I.            Purpose

The Georgia Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) Activity is implemented by Kaizen, a Tetra Tech Company (Kaizen) and its local subcontractors. The objective of the HICD Activity is to achieve lasting results in the human and institutional capacity development of key strategic partner institutions in Georgia that play an important role in fulfilling the country’s development objectives. It will also create a Center of Excellence (CoE) that supports Georgian organizations pursuing HICD initiatives independent of direct donor assistance.

The HICD Activity will increase the organizational integrity, operational effectiveness, and long-term viability of key partner organizations which, in turn, anchor the country’s reform efforts across all development sectors.

The HICD Activity requires the services of an international Short-term Technical Assistance (STTA) Consultant to assist the HICD Activity Indefinite Quantity Subcontract (IQS) holder Georgian organizations in developing and improving communications approaches.

II.          Background

USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) calls for implementers to invest in country-owned models of inclusive development and build sustainable capacity in the countries where USAID works. Through this strategy, USAID places a renewed emphasis on local capacity building, so that US assistance strengthens the actors and institutions responsible for transforming their countries. The HICD Activity is committed to USAID’s goal of strengthening local capacity and incorporates this vision into the project. Specifically, the HICD Activity works toward the goal of integrating HICD approaches into the operations and institutional culture of selected local institutions and organizations. The HICD Activity aims to further transfer knowledge of the HICD methodology to key actors in Georgia. The Kaizen Accelerator approach supports its subcontractors to cooperate by sharing experience on how to install donor-compliant systems in the Georgian context, while also competing to win awards. This includes tools such as USAID compliant manuals (e.g. data quality assurance, marking and branding, financial compliance, etc.) to address the subcontractors’ core needs.

III.          Scope of Work

The goal of this consultancy is to increase the capacity of IQS holder organizations and guide them towards establishing internal systems to qualify and compete for donor funded direct awards.

Objectives

This activity aims to strengthen operational effectiveness of communication management within IQS holder organizations and to help them achieve increased efficiency.

The International STTA Consultant will work on the following topics:

Topic #1: Branding and Marking;
Topic #2: External Communications;
Topic #3: Stakeholder Involvement;
Topic #4: Knowledge Management (KM) and External Linkages (Part #1).

Specifically, the consultant will:

Topic #1: Branding and Marking:

Develop and conduct knowledge sharing seminar(s) for three organizations. The knowledge sharing seminars will overview the following subtopics and provide relevant templates:
- Branding and Marking requirements and regulations for USAID;
- Branding and Marking policies for organizations and processes of efficient management.
Guide each organization towards drafting and adapting communication and knowledge management systems during the knowledge sharing seminar(s);
Provide follow-up individual sessions and feedback sessions to three organizations on adjusted/developed systems;
Develop templates,[1] tools, and materials for the HICD Activity Local Subcontractor Development (LSD) Component:
- Branding and Marking requirements template;
- Branding and Marking checklist.

Topic #2: External Communications:

Develop and conduct knowledge sharing seminar(s) for three organizations. The knowledge sharing seminars will overview the following subtopics and provide relevant templates:
- External Communications Strategy;
- Target Audience Selection process;
- Communication Strategy Analysis tool.
Guide each organization towards drafting and adapting communication and knowledge management systems during the knowledge sharing seminar(s);
Provide follow-up individual sessions and feedback sessions to three organizations on adjusted/developed systems;
Develop templates,[2] tools, and materials for the HICD Activity LSD Component:
- External communications analysis tool template.

Topic #3: Stakeholder Involvement:

Develop and conduct knowledge sharing seminar(s) for three organizations. The knowledge sharing seminars will overview the following subtopics and provide relevant templates:
- Stakeholder Involvement Manual;
- General Communications Strategy;
- Confidentiality and Non-disclosure Agreement for Communications.
Guide each organization towards drafting and adapting communication and knowledge management systems during the knowledge sharing seminar(s);
Provide follow-up individual sessions and feedback sessions to three organizations on adjusted/developed systems;
Develop templates,[3] tools, and materials for the HICD Activity LSD Component:
- Stakeholder Involvement Manual template;
- Non-disclosure Agreement template;
- Organization Press Release template.

