CALL FOR PROPOSALS/CONCEPT NOTES On Voter and Peace Education, Youth Participation Inclusion in Sierra Leone Electoral Processes

With the current trend of dwindling voter turnout and participation in electoral processes, the need for informed citizens’ effectively and meaningfully participate in the electoral process cannot be over emphasized.  With the 2023 elections, fast approaching, key electoral processes, are ongoing, among them are the   collection of Voters’ Identification Cards, internal candidate nomination processes within political parties for parliament and local council elections, and the campaigns will commence soon.  The citizen as a voter is at the center of all these processes and their access to timely and trusted information on these is a fundamental element in ensuring inclusive, credible participatory elections in June 2023.  This is particularly crucial considering the re-introduction of Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system since its last use in the 2022 elections in Sierra Leone Therefore, there is significant work within the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) to ensure citizens and political parties fully understand the new electoral system, especially the allocation of seat in parliament and local councils and the provisions of the public elections Act of 2022 on the gender quotas. While the ECSL has the primary responsibility for electoral education, the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC), civil society play a significantly complimentary role in ensuring that the ECSL’s efforts at electoral education reaches all voters and understood by citizens across the country.

Past election in Sierra Leone have been marred by violence. Unfortunately, young people have been seen both as victims and perpetrators of elections related violence. This is in part because, young people face multiple challenges in Sierra Leone, and during elections, these challenges are further exacerbated.  Apart from their low levels of education, young people are either unemployed or underemployed, and easily manipulated by interest groups.  Young persons with disabilities are further challenged by their disability and most times lack access to services and opportunities that allow them to meaningfully participate in the electoral. Women, especially those with disabilities face multiple discrimination because they are women and disabled at the same time. The ESCL, through its strategic plan, has prioritized targeting youth and women, especially those with disabilities, in its outreach efforts to counter traditional norms that have, in the past, limited their participation as candidates and voters. The threat of politically motivated violence and conflict due to political contestation that comes with elections remains high.  Ensuring the meaningful and inclusive participation of young people, women, and persons with disability in the electoral processes, not only as recipients, but active promoters of voter education and peaceful elections, provides and important entry point to reducing elections-related violence in 2023 elections.

Considering the above, International IDEA, as part of the EU funded 'Sierra Leone Democracy Strengthening Project' is seeking the services of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) or Civil Society organization (CSOs) partnering with CBOs in Sierra Leone registered at the district/regional level to support the ECSL’s initiatives that seek to:

1. Enhance inclusive access to civic and voter education – specific activities that target PWDs in their localities reflect ECSL registration data of
2. Promote peaceful citizen participation in the electoral process through public outreach. 
3. Reduce election related violent conflicts.
4. Increase youth awareness and participation in the electoral process.
5. Support the inclusive and meaningful participation of persons with disability (especially women and young people) in the electoral process.
6. Promote transparent, credible, and inclusive elections.
7. Increase understanding among women, young PWDs of the new electoral   process – the District Block Proportional Representation System

The broader objective of the Intervention is to contribute to strengthening the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone's (ECSL)' capacity to conduct peaceful, credible, and inclusive presidential, parliamentary, and local elections in 2023 and beyond.

Proposed initiatives will contribute to "Informed citizens, aware of their rights and responsibilities in electoral processes."

Tentative timeframe: It is anticipated activity implementation for this call will commence on 15th May through to 20^th June 2023, and between July to August 2023, we be used to review interventions and close the project.

Estimated budget:   Our focus is to provide grants to CSOs and CBOs working in small communities targeting voter education and violence prevention through innovative interventions reaching women, young people and PWDs. We are looking at a minimum oof Euro 5,000 and a maximum of 30,000 per grant.

Section 2. Preparation of Proposals/Application Process

Language: The official language for the proposal, contract, reports, and any other documents in relation to the project is English.

The technical proposal should provide the following information:

• Information about the applicant 
• Summary of the proposal – the proposed intervention, including target groups, location and how scale and impact will be achieved.
• Technical and Management Approach 
• Proposed costed work plan with activities and results. 

Scope for each proposal: Our intent is for each proposal to focus in one district of the country dealing with specific voter education and election violence prevention priorities with critically challenge group(s) of young people, including those with disability and or women or young people , such as Okada rider, car wash or those in Ghettos or other young friendly locations)

Section 3 Submission of Proposals

Proposals should be submitted in electronic format by e-mail to Benigna Ejimba Program Officer B.Ejimba@idea.int and copying Idrissa Tarawallie Head of  Programme I.Tarawallie@idea.int

Proposals must be submitted on or before 11^th May 2023 at 17:00hr PM.   Late proposals will not be considered for evaluation.

Section 4 Evaluation of Proposals

4.1 The technical proposals will be evaluated and scored against the following technical criteria with respective corresponding weights: 

• Specific experience in conducting civic and voter education and electoral violence prevention and peace promotion activities in Sierra Leone (30 points)
• Innovation – we are looking for proposals/concepts with innovative approaches to identify and preventing elections violence, engaging young people and persons with disability, women and young people in violence prevention and voter education.  (30 point)
• Experience in working with ECSL and other civil society organizations (maximum 10 points)
• Adequacy and innovation of the proposed technical and management approach (maximum 30 points); who and how the project will be managed in an effective and efficient manner

The maximum technical score (Total) is 100 points.

The costed work plan will be checked, and, if necessary, adjustments will be made to the prices to ensure consistency with the technical proposals in terms of work input.

If not stated in Euros, the financial proposal will be converted to the currency of evaluation to obtain the evaluation price (E).

The currency used for evaluation is the Euro (EUR).

Section 5 Final Considerations

International IDEA will not be bound to select any of the proposals. Further information on the Institute can be found on our website http://www.idea.int/.

Clarifications may be requested via e-mail no later than seven days prior to the submission deadline at: 

B.Ejimba@idea.int copying I.Tarawallie@idea.int

Both the successful and unsuccessful bidders will be notified in writing following the completion of the evaluation and contract award process.

Modes of Application: All applications must be submitted including a technical proposal not exceeding five pages and budget (in excel) and activity plan to B.Ejimba@idea.int copying I.Tarawallie@idea.int