Bid Invitation:

Monitoring Small Grants Program

Date: 26/06/2024
Service: Consultancy 
Bid currency: USD
Deadline: 10-07-2024 at 3:00 PM Sanaa time 

A.    About the Sana’a Center

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies is an independent think-tank that seeks to foster change through knowledge production with a focus on Yemen and the surrounding region. The Center’s publications and programs, offered in both Arabic and English, cover political, social, economic, and security-related developments, aiming to impact policy locally, regionally, and internationally.
Founded in 2014, the Sana’a Center is one of the few independent research centers that has continued to operate in Yemen throughout the ongoing conflict. While the Center maintains cordial relations with all key stakeholders, it has remained fiercely unaligned with any of the belligerent parties. The Sana’a Center has thus maintained a unique position in the ability to work throughout Yemen and beyond.
The Center maintains a strong network across Yemen with access to Yemeni political and security figures, tribal leaders, economists, journalists, humanitarian actors, civil society, and other key stakeholders. The Center has also established a broad network and presence within the international community, connecting it to international organizations, diplomatic circles, regional and international policymakers, research centers, and global forums. 

B.    Objective of the bid:

Overall Objective: To monitor the entire process and procedures of the small grants program from a localization point of view.

Specific Objectives

1.    To understand the efficiency and effectiveness of the grants process from a localization perspective (the process of developing the grants program, selection of grantees, grants disbursement and management process, grants management structure, challenges faced, and lessons learned)
2.    To monitor the implementation of the small grant projects by the grantee organizations from a localization perspective
3.    To identify and document lessons learned and best practices and give recommendations to design follow-up phases of similar activities in the future with a focus on localization.

C.    Background:

The Sana’a Center is currently implementing a four-year project ‘Supporting a Localized, Inclusive and Sustainable Peace in Yemen (SLISPY)’, which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project aims to enhance the localization of the peace processes, boost civilian protection, and empower youth, civil society, and women to shape peacebuilding policy. The project has two components:  the Peace Incubator (PI), which is a dynamic, collaborative platform that connects Yemeni experts with international peace actors and initiatives, and the Yemen Peace Forum (YPF), a track II youth and civil society platform that seeks to invest in building and empowering Yemeni youth, women and CSOs to bridge the gap between these groups and national and international decision-makers. 

The YPF consists of 55 members (28 youth both men and women and 27 representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs)). In February 2024, the Sana’a Center launched a small grants program to support the initiatives of CSO members of the YPF. The overall objective of the small grants program is to maximize the ability of YPF members to respond to the needs of the communities and the objectives they have set for their organizations and implement local initiatives that support peace and inclusion and thereby contribute to shaping the future of Yemen. The specific objective of this call is to build the capacity of YPF members in proposal development and grant management. The program is focused on actions that fall within the priorities identified by the YPF falling within the thematic areas of Climate Change, Women and Youth, Peacebuilding and conflict resolution, Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (HDPN), Transitional Justice, Education, and Civic Space. 
The expected duration of the actions is four months from August to November 2024.
The Sana’a Center is currently seeking to hire a Third Party to monitor the small grants program.

D. Scope:

Duration: 4 months

Scope: Monitoring the Small Grants Program of the SLISPY project documenting lessons learned and best practices and providing recommendations. 

The monitoring will seek to answer the following questions:

Objectives    Questions the monitoring will seek to answer

To understand the efficiency and effectiveness of the grants process from a localization perspective

To what extent was localization reflected in the process of developing the grants program (participation of YPF members in selecting themes for the program, alignment of the grant program with community needs)

To what extent was the grants program gender sensitive and inclusive?

What was the process of awarding the grants from the beginning till the end? Was the grant award process well-designed, competitive, transparent, and fair? Were the grantees provided any guidance and capacity building to apply for the grant program and what were the inputs provided? Was a due diligence process done for the grantees before awarding the grants?

Is the grant disbursement and management process efficient? What team structure is there in place to manage the grants program? Were there any challenges faced to disburse the grants and how were they overcome? Was the grants program timely implemented or were there any delays? What challenges were faced, and what lessons were learned in the process?

What is the feedback of the grantees regarding the application process? (Were they satisfied with the process? Did they get enough guidance regarding the application? What were the challenges faced?)

What is the feedback of the Grantees about the grant program? (Are they satisfied with the program? Did they find the thematic focus aligned with the community's needs? Was the program aligned with the organizational strategy of the grantees?)
To monitor the implementation of the small grant projects by the grantee organizations from a localization perspective

Are the small projects being implemented as per the proposal (Is the location of the activities the same and verifiable? Are the activities the same as what was proposed? Are there any discrepancies?) 

How are the projects progressing? (Are the projects progressing towards achieving their planned results and targets? Are the projects progressing as per the agreed timeline? Are there any delays?)

Were the projects efficiently implemented? What team and capacity were in place to manage the small projects? How were the projects monitored? Were the narrative and financial documentation and reporting satisfactory? 

Were the projects inclusive and gender-sensitive? How were inclusivity and gender sensitivity monitored?

Did the small grants program enhance the project management capacities of the grantees (including planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, budget management, and financial reporting)?

What is the feedback and perception of the beneficiaries about the small projects? (Were they satisfied with the organization of the activities? Did they find the activities useful? Were they relevant to the community's needs?)

To identify and document lessons learned and best practices and give recommendations to design follow-up phases of similar activities in the future with focus on localization    What worked well and should be built upon for future similar efforts in localization? What needs to be improved? What did not work well should not be continued.

E.    Methodology

The methodology will outline the strategy for addressing the assignment questions, explaining the chosen techniques and their fit with the study's design. The consultant will describe the data types, collection methods, target groups, and analysis approach. The assignment should use reliable quantitative and qualitative methodologies to evaluate key performance indicators effectively. Data collection will include document reviews, surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with various stakeholders and community groups.

The proposal should adequately address any ethical considerations and illustrate how the research will respect the principle of ‘no harm’ and standard research ethics standards.

Other requirements    

• Company/organization profile (if applicable)
• CV of consultant/s
• Technical and financial proposal

Evaluation of the proposal    

1)    70% for technical proposal 

a)    Best fit with the basic conditions (see above).
b)    Demonstrated professional competence and reliability (based on work experience, research experience, and publications).
c)    Quality of the methodology.
d)    Ability to deliver within the requested time frame.

2)    30% for financial proposal

F.    Application Process

Interested consultants/groups of consultants/consultancy firms are requested to submit a technical and financial proposal to jobs@sanaacenter.org

Note: Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview by a committee to ensure their understanding of the consultancy.