El Salvador: Subject Matter Expert

Request for Proposal (RFP) for a

Subject Matter Expert (SME)

To participate in a Performance Assessment of:

Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeón Cañas (UCA), San Salvador, El Salvador

Sponsored by:The United State Agency for International Development (USAID)

Managed by:El Salvador Higher Education for Economic Growth Activity (“HEA”)

Administered by:World Learning/RTI Consortium

Timeframe of delivery for the service requested: May 15 – August 31, 2016

(It is anticipated that the SME will travel to El Salvador during the week of June 20 – July 1, 2016 to conduct the HICD assessment as part of an HICD Assessment Team, comprised of the Performance Improvement Expert, and RTI International local staff*.)*

1. Context

1.1 Background: Higher Education for Economic Growth (HEA), a five year USAID-funded project, aims to build the capacity of higher education institutions (HEIs) in El Salvador and the effectiveness of key government and higher education entities to provide educational programs and research that contributes to the country’s economic growth.

The five anchor HEIs will undergo a full and independent Performance Assessment, one that aims to identify the root causes of performance gaps identified at each of those targeted institutions, and for those HEIs specifically, a team of independent performance improvement consultants will be hired, and lead by a Performance Expert.

To this extent, World Learning wishes to recruit a SME in International Higher Education consultant, with a strong background and understanding in the area of academic affairs. Additionally, experience and interest in training and/or institutional performance improvement is essential. The consultant should have a clear understanding of global standards, trends and services in the field of Higher Education and academic affairs as well as a proven track record working to build the capacity of Higher Education Institutions.

Specific skills and competencies we seek include:

· A minimum of 10 years’ experience working within higher education with an emphasis on academic affairs.

· At least 5 years’ experience in facilitation and training delivery within the higher education sector.

· Proven experience in developing capacities of higher education institutions either as an employee or as an external consultant.

· Familiarity with systems, standards, and current trends in higher education globally, and more specifically in Central America.

The main task of the SME will be to assist a Performance Expert in identifying performance gaps within the administration, academic affairs of UCA, and accreditation areas of UCA and/or the Higher Education sector in El Salvador, and their root causes, and to assist the institution in developing an Institutional Capacity Development Plan (ICDP) to address root causes of the performance gaps, taken separately or as part of a larger system. The ICDP will be implemented by the institution itself. Progress in the institution’s performance will be assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention measurements of the institution’s “internal” performance along stable performance indicators.

1.2 Composition of the Performance Assessment Team: The Performance Assessment Team will be comprised of a Performance Expert (team leader), a Subject Matter Expert (SME) Expert, and an HEA Senior Staff Member.

1.3 Language of Service: The SME should be fluent in English and Spanish, regardless of other languages spoken.

1.4 Goal and Objectives: In the context of the Program, the overall goal of Institutional Performance Development is:

· The performance of the targeted institutions, in terms of both satisfaction of target audiences, and delivery of goods, services or benefits, is improved.

The objectives are the following:

· Performance gaps are determined;

· Root causes of the gaps are identified;

· An ICDP meant to address root causes and close performance gaps above, is designed and implemented; please note that World Learning has a standardized ICDP template that can be used for the purposes of the Program. This ICDP template will shared with the Performance Expert that is chosen to lead the Performance Assessment Team in the preparatory stage of the Program;

1.5 Specific Program Requirements:

A. The SME is expected to deliver services that demonstrate his/her intimate knowledge with the field of activity of UFG (Higher Education), as well as familiarity with the field of institutional performance measurement/improvement.

B. The SME is expected to deliver services that aim to meet Program goals and objectives described under section 1.4 above.

C. The SME will actively support work of the Performance Expert (team leader). To a large extent, it is the Performance Expert who will determine the scope of work and level of effort requested from the SME. The SME will also work closely with other members of the Performance Assessment Team acting as a technical advisor.

