Lrfp- 2017- 9136244 united nations children-s fund Tender - 18495824

Procurement Summary

Country: Uzbekistan

Summary: Lrfp- 2017- 9136244 united nations children-s fund (unicef) wishes to invite you to submit a proposal consultancy services of an international institution to design and carry out a nation-wide study

Deadline: 05 Dec 2017

Posting Date: 23 Nov 2017

Other Information

Notice Type: Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 18495824

Document Ref. No.: LRFP- 2017- 9136244

Competition: ICB

Financier: United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership: -

Tender Value: Refer Document

CPV Classification

75100000 - Administration services

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Tender Details

LRFP- 2017- 9136244 UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN-S FUND (UNICEF) wishes to invite you to submit a proposal consultancy services of an international institution to design and carry out a nation-wide study
Deadline: 05-Dec-2017 18:00
Time zone: (GMT 5.00) Ekaterinburg, Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent
Description:

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN-S FUND (UNICEF) wishes to invite you to submit a proposal consultancy services of an international institution to design and carry out a nation-wide study on the profiles of children with low learning levels
Sealed Proposals should be sent to:
UNICEF Uzbekistan
LRFP- 2017- 9136244
16 Sh. Rashidov Street, Tashkent 100129
Business Center Poytakht
Or in non-editable format, for example secure PDF format
to email address: [email protected]
IMPORTANT - ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
The reference LRFP-2017- 9136244 must be shown on the envelope containing the Technical Proposal and on the envelope containing the Price Proposal, as well as on the outer packaging containing both envelopes.
The bid form, as given below, must be used when replying to this request for proposal.
The Proposals MUST be received at the above address by latest 18:00 on December 05, 2017. Due to the nature of this RFP, there will be no public opening of proposals.

PURPOSE OF THE RFP
The purpose of this assignment is to support MOPE: (i) to identify the characteristics of children with low learning levels through designing and carrying out a learning achievement study; and (ii) to identify factors that enable better learning as well as factors creating barriers to learning among children.
Background:
Uzbekistan, a lower-middle income country in Central Asia, has been successful in ensuring universal access to all children at primary and secondary stages of education. However, ensuring “quality learning for all” remain a challenge in the country. There is very limited information on “what students know” and “what they can do” with the education imparted to them in schools in the country. Paucity of robust data and analysis restrict generating evidence-based and contextual policies and programmes to reform education sector quality or providing for addressing gaps in education inputs and processes. There are two main challenges that restrict one from making inferences on the quality of education in Uzbekistan: (a) paucity of data on students- learning outcomes and its determinants; and (b) quality of available information from examinations.
The Government of Uzbekistan has been increasingly focusing on major education reforms, such as expanding preschool education and improving quality of general secondary education, as described in the “Strategy of Actions for the Development of Uzbekistan for 2017-21”. The government is also in the process of revising the existing Law on Education. The general secondary education has been extended from 9 years to 11 years of study. The Ministry of Public Education (MOPE) is in the process of developing competency based curriculum. The new Education Sector Plan[1] to be prepared will be placing a greater emphasis on the quality of education at all levels, and will be focusing on improving educational processes and outcomes.
As a signatory to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Uzbekistan is also responsible for achieving the targets for the education goal - “by 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal 4 effective learning outcomes”. Considering that improving learning achievement is both a global and national priority, UNICEF has been providing technical support to various activities aimed at improving quality of education in the country. UNICEF has supported the development of the National Quality Education Conceptual Framework and the development of a quality monitoring system. UNICEF is currently supporting the MOPE in reforming curriculum, based on competency frameworks. Extending the ongoing activities that UNICEF is supporting to improving quality of education is the present study aimed at understanding “what students know” and “how they do” and the factors influencing learning among children.
In Uzbekistan, there are assessments conducted by the government (covering grades 4-9). However, these assessments at its best provides information on the average scores achieved by the students. For example, the latest available official learning assessment data from the Ministry of Public Education (MOPE, 2013) shows that only 63.4 percent of the tested students were able to meet the minimum standards set by the government for learning, with huge variations across regions and over the years[2]. However, the information available is not sufficient to understand the “health” of system quality. To understand why some children or a large proportion of children are not learning, it is important to collect information on various parameters as outlined in the UNESCO (2005) Framework[3]:

