Call for applications: Sound Connects Fund facilitation and programme design

Goethe-Institut and the Music In Africa Foundation are implementing Sound Connects Fund, a European Union (EU) and Africa Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) funded, 40-month project aiming to support creatives in Southern Africa in nine countries – namely Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and eSwatini. The project aims to support creatives and practitioners through sub-grants to improve their products and services, gain more access to markets and finances, and implement initiatives focused on audience literacy.

Goethe-Institut and the Music In Africa Foundation will be hosting a weeklong gathering of the fund’s grantees in Windhoek, Namibia, from Monday 26 June to Friday 30 June 2023. The main purpose of this event is to facilitate the delivery of the Sound Connects Fund’s robust capacity-building activities targeted at grantees. The event will bring together 24 delegates from 12 organisations in nine countries for learning, sharing, exchange and networking.

Services required 

Goethe-Institut and the Music In Africa Foundation are looking to employ the services of a qualified and suitable training and capacity-building consultant or company to provide various services for the Sound Connects Fund Annual Grantee Networking and Capacity Building Workshop.

Key responsibility/objective

1. Planning and delivery of a weeklong capacity programme in line with the needs and objectives of the Sound Connects Fund which must include:

An interactive, engaging and exciting schedule of activities that balances the following needs:

• Formal learning.
• Sharing and exchange (grantees share about their funded projects and organisations).
• Peer-to-peer learning.
• Team building.
• Creative and cultural sector engagements.
• Networking.

2. Facilitation of the daily programme to ensure a golden thread between the activities and the overall week schedule and to keep the attendees motivated and interested in the activities.

Please note: For formal learning, the Sound Connects Fund has employed an M&E and learning partner who will deliver five formal learning sessions at the gathering.

The formal learning sessions will cover the following topics:

• Culture in Context
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Financial Management
• Digital Marketing and Fund Raising
• Cultural Governance and International Cooperation

The training and capacity-building consultant or company must incorporate these formal learning sessions into their proposed plan as well as their own additional activities.

Guidelines

• The capacity-building programme must run from Monday 26 June to Friday 30 June 2023.
• The programme must run daily between 9am and 5pm.
• A suitable venue secured in Windhoek, Namibia, will be the main venue for the gathering. However, one (1) excursion or one (1) external day can be considered.

Note: The expertise of the consultant will guide the deliverables of the outputs in these terms of reference, but the final tasks and scope will be approved by the Sound Connects Fund management team.

Submission

The training and capacity-building service provider or company must submit the following to Goethe-Institut and the Music In Africa Foundation:

• Proposed week schedule including various activities as per the requirements mentioned above.
• Summary or rationale of the schedule design and proposed activities.
• Information and profile of any experts or sector players that will be employed.
• Detailed budget.
• Profile of consultant or company demonstrating suitability for the work and examples of previous work delivered.

Profile of service provider

• Expertise and experience of working in the Southern Africa region in a similar capacity.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Understanding of activities of arts development projects.
• Preferably, experience in capacity building training and workshops.

Qualifications of personnel

• Clear indications of all personnel involved (by providing respective CVs). Past experience working in/with the different focus countries of the project is preferable.
• Overview of past experience of the bidding company/consortium of companies/freelancers covering at least the last three years (maximum the last six years).
• Must be able to communicate fluently in English.

Budget plan and other aspects

• Prices (presented either in ZAR or EUR) must include any taxes (incl. VAT) and other components (e.g. internet access, working materials, etc.). Goethe-Institut will only pay the total price as indicated by the offer.
• Any equipment needed for the provision of the tasks shall be provided by the service provider.

General provisions

• Criteria for selection: A committee compiled by Goethe-Institut and the Music In Africa Foundation will evaluate the different bids submitted. Submissions after the deadline will not be considered. Goethe-Institut reserves the right to ask for additional documentation after submission. The evaluation consists of four parts: Price (30%), quality of proposed project team (30%), quality of the offer (30%) and regional expertise (10%). The offer with the highest number of cumulative points across all four sections will be awarded.

Submission of proposals

Only qualified and experienced service providers capable of delivering services on time and at affordable rates with a proven track record will be considered. The contract will be signed with Goethe-Institut.

Interested service providers should submit detailed technical and financial proposals with a detailed budget detailing all costs related to this call.

General information

The service provider’s contract shall be for five days (Monday 26 June to Friday 30 June 2023.) of agreed and contracted terms. The proposal should therefore demonstrate the fee structures across the main deliverables as indicated in this call for Sound Connects Fund management to consider.

General provisions

1. Bidders should note that once contracted, there will be no extension of allocated time, beyond the closing date.
2. Failure to comply with the provisions of the contract could render the cancellation of the contract without prejudice to the contracting party.
3. Goethe-Institut reserves the right not to appoint any consultant/service provider/ or to appoint the work to more than one bidder.
4. Goethe-Institut reserves the right to undertake reference and other checks and by responding to this bid. The consultant(s)/service provider hereby gives Goethe-Institut consent/authority to undertake such checks.
5. Goethe-Institut reserves the right to withdraw this bid/or amend these terms of reference by notice in writing (email or posting on the website) to only shortlisted bidders who will have responded to this call prior to the closing date.
6. The award of the contract will be based on best value for money that being the best outcome for Goethe-Institut as a whole, considering price, economic, environmental and social benefits (if applicable).
7. Goethe-Institut reserves the right not to make an award or to accept the lowest bid.

Application process

Candidates are invited to submit a budget and proposal that is a maximum of four pages, outlining proposed process with time frames, by the closing date.

Anticompetitive behaviour

Anticompetitive arrangements, particularly agreements and recommendations regarding the following are forbidden:

• Profit margin.
• Profit sharing.
• Prices.
• Deficiency compensation/redundancy pay, etc.
• Terms and conditions for delivery of service, payment and contract which influence the pricing apart from exceptions mentioned in the GWB (German Competition Law, implementing Article 101 of the EU treaty).
• Whether to submit or not to submit an offer.

Miscellaneous

• The information, materials and documents made available by the contracting authority may only be used for the purpose of this tender, have to be kept strictly confidential and are not allowed to be recirculated to third parties without prior approval of the contracting authority.
• Costs incurred for the preparation and presentation (including travel expenses) for the bid cannot be reimbursed. Unless otherwise agreed, the documents, samples, etc. attached to the bid will pass into the ownership of the contracting authority; bidders cannot claim a reimbursement of any costs.

Instructions on submission of offer

Offers need to be submitted electronically (preferably in one PDF) in English to Ms Priscilla Mwasinga at priscilla.mwasinga@goethe.de with the subject line ‘Facilitation Networking Session’ no later than 28 April 2023 at 6pm CAT. Late submissions will not be considered.

Contact for further inquiries: MEAL officer Ms Priscilla Mwasinga at priscilla.mwasinga@goethe.de.

The Sound Connects Fund is also looking to procure the services of a Local Logistics Coordinator (company or individual). Read the job posting here.