About Sawt

Strengthening Civil Society and Media Systems (Sawt) Activity is a five-year (2022-2027) cooperative agreement funded by USAID and implemented by Internews in partnership with Mercy Corps and the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL). Sawt aims to foster sustained civic engagement in Jordan through civil society and digital media innovations through two objectives: 1) Good, Trusted Knowledge-Building Resources: Citizens and civil society build knowledge through accessing and engaging critically with accurate and fact-based information and 2) Participation & Advocacy: Citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Jordan effectively participate in civic spaces and advocate for policies through knowledge-based collective action.

About Internews

Internews is an international nonprofit operating in 100+ countries. At Internews, we believe everyone deserves trustworthy news and information to make informed decisions about their lives and hold power to account. We train journalists and digital rights activists, tackle disinformation, and offer business expertise to help media outlets become financially sustainable. For more information about the organization please visit: www.internews.org.

Summary 

Internews intends to engage a service provider/research organization to conduct an assessment on the consultation of CSOs in public policy making in Jordan, henceforth referred to as the CSO Public Participation Assessment. The assessment aims to provide an in-depth contextualized assessment of the policies, processes, resources and practices currently mandating, guiding, and leading the consultation of the CSOs in Jordan. The research will focus on in public policy design, implementation, and monitoring also will aim at providing actionable recommendations to enhance consistency and quality of CSO engagement by Government of Jordan (GoJ). The selected organization, henceforth referred to as “Research Organization”, will lead the design, implementation, and delivery of this research.

Context and Rationale

Civic engagement in decision making is at the center of better policy making and good governance. Productive relationships between CSOs and governments and institutionalized dialogue and consultation allow governments to tap into community responsive policy ideas and information sources

Factors that contribute to enhanced public participation of CSOs include favorable legislation, institutionalization of consultation platforms, and access to information among others. There are various means used by governments to facilitate public participation of CSOs including policy documents, establishment of government offices mandated with CSO coordination, and issuing regulation on public participation to ensure it occurs. It is important to note that the presence of favorable factors and the use of a multi-tool approach by governments to engage civil society ensures institutionalized, accessible, and inclusive participation and sustainable civic engagement.

Jordan is currently undergoing extensive economic, political, and administrative reform guided by the Economic Modernization Vision, the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap, and the Political Modernization Process. The implementation, monitoring, and update of the reform plans presents an important opportunity for CSOs to integrate sectoral specific and participation relevant input centrally as well as the level of local governments. To add to that, the newly introduced e-participation platform hosted by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, among other consultation activities held by GoJ, denotes political will and action towards enhanced CSO engagement.

However, multiple assessments have concluded that the CSO public consultation is among areas in need of development and restructuring. The Enabling Environment National Assessment Country Report found that there is a “lack of a clear public policy and mechanisms that regulate relations between the government and civil society in Jordan, and a lack of recognition by the government of the partnership role of civil society” leading to inconsistent dialogue and variable quality. USAID Civil Society Assessment found the quality and extent of engagement of CSOs with GoJ to be “Limited”, elaborating on policy makers’ negative perceptions and understanding of CSOs role in policy making. The Civil Society Sustainability Index noted that “Government decisions rarely took into account input or advocacy campaigns from CSOs in 2021” and Sawt’s Advocacy Mapping recommended that CSO consultations are institutionalized and that “Access to influencing opportunities and decision-making tables should be part of the public entities’ internal policies, procedures, and practices.”

As a result, Sawt intends to commission a research organization to provide detailed insight on how CSO consultations and engagement take place and the laws, processes, and practices relevant to CSO engagement in public consultations and decision making in Jordan. The results should inform government, civil society, and donor organizations on how the status quo compares to what is mandated in national legislature, best practices, and international commitments and provide context relevant recommendations, taking into consideration views of both CSOs and GoJ, ultimately leading to enhanced civic engagement and its sustainability.  

Objectives

Research Objectives and Use of Findings

The conducted CSO Public Participation Assessment will focus on consultation laws, processes, and practices at the level of the central and local Jordanian government. This is envisioned by Sawt to take place through a policy review and analysis as well as  in-depth discussions with stakeholders, experts and decision makers. The study findings should be relevant to CSOs, GoJ, donors and all stakeholders involved in advancing civic engagement and ensuring its sustainability.

