Attachment 2 - 1st Call Order _CSO Landscape Assessment_ SOW.docx

Attachment 2: 1st Call Order "CSO Landscape Assessment" SOW

1. INTRODUCTION

For decades, USAID/Armenia has been supporting civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen their organizational, advocacy, and policy-shaping capacity with the aim of building a more prosperous Armenia with strong and inclusive democratic institutions, fair laws, and accountable governance. CSOs have used this improved capacity and skills to proactively engage in constructive dialogue with the government and contributed to an improved operational environment for the sector, while also enhancing the well-being of their constituents and ensuring that laws and policies better support their needs. USAID/Armenia is currently supporting the Civil Society for Action (CSA) program, implemented by Counterpart International and its partners, that aims to enhance civil society’s sustainability through improved financial viability, capacity, and policy engagement. CSA builds relationships and leverages opportunities to engage civil society in public policy dialogue, supports local leaders to adapt and respond to evolving community needs, improves operational management skills of civil society partners, and fosters an enabling environment for sustainable civil society functioning.

USAID/Armenia is developing its next five-year Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), which is a highly consultative and evidence-based process. USAID has been relying on the CSO Sustainability Index (CSOSI), which is a multidimensional measure of the civil society landscape. By using standard indicators and collecting data each year, the CSOSI enabled users to track developments and identify trends in the CSO sector over time while allowing for cross-country and cross-region comparison over time. However, the Index was discontinued in 2023, and in the absence of similarly comprehensive indexes, there is a gap in the knowledge of the general civil society environment in Armenia.

2. ASSESSMENT PURPOSE AND INTENDED USE

The aim of this civil society landscape assessment is two-fold. First, the assessment will analyze the operating environment, emerging trends and external influences impacting the civil society sector in Armenia. Second, the assessment will identify how effective and impactful CSOs are in Armenia, using a multi-dimensional rubric. USAID/Armenia is the primary user of the assessment results. The Mission will use the findings of the assessment in the design of the CDCS. The results will also inform the implementation of the CSA program, specifically, and USAID/Armenia’s democracy, human rights, and governance portfolio, in general. USAID/Armenia will use the methodology and rubric for periodic follow-up assessments.

3. ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS AND DIMENSIONS

Working closely with USAID/Armenia and based on the desk review findings, the Contractor will finalize the dimensions, methodology and the assessment questions. The Contractor is expected to review available tools and indexes to inform dimensions and key research questions.

Dimensions and illustrative questions for the assessment of the general operating environment of the civil society sector in Armenia include:

Dimensions and illustrative questions to measure the effectiveness of the CSOs and their transformative action include:

ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

The assessment must use a mixed methods data collection approach. The Contractor must consult with a wide variety of key stakeholders who are aware of the local context and can provide unpublished information. These stakeholders must include, but are not limited to representatives of international organizations, civil society organizations, think tanks, government officials, constituent groups. The Contractor must develop and utilize an assessment framework and rubric that can be applied periodically to capture the sectoral shifts over time and identify any emerging trends.

Secondary data collection must include the analysis of data from multiple sources, including assessments and reports produced by international organizations, other donors, think tanks and academia.

Phase 0 | Inception

The Contractor must submit an Inception Report, which includes a brief literature review, proposed methodology, work plan/schedule, and a proposed list of stakeholders to be consulted. After the submission of the Inception Report and prior to data collection, the Contractor must hold an in-brief with relevant USAID/Armenia staff to finalize the proposed approach, methodology, and timeline.

The Contractor must submit the proposed methodological tools (e.g. questionnaires, discussion guides) to USAID/Armenia for input and approval prior to the launch of the fieldwork. Should the Contractor use quantitative data, all datasets generated during the performance of the Contract must be submitted in a machine-readable, non-proprietary format and excluding any personally identifiable information, with supporting documentation describing the dataset, such as code books, data dictionaries, data gathering tools, notes on data quality, and explanations of redactions.

The Inception Report should be up to ten pages, excluding the Annexes. The Annexes must include the list of stakeholders for the key informant interviews and focus group discussions; questionnaires; and workplan.

Phase I | Data Collection and Mission Outbrief

The deliverable for this phase is a slide deck on the key preliminary findings for each of the dimensions and an outbrief for USAID/Armenia. The Contractor must share the draft slides for USAID review at least three working days prior to the presentation.

Phase II | CSO Assessment Report and Presentation

Recommendations Workshop: Prior to drafting the report of findings, the Contractor must organize a recommendations workshop with key stakeholders. During the in-person workshop the Contractor will present the findings and proposed recommendations stemming from the assessment. USAID and the stakeholders will then workshop and refine the recommendations with the Contractor.

Draft Report: The report must comprehensively address each of the dimensions in separate chapters; a summary section must be included to discuss the major findings; describe the overarching state of the civil society sector; and propose actionable recommendations. The Contractor must submit the proposed outline of the report and get approval by USAID at the inception phase. The findings and conclusions should be clearly supported by the collected and analyzed data. Findings should be presented graphically where feasible and appropriate, using graphs, tables and charts. USAID will provide comments to the draft report within 10 business days after the draft report submission.

Final Report: Following receipt of all USAID comments on the draft report, the Contractor must prepare and submit a final version that incorporates and responds to USAID/Armenia feedback. The final report must be up to 30 pages (excluding annexes) and formatted in accordance with USAID’s branding and marking requirements.

The Contractor must also submit a two-page summary of the key findings, which can be used as a stand-alone document.

Final Presentation: The final report is to be accompanied by a presentation that aims to debrief selected stakeholders of the findings and conclusions from the analysis. A draft of the final deck must be submitted to USAID/Armenia prior to finalization and the presentation.

Phase III | CSO Assessment Toolkit

The Contractor must develop a toolkit with the methodology and the scoring rubric, including questionnaires, to be used in the follow-on assessments. The toolkit must be refined and finalized based on the lessons learned from this assessment.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE

The anticipated total duration of the job order is nine months after the award. The allocated time for the deliverables includes time for USAID/Armenia feedback.

Phase 0 | Inception

Deliverable 2. Annex 1 Workplan

Deliverable 3. Annex 2 Stakeholder List

Deliverable 4. Annex 3 Questionnaires

Phase 1 | Data Collection and Mission Outbrief

Phase II | CSO Assessment Report and Presentation

Phase III | CSO Assessment Toolkit