1.6 Program Phases and Steps: Each Institution Performance Development Project, regardless of the institution targeted, has been divided into four (4) phases. Direct or indirect contributions by the SME are in bold below:

Phase I: External Environment Assessment

Step 1: A first step of the external environment assessment could be a survey of target audiences’ expectations and level of satisfaction from/with the targeted institution’s deliverables (i.e., services, products or benefits), depending on the recommendation of the winning bidder to this RFP. If such a survey is recommended, it will be administered by World Learning. Tools to be used for both qualitative and quantitative research (e.g., structured questionnaires to be administered to large audiences) should be prepared by the Performance Expert and the SME prior to field work so that results can be available for analysis during the field work and for the reporting in Step 2 below*.*

Phase II: Internal Environment Assessment

Step 2: An internal assessment of the target institution, to be conducted by the Performance Expert – with support from the SME. The initial output of this step should be a Work Plan that outlines activities and team resources/input needed to complete the internal assessment. The final output should be a Findings & Recommendations Report that includes: a) an Organizational Development Plan meant to address the root causes of performance gaps. Estimated cost and timeline should accompany each recommended intervention; b) a Performance Monitoring & Evaluation Plan meant to measure effect of the intervention package on performance gaps and the institution’s progress at closing those gaps. The SME will act as a technical advisor to the Performance Expert at all times during this step, then contribute to the Findings & Recommendations Report.

Phase III: Institutional Capacity Development Plan (ICDP)

Step 3: Implementation of the ICDP (all or part of it) will be responsibility of the partner organization.

Phase IV: Exit Performance Evaluation

Step 4: An Exit Evaluation of the partner institution’s overall performance will be conducted after the implementation of the activities in the CDP, with results being compared to measurements made at the beginning of the CDP. The Performance Expert, supported by the SME, will recommend the evaluation methodology and the relevant time frame for the Exit Evaluation, sincesome activities may have “lag time” before their impact can be measured. This recommendation should be part of the ICDP.

2. Proposal Components

2.1Professional Experience: In sequence, and in up to 5 pages maximum:

Ø Describe your expertise working in the field of activity of UCA (Higher Education) for which you are bidding, and the context within which it evolves as well – i.e., this should include experience in Central America, transitional society/economy/etc.;

Ø Describe your understanding of/experience with the field of institutional performance measurement & improvement.

Ø Describe your experience working in teams, complementing other experts.

2.2Relevant/Past experience: In this section describe three most relevant assignments conducted within the past five years. You may also attach relevant supporting documents, like your CV, articles or research papers written by you. This should not exceed more than 3 pages.

· Timeframe and availability: It is envisioned that UCA’s performance will be assessed in the period of late June. Please note that the team leader (the Performance Expert) will decide on the level of effort for the SME, therefore at this point we are not able to tell you the exact days when your services would be needed, though we can provide a range of days which is likely 10-14. However, please indicate your availability during this period, so that we can inform the Performance Expert and he can plan accordingly.

· Consultancy fee: Please indicate your fee/day in $USD. It should be exclusive of all other costs (i.e., airfare as well as lodging, meals & incidentals and ground transportation in El Salvador), since all those costs will be covered by World Learning separately and directly. We expect independent consultants to charge a flat fee.

Responsibilities

1. Deliver services according to a Scope of Work

2. Review & contribute to research tools used in a study of target audiences at Step 1 – if needed;

3. Act as a technical advisor to the Performance Improvement Expert all along Steps 2 & 3;

4. Contribute to the Findings & Recommendations Report at the end of Step 2, and Capacity Development Plan at the end of Step 3;

Evaluation Criteria

· Professional Qualification: 50 points

· Relevant Experience: 25 points

· Timeframe: 10 points

· Consultancy fee: 15 points

[*by May 6*] Proposal – Submitted to World Learning no later than the deadline at Christopher.Iverson@worldlearning.org

[*by May 13 ]* Notification – Following final negotiations and RTI International/USAID approval, awarding will be communicated by e-mail.

Apply to christopher.iverson@worldlearning.org