Request for Proposals: Association Capacity-Building Consultant for Libyan Business Support Organizations (Remote)

Project Background

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is undertaking a pilot project in Libya that aims to improve the ability of Libyan business support organizations to engage with decision makers on economic reform. CIPE is currently organizing exploratory conversations with Libyan associations focused on issues relevant to business and the economy. CIPE will then work with several such associations to diagnose their capacity needs and equip them with skills to participate meaningfully in future opportunities for dialogue with government. CIPE will share its experience and knowledge on the basic building blocks of advocacy and member representation with participating organizations and work with them to develop their ability to shape policy. Activities will be conducted remotely, with the exception of two events held in Tunis, Tunisia.

About CIPE

CIPE strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy and is an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce. Since 1983, CIPE has worked to build the political, market, and civic institutions vital to democratic societies and private sector-led economies. CIPE’s key program areas include public governance reform, enterprise ecosystems, business advocacy, and economic empowerment of at-risk communities.

Scope of Work

CIPE seeks an individual or organization to assist in CIPE’s capacity building for Libyan business support organizations. The consultant will support CIPE with all phases of the capacity building process, including diagnosis, training, and follow-up. The capacity building will take place via online sessions and during two in-person conferences hosted in Tunis, Tunisia. In addition, the consultant will train CIPE’s civil society contractor in Libya, Moomken, in CIPE’s association excellence methodologies so that Moomken can in turn oversee in-person training of Libyan business support organizations. The specific responsibilities of the consultant are outlined below:

• Assist CIPE with the evaluation of participating organizations’ capacity needs, including:
  • Providing advice to CIPE on how to adapt CIPE’s own diagnostic tools and offering resources and advice to refine the diagnostic assessment.
  • Conducting the assessment and following up with organizations to ensure complete data collection.
  • Analyzing the data and giving oral and written briefings on the results for the organizations.
• Conduct technical assistance and capacity building activities to select partners and business support organizations. The precise form of the capacity building can be set by the consultant in consultation with CIPE and the participating organizations but could include:
  • Online training sessions
  • Exercises and offline activities
  • Case studies
  • Assistance with setting organizational improvement goals and creating an improvement plan
  • Advice on the development of new capacities or services
• Act as a technical advisor on association capacity to CIPE staff in Tunisia and DC
• Follow up with Libyan organizations on activities to ensure they occur as planned and as much to schedule as possible
• Co-facilitate (along with CIPE) a virtual training-of-trainers virtual workshop for Moomken providing association strengthening methodologies. This will enable Moomken to deliver supplemental in-person training for participating organizations in Libya.
• Contribute to the planning and facilitation of CIPE’s two three-day, in-person events (six total days, with the first event taking place in January 2024 and the second in June 2024), which will be hosted in Tunis, Tunisia; the consultant will:
  • Facilitate workshops during these events focused on organizational excellence
  • Participate in and contribute to all sessions at the events to offer expertise in organizational capacity.

Specific topics for capacity building will depend on the interests and goals of the organizations but will be oriented toward eventual interaction with government on economic reform. Areas of training could include:

• Policy paper drafting
• Member engagement and representation
• The advocacy cycle
• Communications and effective messaging

Compensation

The consultant will be paid at a daily rate to be agreed upon between CIPE and the consultant.

Submission Requirements

• Organization profile (or individual’s professional resume)
• Brief (one-page) statement of approach for the above-outlined scope of work
• Budget quote, consisting of daily rate and number of days for the above-described activities
• Only applications submitted in English will be considered. For full consideration, applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. CET on 15/12/ 2023 at mbenoit-lavelle@cipe.org with the subject line “Application – Association Capacity Building Consultant Libya.” Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Qualifications & Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed by a review panel to identify organizations/individuals that have the required profile and motivation to participate in the Association Capacity Building Program in Libya. When reviewing the applications, the review panel will base their decisions on the following criteria:

• Application demonstrates experience in association capacity building, with a focus on member-based organizations and/or business associations preferred
• Expertise in policy advocacy required, with a focus on private sector and other economic policy issues preferred
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering training programs on relevant subjects
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills; ability to work with a wide array of stakeholders
• Strong management and organization skills
• Strong written and spoken English required, Arabic preferred (Libyan and/or MSA)
• Knowledge of the North Africa region and its political and economic context preferred
• An understanding of Libya’s political environment and policy-making processes preferred
• Experience working with actors in fragile or conflict-affected contexts preferred
• The application contains all the requested documents, and it is submitted in English.

Note: It should be noted, however, that participation in this Request for Proposals does not guarantee selection. Any invitation to participate in the project is subject to funding confirmation.

Contact

Questions may be directed to Project Manager, Mischa Benoit-Lavelle (mbenoit-lavelle@cipe.org)