SCOPE OF WORK

Consultant
This scope of work defines the key parameters, responsibilities and deliverables expected for this
consultancy which will support the design phase of a new initiative to deepen understanding of
approaches to normative change across development sectors and strengthen cross-sectoral gender
norms programming.

 By August 20, 2017 please submit a CV and cover letter clearly describing competency in the
design and implementation of landscaping and case study research. Please direct the submission to
[email protected]

Timeline: The activities in this SOW will take place between September – November 2017. It is estimated
to take a total of 20 days.

Location: Washington, D.C., or elsewhere/open.

About the Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University

The Georgetown University Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) is dedicated to improving the sexual
and reproductive health of women, men and youth through a research-to-practice agenda. Our emphasis
is on increasing access to and use of family planning, increasing fertility awareness through life-stage
appropriate interventions, expanding access to fertility awareness-based family planning methods in an
informed choice context, and developing scalable interventions to transform gender norms and catalyze
the diffusion of social norms that support family planning. Cross-cutting themes in the Institute’s work
include the diffusion of social norms that support sexual and reproductive health, scale up of innovations,
and incorporating gender perspectives in reproductive health. In partnership with a wide range of
international and local organizations, IRH conducts research, builds capacity, and provides technical
assistance to public and private-sector organizations in lower and middle-income countries and the U.S.
The Institute is supported by grants from U.S. foundations and government agencies, including the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID). Learn more

About the Passages Project

Passages project aims to address a broad range of social norms, at scale, to achieve sustained
improvements in family planning and reproductive health. This research project is building the evidence
base and contributing to the capacity of the global community to strengthen normative environments
that support reproductive health, especially among very young adolescents, newly married youth, and
first-time parents. Passages capitalizes on these formative life course transitions to test and scale up
interventions that promote collective change and foster an enabling environment for healthy timing and
spacing of pregnancies and family planning. Learn more

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About the activity: Cross-sectoral normative change initiatives
With support from USAID’s Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GenDev), Passages is
undertaking work to deepen understanding of existing approaches to normative change across different
development sectors and strengthen cross-sectoral gender norms programming. This initiative will seek
to improve the understanding of work on gender norms across sectors within USAID, and strengthen the
way that USAID approaches programming in this area, to achieve its women’s economic empowerment
(WEE) and gender-based violence (GBV) goals. In particular, this activity will strengthen knowledge of
gender norm approaches/best practices across sectors at USAID, and assist these sectors to incorporate
state of the art gender norms approaches into their funding priorities and work, drawing on lessons
learned from the health sector. A key focus area will be male gender norms/masculinities. As such, this
work will explore how to engage men in gender transformative ways across development sectors,
providing an opportunity to increase emphasis on engaging men within WEE and GBV prevention and
response. At this stage, we will focus on USAID-funded activities only.

The objectives of this initiative are fourfold:

1. Identify what gender norm approaches USAID-funded programs, have applied, where they have
been used, in what sectors and what lessons have been learned.
2. Explore the effectiveness of these approaches in other sectors.
3. Share promising practices to achieve norm change (particularly addressing masculinities), helping
to strengthen this current work in different sectors.
4. Provide recommendations for future support to research and programming.

Purpose of Consultancy. The consultant will support the inception phase of this work and guide the IRH
team as they start to collect, analyze and synthesize data. It will include preparatory activities such as the
design and vetting of the research protocol and tools, work planning, training interviewers and pre-
testing tools. In addition, the consultant will guide the team in analyzing the data, drafting materials and
sharing results. Activities will follow a pre-defined and developed concept note, but with flexibility to
adapt the approach as needed.

Activities will be carried out as follows:

1. Prepare research protocol and guidance to assess cross sectoral normative change
work within USAID (approx. 5 days)

The first, and primary, responsibility of the consultant is to draft a research protocol that will
guide the assessment of USAID’s social norms programming. We anticipate that the research
design and tools will include key informant interviews, a desk review and possibly an on-line
landscaping survey. The consultant will begin by reviewing materials and participating in meetings
with IRH and USAID staff to outline the research design, developing consensus and establishing
the conceptual approach and framing of the research. Once there is agreement on the overall
framing, design and methods, the consultant will draft the protocol, develop the study tools (e.g.
key informant guides, on-line survey, and desk review protocol) and develop a detailed work plan,
in coordination with the IRH team.

