Request for Proposal (RfP)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is looking for Consultant/Firm to Conduct a labour market research for International Migration as per below Terms of Reference (ToR):

1. Background/Context of the programme:

Bangladesh is a major labour sending country, with approximately 10.9 million Bangladeshis living in 162 countries of the world (BMET 2017). According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) of the Government of Bangladesh, from January till August, 2017, over 690,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers have been employed in countries which include Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, UK, Italy, Japan, Brunei, Mauritius, Iraq, and others.  Around USD 13.6 million was remitted to the country, making labour migration, a major strategy for improving socio-economic conditions.

Among the migrant workers from Bangladesh, 2.21 percent are professional; 31.53 percent are skilled; 13.98 percent are semi-skilled; and 52.29 percent are less-skilled. The higher proportion of less-skilled migrant workers from Bangladesh leads to a range of challenges including among others lower remittance flow, compulsion to accept 3D (dirty, demeaning, and dangerous) jobs and violations of their human and labour rights. To ensure that migrants are protected and their rights are upheld, and the positive impact of migration are optimized, thorough analysis of the overseas labour market is crucial. In addition to expanding or entering into new markets, it is also vital to have projections of labour market demands so that various interventions around policy and capacity development can be initiated.

At present, a2i programme under Prime Minister’s Office is conducting destination country market research for 12 countries. UNWOMEN is also engaged in destination country market research for female migrant workers. The consultant will coordinate with these initiatives to avoid duplication of work and leverage synergies. In consultation with IOM, existing initiatives and Government of Bangladesh (GoB), this can include focusing on a different country or focusing on different trades.

This assignment will form the stepping stone of engaging stakeholders at destination countries. Based on the result of the assignment, IOM will facilitate government officials visit at those destinations, conduct employer survey, host trade fair, etc.  

2. Objectives:

Given this backdrop, IOM, under the project “Bangladesh: Sustainable Reintegration and Improved Migration Governance” funded by the European Union (EU), is proposing to provide support to the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) and BMET to conduct destination country labour market research.

3. Scope of work:

  • Strengthen the capacity of relevant officials to conduct labour market research and assist the relevant GoB officials to institutionalize labour market analysis mechanism
  • Prioritize three countries of destination in coordination with GoB, IOM and through primary and secondary information sources assess the short, mid and long term labour market needs across all sectors of the national economy and identify needed skills. This should include assessing market demand (including projections), trade qualifications, existing migration scenario of those countries, and assessing capabilities.
  • Propose key recommendation to fill in the identified gaps in labour market of destination countries, in the short term as well as in the medium to long term, both in terms of policy of GoB and in terms of programmes of all stakeholders.
  • Facilitate a dissemination event and present the research findings in the dissemination event.

4. Methodology:

The consultant need to detail out methodology for the proposed activities however, the following can be considered: 

  1. Primary Information: Information collected through Focus Group Discussions/Key informants’ interviews (with representatives from the government; private recruitment agencies, employers, CSOs/NGOs, migrant’s association at Bangladesh and selected destination country)
  2. Secondary information: Review of labour market statistics of destination countries, skill shortage list, demand driven trade of destination countries, media monitoring, revenant publications; and so on.

5. Project Duration/ Timeline:

The total duration for this assignment is proposed to be approximately 5 months.

6. Method of Application:

The completed RFP should be placed in a plain, sealed envelope and clearly marked:  CFCV-89/2017/C-BD1: Conducting labour market research for international migration to faahmed@iom.int and
sarhossain@iom.int  by 27/11/2017.

Contact Person: Mr. Ashfaqur Rahman Khan; Email: arkhan@iom.int

7. Required Documents:

Organization/Individual consultant need to submit technical and financial proposal.

Each Submission Must Include the Following:

  • Firm/Consultant Profile: A brief summary of the firm and CV of the expert including records on past experience in similar assignments and name of the references.
  • Technical Proposal with detailed methodology, tools and work plan.
  • Sample of previous work.
  • Financial Proposal listing all costs associated with the assignment.  In particular, the financial proposal should itemize the following:
    1. Consultancy fees in local or USD currency per day;
    2. Variable costs inclusive of transportation costs, printing of study tools; research team (if applicable); meeting/FGDs/KIIs costs

8. Professional and Related Experiences:

The proposed team from the firm or the consultants should have following competence.

  • At least Masters in social science and minimum 10 years of experience in the development sector. Specific experience in external labour market analysis is required.
  • The candidate must have relevant experience in the migration sector; relevant global, regional and national priorities.
  • Excellent time management skills and ability to produce outputs as per agreed deadlines.
  • Demonstrated ability to draw lessons from relevant international, regional and national practices and processes;
  • Excellent presentation, oral and written communication skills;
  • Proficiency in English and good analytical, drafting skills.

The Proposal should be written in English.

Any attempt for persuasion will be considered as a disqualification

ONLY SHORT-LISTED CONSULTANTS/ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE ASSESSED

FIRMS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TAX OR VAT ISSUES IF APPLICABLE.