Request for Consultant: Qualitative Data Collection to support tasks under the U - Job at Results for Development in Washington, DC

Request for Consultant: Qualitative Data Collection to support tasks under the U

Washington, DC

Posted 30 days ago

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Job Description

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world - government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators - to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity-of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds-is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

1. Directions for Proposal Submission

Qualified firms are invited to submit the following documents by email to and by April 8, 2024, 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time):

* Description of abilities and experience (not to exceed 5 pages)

* Proposed approach for carrying out the necessary work (not to exceed 10 pages)

* CV of key personnel, including interviewers

* Budget

* Relevant examples of materials from previous projects

* References for the data collection firm

2. Summary of objectives

The main objective of the qualitative data collection activity is to conduct a set of interviews and focus group discussions with government, parents, teachers, low-fee private school (LFPS) proprietors, and LFPS heads in the northern, middle, and coastal regions of Ghana for the USAID Advanced Partnerships for Improved Learning Activity. There are two phases of work. The first is to collect data for a political economy analysis and Gap Analysis of the LFPS regulatory framework. The second is to collect multiple rounds of feedback from stakeholders impacted by a new set of LFPS policies developed by R4D. Feedback from stakeholders will be used to improve the draft policies being developed. This call for proposals is only for the first phase. However, the work with the data collection firm could be extended for the second phase. This is subject to the performance under phase 1 and a mutual agreement of terms.

3. General information

USAID/Advanced Partnerships for Improved Learning Activity

Advancing Partnerships for Improved Learning (APIL) is an Activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Cooperative Agreement No. 72064123CA00001, and implemented by Opportunity International and sub-awardees. It is designed to support the Government of Ghana (GoG) through the Ministry of Education (MOE) and its agencies improve student learning outcomes and financing options for low-fee private schools (LFPS) over a five-year period from 28 February 2023 to 27 February 2028.

The Activity has three intermediate results (IR):

IR 1: Improve Education Quality in low-fee private schools - with a focus on improving teaching and learning by increasing teacher certification and retention, providing access to in-service training, adopting, and adhering to the GoG curriculum in LFPS, and implementing other service-delivery improvements.
IR 2: Increase Private Sector Investment in LFPS - building the business skills of LFPS to better manage resources, promoting LFPS long-term business sustainability, expanding LFPS' access to affordable financing and blended finance to expand affordable financing at a scale needed to increase LFPS' capacity to admit and serve more children.
IR 3: Strengthen the capacity of MoE and professional networks to support LFPS - supporting capacity improvement of the MoE and related agencies and professional networks to gather, disseminate, and implement evidence-based best practices that strengthen linkages between LFPS, and supportive bodies.

Within IR 3, Results for Development (R4D) is leading:

Sub-Result 3.1, to improve the policy and regulatory framework governing LFPS, and
Sub-Result 3.2, to strengthen the capacity of MoE to monitor and oversee LFPS.

SR 3.1. Improve policy and regulatory framework governing LCPS

R4D's proposed approach to policy development builds on the policy development literature and Ghana's National Development Planning Commission (NDPC)'s Public Policy Formulation Guidelines. It has four key steps: inception, analysis, agenda setting, and evidence-based policy development.

Figure 1. Illustration of the four-step policy development process

Inception > Analysis > Agenda setting > Evidence Based Policy Development

Step one includes convening key stakeholders and agreeing on the process for policy development. Step two includes two types of analysis: a political economy analysis (PEA) to understand the current policy environment and the key motivations and incentives of stakeholders, and a gap analysis or diagnosis of the LFPS sub-sector. Combined, these two types of analyses will help identify the areas that require improvement and outline a pathway to achieving the policy reform. Findings from the PEA and the gap analysis will inform step 3, where the specific regulations for improvement are defined and the approach to policy development are finalized. Finally, the LFPS policies will be drafted and improved through a cycle of simulation tests in phase 4. This involves conducting focus group discussion and interviews to understand what impact the draft policy would have on stakeholders were it to be implemented.

