Request for Proposal Prequalification of Creative Individuals

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit organization that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting. And we’re using technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning and her livelihood.

Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

What We Do

Yegna, Girl Effect’s branded multi-media platform established in Ethiopia in 2014, focuses on empowering adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) through fun, factual, and fictional content that uses role-modeling and storytelling to inspire them to think and behave differently. 

Meaning “Ours” in Amharic, Yegna brings young people together to overcome life’s challenges and realize their ambitions. Our platform comprises a national TV drama, music, digital and social media channels, and club activities. All our content is research-driven and co-designed with our audience. Testing, tracking and learning are critical to our design process. We aim for our content to be authentic, relevant, relatable to our audiences, and as engaging as possible.

The Scope

Girl Effect Ethiopia is in the process of identifying Creative and production Partners who will support and shape the production and growth of our content in Ethiopia over the next two years. To support our current and future programming at Girl Effect Ethiopia, we need to be agile in collaborating with multiple experts who can use our expertise in social and behavior change communication as a springboard for creating compelling and engaging content for young audiences.

Over the next two years, Girl Effect aims to generate innovative and scalable digital campaigns and conversations to support adolescent girls and young mothers during a period of unprecedented global upheaval. 

These campaigns will leverage and supplement the growing momentum and conversation around ‘vaccines’ in the wake of COVID-19 by engaging and empowering adolescent girls and young mothers with communication to tackle internal barriers to HPV vaccine confidence and myth resistance, and build them up to become enthusiastic adopters and ambassadors of HPV vaccine.

We want to create a roster of known creative individuals we have vetted and can call upon when relevant and aligned projects arise at Girl Effect Ethiopia. We would like to work with 

• Copywriter- for story development and scripting for TV drama, script of radio content and content development for school program, and script writing for 60-sec PSA
• Graphic Designer- to design promotional materials for print e.g. Posters, Brochures, Flyers, and communication materials for on-ground activities
• Illustrator- to design content across a variety of media but not limited to explainer videos
• Translation Service - Translating documents from English to Somali and Amharic Language and vice versa

If you work in the creative industry and are passionate about unlocking the power of girls,  then we would like to work with you. 

We believe that building steady creative partnerships will reduce the time spent on administrative processes such as agency identification, onboarding, and due diligence, giving us all more time to focus on building great products and great content. 

How will it work? 

We do not expect one applicant to fulfill all our criteria, but we welcome applications from individuals who can help us understand how their experience, knowledge, and skills could enable us to reach our objectives around unlocking change for young people through media and tech.

We are extending the opportunity for you to potentially join our Create roster on a retainer contract for one to two years, with agreed-upon rates. This positions you to become an integral part of the team, playing a crucial role in creating a better world for girls.

IMPORTANT: Please ensure you send in your submissions and register using this link. Consultants must be available from June 2024 and be able to jump onto projects with a lead time of no more than 2 weeks. The Girl Effect team will provide a clear brief for pieces of work based on an agreed-upon template, for which the vendor will propose the number of days required for completion. We will be using Asana to keep track of all activities and would need the vendor also to be able to update progress as per the set-up activities. 

What we value

• Alignment with our mission and commitment to empowering adolescent girls
• An understanding of and (ideally lived) experience in the countries we work in
• Empathy, curiosity and excellent communication skills
• The ability to really listen to our needs and drive to strive for the best solutions
• A supportive mindset to help our teams and partners develop their skills and knowledge
• Openness and honesty about where we could improve 
• Portfolio of work demonstrating experience working on projects targeting youth and possibly health outcomes

Who you are

Skills and expertise:

• You are based in Ethiopia. 
• Strong language skills in speaking, writing, presenting and reading in Amharic and English.
• Experience creating health-related content/Behavior change content production in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Economic Empowerment would be a massive bonus.
• Demonstrate a strong sense of creativity and ability to generate fresh ideas and innovative content that captivate girls and women.

• Effective organization and project management skills to ensure smooth task execution, meet deadlines, and coordinate with team members.

• Strong sense of photographic and illustrated poster design, creative storytelling, art direction, user experience, motion, and marketing, and possess ideation skills that stretch across various communication media.
• Ability to work well in a team, collaborate with others, and effectively communicate ideas and feedback in a collaborative media production environment.

• Strong attention to detail to ensure accurate execution and high-quality output in media production projects.

• Up-to-date knowledge and ability to write a compelling narrative/design content that engages the audience and serves the project's vision in accordance with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in media and production to deliver cutting-edge work. 
• Clear and effective communication, both written and verbal, to convey ideas, instructions, and feedback to team members, girls, and young women.
• Someone who enjoys media & design and exploring content through products like Digital, Print, Broadcast, Communities, Blogs, etc.
• Basic safeguarding and digital safeguarding knowledge are a plus.
• Familiarity with tools such as Google Suit, Asana, and Slack is a bonus.

