DESCRIPTION:

On July 20, 2015, the Partnerships for Development Innovation Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD) launched a $25 million call for proposals entitled ‘Technological Platforms to Strengthen Public Sector Accountability and Citizen Engagement’. The purpose of this call for proposals was to fund initiatives that would support public sector institutions and civil society to advance equitable democratic reform, deliver effective and sustainable development results for citizens, improve service delivery, combat corruption, and engage meaningfully with citizens through the use of technological platforms. The call for proposals resulted in the funding of seven projects, each implemented by a Canadian civil society organization in partnership with local organizations in developing countries.

Increasingly, information and communication technologies (ICT) are being promoted as new ways to improve governance, through the use of innovations such as mobile applications, transparency portals, open data portals, and citizen participation mechanisms (interactive vocal servers, social media, etc.). However, as the OECD-DAC Network on Governance (GOVNET) cautions, ICT only works if it is utilised properly, if there is the ability and resources to sustain it, and if the structures are in place to receive it. There is also the risk of increasing the marginalization of citizens without access to ICT and of governments using ICT as a way to evade substantial reforms. It is not yet clear what works in which context and under which conditions, and more needs to be done to better understand and evaluate innovation in public sector governance[1].

Given that the seven projects will be concluding at various points between July 2020 and March 2022, and that they are testing potentially innovative ICT approaches and tools, it is an appropriate time to conduct an evaluation to contribute to filling the knowledge gap mentioned above, and to take stock of results achieved.

Thus, the purpose of the evaluation is to:

• Inform stakeholders of results achieved;
• Inform stakeholders about key factors that have contributed to or hindered results;
• Inform the design and implementation of development assistance programming that seeks to use ICT approaches and tools to achieve inclusive governance results.

The intended end users of the evaluation are DFATD, the implementing partners for the seven projects, and potentially other partners and donors with an interest in international development programming that uses ICT approaches and tools to achieve inclusive governance results.

The purpose of this notice is to invite formal costed proposals from eligible Consultants. Based on proposals received, one Consultant will be invited to negotiate a contract with DFATD for the provision of services. DFATD reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received. The amount allocated to this contract will not exceed four hundred and thirty thousand Canadian dollars ($430,000.00CAD) excluding applicable taxes. The anticipated contract duration is twelve (12) months.

WORKING LANGUAGE OF THE PROJECT

The working language for this project is English.

CONSULTANT PROFILE

The Consultant must propose a team composed of the following categories:

1. Core Evaluation Team
2. Local Coordinator-Specialists
3. Quality Assurance Personnel
4. Additional Specialized Personnel
5. Additional Non-Specialized Personnel

The roles and responsibilities of the Consultant’s proposed team members is to be defined by the Consultant in its Technical Proposal.

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

Proposals should be presented following the instructions provided in the Request for Proposals document to be obtained through the GETS on the Internet (https://buyandsell.gc.ca ). Please note, DFATD does not send out Request for Proposals directly to interested Bidders.

In order to be considered, proposals must be completed and received no later than 14:00 hrs, Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT), on closing date, at the following address:

Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development

Distribution and Mail Services – AAG

Lester B. Pearson Building

125 Sussex Drive

Ottawa, Ontario

Canada

K1A 0G2

Attention: Bid Receiving Unit – SGD

Proposals submitted via facsimile will not be accepted.

INQUIRIES

Questions relating to this notice must be directed IN WRITING to:

Nancy Levasseur, Contracting Officer, SGCP

E-mail: nancy.levasseur@international.gc.ca

[1] GOVNET, 2015. Quick Guide to Innovation in Public Sector Reform