Learner characteristics [family and socio-economic background, school readiness, aptitude, barriers to learning etc.];

Teaching and learning process [learning time, pedagogical methods, incentives, etc.]; and

Enabling school inputs [teaching learning materials, physical infrastructure, human resources at school, school governance etc.].
This study focuses on the not only on the learning levels, but also on the factors that enable better learning as well as factors creating barriers to learning in Uzbekistan.
Purpose of the study:
The purpose of this assignment is to support MOPE: (i) to identify the characteristics of children with low learning levels through designing and carrying out a learning achievement study; and (ii) to identify factors that enable better learning as well as factors creating barriers to learning among children.
Objectives of the study/research:
The objectives of the consultancy are:

to design a study to profile the characteristics of children with low learning levels and identify the pertinent determinants in Uzbekistan;

support the local agency through training on data collection and regular guidance on the data collection from a representative sample of schools;

analyze data and prepare report on the learning levels among children and factors that facilitate learning as well as those which hinder children-s potential to learn; and

Provide recommendations on what and how to improve delivery of various education inputs and activities/services to enhance learning among children.
Scope, focus of study/research and Methodology:
Learning assessments aimed at understanding the causal factors generally seek answers to one or more of the following questions[4]:

How well are students learning in the education system (with reference to general expectations, aims of the curriculum, preparation for further learning, or preparation for life)? Does evidence indicate particular strengths and weaknesses in students- knowledge and skills?

Do particular subgroups in the population perform poorly? Do disparities exist, for example, between the achievements of (a) boys and girls, (b) students in urban and rural locations, (c) students from different language / ethnic groups, or (d) students in different regions of the country?

What factors are associated with student achievement? To what extent does achievement vary with characteristics of the learning environment (for example, school resources, teacher preparation and competence, and type of school) or with students- home and community circumstances?; and

Are government standards being met in the provision of resources (for example, textbooks, teacher qualifications, and other quality inputs)?
The present study too seeks to address similar questions and intend to use the study to: (a) determine the level of students- learning levels in Uzbekistan; (b) analyze variations in students- learning levels by region, gender, location, and other socio-economic and family characteristics; (c) explore factors that influence students- learning levels at secondary education; (d) create a reliable baseline data for any future learning assessment studies; and (d) generate recommendations for policy making to improve educational quality.
The study will be conducted on a nation-wide sample and consists of collecting both quantitative and qualitative information. The International consultant will develop detailed methodology for the study in collaboration with the UNICEF team and in consultation with MOPE and various other stakeholders.
Specific activities for this position are as follows:
Task 1: Preparation: Setting the stage

Preparing a case for learning achievement study: The Consultant is expected to prepare a detailed case for how studies on the level and determinants of students- learning levels can inform: (i) ongoing reforms in education quality; and (ii) planning education inputs and activities. The consultant is expected to do this by showcasing international best practices, as to how countries used learning achievement studies to reform their education sector.

Obtain stakeholder consensus on the use of the results from a nationally representative learning assessment for policy reforms: Make presentations to the Ministries of Public Education, Preschool Education and Higher and Specialised Secondary Education and other stakeholders through a workshop.

Lead overall planning, scheduling and arrangement of key tasks to design and carry out learning assessment study in Uzbekistan, including development of a terms of reference for engaging a local survey firm for conducting the tests and collecting data.
Task 2: Designing and development/adaptation of learning assessment

Develop an overall framework for the study: In consultation with the UNICEF team, Ministry of Public Education and other stakeholders (including teachers, curriculum specialists etc.), develop an overall framework for the study.

Determine the coverage of the study: In consultation with UNICEF team, MOPE and other key stakeholders, agree on the: (a) Policy domains to be addressed in the learning assessment; the population to be assessed (such as the grades or stages of education); and areas of competency / curricular achievement /content and cognitive skills to be assessed (for example, literacy or numeracy).

Develop or adapt learning assessment test items and supporting documents: The Consultant will, after extensive discussions with the stakeholders, will develop test questions (and items) or adapt and contextualize the same from established and validated international assessment tools, ensuring curriculum appropriateness. The consultant will also take lead in developing other tools and questionnaires to gather information on the schools, teachers, classroom practices and students- family and socio-economic background information.

