ABOUT SEARCH
Founded in 1982, Search for Common Ground (Search) is the world’s largest dedicated peacebuilding organization. We work to transform violent conflict into peace, building healthy, safe, and just societies in the process. We work in the world’s most challenging contexts and develop lasting solutions that are based on the needs of communities. We engage with leaders and elected officials to advance dialogue and collaboration. We are community leaders. We are youth activists. We are women. We are peacebuilders. Over the last 40 years, we have developed our understanding of what peace looks like, being able to quantify our impact and design more effective programming, working on the frontlines of today’s most consequential conflicts. Active in 36 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the United States. and thanks to more than 900 employees, 91% of which are local to the country where we work, we are building a future where collaboration in the face of conflict is the norm—where our differences stimulate social progress, rather than precipitate violence.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Community of Practice in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance is a community of 40 organizations operating throughout Iraq. The primary objective of this project is to strengthen a Community of Practice (CoP) in Iraq’s fields of democracy, human rights, and governance, with the goal of enhancing the collaborative and inclusive impact of the Iraqi community of practice as a leading civil society space within the democracy, human rights, and governance sector. Additionally, this initiative seeks to foster increased coordination and collaboration among diverse Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and strategic partners operating within the democracy, human rights, and governance sector in Iraq.
Project’s Goal: Enhance collaborative and inclusive impact of an Iraqi community of practice as a leading civil society space in the democracy, human rights, and governance sector.
Scope of Work Announcement for Consultancy
Background: Search for Common Ground seeks to engage a qualified service provider to deliver comprehensive training on Reporting and Grants Management. This training aims to enhance the skills , knowledge and capacity of organizations staff to ensure effective, compliant, and efficient management of their grant funds.
Objective: The primary objectives of the training are to enhance the capacity of the community of practice members in effective reporting and grants management practices, enabling them to meet donor requirements, improve accountability, and strengthen organizational sustainability.
Scope of Work: The selected service provider will be responsible for designing and delivering a service of 2 day capacity building training that covers the following key components:
1- Grants Management Basics:
- Overview of grant types: project-based, capacity-building, and unrestricted grants.
- Grant lifecycle: application, award, implementation, reporting, and closeout.
- Roles in grants management: managers, finance, program staff, and donors.
2-Pre-Award Phase
- Proposal development: aligning with donor priorities and structuring goals.
- Budget planning: preparing compliant budgets and understanding cost eligibility.
- Risk assessment: evaluating organizational capacity and mitigating risks.
3-Post-Award Phase
- Grant agreement review: compliance and key terms.
- Internal systems: tracking funds and setting KPIs.
4-Financial Management
- Budget implementation: monitoring and realigning as needed.
- Cash flow management: managing disbursements and avoiding overspending.
- Financial reporting: preparing accurate reports with supporting documentation.
- Audit preparedness: handling common audit issues.
5-Compliance and Donor Requirements
- Understanding donor guidelines and ethical standards.
- Managing sub-grants and adhering to safeguarding policies.
6-Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
- Linking M&E to grant performance and tracking data to assess outcomes.
- Adjusting programs based on evaluations.
7-Reporting to Donors
- Types of reports: narrative and financial.
- Crafting clear, donor-compliant reports with visuals.
- Communicating delays or issues proactively.
8-Risk Management
- Identifying and mitigating operational, financial, and compliance risks.
- Fraud prevention and contingency planning.
9-Grant Closeout and Sustainability
- Closeout requirements: final reports and asset disposition.
- Knowledge management and building donor relationships.
- Developing sustainability strategies for continued funding.
10-Advanced Topics
- Managing multi-donor grants and calculating indirect costs.
- Writing proposals for renewals and expanding program scope.
Additional Activities:
- Pre- and Post-Assessment: Assess participants’ knowledge and progress.
- Q&A Sessions: For clarifications and tailored guidance.
Timeline: The training program is expected to be completed within 25th and 26th February, for 2 days from the start date location is Erbil. Key milestones include:
- Initial meeting and planning for the agenda prior to the training day
- Delivery of training days with pre and post tests and incorporated to the final trainer report.
Qualifications: The ideal service provider will have:
- Proven expertise in reporting and grants management.
- At least 5–7 years of experience working with international donors and grant-funded projects.
- Strong facilitation and training skills with experience delivering capacity-building workshops.
- Familiarity with donor reporting requirements (e.g., USAID, EU, UN, etc.) and grant compliance standards.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Fluency in English (knowledge of the local language is an asset).
- Strong references from previous clients.
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills in Arabic.
Application Process: Interested facilitators are invited to submit their proposals, including a detailed CV highlighting relevant experience, proposed methodology for facilitating trainings , Budget breakdown of the service in Iraqi Dinar IQD, and any additional supporting documents, to Iraq@sfcg.org by Jan 25th, 2024, with the subject ” Grants Management Capacity Building “
Evaluation Criteria: Consultant proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Relevant experience and qualifications ; including submission of a comprehensive CV detailing relevant experience and qualifications
- Quality and comprehensiveness of the training plan: Submission of a detailed technical proposal outlining the methodology and discussion methods for the period of 2 days training.
- Cost-effectiveness and Financial Table: Completion of the financial table presenting an expenditure breakdown in Iraqi Dinar (IQD) for each item cost in the budget . The proposed budget should clearly indicate the deliverables and timeline requirements.
- The training will take place in Erbil for 10 to 15 participants from various organizations. Training expenses for participants will be covered by Search for Common Ground. The consultant is not required to include additional participant costs; the budget breakdown should only cover facilitation and related expenses. Please note, Search will not cover the consultant’s travel or accommodation costs.
Please note that applications failing to meet the above criteria will not be considered during the shortlisting process.
Terms and Conditions: Search for Common Ground reserves the right to select or reject proposals based on the evaluation criteria and event requirements. The selected facilitator will be required to adhere to the event guidelines and code of conduct throughout the engagement.
How to apply
Application Process: Interested facilitators are invited to submit their proposals, including a detailed CV highlighting relevant experience, proposed methodology for facilitating trainings , Budget breakdown of the service in Iraqi Dinar IQD, and any additional supporting documents, to Iraq@sfcg.org by Jan 25th, 2024, with the subject ” Grants Management Capacity Building “