Topic #4: Knowledge Management and External Linkages:

Develop and conduct knowledge sharing seminar(s) for three organizations. The knowledge sharing seminars will overview the following subtopics and provide relevant templates:
- Internal Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy/Approach;
- External Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy/Approach;
- External Linkages and Communication Strategy.
Guide each organization towards drafting and adapting communication and knowledge management systems during the knowledge sharing seminar(s);
Provide follow-up individual sessions and feedback sessions to three organizations on adjusted/developed systems;
Develop templates, tools, and materials for the HICD Activity Local Subcontractor Development component:
- Internal knowledge transfer/access policy template;
- External knowledge transfer/access policy template.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Approach

The International STTA Consultant hired for this program will coordinate closely with the HICD Acceleration Advisor to incorporate the agreed upon M&E approach into the Sessions and guidance process. For this purpose, the consultant and HICD Activity will hold online meetings at pre-determined intervals to develop a tailored M&E approach in defining whether IQS holders are on track to achieve the desired results through developing targeted systems on a semi-annual basis.

To gauge the progress, the HICD Activity will develop an activity monitoring spreadsheet based on the Organizational Capacity Assessment (hereinafter ‘OCA’) survey (developed for IQS holder assessments) and monitor progress every six months from the start of the project.
Planned Output

IQS holders are provided with know-how for creating/adopting/developing communications and knowledge management manuals and final procedural systems are well-organized and documented.

Anticipated Outcome

IQS holder overall effectiveness is bolstered, ensuring proper procedures are in place for internal controls and communications strategy. At the same time organizations can compete with other organizations for direct and/or indirect donor fund awards due to their compliant and strong internal operating systems.

IV. Deliverables

Knowledge sharing seminar(s) for three organizations on the following topics:
- Branding and Marking requirements and regulations for USAID;
- Branding and Marking policy (only policy);
- Stakeholder Involvement Manual;
- General Communications Strategy;
- Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement for Communications;
- External Communications Strategy;
- Target Audience Selection Process;
- Communication Strategy Analysis tool;
- Internal Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy/Approach;
- External Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy/Approach;
- External linkages and communication strategy.
Individual and feedback sessions following knowledge sharing sessions to guide each organization towards creating and adapting above mentioned policies and procedures;
Templates, tools, and materials for the HICD Activity LSD Component:
- Branding and Marking Requirements template;
- Branding and Marking Checklist;
- Stakeholder Involvement Manual template;
- NDA Template;
- Organization Press-release template;
- External Communications analyses Tool template;
- Internal Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy/approach;
- Internal Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy template;
- External Knowledge Transfer/Access Policy template.

The deliverables should be compliant with the Georgian and US government law and delivered in English language.

The consultant will also be required to submit weekly updates on Wednesdays to the HICD team, summarizing the main activities completed during the reporting period, challenges encountered, actions taken to resolve challenges, and any pertinent recommendations.
V. Profile of Service Provider

Kaizen will implement the program through an international STTA consultant. The subcontractor should have followed minimum experience:

At least a Master’s degree in a related field with eight years of work experience;
At least five years of work experience on donor/USAID funded projects under prime contracts;
Experience in the following regions is preferred: United States, Central and Eastern Europe;
At least three years work experience on internal communications strategy;
At least three years of work experience on Branding and Marking for USAID projects;
At least three years of work experience on external communications;
Fluency in English is required.

VI. Reporting

The consultant will report directly to the HICD Acceleration Advisor. The HICD Activity Chief of Party is the ultimate reporting authority.

VII. Timing and Level of Effort

This scope of work is for a maximum of 23 business days of labor over a 10-week period. The anticipated start date of the intervention is December 2024.

Activity	Timeline	Number of days
Preparation and development of templates for Topics #1,2,3,4	Week 1	4 days
Travel to Tbilisi, Georgia	Week 2-3	2 days
Knowledge Sharing Sessions for Topics #1,2,3,4	Week 2	4 days
Individual Work	Week 2-5	12 days
Final Report	Week 6	1 day

VIII. Location

The program activities will be carried out either remotely, using digital platforms with relevant audio and video conferencing capabilities, or in person. The in-person meetings will be held at the premises of HICD IQS holders and conference rooms at the selected location.

IX. Language of Services

The language of the intervention will be English. Reporting to the HICD Activity will be carried out in English. The final report will be submitted in English.

[1] Templates have been developed during previous Round One LSD support to IQS holders and might need an update based on newly adjusted regulations by USG (from last two years/if any).

[2] Templates have been developed during previous round one LSD support to IQS holders and might need an update based on newly adjusted regulations by USG (from last two years/if any).

[3] Templates have been developed during previous round one LSD support to IQS holders and might need an update based on newly adjusted regulations by USG (from last two years/if any).

For candidates applying for positions based in Kaizen's office in Washington, DC, we utilize career.place to mitigate bias in the recruitment process. Upon submitting an application, candidates will receive an email from career.place, prompting them to go through the anonymous screening. In order to be considered for a role, candidates must respond to career.place and proceed with the application. We do not currently use career.place for project positions outside of the United States.

At Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. Kaizen is an equal opportunity employer.

STTA Communication Management Consultant

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