Comprehensive Assessment and Recommendation of a Framework to Increase Access, Affordability... Tender

Procurement Summary

Country : Lebanon

Summary : Comprehensive Assessment and Recommendation of a Framework to Increase Access, Affordability of Quality Childcare Services and Promote the Business Case for Employer-Supported Childcare

Deadline : 20 Apr 2020

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 42047709

Document Ref. No. : 1267803

Competition : ICB

Financier : Other Funding Agencies

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : THE WORLD BANK GROUP
Attn; Zeina El Khalil Bourie House 119, Abdallah Bayhum Street Marfaa - Solidere Tel: + 961 1 963438
Lebanon
Email :zelkhalil@worldbank.org

Tender Details

Expression of Interest are invited for Comprehensive Assessment and Recommendation of a Framework to Increase Access, Affordability of Quality Childcare Services and Promote the Business Case for Employer-Supported Childcare.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR SELECTION # 1267803

This Request for Expression of Interest is for a Firm Selection. Please log in as a valid Firm User if you wish to express interest in this selection.

Selection Information

Assignment Title

Comprehensive assessment and recommendation of a framework to increase access, affordability of quality childcare services and promote the business case for employer-supported childcare

Publication Date

03-Apr-2020

Expression of Interest Deadline

20-Apr-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time - Washington D.C.)

Language of Notice

English

Selection Notice

Assignment Country

· LB - Lebanon

Funding Sources

The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment/services under:

· BB - BANK BUDGET

· TF0B1663 - LEB/MGF - Women`s Economic Opportunities

Individual/Firm

The consultant will be a firm.

Assignment Description

The Bank wishes to recruit a for-profit firm or a non-governmental organization (a consortium of firms/organizations/academic institution can also apply) to develop a comprehensive assessment and, subsequently, provide recommendations for a proposed framework that would aim increase access, affordability and quality of Lebanon`s childcare services as an enabler for womens participation in the work force, and promote the business case for employer-supported childcare in the country (hereafter Assignment)

Attachments

· Optional TOR File

Qualification Criteria

· 1. Provide information showing that they are qualified in the field of the assignment. *

· 2. Provide information on the technical and managerial capabilities of the firm. *

· 3. Provide information on their core business and years in business. *

· 4. Provide information on the qualifications of key staff. *


TERMS OF REFERENCE
LEBANON - Mashreq Gender Facility
Comprehensive assessment and recommendation of a framework to increase access, affordability of quality childcare services and promote the business case for employer-supported childcare
Mixed-Methods Study
April 1, 2020

I. Brief Background

Gender equality is smart economics, contributing to poverty reduction, strengthening resilience and boosting shared prosperity. Empowering women and girls have an intrinsic value and is instrumental to achieve more inclusive institutions, sound policies, and effective development outcomes. In Lebanon, important gains have been made in women-s access to education and health, but persistent challenges remain in the areas of women-s economic opportunities, voice and agency.

Women in Lebanon face poor labor market outcomes, and even when they do enter the labor force, they experience worse labor market outcomes compared to men. Female labor force participation (FLFP) is very low, especially for those aged 35-45. Only 22 percent of working-age women are active, making them more than 3 times less likely to participate in the labor force compared to men, 70 percent of whom are active . Participation rates are bell-curved for both women and men. It is low amongst youth with 20 percent amongst women and 40 percent for men, then increases to 40 percent for women and nearly 90 percent for men amongst individuals aged 25-34. However, while labor force participation rate of women aged 35-45 decreases drastically back to 20 percent, that of their male peers remains very high at around 90 percent before declining to 47 percent for men above 45 years of age. Women in Lebanon are twice as likely to be unemployed, have lower returns to work in terms of wages and profit, and they suffer from worse working conditions compared to men . Their work is often invisible: unpaid and unmeasured. Women performing informal work are also generally recorded as “inactive” . The contribution of women to family work in agriculture is also expected to be both under-measured and unremunerated .