2. Provide support to IRH study team during data collection, analysis and report
preparation. (approx. 5 days)

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 The consultant will orient the interviewers, work with them to pre-test and finalize tools and
provide oversight and guidance during the data collection and analysis process, including
guidelines for ongoing analysis of the incoming data. S/he will review first and second drafts of
the landscaping report including recommendations for next steps for specific case studies for a
deep dive into best practices across sectors. The consultant will design and facilitate a ½ day
workshop with USAID staff and other stakeholders to share results, identify key themes and
recommendations, and lay the groundwork for the subsequent deeper-dive analysis into selected
sectoral promising approaches.

3. Based on findings from the landscaping phase, develop a protocol and guidance for
the next “deep dive” phase, which will include case studies from three-to-five
different sectors (approx.10 days)

Based on findings from the landscaping activity, the consultant will develop the case study
protocol and tools, orient and guide the next “deep dive” assessment phase in select sectors (3-
5). This may include orientation, reviewing notes and analysis, facilitating reflection meetings and
developing templates/processes for data collection and analysis. The consultant will also review
draft and final reports. If time permits, participate in dissemination of the key results and
recommendations.

Based on the landscaping findings and the preparations for the deep dive phase, additional support for
this initiative may be needed. At that point, an evaluation of the consultancy, collaboration and project
needs will be undertaken by IRH. Additional work may include supporting the final product of case studies
based on the sectoral deep dives, infographics or other soft communication collateral, final presentation
deck of findings, etc.

Responsibilities & Terms of Reference

 Review relevant documents to achieve working knowledge of the Passages project, this initiative,
and social norms concepts necessary for understanding the content
 Participate in meetings with IRH and USAID staff to develop consensus on research design and
theoretical framing, select priority sectors to include in the review and establish a work plan and
team process.
 Draft and revise landscaping and case study protocols, tools and templates (e.g. procedures for
desk review, digital landscaping tool and in-depth interview guides).
 Orient study team and pretest study tools and procedures.
 Review draft of reports from each study component, e.g. digital landscaping survey, desk review
and in-depth interviews, case studies.
 Revise final reports and recommendations.
 Develop agenda for mini dissemination workshop and review meeting notes

Expected Deliverables
 Work plan
 Protocol for landscaping exercise, including tools and analysis templates/outlines
 Comments on landscaping report (two reviews)
 Draft agenda for dissemination workshop and comments on notes

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  Protocol for case study, including tools and analysis templates/outlines
 Comments on 3-5 case study reports (two reviews)

Planning, Logistics & Support

IRH will provide the following support and information to the selected consultant:
 Internal background materials to facilitate the SOW
 Meeting set up and logistics
 Regular check-ins to answer questions and agree next steps to facilitate progress toward
deliverables
 Access to shared platforms for communication and outreach efforts
 Report/review development and design support

Key Contacts
 Rebecka Lundgren, Research Director | [email protected]
 Esther Spindler, Research Officer | | [email protected]
 Courtney McLarnon-Silk, Program Officer | [email protected]

Submission of Proposals
Please submit a CV, contact information, and cover letter clearly describing the consultants’ competency
by August 20, 2017 to [email protected]. Include a budget for completing this work with
estimated timeline, based on a provided set daily rate.

The selection criteria will include:

 Previous experience in gender, normative change, social norms and a diverse background in
development sectors (beyond sexual and reproductive health)
 Experience in male engagement initiatives a plus
 Familiarity with social norms theory and policy frameworks relevant to normative changes in
multiple development sectors
 Demonstrated expertise in research relevant to landscaping and assessments such as desk
reviews, key informant interviews, case study methodology, etc.
 Previous experience in report writing and production
 Experience with USAID structure, programs and policies
 Cost and budget competitiveness