Terms of Reference (TOR)Consultant – Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI) Organizational Assessment for Cruz Vermelha de Timr-Leste (CVTL)

1. Background

Cruz Vermelha de Timor-Leste (CVTL) is committed to strengthening its institutional capacity to integrate Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI) across its operations, policies, and programs. To support this, the National Society seeks to conduct a PGI Organizational Assessment using the IFRC PGI Organizational Assessment Toolkit (PGI OAT). This assessment will provide a baseline understanding of PGI strengths and gaps and develop a targeted Plan of Action (PoA) to enhance protection and inclusion across all areas of the organization and ensure institutions, programs and services are safer and more inclusive by facilitating coordinated support and joint efforts within and across NS.

2. Purpose & Objectives

The consultant will support the National Society to:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of policies, systems, and structures to assess PGI integration with strong support from the leadership.
• Identify institutional strengths, gaps, and barriers in PGI mainstreaming.
• Assess how PGI is reflected in HR policies, safeguarding mechanisms, program frameworks, and service delivery.
• Facilitate engagement with leadership, staff, and volunteers to build ownership of PGI commitments.
• Develop a realistic and actionable Plan of Action (PoA), with measurable indicators and estimated costs to implement, to address identified gaps
• Present findings and recommendations through a validation workshop.

3. Methodology & Scope of Work

3.1 The IFRC PGI Organizational Assessment Toolkit (PGI OAT) provides structured tools and templates to facilitate data collection and analysis. The consultant will be expected to use and adapt these existing tools as needed for:

• Desk review of policies, guidelines, and internal frameworks (using PGI OAT review checklists).
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (structured using existing PGI OAT interview and FGD guides).
• Scoring and analysis using the PGI OAT Landscape Review and Organizational Assessment Scorecard.
• Facilitated validation and action planning, using PGI OAT’s structured approach for developing a Plan of Action (PoA).

The consultant will not need to create new tools from scratch but should ensure appropriate contextualization of existing IFRC PGI tools to fit the National Society’s specific operational and institutional context.

3.2 Other

• Data collection and data analysis processes are expected to be rigorous.
• The consultant is responsible for sub-contracting any logistical support required and for procuring equipment and materials.
• The consultant is required to source additional external data sources to add value to the evaluations, such as other innovation evaluations.
• Data analysis plans should be appropriate to the selected design. The consultant is expected to ensure that data is clean and goes through a quality assurance process before data is analyzed.
• The consultant is responsible for identifying and procuring the necessary data analysis software.
• A range of organizational documentation (‘information pack’) will be made available to the consultant
• The consultancy team is required to adhere to the following policies:
  1. Child Safeguarding
  2. Protection from Sexual Exploitation and abuse
  3. Data Protection and Privacy Policy
  4. Fraud policy
  5. Whistle-blower policy
  6. HR Manual

4. Reporting & Management

• Primary Contact: The National Society will appoint a PGI Lead as the consultancy project manager. This person will be the primary point of contact for the consultant.
• Oversight: The assessment process will be governed by an Evaluation Committee, responsible for:
  • Providing strategic direction and technical input.
  • Reviewing and approving deliverables.
  • Ensuring timely payments.
  • The Evaluation Committee will meet in line with deliverables from inception to final report submission.
• Reporting:
  • Weekly verbal check-ins with the National Society PGI Lead, outlining progress.
• Management: The consultant will work remotely. No office space will be provided by the National Society.

5. Selection Criteria

Applicants will be assessed against the following essential and desirable criteria:

Essential Criteria

• PGI Expertise: Demonstrated technical expertise in Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI), including areas such as violence prevention, disability inclusion, gender equality, and safeguarding.
• Organizational Assessment Experience: Experience leading organizational capacity assessments or similar institutional reviews, including conducting desk reviews, key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs).
• Strong Facilitation and Communication Skills: Demonstrated ability to facilitate participatory workshops and engage with a diverse range of stakeholders—including leadership, volunteers, and community members—to build shared understanding and ownership.
• PGI-Aligned Data Analysis: Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data using an inclusion lens, with clear, actionable synthesis of findings.
• Contextual Adaptation: Ability to tailor tools, approaches, and recommendations to fit the operational and institutional realities of the National Society.
• Ethical and Inclusive Practice: Demonstrated commitment to upholding safeguarding principles, ‘Do No Harm’, and the meaningful participation of diverse and at-risk groups throughout the assessment process.

6. Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Technical Expertise
• Proposed Methodology
• Budget and Cost-Effectiveness
• Previous Experience and Track Record

7. Desirable Criteria

• Red Cross Red Crescent Knowledge: Understanding of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement structures and experience engaging with National Societies is highly valued.
• Regional and Cultural Experience: Experience working in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Timor-Leste or similar contexts, and demonstrated cultural and political sensitivity in working with diverse teams and vulnerable populations.
• Language Skills: Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Tetum or Portuguese is strongly preferred.
• Report Writing: Proven ability to produce high-quality, action-oriented reports, including clear recommendations, timelines, and estimated costs.

8.     Timeline

The consultancy work is expected to be conducted from June to July 2025.

Submission Deadline

• The application package must be submitted no later than [29 May 2025].

Submissions should be emailed to [email protected]. For any inquiries, please contact Juliana Fatima [email protected], contact number +670 77017123 and Agapito da Silva [email protected] contact number +670 77297160.

Contract Award

• The successful candidate will be notified by [June 2025].