MEL & Research Support Consultant

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 

MEL & Research Support Consultant 

Learn to Discern in Education (L2D-Ed), Ukraine 

Issue Date: September 24, 2024  

Proposal Due Date: October 7, 2024  

Anticipated Award Date: October 15, 2024 

To Whom It May Concern: 

IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) is seeking quotes from qualified MEL & Research Support Consultants to advise on research design and analysis and monitoring and evaluation approaches for Learn to Discern in Education (L2D-Ed) and other projects as needed.  

The anticipated award will be a fixed price subcontract. IREX reserves the right to withdraw this request for proposals at any time up to the awarding of the contract.  

Learn to Discern in Education (L2D-Ed) is implemented by IREX with the support of the US Embassy in Ukraine and in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, and the Academy of Ukrainian Press.  

L2D-Ed aims to strengthen Ukrainian teachers’ and students’ resilience to disinformation and manipulation by enhancing their critical information engagement skills, and to create demand for high-quality information in the Ukrainian secondary education system at large. The project involves developing and training teachers with educational media literacy materials, conducting research, and delivering training for other target audiences (university professors, civil servants, representatives of local governments, etc.).  

Proposal Requirements 

Organizations or individuals interested in providing this service must submit a proposal, including a breakdown of costs, which demonstrates the consultant’s capacity to: 

• Advise on war-time-appropriate revisions to monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches and implementation 

• Propose and guide the drafting of new methodology for measuring resilience to information manipulation based on training materials 

• Analyze data from surveys and other research and evaluation efforts and support program staff to form the basis of recommended strategies for MEL efforts.  

• Assist with other support duties as needed.  

Proposals must be accompanied by: 

• a breakdown of consulting fees, 

• resume and/or CV, 

• contact information for references from previous work, 

• a cover letter briefly describing experience performing the tasks outlined above. 

Proposal Submission 

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please apply via JazzHR or e-mail a proposal to [email protected]. If you decide to submit a proposal, it must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date indicated above.  

Late submissions will only be considered if in the best interests of the project, and then at IREX’s sole discretion. All proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the closing date indicated above.  

Proposal Evaluation 

Consultant proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:  

• University degree in statistics, data science, social sciences, mathematics, international development, media studies, or another relevant field preferred.  

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in research design, monitoring and evaluation, and/or data analysis. 

• Experience with evaluating outcomes around media literacy and information manipulation is required. 

• Experience in the international development sector as MEL advisor or consultant is required.  

• Professional experience using statistical tools to identify, analyze, and interpret patterns and trends in various quantitative data sets.  

• Professional experience cleaning and coding extensive quantitative data sets.  

• Knowledge of research methodologies (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed method) and data collection and analysis methodologies are required.   

• Previous experience in international development and working with international organizations to support the execution of MEL activities is preferred. 

• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks.  

• Strong communication and collaboration skills.  

• Demonstrated high attention to detail and strong problem-solving skills.  

• Excellent written and verbal English language skills are required. Russian and Ukrainian language skills desired but not required.  

Evaluation and ranking of proposals will be done by IREX. IREX may at its discretion ask for additional information. 

Renewal 

IREX reserves the right, based on availability of funding and vendor performance, to enter into subsequent contractual agreements with the winning vender for a period of up to five years without issuing a new RFP. 

Contact Information 

Jenna Presta 

Program Officer 

[email protected]  

IREX 

1275 K Street, NW, Suite 600 

Washington, D.C. 20037