CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (CFA) FOR MULTIPLE EXPERTS: DESIGN, ADAPTATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTENT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING, VICTIM CARE SERVICES, AND JUDICIAL PROCESSES FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE FOCUSED ON VICTIMS AND TRAUMA RECOVERY.

PURPOSE OF THE CFA

The purpose of this CFA is to establish a qualified pool of candidates from which JES can select experts to assist with various activities throughout the specified implementation period. This CFA aims to identify and qualify a diverse group of experts who can provide specialized support and services, as needed. Successful candidates will be included in an expert roster from which JES will draw over the implementation period to fulfill project-specific requirements.

1. Introduction and Background:

Justice Education Society of British Columbia (JES) is a Canadian non-profit organization with over 35 years of experience promoting the rule of law by empowering people to access justice through strengthening legal capacities of justice systems and developing digital solutions. JES currently implements programs and has offices in Canada, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, and Saint Lucia. JES conducts activities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and is also currently works in El Salvador, Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. JES has diverse funding sources including donors and provincial, federal, and foreign governments. More information about JES can be found at www.JusticeEducation.ca.

In March 2023, JES began implementation of the "Regional Initiative to Combat Human Trafficking and Deliver Justice for Women and Girls in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras" funded by the Government of Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). The project aims to strengthen the work of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to combat human trafficking and transnational organized crime by improving capacities in investigation, analysis, criminal prosecution, and victim care, as well as strengthen collaboration among countries in the region.

The project aims to provide justice to victims of human trafficking and transnational organized crime, particularly women, girls, and other vulnerable communities through three pillars: 1) Improved coordination by national TIP commissions; 2) Increased adoption of gender-responsive, victim-centred, and trauma-informed practices; and 3) Improved regional coordination and knowledge sharing.

2. Scope:

Develop training processes and tools in various modalities in accordance with the project’s implementation pillars on human trafficking, victim care services, and judicial processes from a gender perspective focused on victims and trauma.

3. Specific Objectives:

• Increase the capacity of national TIP commissions to prevent human trafficking by training relevant state and civil society agents in the prevention and identification of human trafficking, especially in cases affecting women and girls.
• Improve knowledge of gender-sensitive, victim-centred, and trauma-informed techniques to identify, investigate, and analyze human trafficking cases by police, investigators, and prosecutors in Honduras.
• Enhance knowledge of gender-sensitive, victim-centred, and trauma-informed strategies and legal frameworks for the prosecution and conviction of human trafficking cases by prosecutors and judges in Honduras.
• Improve knowledge of gender-sensitive, victim-centred, and trauma-informed strategies for transnational and coordinated approaches to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting human trafficking cases by criminal justice professionals in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
• Increase knowledge to facilitate and supervise transnational cooperation in human trafficking cases affecting women and girls by professionals of the National Human Trafficking Commissions of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

4. Methodology:

To ensure the effectiveness of the training processes, including exchanges, forums, workshops, seminars, activities will be developed using hybrid formats (both virtual and in-person). These activities will follow JES pedagogical approaches and target justice sector personnel and civil society.

The training will be conducted with a gender perspective centred on victims, especially women and girls, to prevent, identify, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking cases, ensuring their protection and comprehensive reparations.

5. Main Activities:

The expected results of these consultancy services include, but are not limited to, ensuring that participants in training activities strengthen their knowledge, attitudes, and implementation practices regarding their approach to human trafficking and organized crime cases across various institutions within different institutions and stages of the judicial process and victim care.

The main activities that the consultant will carry out will include courses, seminars, forums, symposiums, and/or development of tools in accordance with project needs, such as:

• Detect needs for content and curricula development considering existing content, national and international legislation, and institutional care protocols and procedures.
• In close coordination with the Project Team and JES Education Specialist, lead exploratory and working meetings with counterparts to gather recommendations to refine the training process both conceptually and methodologically.
• Develop and adapt necessary content, materials, and resources for training activities or their future replicas, applying a theoretical/practical and hybrid methodology.
• For seminars, forums, or symposiums, generate and, in coordination with the JES Education Specialist, develop appropriate training models in accordance with the defined sessions and the activity objectives.
• For specialized courses, create a training program under a model of asynchronous activities in the JES online learning platform (JESed) and synchronous activities of in-person implementation.
• Implement training activities utilizing the defined program for each activity.

During the implementation phase, the consultant will receive all necessary logistical, administrative, and operational support from JES staff.