Focused on the engagement of civil society in public decision making in Jordan, the CSO Public Participation assessment overall research objective is to identify and analyze what specifically needs to be reformed at the policies level to ensure institutionalized, accessible, and inclusive CSO consultations and engagement take place. The study will accordingly identify the current status of CSO public participation on paper and in practice including both opportunities and challenges to reform leading to CSOs meaningful engagement. Moreover, it will serve the following specific objectives:

1. Mapping of current laws, regulations, strategies and other policies that guide and inform GoJ’s direction and practices with regard to public consultations. Assessment of CSO consultation guidance in key national documents including the Public Sector Modernization Road Map, Political Modernization plan, the Open Government Partnership commitments and other relevant documents.
2. Examining current public participation practices focusing on regularity, consistency, and quality of CSO participatory mechanisms. This includes capturing the experiences of policy makers as well as civil society organizations with regard to accessibility, openness, effectiveness, inclusion, and resulting interest/engagement. The research should probe into details such as access to sufficient information on the subject matter, enough time provided to ensure engagement, and accountability towards feedback among other areas.
3. Identifying current organizations, platforms, and tools that facilitate or could facilitate CSO or public dialogue and commenting on their effectiveness, utilization, and comprehensiveness. Special attention should be provided to the newly launched e-participation platform and relevant data on its implementation and potential to date. CSOs preferences should also be assessed when tools and processes are identified.
4. Providing insight on available resources, including human resources and their competency, needed to plan and conduct quality consultation opportunities.
5. Providing recommendations, based on collected information and insights, on how to achieve institutionalized, inclusive, and accessible CSO public participation with attention to available resources and local context. The recommendations should tackle both policy and implementation and should be applicable to CSOs with various organizational capacities and in diverse geographic locations.  

Research Design and Methodology

The applied research methodologies should adopt an iterative, action-oriented, do no harm approach. Data collection should be ethical and allows the equal participation of male and female youth, adults, and persons with disabilities, especially those in remote areas.

Guided by Internews, the Research Organization will conduct, manage, and lead the research together with competent capable Jordan-based or Jordan-expert researchers. 

The adopted research methodology could entail quantitative and qualitative research methods, and triangulation of data including, but not limited to the below suggestions. Less traditional research methods are welcomed. Due to its analytical nature, the research is expected to rely heavily on desk research, ethnographic observations, and political economy analysis by subject-matter experts.

• Desk Research: Researchers will utilize and build on existing assessments and will review key documents that guide CSO public participation including laws, regulations, processes, strategies, reform plans among others.
• In-depth Stakeholders Interviews: Key informant, (semi)-structured, or open interviews are effective to access needed information and contextualize the conducted analysis. They can be conducted online, in-person or through consultations with experts and stakeholders. Special attention should be given to ensuring the diversity and representation of the stakeholders.

Scope of Work

The scope of work includes the following deliverables and milestones:

1. Inception:

• Develop research methodology and approach.
• Recruit research team.

1. Research Design:

• Map and identify experts and stakeholders to be engaged through interviews.
• Design data collection tools.
• Identify resources list for desk research.
• Conduct desk research and analysis.

1. Data Collection and Analysis:

• Conduct interviews and consultations.
• Process and analyze collected data.
• Writing up first draft report.

1. Report Finalization:

• Final report: delivering a final report document including text, pictures, graphs, illustrations, annexes, and cover page. In addition to a report brief as well as a presentation with main findings and recommendations from the research.

Eligibility Criteria

• The organization must be legally registered and has permission to operate in Jordan.

Required Qualifications

• The organization must have a documented record of employing staff with experience in research and assessments related to the fields of politics, international development, civil society or related field.
• The organization must have proven experience of designing and implementing recent research and assessments on civil society or public participation.
• Languages: Expert level proficiency of English and Arabic languages is required for communication, data collection and reporting purposes.

Proposal Content

Service providers interested in participating in this solicitation must provide the following:

1. Registration Certificate: Provide proof of legal registration in Jordan.
2. Technical Proposal detailing the approach and methodology:

1. Explain the proposed approach and methodology for conducting the CSO Public Participation Assessment.
2. Describe how the Research Organization will design and implement data collection and tools.
3. Provide the composition, names, and brief bios of the team members with relevant expertise in conducting research and assessment in the Jordanian civil society landscape, public and political participation.

1. Full Financial Proposal: Include a comprehensive financial proposal outlining the detailed budget for the proposed project.
2. Provide previous work sample(s) showcasing experience in designing and implementing research studies and assessments.

Application Instructions

Interested organizations are invited to submit their organization’s portfolio, identified researchers, along with their technical and financial proposals, addressed to: [Click to show email] by December 23, 2024, 17:00 Amman time making sure to write “CSO Public Participation Proposal, Sawt Activity” in the subject of your e-mail.

Duration

The duration of this research is 5 months, 1 January — 1 June 2025, subject to extension if needed.

Inquiries

For any inquiries or clarifications regarding the assignment, reach out to [Click to show email]

by 17:00 on the 12 of December 2024.

For more information about deliverables, please visit this link Call for Proposals: Research Consultancy, Civil Society Public Participation Assessment - Information Saves Lives | Internews