Context for engagement

R4D wishes to contract a firm to collect qualitative data as part of Step 2, the analysis phase, of the policy development process. The qualitative data collected will inform both the PEA and the Gap Analysis. The qualitative data collection will take place in May 2024. The firm will initially be hired to carry out interviews and focus group discussion for Step 2, but the contract could be extended to carry out further data collection efforts, subject to mutual agreement, as part of the Evidence-based policy development (step 4) phase. This call for proposals is only for the data collection activities for Step 2, the PEA and Gap Analysis.
R4D will provide the sampling plan and initial versions of the protocols. The firm will be responsible for all other components of qualitative data collection following R4D protocols, including, but not limited to: training, participant outreach and field plan; conducting interviews and/or focus groups; and submission of transcripts and raw files. This work will require travel to several locations in urban and rural areas of Ghana.

Scope of Work of the Research Assistant/Data Collection Firm

Objectives

The data collection firm (hereby referred to as Contractor) will be tasked to support the following objectives:

To support the R4D research team in collecting high-quality qualitative data through key informant interviews and focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders in the LCPS sub-sector.
To ensure that the data collection process is conducted efficiently, ethically, and in line with the research protocols and guidelines developed by R4D.
To contribute to the overall success of the PEA and the Gap Analysis by providing accurate and comprehensive data that will inform the analysis and recommendations for improving the policy and regulatory framework governing LCPS in Ghana.

Responsibilities

The contractor will undertake the following activities:

Support the R4D research team in conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders.
Assist in identifying and recruiting suitable participants for the interviews and focus group discussions based on the sampling strategy provided by R4D.
Schedule and coordinate interviews and focus group discussions on collaboration with the R4D research team.
Conduct interviews and facilitate focus group discussions using the protocols and guides developed by R4D.
Transcribe and translate (if necessary) the collected data from local languages to English.
Maintain accurate records of the collected data, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
Provide regular updates to the R4D research team on the progress of data collection.

Research questions

The policy development process includes two major analyses: the political economy analysis (PEA) and the Gap Analysis.
A critical step to policy development is to understand the policy environment governing LFPS. This is achieved through a political economy analysis (PEA) that will explore the "lay of the land" and the factors enabling and hindering the development of a supportive ecosystem. The PEA looks at the incentives and constraints that dominate the current context and identifies opportunities for change and reform. This requires a deep understanding of the politics at work, the incentives, and the formal and informal power structures.

The PEA will answer three critical questions:

What is the current policy environment in which LFPS operate? (Structural and contextual, Finance, Laws and regulations, Stakeholders, Power relations and governance, Partnerships and coalitions, National/ sub-national relations)

What factors have led to the current policy environment? (Historical legacy, Ideologies, religion, culture, and values

What is a plausible pathway to change the policy environment? (The big incentives for change, areas of overlap or opportunities to changing the policy environment and contextual factors posing risks to current or future programs and activities)

The analysis phase also includes a Gap analysis to identify the areas for improvement. The gap analysis will explore areas such as availability and quality of teaching and learning materials, teacher skills and motivation, institutional leaderships, community engagement, and infrastructure and learning environment. The analysis will also look at the gaps in the current policy environment and identify the key areas of focus for policy development

It will be driven by two key research questions:

To what extent are current policies that govern LFPS fit for purpose?
What areas do LFPS need more guidance and support from government?

In answering these research questions, the Gap Analysis will investigate an analysis of existing policies, how they are currently been implemented, and what are the challenges of implementing the policies. It will also analyze the overall LFPS performance and diagnose areas for improvement and increased support from the government.

Data sources and sample

R4D will engage the services of research assistants or data collection firm who conduct semi-structured key informant interview and focus group discussions with key stakeholders from the Ministry of Education Ghana Education Serices (GES), University for Development Studies (UDS), LCPS Proprietors and School Heads, LFPS Teachers, and Parents. The below table provides a tentative sample of stakeholders. Interested firms are encouraged to prepare a budget based on the below sample. Please note that this sample may change pending feedback from Government and project partners.

Respondent, Data source, Sample size

May 2024
GES - Interviews - 15 Regional Directors (5 in north, 5 in middle, and 5 in the coastal region)
University for Development Studies (UDS) - Interviews - 1 individual, Director based in Tamale
LFPS Proprietors - Interviews - 30 proprietors of 30 different LFPS (10 from the North, 10 from middle, and 10 from the coastal region)
LFPS School Heads - Interviews - 30 proprietors of 30 different LFPS (10 from the North, 10 from middle, and 10 from the coastal region)
Teachers - Focus groups or interviews - Focus groups or interviews with a random sample of primary teachers in the 30 schools (probably 2 to 3 teachers per school)
Parents of LFPS - Interviews - Up to 30 individuals representing the student's parent or guardian