Finalize all the study tools and questionnaires after the field testing (by trained field investigators)
Task 3: Procedures for Study administration, scoring and data capture

Develop clear administration protocol: The Consultant will develop study administration protocols and manuals.

Develop scoring guidelines and system for data entry: The consultant will prepare scoring guidelines to various questions (for example, the test items, qualitative questions in supporting tools etc.). The consultant will guide the data collection team in terms of data collection format (paper-pencil or electronic data collection, etc.)
Task 4: Provide training to field investigators

Prepare manuals for training the field investigators:

Supervise the overall training of field investigators who will be hired by the local survey firm (to be separately procured under the project) and provide hands-on training on specific aspects of data collection.

Pre-test and revise the instruments: The Consultants, along with field investigators, will carry out field testing to ensure relevance, validity and reliability of the tools developed and revise the instruments and finalize them.
Task 5: Monitoring of full data collection

Laisse with the local research agency to ensure that the progress of data collection in an efficient and timely manner;

Verify data collected periodically to check if the study was properly conducted and information collected by questionnaires were accurate.

Provide regular support and feedback to the teams collecting data to ensure quality.
Task 6: Analysis and report writing

The Consultant will develop an analytical framework, mainly drawn from the National Quality Conceptual Framework, detailing out how research questions will be analysed.

Carry out tabulation, analysis and prepare a report based on the results;

Prepare a set of recommendations and way forward.
Ethical Considerations:
The Consultants are expected to adhere to the UNICEF procedure for ethical standards in research, evaluation, data collection and analysis. Ethical considerations will be part of all research activities and products. All staff of the international institution directly involved in designing the research methodology and tools will have to complete the online training on Ethics provided by UNICEF. To ensure that the key ethical principles for the conduct of studies involving human subjects are followed, especially for primary data collection, each potential respondent will be given full information about the study including the purpose and potential benefits of the study, their rights, and how the information collected will be used. Written consent will be obtained from all those who agree to participate. All participants will be informed of their right to discontinue their participation at any point. Approaches for ensuring confidentiality will be described to all potential participants.
Timeline & Deliverables:
All the deliverables are expected to be accomplished within 100 working days in the period of January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.
#
Tasks
Expected Deliverables
Estimated Timeframe
1
Introduction discussions with UNICEF commissioning team and preparation of a case for studying students- learning outcomes and its determinants can inform policies and programmes for improving education quality in Uzbekistan.
Minutes of the desk review explaining the decisions and agreements reached; A presentation with evidences to support the efficacy of doing a learning assessment study.
10 working days
2
Visit to Uzbekistan to present the case to the MOPE and other stakeholders; field visit and assessment of the ground situation; develop a draft inception report, and development of study tools: study protocol, including methodology, sample size calculations and design, description of data collection and data entry/analysis processes, list of indicators, questionnaires and other relevant tools for conducting the learning assessment study; also, develop a TOR for engaging with the local research agency to do the field work and establishing the modality of supervision (distant and onsite).
Draft Inception report, with study protocols, methodology, sampling framework, analytical framework, indicators and questionnaires drafted
25 working days
3
Finalize draft inception report based on feedback provided by the national partners and UNICEF.
Inception report and all relevant tools finalized and approved by UNICEF and partners
10 working days
4
Provide training to field investigators and technical inputs to the pre-test of research tools.
Development of training materials (presentations, handouts, interviewers- manuals etc.) and agenda of the training.
Training and pre-test conducted.
10 working days
5
Provide oversight to the field work, and feedback for course correction in case of challenges).
Summary notes on the issues faced during the survey by the firm, technical inputs and oversight provided, and the details of data collection.
15 days spanning over 3 months
6
Analyze the collected data and develop the draft study report and recommendations, with qualitative and quantitative information.
The draft findings of the study
20 working days
7
Develop the final study report and recommendations, with qualitative and quantitative information, based on the feedback provided by national partners and UNICEF.
The final study report endorsed by UNICEF and partners.
10 working days
Management:
The consultancy will report to and work under the direct supervision of UNICEF Uzbekistan Chief of Education. UNICEF Uzbekistan Education Officer is the main focal point and liaison between the consultancy, UNICEF and its partners, mainly the Ministry of Public Education and the Local Research Agency. The consultancy will be working closely with the Republican Education Centre, particularly with their monitoring department. All outputs of this TOR are subject for the review of UNICEF Education Officer and M&E Officer as well as the MOPE Main Department in charge of organization of educational process in general secondary schools. Stakeholder consultations and Round Table to discuss the results of the study and recommendations for improving the Learning Outcomes will be organized jointly by UNICEF and the MOPE.
Resource requirements:
Estimated budget of the consultancy is 80, 000 USD. The final budget will be determined after the proposal from the company is finalized and the company is selected.
The consultancy will be paid by bank transfer and upon acceptance of deliverables in accordance with the following payment schedule:
15% upon provision of the inception report approved by UNICEF;
35% upon provision of draft study report approved by UNICEF;
50% upon provision of the final report approved by UNICEF.
Required qualifications and areas of expertise
The team leader knowledge/experience required:

