Proposal for the Production and Broadcast of Radio Spots

Request for Proposal for the Production and Broadcast of Radio Spots Focusing on Holistic Child Development 

Background

ChildFund Ethiopia is an international child focused NGO working to improve the wellbeing of deprived, excluded, and vulnerable children and families. We achieve positive change in communities in partnership with local organizations through our three core programs that improve education, health and livelihoods and achieve the outcomes of healthy and secure infants, educated and confident children and skilled and involved youth.

ChildFund is implementing a 12-month multi-country project in partnership with the LEGO Foundation to address the learning and socio-emotional needs of children aged birth to 8 years old, and their caregivers, caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, and Uganda. This initiative is based on the successful implementation of the Playful Parenting at Home in Guatemala despite COVID-19 project, with the intention to adapt and transfer knowledge and strategies from the ongoing Come Play with Me and Playing and Learning at Home in Vulnerable Communities programs in Guatemala and Mexico, respectively. In close collaboration with the relevant government partners, the project seeks to support children and their caregivers in communities already affected by low access to early childhood development and education opportunities, and who have been further marginalized by the digital divide during a pandemic that has seen highly technological digital solutions at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. As part to this project ChildFund Ethiopia is desirous to produce and broadcast radio spots on holistic child development.  To this end, the service of a competent service provider/multi-media production company with expertise and experience in radio content production and dissemination is required.

Objective of the consultancy services

The overall objective of this consultancy is to develop a series of radio spots on holistic child development of children in a way suitable for radio broadcast reaching target communities at the project implementation locations. In addition to the spot content production the service provider will be engaged to liaise with radio broadcast medias to see to it and facilitate the radio broadcast. Specifically, the service provider is expected to conduct the following:

• Review 25 radio scripts developed in English for the Playful Parenting at Home in Guatemala despite COVID-19 project and contextualize the content to reflect the local state of affairs
• Ascertain the contextualization and cultural appropriateness of each spot and develop the spot in four languages which are Afaan Oromoo, Amharic, Gedeo, and Kistanigna
• Each spot which will have a duration of about 2 ½ minutes and should ensure the participation of at least four characters
• Develop discussion questions for each of the radio spots to be used for listeners’ group discussion
• Develop dissemination/broadcasting strategy and monitor airing of radio spots
• Disseminate/broadcast radio spots at radio stations having wider reach/listenership at the project implementation areas, which are: Addis Ababa, North Shoa (Debre Berhan city administration and Basona Worana woredas), Oromia (Adama city administration, and Boset, Dugda, Fentale, and Siraro Woredas), and SNNPR (Kibet city administration, and Siltii, Sodo Buee, Dilla Zuria, and Wenago woredas)
• Provide report on dissemination of the radio spots specifying date, time and topic of the message broadcasted

Expected output

The service provider will work closely with Childfund Ethiopia team which will provide guidance to produce the radio spots. The final output will be further verified by the selected radio station commissioned for broadcasting to ensure the technical and cultural suitability of the production. The detail of the spots be produced are summarized as follows.

In addition to the required spot production depicted above the following additional outputs are expected from the consultancy service:

• Inception report providing detailed methodology and work plan
• Contextualized radio scripts, spots, and accompanying discussion questions in the following languages: Afaan Oromoo, Amharic, Gedeo, and Kistanigna
• Radio spot dissemination/broadcasting strategy
• Broadcast monitoring report

Service providers should take note that the radio spot production needs to be completed within 22 working days. Furthermore, monthly media-monitoring reports on dissemination are expected from the consultant.

Methodology

The consultant is expected to provide detailed methodological framework and prior empirical evidence of conducting a similar service. Although not exhaustive, the following aspects need to be included in the methods employed by the consultant:

• Review of project documents and related materials
• Consultation with key project staff and key stakeholders
• Pre-test of content
• Review, finalization, and dissemination/broadcasting

Application procedure

• Competent and interested service providers are requested to submit their proposals in line with the following instructions.
• A technical proposal which includes a capability statement detailing suitability for the assignment, similar assignments undertaken, references for the same, CVs of the team members who will involve in the assignment. Copies of legal documents (renewed license, TIN certificate …) should also be enclosed in the technical proposal
• A financial/budget proposal which should indicate the spot production cost and radio airtime service fees separately. The cost description, unit of measure, unit price or rate and total price (in ETB) should be presented clearly including all applicable taxes.
• All bids should be submitted in a sealed envelope with both the technical and financial proposals enclosed and sealed separately. Each envelope should be marked as “Production and dissemination/broadcast of radio spots focusing on holistic child development”
• All bids should be submitted to ChildFund Ethiopia office located in Addis Ababa, Bole Sub-City, Kebele 03, House No. 2310, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tel: +251 116 612928 on or before 26 May 2022 at 2:00 PM in the afternoon
• ChildFund is not obliged to either accept the lowest offer or even to award the contract. ChildFund reserves the right to accept or reject any bid at any time prior to the award of Contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Requirement and eligibility criteria

The service provider should have proven experience and track record in media engagement work particularly in developing and organizing a public awareness radio programme.  Experience in similar work with focus on community radio programs for remote and hard-to-reach communities is desirable. It is required for the service provider to have access to equipped sound studio with all necessary devices (sound recorders, full-fledged studio inputs, recording and editing booths, computers and editing software) which are necessary for the radio programs production. In addition, the ideal service provide should meet the following set of criteria

• Assign for the task a team of experts with university level education in Commination, Social Sciences, Education, Psychology, Journalism or related field with knowledge in intended radio program topics
• At least eight years’ experience in producing and broadcasting multi-level community awareness/outreach media programs
• Track record in developing and airing messaging in Afaan Oromoo, Amharic, Gedeo, and Kistanigna that supports community development interventions
• Experience working with major media houses in broadcasting/airing radio programmes
• Excellent communication and script writing skills