Requirements:  

• At least 3+ years relevant work experience in your field of work. Previous work experience in Ethiopia is an advantage.
• Strong aesthetic sense and knowledge of design principles encompassing graphic design, photography, videography, and visual effects, enabling the creation of visually appealing and impactful creative assets.
• Experience creating digital content across various formats such as static, GIF, motion and illustrative formats.
• Good sense of typography and layout aesthetics
• Excellent working knowledge of design tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma
• Advanced Graphic design, illustrations, basic knowledge of UI/UX
• Good understanding of Adobe Creative Suite.
• Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity about the cultures within which Girl Effect operates,
• Experience working remotely with colleagues and/or field agencies and the ability to work effectively in multicultural teams with varying expertise, skills and backgrounds,
• Creative and inquisitive mindset,
• Ability to communicate and build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, consultants, vendors and clients,
• Commitment to realizing the potential of girls and to the vision and values of Girl Effect.

Proposal Submission

• Consultant Profile
• Detailed CV
• Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments carried out
• Please showcase work that you consider to be relevant to what we are trying to achieve or that you feel might speak strongly of your sense of work, commitment & style. If you have worked with others, not for profit, please include that work here too. 
• Demonstrate possession of qualifications and experience required
• Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided and the contract periods of performance.
• Financial Proposal
• The consultant shall provide a daily rate or rate card in ETB.
• The consultant may also propose additional pricing options or modalities for consideration. We would welcome a discounted amount based on a frequent engagement with the consultant.
• All applicable taxes should be quoted separately.
• If the financial proposal does not mention taxes, GE shall assume these are inclusive.

Specific Instructions

• All consultants must first register using this Link. Then, send your portfolio to the email provided below. 
• Only pre-qualified individuals under this process will be invited to bid for the projects at a later stage.
• Any false statement(s) by the Applicant will result in disqualification at any stage of the process.
• All applications shall be prepared in English. Information in any other language GE reserves the right for disqualification in case of non-compliance with the above requirement.
• The Applicants must respond to all questions on the link and send in their portfolios, providing complete and verifiable information with complete supporting data as advised in this document. Failure to provide essential information or references may result in the applicant's disqualification.
• Clarifications (if required by GE) may be asked by email to suppliers@girleffect.org .

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements to register on the GE Consultant Database. The Individual shall not be on any of the following:

• World Bank designation list: https://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/procurement/debarred-firms
• Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by the U.S. Treasury on https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov;
• Active exclusion on System for Award Management (SAM) (gov);
• Blacklisted by any government or multilateral banks such as the World Bank and African Development Bank;
• The Individual or Firm confirms that it has never been involved/convicted of fraud and/or corruption in its past dealings.

Expected Commitment

All prequalified consultants will be classified as preferred vendors and in the GE supplier roster for 2 years. 

GE will sign an IDIQ/framework contract (Master Service Agreement) with successful consultants, and work will be assigned on an as-needed/ad-hoc basis. 

Timeframe

• Request for Proposal published: 17th April 2024
• Deadline for responses: 8th May 2024

Evaluation Criteria

Technical Proposal

• Your understanding of the brief and why you are well placed to deliver on the requirements.
• Key personnel: Detailed CV.  Qualification and experience of the key staff in carrying out similar assignments.
• Experience of the consultant: Experience working with development agencies, with specific experience in Ethiopia.
• Past performance: Provide details of at least three similar assignments carried out in the past and reference letters detailing work done, and the contact details of three client references. Strong knowledge and demonstrated experience in their field.
• Financial Proposal: Daily Rate/VFM

In deciding the final selection of the consultant, the technical quality of the proposal will be given a weighting of 75% based on the evaluation criteria. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened. Only consultants who score 75% and above will be included in our pool of consultants roster.

GE is not liable for any cost incurred during the preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GE.

How To Apply

Please register using this link and submit proposals, as described above, to suppliers@girleffect.org by 8th May 2024 . Please clearly mark your email with the subject “Prequalification of Creative Individuals Ethiopia.”

Tax

Girl Effect Ethiopia  is obliged by the Ethiopia  tax authorities to ensure all taxes are charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position regarding provisions of Ethiopian tax legislation when developing their proposals.

Safeguarding

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted consultants will be assessed on our organizational values at the interview stage. The successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found Here. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff.

Disclaimer

GE reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GE shall inform ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.

Please note: We will evaluate only proposals submitted following the application process outlined in the RFP and using our specified email address (suppliers@girleffect.org).

Equal Opportunities

Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin,  age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of, and works extensively with, the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.