder must have a minimum of three years of proven experience in online education. Experience of creating online courses for the international organizations in Ukraine will be considered an advantage.

The proposal must be submitted in English and include the following:

1. Concept of the course based on the scope of work and deliverables according to the timeline.

2. Development and implementation plan and detailed timeframe of proposed activities.

3. Budget proposal with all costs, including:

    - cost for production of 1 minute of the video;

    - cost of 1 month of technical support;

    - account fees, staff time and any associated expenses and taxes, as well as proposed payment terms.

4. A portfolio of prior relevant work/projects. The list should include the name of the organization/company, a brief description of the work performed, period of performance, references.

5. List of referents and, if possible, recommendation letters.

6. CVs for management staff who will be assigned to this project.

7. Organizations and companies are encouraged, but not required, to submit any documents that demonstrate their commitment to promoting inclusivity, diversity and sustainability through internal policies and practices.

Evaluation Criteria

●  Quality of approach demonstrated in the proposal.

●  Cost effectiveness.

●  Proposed timeline.

●  Past experience in implementation of similar projects.

●  Experience and competency of the bidder’s team.

If the execution of work to be performed by the bidder requires the hiring of subcontractors, this must be clearly stated in the proposal. NDI will not refuse a proposal based upon the use of subcontractors; however, NDI retains the right to refuse the subcontractors selected by a vendor. Please note that selected vendor(s) would be expected to use NDI’s standard contract template, a copy of which is available upon request.

The budget ceiling for this work (including travel if required) is USD $43,000.00 inclusive of all fees and taxes. Proposals are not required to reach the ceiling, and cost effectiveness will be a significant component of the proposal review process.

Bids are expected to be valid for up to 60 days from the deadline of this RFP.

SUBMISSION PROCESS AND DISCLOSURES Please submit proposals in English to NDI Ukraine at [email protected] by close of business on Sunday, April 23, 2023. Early submissions are welcomed.

Questions or expressions of interest regarding this RFP should be sent to the same email address prior April 16. Answers to submitted questions will be shared with all vendors who have expressed an interest in the RFP via email not later than April 18.

Please send the proposal with the following subject line - “Application - Competition for the development of an online course on gender equality”. NDI reserves the right to contact bidders to seek additional

information and clarifications based on the submission of proposals following the submission deadline. An online meeting to discuss the received proposals will be held only with the selected candidates.

Please refrain from sending requests or documents in response to this announcement to the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, the National Agency for Civil Service or the Ukrainian School of Governance. Communication regarding this request for services is exclusively through NDI.

NDI reserves the right to reject any and all bids. NDI reserves the right to consider bids for modification at any time before a contract is awarded. NDI should not be liable for any costs associated with the preparation, transmittal, or presentation materials submitted in response to the RFP. NDI makes no certification as to the accuracy of any item and is not responsible or liable for any reliance on or use of the information or for any claims asserted therefrom. NDI welcomes and supports a diverse, inclusive work environment.

NDI reserves the right to require any prospective contractor to enter into a non-disclosure agreement. All information provided by NDI in this RFP is subject to change at any time. Bidders must provide disclosure of any known past, present or future relationships with any parties associated with NDI. For example, bidders should disclose if a member of their Board is also a member of NDI's Board currently or in the past, or if they are affiliated (such as a board member, current/past employee or family member, volunteer, etc.) with a civil society organization that is a current, past or planned recipient of NDI funding. The bidder also certifies that the prices offered were arrived at independently and without the purpose of restricting competition with other offerers, including but not limited to subsidiaries and that prices have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed to any other offerer unless required by law. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in NDI having to re-evaluate the selection of a potential bid.

INFORMATION ABOUT NDI

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. NDI has been supporting local democratization efforts in Ukraine since 1992.

For more information about NDI, please visit: www.ndi.org/