6. Deliverables:

Depending on the training activity or tool, the consultant will present:

• A work plan and methodological proposal, including a timeline for tasks to achieve the final product.
• Curricula, content, tools, and materials for the training processes in any modality, validated by the JES Education Specialist.
• Reports on the development, implementation, and results of each training process (seminars, workshops, courses, forums, symposiums, etc.) conducted in different Latin American countries.

All materials and other products developed by the selected expert related to this consultancy will become the property of JES in accordance with donor requirements. As a result, all material provided for work under this contract must be returned to JES unless otherwise agreed in writing.

7. Required Qualifications:

• The candidate will have a minimum of bachelor’s or master’s degree in law, Criminology, Social Sciences, or related fields.
• The candidates must have 7 – 10 years of experience:

• Working with public institutions or civil society organizations in the justice sector on the prevention, investigation, criminal prosecution, trial, and/or victim care of human trafficking.
• Preparing administrative and operational reports on judicial procedures at various levels.
• Developing in-person or online training workshops, along with pedagogical content and tools.
• Excellent communication skills in Spanish, both oral and written.

8. Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in specialized investigation, prosecution, trial, or assistance units dedicated to women's and girls' rights.
• Proven track record in coordinating and developing training programs and activities focused on human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.
• Experience implementing train-the-trainer methodologies.
• Experience designing training material such as manuals, guidelines, protocols, and technical procedures.
• Collaborative and co-creation experience within multidisciplinary environments.

9. Coordination and Oversight:

All consultancy activities must be coordinated with the JES Education Specialist, Project Coordinator, and Project Manager. The documents generated will be reviewed according to the project's internal procedures and counterparts and must be approved by the JES Project Director prior to their use.

10. Obligations:

• The consultant must not disclose or use, for their own benefit or for third parties, any information or documentation received in relation to the execution of this contract.
• The consultant will perform the functions entrusted in these terms of reference with complete dedication, legally and impartially, and according to best professional practices.
• The rights to publish all products derived from this consultancy, in any format, are reserved by JES. The authors waive all economic rights over the publication upon signature of a consulting contract.
• The consultant will provide any information related to the execution of these terms of reference that may reasonably be requested.
• Subcontracting for service provision is not permitted.

11. Application Submission:

Applicants are requested to send a single document in PDF format with reference title JES/ACCBP-ER-001-2024 to the email:

consultores@justiceeducation.ca:

• A cover letter outlining their qualifications, relevant experience and economic proposal indicating a daily rate in U.S. dollars (USD) or Canadian dollars (CAD).
• A detailed CV or resume.
• Examples of previous work or projects relevant to the scope of work.
• Contact information for at least two professional references.

12. Timeline:

The specific timelines for the stages of this CFA are as follows:

• CFA Issuance: July 22nd, 2024
• Deadline for Submission: August 15th, 2024
• Evaluation Period: August 1st – 28th, 2024
• Notification of Selection: August 30th, 2024
• Start of Assignment: September 9th, 2024, to March 31st, 2027*

* The start date of assignment reflects the project's implementation period. Contracts for selected applicants will reflect the timelines for specific activities throughout the implementation period.

13. Evaluation Criteria:

In accordance with the qualifications outlined in Sections Seven (7) and Eight (8) above, candidate applications will be evaluated in two stages:

Stage One:  Application Review. (as outlined in Section 11):            

Criteria	Definition	Qualification
Satisfactory	Applicant meets all requirements.	51% - 100% of points assigned.
Acceptable	Applicant meets one or more, but not all, of the requirements.	1% - 50% of points assigned.
Unsatisfactory	Applicant does not meet any of the requirements.	0% of the points assigned.

Stage Two: Candidate Interviews. (Interviews will be conducted for only those candidates who receive the highest application scores during Stage One and will be graded on the criteria presented below).

Criteria	Definition	Qualification
Highly Satisfactory	Applicant meets all requirements and demonstrates complementary skills.	71% - 100% of points assigned
Satisfactory	Applicant meets all requirements.	41% - 70% of assigned points
Acceptable	Applicant meets one or more of the requirements, but not all.	0% - 40% of assigned points

 

Stage Three:

In the event of multiple qualified candidates, a third stage consisting of a second interview may be required.

Evaluation Committee:

An Evaluation Committee will prepare evaluation reports for all applicants at the end of the recruitment process.

All applicants who have been interviewed will receive a notification regarding their candidacy following the conclusion of the recruitment process.

Questions regarding the application process may submitted, before August 28, to: consultants@justiceeducation.ca