Advanced university degree (Master-s or PhD) in Social Sciences, preferably in education or other relevant disciplines, verified through CV;

At least 8-10 years of proven experience in conducting research and surveys, analyzing education and social statistics related to education, verified through the CV;

Experience in conducting and analyzing any International Students assessment like PISA, PIRLSS, TIMSS and /or others will be an added advantage, verified through the CV;

Proven experience in the design of samples for household surveys, verified through the CV and previous experience;

Relevant international experience, as well as knowledge and experience of work in the CIS or Central Asia is an advantage, verified through the CV;

Fluency in English with excellent writing skills, knowledge of Russian would be an advantage, verified through CV and/or Interview.
The Team Leader is responsible for:
- Overall coordination and management of the consultancy;
- Ensuring that all the activities are conducted as specified in the TOR;
- Ensuring that all deliverables are submitted on time as per the TOR;
The team members- knowledge/experience required:

University degree in Education or Social Sciences with at least 5 years of professional experience in the field of educational programs and their monitoring, verified by records of work experience in CV;

Proven experience in the design of samples for education surveys and studies, verified through records of work experience in CV;

Good analytical and report writing skills, verified by examination of evidence from deliverables of previous assignments and through reference checks;

Relevant international experience, knowledge and experience of work in the CIS or Central Asia is an advantage; Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English, knowledge of Russian would be an advantage, verified through the interview;
Procedures and Working Conditions
UNICEF will reserve copyright of all deliverables and products and developed materials and they cannot be published or disseminated by consultant without prior written permission of UNICEF. UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.
UNICEF undertakes no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultancy on payments made under this contract.
The assignment will be performed partly as home-based and partly in Uzbekistan. There shall be several travels to Uzbekistan, the exact number and lengths of which will be further identified at the beginning of the process. All travel(s) will be arranged by the consultancy and included into the price proposal.
The Consultancy is responsible for obtaining entry visa to Uzbekistan, however, UNICEF, within its means, shall facilitate the process. The Consultancy is responsible for arranging their accommodation, however, UNICEF shall extend administrative/logistical support to facilitate this.
The proposal from interested institutions should include the following:
1. Technical proposal (2-pages on the methodology, sample size and expanding the areas of inquiry; and CVs of the suggested team members);
2. Financial proposal (in US Dollars).
Reservations
UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverable(s) incomplete, not finalized or for failure to meet deadlines. UNICEF will reserve copy right of all developed materials and own primary data collected through this assignment. The materials cannot be published or disseminated without prior written permission of UNICEF. UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future. The contractor must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.
[1] The current Education Sector Plan covers the period 2013-17 and will be expiring by the end of this year.
[2] Government of Uzbekistan, Education Sector Plan for 2013-2017: "Education - Foundation for the Future", 30 August 2013.
[3] UNESCO. 2005. EFA Global Monitoring Report, page 36
[4] Greaney, Vincent and Thomas Kelleghan. 2008. Assessing National Achievement Levels in Education, The World Bank
UNSPSC:

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86000000 - Education and Training Services

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Translated Title: LRFP- 2017- 9136244 UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN-S FUND (UNICEF) wishes to invite you to submit a proposal consultancy services of an international institution to design and carry out a nation-wide study
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