Call for consultants: Supporting the development of an integrated suite of demand driven knowledge services through scoping research, resource mapping and organisational planning

1. 1.       Summary

Transparency International (TI) is inviting expressions of interest from highly experienced consultants to support the organisational design and implementation planning for a key knowledge services programme under its TI 2015 strategy. The programme aims at expanding and optimising the integration of TI’s suite of knowledge services and products with a particular focus on supporting collaborative learning, on-demand service provision and idea incubation.

All work should be completed no later than 23 December 2011.

1. 2.       Background

TI is a global civil society movement dedicated to fighting against corruption. Through more than 90 national chapters (NCs) worldwide, and an international Secretariat in Berlin, Germany (the Secretariat), TI carries out diagnostic work on and raises awareness about the devastating impact of corruption and works with partners in government, the private sector and civil society to develop and implement effective measures to tackle it.

TI has recently developed a new 5-year Strategy (TI Strategy 2015) which sets out some ambitious new directions for the TI Movement. The commitment to fully harness the unique breadth and depth of expertise and experience dispersed throughout the global TI movement, enhance responsiveness, performance and impact at all levels has been recognised as a central element in the Strategy. To realise this ambition, the Secretariat has started a new Key Programme (see the Implementation Plan 2015) on Anti-Corruption Solutions and Knowledge (ASK) which aims to expand and optimise the integration of TI-S’ suite of knowledge services and products to

• Enhance collaborative learning and lateral knowledge support across the movement
• Provide more flexible, user-orientated and demand-driven knowledge services (central element: a helpdesk function)
• Create organisational mechanisms for incubating and testing new ideas
• Strengthen diagnostic focus on identifying what works and what does not in tackling corruption
• Expand collaboration with outside partners to enhance knowledge flows, learning  and innovation with academia, practitioners and peers throughout and beyond the anti-corruption community

1. 3.       Assignment

The main components of the assignment are:

1. To conduct a stock-taking and gap analysis with regard to currently existing knowledge products, services, knowledge management (km) practices, expertise profiles and resources in TI-S

2. To conduct background research to enhance our understanding of the range of possible options for organising collaborative learning and on-demand knowledge services informed by the approaches and experience of other, globally networked organisations with a particular focus on helpdesk facilities

3. To facilitate a participatory development and planning process and to develop recommendations to advance the organisational implementation of all aspects of the ASK programme

More specifically the consultant will be expected to:

ad 1: stocktaking and gap analysis

• map existing ASK related in-house activities, expertise profiles, work flow needs, time and financial resources, as well as ongoing work commitments
• map and review existing knowledge products and knowledge management practices in order to identify overlaps, synergies and gaps in the service spectrum to inform the refinement of existing and development of new knowledge products and km processes

ad 2: background research

• identify and review promising knowledge management mechanisms, innovations and related technology choices of organisations that operate in similar research-to-policy environments and/or globally-networked arrangements

• specifically with regard to helpdesk-like functions review the experience and approaches to key organisational aspects, including:
  •  managing fluctuations in demand,
  • cultivating a pool of experts to support research and query response
  • handling of language diversity
  • query response formats, including media choice, length, turn-around times
  • building interactive, sustainable knowledge repository around query and responses

ad 3: planning facilitation and recommendations

• facilitate a process, involving the secretariat and possibly others, of further elaborating the strategic orientation and role of individual ASK components as well as their most effective integration in view of AKS’s overall objectives
• based on all the activities above develop recommendations with regard to:

- revised and new formats of ASK related knowledge products and services

- specifically for the helpdesk facility:  organisational implementation and the main processes that need to be modified or established, including one-stop first point of contact, defined handover points and procedures, monitoring, evaluation and learnnig elements and the underlying RASCI structure

• A separate consulting assignment will develop a set of recommendations on the technology tools and applications that would best support the implementation of the ASK programme and its individual components

The consultant will be expected to produce the following deliverables:

• a briefing note that presents the stock-take and mapping of in-house assets as well as identified gaps
• an analytical report that summarises the findings from the scoping exercise, the outcomes of the consultation process and the recommendations developed
• an internal participatory planning workshop
• a next-steps summary that records the agreed upon organisational changes, timelines

1. 4.       Timeline

The work is expected to be completed, and the outputs submitted, no later than December 23, 2011.

1. 5.       Selection Criteria

The expressions of interest should be accompanied by a detailed budget, clearly stating the consultant’s daily rates; or lump sums for all three key components. Consultants should have the following skills and experience:

• Minimum of 10 years experience in organisational knowledge management for policy organisations in international settings
• Experience of working with complex international civil society organisations or networks
• Knowledge of issues and programmes relating to good governance, corruption, and social accountability mechanisms a distinct advantage
• Spoken and written fluency in English

1. 6.       Submission of Applications

Applications (in English) must be sent by email to Sofia Wickberg (swickberg@transparency.org) by the 14^th of November 2011 with  “ASK consultant” in the subject line. Applications should contain:

• A letter of motivation
• Curriculum Vitae with full description of the applicant’s profile and experience
• A summary proposal with cost estimate (including the duration)
• Sample of recent work (confidentiality is guaranteed)
• Contact details for at least two independent referees with in-depth and proven knowledge of the applicant’s expertise and relevant work experience

TI retains the right to reject any or all of the applications and/or to enter into additional negotiations with one or more of the tendering parties. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.