Request for Proposal for Individual Consultant
| Title of the Assignment – Purpose: | ECD Project – Documentation of Business Trainers Manual Guide |
| Destination: | Maseru, Lesotho & Remote |
| Time Frame | Dates: 2nd May to 18th June 2024 |
| Duration | 32 Days |
Section 1: Scope of Work
A. Overall focus
- Background:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is implementing “Ke Ngoana Rona” (This is Our Child), a three-year early childhood development project in Lesotho which is meant to transform and improve the quality of childcare services at 30 target daycare centers (DCCs) in Maputsoe (Leribe district) and Thetsane (Maseru district) industrial settlements, resulting in improved nutrition, health, and developmental outcomes for children aged 0-4 years through an affordable and replicable model of daycare center services. Core project components include:
- Enhancing quality daycare through improved infrastructure and training of Daycare Center Providers (DCPs) to provide age-appropriate stimulation and play-based learning; support proper child nutrition and hygiene practices; and provide childcare that meets national guidelines.
- Linking DCCs with village health workers (VHWs) for immunization and micronutrient status verification, malnutrition screening, deworming, and referral, where necessary.
- Developing a replicable business model that allows DCPs to offer affordable, quality services and earn a living wage.
- Supporting parents to pay for care through the establishment of Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC).
- Promoting adoption of national daycare center guidelines informed by the global nurturing care framework, ensure centers’ compliance, and promote government support of centers to improve quality and access through engagement and advocacy with Lesotho Government stakeholders.
This scope of work concerns the project component: Developing a replicable business model that allows Daycare Centre (DCC) providers to offer affordable, quality services and earn a living wage.
The purpose of this strategic objective is to capacitate DCC providers with business management, financial and marketing skills so they are better able to effectively run and administer their DCCs in a structured, transparent and accountable way. Moreover, their DCCs should demonstrate sustainability and growth.
During the first year of project implementation, Ke Ngoana Rona accompanied 10 DCCs through a process to achieve the above stated goals. The process consisted of four aspects including a business diagnostic assessment, business management training skills, coaching and mentorship, each described below.
Diagnostic Assessment: collects information on the business and owner (DCP), including financial information on the business and examines the firm’s gross profitability and break-even. The small business diagnostic captures areas of management performance and identifies gaps and areas for capacity strengthening.
Business Skills Training: 10-13 modules delivered over three phases to DCPs. The training covers holistic business management skills, including core concepts of financial management, with simplified financial records and tools for day-to-day business tracking and monitoring.
Business Coaching: delivered to DCPs, through two modalities, five one-on-one coaching sessions and three group/team coaching sessions. Participants are coached on 5 identified priority areas which were found lacking and hindering growth of their businesses.
Mentorship: DCPS are provided with ongoing mentorship in the form of three (3) individual mentorship sessions where a mentor meets with a mentee and one (1) group mentorship session where they meet collectively. Mentors are identified from past DCPs cohort based on meritocracy and availability.
- Objective:
The main objective of this scope of work is to document each above-mentioned stages in a manner to allow replication of the process by others. The TDYer/consultant will work with the current business and entrepreneurship advisor to capture and document all the trainings and articulate in detail activities for each stage, outline supporting documents, and provide timelines and a how-to guide for each stage. This should take the form of a comprehensive DCC business trainers’ guide which comprises the aspects described above, and comprehensively incorporates the elements of training and accompaniment that were provided to Cohort One, in a replicable guide that will be used by trainers of future cohorts.
The work is expected to be completed within a period of 6 weeks of remote collaboration. On a weekly basis the TDY/Consultant shall engage with the local and HQ business component team to review and check progress.
- Expected Deliverables by Consultant:
- Interview/discussion guide and interview documentation: a series of interviews/discussions with key CRS staff to gather relevant information on training that was delivered, and which needs to be documented.
- Interview discussion guide.
- Notes of interviews/discussions with key CRS staff
- Revision of detailed outline based on interviews/discussions.
- Business curriculum & training materials
- Trainer’s guide developed using content drawn out from interviews, organized in clear, easy to use trainer’s guide template (Pre-service training template).
- The trainers guide should demonstrate clear layout, use simple English, and be user friendly.
- Must cover topics:
- Intro section on how to use the materials/sections, including integration of other trainings that influence the business model but are not part of this guide (e.g., SILC)
- Initial business assessment;
- Business management/Finance: bookkeeping and reporting;
- Marketing
- Coaching;
- MEAL (reporting/data collection for supervision/ management/research/learning)
- Visual aids/templates/examples (included in guide)
- Inclusion of available photos/examples to illustrate key concepts (included in guide)
- PPT slides to accompany each module/session of curriculum, aligned with content in trainer’s guide (contingent on available financing)
- All materials delivered in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PPT (not InDesign)
- The manual should be specific about the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders involved e.g. Facilitators & Participants etc.
The calendar below outlines a tentative schedule:
| Inception Call | 0.5 days |
| Desk Review | 2 days |
| Development of Interview/discussion guides | 1 days |
| Validation and edits of interview/discussion guides | 0.5 days |
| Conduct interviews/discussions | 3 Days Series off sessions |
| Organize content resulting from interviews/discussions | 2 Days |
| Revise Robust Outline | 2 Days |
| Validation and edits of Robust Outline | 1 days |
| Drafting of Trainers Guide | 10 days ongoing consultation session with TA Business |
| Validation and edits of Trainers Guide | 3 Days |
| Finalization of Trainers Guide | 3 Days |
| Development of PPT slides to accompany Trainer’s Guide | 2 Days |
| Validation and edits of PPT slides | 2 Days |
B. Key Working Relationships/Organizations to Meet:
Internal: Technical Advisor: Business & Entrepreneurship Development, CRS Head Quarters support team, Head of Programmes, MEAL Manager