Detailed description of tasks and deliverables

Task 1. Orientation and work plan development

The contractor must:

Become familiar with the USAID/Advancing Partnership for Improved Learning Activity as well as the objectives and expected results of the SR 3.1.
Become familiar with the Political Economy Analysis and Gap Analysis design and review all relevant reference materials (provided by R4D).
Meet with R4D to discuss respondent selection with Opportunity International, protocol content, note taking and transcription requirements to meet the needs of the project.
Prepare a draft data collection plan, with a work plan and timetable covering all planning, preparation, implementation and reporting. The data collection work plan will include, at a minimum, the following elements:
Description of interviewer profiles and how they were hired
Staff responsible for different activities
Communication plan for providing progress on field activities
Description of proposed methodology for identifying parents of selected LFPS
Methods for conducting interviews and focus group discussion (note taking guidance, how to ask questions, dealing with non-responsive participants, etc.)
Data quality assurance protocol (how to maintain data quality, highlighting all measures to be taken to ensure the quality and completeness of data collected in data collection)
How to store, protect and destroy data according to ethical standards

Deliverable: The draft data collection plan will be submitted to R4D for review.

Task 2: Train the data collection team

The contractor will hire and conduct a training of interviewers with support from R4D. The firm will be expected to provide logistics for the training.

Following discussion with R4D, the firm will determine whether to host in-person or virtual trainings. Regardless, the firm is expected to provide the logistics (physical venue if in-person, online link if virtual) and organization for the training

Task 3: Collect data

Fully implement the agreed data collection plan
Provide daily updates to the R4D team on the status of data collection
Coordinate with all appropriate parties during implementation. For example, the Contractor will need to coordinate with Opportunity International, GES Regional Directors, and LFPS proprietors ahead of the school visits and interviews with stakeholders.

Task 4: Data collection completion report

The Contractor will promptly provide recordings of all focus groups and interviews, and raw data (transcriptions) to R4D for review and comment.

A final report will be presented at the end of data collection. It will include:

A summary of activities
Steps taken to ensure credibility, reliability and validity, and a detailed description of the context to facilitate judgment of transferability.
Difficulties, questions and problems
Actions taken to resolve problems and issues
A summary of quality control efforts
A summary of adjustments made to the work plan during data collection and the reasons for them (if any).
Lessons learned
All information shared in weekly reports during the data collection process
An appendix of field notes (digitized or electronic)

Deliverables: Original recordings (in an electronic format such as WAV or MP3), transcriptions of the interviews, and a final report.

Supervision

The contractor will work closely with the R4D Senior Fellow, who will provide guidance and oversight throughout the engagement. The Contractor will be managed and report to the Associate Director.

Timeline and payment structure
The contract will run from April 15, 2024, to June 30, 2024.
The contract will be a firm fixed price. This is a performance-based contract where the parties agree on a fixed price for the work to be performed. Payments will be tied to the deliverables and paid on confirmation of work delivered, or partial payments may be issued by defined periodic payment schedule for larger projects, contingent on progress reports from the contractor. Below is a tentative payment schedule.

Task number, Deliverables and Payment amount

(% of contract value)

1 - Draft data collection plan - 30%
4 - Original recordings (in an electronic format such as WAV or MP3), transcriptions of the interviews, and a final report - 70%

Evaluation criteria

R4D will evaluate all proposals and reserves the right to select the offer presenting the best quality/price ratio.

Criterion, sub-criterion and scoring point for the evaluation of technical proposals.

Criteria and sub-criteria and Points

1 - Organizational capacity and experience of the contractor

Proven organizational capacity and relevant experience in the execution of projects of a similar nature, including the scale of relevant contracts, as well as work in progress and contractually committed. Evidence includes successful experience in qualitative data collection of similar nature.
R4D reserves the right to contact references and other sources to verify references and past performance.
Organizational capacity - 15
Experience collecting qualitative data - 15
Total points for this criterion - 30

2 - Approach, methodology and work plan

Proposed approach/methodology - 25
Proposal for project organization, logistics and staffing - 15
Examples of training materials from previous projects - 10
Total points for this criterion - 50

3 - Staff composition

Leader - 10
Interviewers - 20
Total points for this criterion - 30
Total points for the three (3) criteria - 100

Results for Development is an EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering

and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.

Job Summary

Company

Results for Development

Start Date

As soon as possible

Employment Term and Type

Regular, Full Time

Required Experience

Open