One of the main impediments of women economic participation is the lack of access to affordable, convenient and high-quality childcare. In a qualitative assessment conducted by the World Bank Group with 32 focus groups of women and men throughout the country, lack of access to childcare was one of the most cited challenge and obstacle. Although some childcare facilities exist, they are usually costly, far, inconvenient opening hours, or of low quality and informal without proper security and safety measures. Social norms also play an important role as caring for children and the household is perceived by society to be women-s primary role.

The social and reproductive roles of women, including an unequal division of labor at home and lack of affordable childcare solutions reinforce women-s decision to exclude themselves from economic activity. Women spend more time on unpaid care work than they spend on paid jobs, which limits their opportunities for career development and economic inclusion. Working women who become mothers are more likely to stop working. Even when women work, they spend more time on unpaid work which limits their ability to increase paid hours. In the case of educated women, this results in a lost investment. The burden of unpaid work also contributes to the gender wage gap and women-s poverty rates, especially in old age. By helping to bridge the gap between motherhood and employment, improved access to childcare services can stimulate women-s labor force participation. Studies find that in economies where the government provides public childcare or subsidizes private childcare services, women are more likely to report received wages. In the case of educated women, retaining women workers after motherhood helps the government recoup its investment. Finally, increasing women-s access to formal care services can also stimulate growth in the care sector, which can lead to more formal employment opportunities, often for women.

To respond to the challenge of low FLFP, the Government of Lebanon (GoL) launched in January 2019, a national Women Economic Empowerment Action Plan (WEEAP). The GoL, through its WEEAP, has set the ambitious goal of increasing FLFP rate by 5 percentage points in 5 years by setting key priorities to create an enabling environment and increase women-s access to opportunities. The National Commission For Lebanese Women (NCLW) is leading the efforts to operationalize the WEEAP. To this end, the GoL has developed a work plan for the period September 2019 to December 2020, that is financed by the Mashreq Gender Facility (MGF). The MGF aims to provide technical assistance to the Mashreq countries (Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon) to enhance women-s economic opportunities as a catalyst towards more inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful societies, where economic growth benefits all. Through collaboration with private sector, civil society and development partners, the Facility supports government-led efforts, country level priorities and strategic regional activities that: (i) Strengthen the enabling environment for relevant stakeholders to effectively identify and address constraints to women-s economic participation; and, (b) Improve women-s access to economic opportunities.

The Bank wishes to recruit a for-profit firm or a non-governmental organization (a consortium of firms/organizations/academic institution can also apply) to develop a comprehensive assessment and, subsequently, provide recommendations for a proposed framework that would aim increase access, affordability and quality of Lebanon`s childcare services as an enabler for women-s participation in the work force, and promote the business case for employer-supported childcare in the country (hereafter “Assignment”).

II. Objective of this Assignment

The objective of this Assignment is: (i) to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the childcare economy in Lebanon; and, (ii) subsequently, based on the results of this assessment, to provide recommendations for a proposed framework that would have the objective of increasing access, affordability and quality of Lebanon`s childcare services as an enabler for women-s participation in the work force, and promote the business case for employer-supported childcare in the country.

The primary objective of childcare is to keep children safe while parents are working. Quality childcare should be stimulating and engaging and provide children with opportunities to learn. A distinction should be made between services provided to children under the age of 3 and those provided for children between the ages of 3 and 6 (for the latter, more of pre-school services, the primary objective is to prepare children for primary school by supporting their cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development).

The aim of this proposed TOR is to assess the status of childcare services in Lebanon, particularly from the angle of legislation, quality, affordability, accessibility and sufficiency of such supply as well as assess the demand for such services. As a result, a gap analysis could be undertaken.


III. Scope of Work

The Assignment implies a mixed-methods study on supply and demand for care services. The assessment will include the following seven specific complementary tasks:
1. Mapping of childcare services: The objective of this subtask is to map the availability and capacity of existing childcare services nationwide (public/private, formal/informal, community-based, home-based, provided by employer, etc.), in relation with the potential demand (i.e. estimated number of children, amongst other indicators). This mapping will also lay out any distinction made for the provision of childcare services depending on ch

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