RFQ: The Development of a New Sports Policy for The Gambia 2023-2032

The Gambia government in collaboration with technical assistance support from the Commonwealth Secretariat will establish a National Sports Policy Taskforce consisting of key sports and non-sport agencies and organizations which will guide the development of the new policy and associated frameworks.

In summary, the Commonwealth Secretariat has committed to provide technical assistance to support the evaluation of the previous National Sports Policy and the development of the new policy on the basis of a request from the Ministry of Youth and Sport received through an Expression of Interest dated 19/09/22. A visit to The Gambia was also undertaken to hold a high-level meeting to discuss the type of services that could be provided. The outcome of this meeting was to develop this Terms of Reference to recruit a suitable consultant or local expert to undertake the work in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Purpose and key deliverables of the assignment

The primary purpose of the assignment is to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Youth and Sport to develop a new National Sports Policy which maximises the contribution of sport to deliver national strategic objectives and the SDGs. To do this, it is a priority of the Ministry to review and evaluate the successful impact of the previous policy, building on strengths and successes but also ensuring lessons are learned.

The new National Sports Policy will need to be developed through a collaborative and inclusive consultation process securing effective engagement and buy-in from a range of stakeholders. The final policy should articulate links between it and The Gambia National Strategic Plan and, where appropriate, African Union sports policies and plans.  It is also of critical importance to ensure that alongside the creation of the new policy, a robust Monitoring and Evaluation Framework is produced.

It is expected that the policy and framework are produced to meet the bespoke needs of stakeholders in The Gambia but that best practice examples from other Commonwealth member countries are used as benchmarks. This delivery of this assignment should also, where possible, assist in building the capacity of key officials to update and implement the new policy.

A summary of key deliverables of the assignment include:

• A Project Inception Report detailing the methodology for the overall assignment
• An Evaluation Report for the previous National Sports Policy 2010-2019
• A baseline Needs Assessment Report for the new policy based on a desktop review and quantitative and qualitative assessment using a range of methods (focus groups, interviews and surveys)
• Workshop series to inform the development of the new policy
• A draft National Sports Policy and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework and Implementation Plan for review and further consultation
• Final drafting of the National Sports Policy and M&E Framework

Skills and experience required

• A post-graduate qualification in a relevant discipline.
• Expert knowledge in the use of sport as a development tool, in particular in the development or application of national policy.
• General expertise designing policy across social and economic policy domains.
• Expertise in measurement and evaluation of national policy.
• A sound understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals and implications for the development, measurement and evaluation of public policy.
• Success in authoring publications or official reports for national governments, intergovernmental meetings and/or policy orientated fora.
• Cross cultural competency, with experience working in Commonwealth developing countries, particularly in Africa, is highly desirable.

Evaluation criteria

The Technical Questionnaire Quotes will be assessed based on the evaluation criteria set forth in this document (see skills and experience required and the weightings apportioned to quality/price above in this Terms of reference/RFQ).

Please apply for this contract by submitting a proposal to [email protected] by 12:00 Noon BST on 11 August 2023.