Tender Advertisement #925305

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP A COMMUNICATION AND VISIBILITY STRATEGY FOR THE OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL AUTHORISING OFFICER (RAO)

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is the Duly Mandated Regional Organisation, responsible for the EU and Pacific regional cooperation. The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is the Regional Authorizing Officer of the EDF funds for the region and is supported by the two Deputy Secretary Generals, the Deputy Regional Authorising Officers (DRAO). The 10th EDF funded Support Programme (Contribution Agreement-CRIS No.2014/337-264) to the Regional Authorising Officer (SPRAO), signed with the European Commission on 4th February 2014, provides technical assistance to the Regional Authorising Officer’s Office.

The Forum Secretariat is looking to contract a suitably qualified and experienced consultant to develop a Communications and Visibility Strategy and Operational Plan for the Regional Authorising Office (RAO) Support Unit. The Regional Authorizing Officer aims to ensure a clear Communication and Visibility Strategy is in place from the outset of the 11th EDF RIP implementation, and a corresponding Operational Implementation Plan. The SPRAO will facilitate the necessary resources for this purpose.

The Contracting Authority will be the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO) and the Project Supervisor will be the Senior Technical Adviser (EU) based in the RAO’s office, with close collaboration with EU Delegation, the EU Programme Officer and PIFS Public Affairs Unit. All decisions on implementation of the assignment will be taken in close consultation with the above personnel.

Scope of Work
The scope of work will involve, but not be limited to:

• Gathering of Background Information and Consultations with key Stakeholders.
The consultant should review existing documentation relating to the subject area and the EDF programmes. He or she should also consult and interview key personnel at the PIFS and the EC Delegation and proposed leading agencies for EDF11 and PACP countries and review a selection of ongoing programmes from EDF10.

• Definition of Target Groups
Identify and characterize the target groups whose needs and or expectations will be addressed by the Communications and Visibility Strategy. This will not be confined to the ultimate beneficiaries, but include all the intermediate partners. In addition, the Pacific Leaders have recently requested quarterly reports on progress of implementation of EDF 11.

• Cost Effectiveness
Within the SP2RAO, there is a budget available for communications and visibility. It will be important for the consultant to explore the most cost effective ways of making use of these funds in implementing the visibility and communications strategy. An important aspect will be to identify the most cost effective way of addressing these target groups and the frequency with which they should be contacted.

• Development of the Strategy
From the above investigations, the Consultant should develop a comprehensive communications and visibility strategy centered on the partnership between the EU and the Pacific. Indicative budget of the Operational Plan, including staffing should be addressed.

Academic qualifications:
• Should have a degree in a relevant subject (economic, political and social sciences) and with professional experience in the areas of communication from an external action perspective.

Knowledge, skills and experience:
• Should be experienced in the field of public relations, communications and publicity in the Pacific Region.
• Should be an excellent proposal writer and good communicator.
• Computer literate, familiar with Word, Excel and PowerPoint programmes.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Prior Experience working with EU Development Programmes, desirable, but not essential.

Personal competencies:
• Should have excellent negotiation, facilitation and communication skills.
• Should be respectful of Pacific Cultures and Customs.
• Should be an excellent report writer in the English Language.

The Proposal should be a maximum of 2 pages, inclusive of a methodology responding to the TOR requirements and a budget. CVs of proposed experts and statement of their availability for the duration of the assignment must also be provided.

How to apply:

Submissions should be entitled:
Expression Of Interest - CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP A COMMUNICATION AND VISIBILITY STRATEGY FOR THE OFFICE OF THE RAO

Method of Submissions:
Submissions must be forwarded in PDF format following the instructions at: www.tenders.net/forumsec

*All interested bidders will need to register at www.tenders.net/forumsec

Deadline for Submissions:

Submissions need to reach the Secretariat by 5pm (Fiji time) on Friday 20 January, 2017.

Late or incomplete tenders will not be considered.

All queries or request for information must be submitted via the Question and Answer Forum on www.tenders.net/forumsec before 5pm on Tuesday 17 January, 2017.

All queries will be responded to via the Question and Answer Forum on www.tenders.net/forumsec before 5pm on Wednesday 18 January, 2017.

Note: The Secretariat will not be responsible for non-receipt/non-delivery of the Bid documents due to any reason whatsoever.

Any complaints regarding the Secretariat’s tender must be directed to the following email: Tender.Complaints@forumsec.org. This email address will forward your complaint to a person that is independent and removed from the tender process. Complaints must be well founded and should not be used as a mechanism for notifying displeasure with the outcome of a tender award.

In the event that further information is required by the Secretariat in relation to the tender for consultancy, the Secretariat reserves the right to seek the required information without the need for calling for resubmission of proposals.