ThaiNGO

Request for Proposals

Formative Research on for the USAID Thailand Counter Trafficking in Persons Project

(C-TIP) and development of SBCC strategies

Qualitative research study with target audiences

BBC Media Action

April 2018

1. Background

BBC Media Action is an independent, international charity set up by the BBC with the objective of using media to support international development. BBC Media Action works around the world to raise awareness and influence attitudes and behaviour amongst poorer communities, as well as to build capacity in the media sector in developing and transitional countries. 

BBC Media Action, in partnership with Winrock, Liberty Asia, World Vision and Resonance has been funded by USAID under the Counter Trafficking in Persons (USAID Thailand CTIP) project. This is a five-year project (2017-2022) aiming to reduce trafficking in persons (TIP) and to better protect the rights of trafficked persons in Thailand. 

The project will prioritise two key industries that are high-risk for trafficking, labour exploitation and abuse: agriculture and construction in four provinces in Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Surat Thani and Sa Kaeo. BBC Media Action will be supporting the project through capacity strengthening of NGOs and media partners to improve social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) with at risk populations in Thailand and Thai consumers. 

BBC Media Action project activities will aim to (i) change consumer attitudes and awareness of trafficked labour (ii) increase awareness and understanding of rights amongst at-risk populations and (iii) strength the voice of at-risk populations. 

Research agencies are asked to submit proposals for conducting a formative qualitative research study consisting of :

• a series of in depth interviews with media practitioners to explore their perceptions of the role of media in addressing issues around migrants and trafficking
• a set of focus group discussions with Thai consumers to explore their knowledge and understanding of migrant rights and attitudes towards migrants
• a set of in depth interviews with at-risk migrant populations to understand their media and communication habits and needs and experience of migration

2. Research objectives 

In order to inform BBC Media Action activities and support the activities of other consortium partners BBC Media Action is commissioning formative research with target audiences (outlined below) to understand their information and communication needs, media portrayal of migrants and trafficking issues, audiences knowledge of trafficking issues, attitudes towards migrants and people at risk of trafficking, awareness and information on their rights and how confident they feel to access services they are entitled to. 

BBC Media Action welcomes prospective agencies to provide feedback on these research questions – their suitability and applicability given the context in Thailand and their own experience of research with such populations.

Key research questions

3. Methodology This study will adopt a qualitative research method.

• Focus group discussions (FGD’s) will be held with Thai populations
• In depth interviews (or paired depth interviews) with at-risk populations
• In-depth interviews with media practitioners

BBC Media Action would welcome suggestions from the agency on the following points;

• Which locations should be covered within each province based on their knowledge on the ground of where there are high at-risk populations
• Appropriateness of chosen methodologies and especially how to effectively engage audiences based on previous experience of conducting research with our target groups. Specifically, participatory exercises which will explore some of the more sensitive topics around attitudes, rights and discrimination
• Additional research which may be needed (such as key informant interviews with local community leaders/NGOs/officials) which would enrich the research study or be essential for access to specific populations

a. Respondent selection

We suggest focus groups and interviews to be broke down based on the criteria below, although we would welcome feedback from the agencies as to how to operationalize these splits (male/female, sector, ethnicity), or indeed suggest different ones if necessary. Focus groups with Thai audiences should reflect a mix of socio-economic backgrounds and be regular media consumers. Migrants in target communities should be working in the key sectors of agriculture/construction and should be reflective of the ethnic groups who are working within those sectors within those areas (i.e. Cambodian, Burmese etc.)

c. Research instruments

Discussion guides will be drafted by the research agency. BBC Media Action will provide input and sign off of these guides. The research agency will be responsible for translating them into the appropriate languages, collecting data, and providing audio files and verbatim translated transcripts in English.

d. Training

The agency’s data collectors will be briefed by BBC Media Action’s Research staff on the use of data collection instruments, ethical considerations, informed consent, and other necessary guidance for data collection, before the actual fieldwork takes place.

e. Data collection 

The selected agency will be responsible for coordinating and ensuring the quality of data collection. This work should be done to a high standard and should be delivered within the agreed timeframe. The focus group discussions should be conducted by trained staff. 

Each focus group will have a minimum of six (6) and a maximum of eight (8) participants. Participants should be informed of their right to withdraw before the focus group/interview starts. They should also be informed of the potential impact this will have on the research. Recruitment should be of respondents who show strong willingness to be present during the whole duration of the conversation. 

Where consent is given the group discussions will be audio recorded (no video). These audio files will be considered property of BBC Media Action and may not be published under any circumstances. These audio files, along with transcription and translation, should be delivered to BBC Media Action by the agreed date. Please include transcription/translation costs separately from conduct of focus groups and interviews in the budget.

Each moderator will be required to write a short (maximum two pages) report with his or her notes within two (2) days of the discussion/interview, providing a little background on the participants while preserving anonymity. This should detail but is not limited to the number and age range of participants, general area in which the group was conducted, and any observations they deem significant – this will include a summary of findings.

4.  Language

FGDs and IDIs will be conducted in the appropriate language for the target groups, following the final sample selection being finalised by the agency and BBC Media Action.

5.  Ethics

The contracted research agency will be expected to define their ethical protocol. In addition, the following principles are expected to be observed:

• Research should be conducted in areas where the agency can assure the safety of both researchers and participants.
• Contingency plans should be put in place if the agency is unable to access all target groups.
• Participation in a research is voluntary and consent will be obtained from all research participants.
• Consent will be obtained for any recordings.
• Participants must understand the purpose of the research.
• Participants may refuse to participate or may ask to withdraw from the research at any time.
• Participants can refuse to answer any questions they do not want to answer at any time.
• The information gathered will not be disclosed to anyone outside the study team.
• The data collected will be kept in a secure and safe place with no access to it by anyone other than the study team members.
• Respondents will remain anonymous and will not be named.

The agency should provide specific details on how they will ensure research is conducted ethically and safely given the sensitivity of the subject of the study and the level of vulnerability of the potential target groups.

6.  Quality control

The agency is required to provide BBC Media Action with details of previous data collectors’ training and experience for all involved in data collection.

The agency will be requested to provide demographic information about the participants, and using a field log, an update on the progress of fieldwork and any problems encountered. The BBC Media Action Researcher will be available for telephone monitoring if need be and to respond to any questions that may arise during fieldwork. Please describe in the proposal how quality control will be ensured by the agency across the study locations.

7.  Project Management

Please provide a detailed description of the proposed project management for this piece of work (project manager, supervisors, moderators (clearly detailing research experience)).

8.  Analysis and reporting

One of the key requirements from the commissioned research agency is to provide high-quality analysis based on voice recordings, fieldwork notes and summaries, as well transcriptions and translations in a short timescale as the data is collected - within 5 days of its collection. 

The agency would also be required to provide a full analytical report which would detail key insights and findings from the research.

9. Deliverables 

BBC Media Action will:

• Brief the agency staff on the study’s objectives and the discussion guides before fieldwork begins;
• Deliver signed off discussion guides in English.

The agency is required to deliver the following:

• Final data collection plan including sampling strategy according to our specification and agency advice (related to participant diversity and location requirements when work is commissioned – please provide a strategy based on the information provided in this document);
• A detailed plan of how quality assurance during fieldwork will be achieved;
• Draft discussion guides
• Pilot fieldwork and feedback to BBC Media Action following the first focus group/interviews and if any problems or changes occur within the rest of the data collection process;
• Recruitment and conduct of all focus groups and interviews;
• Moderator reports of all groups, as well as any other recommended reporting outputs which could provide quick turnaround feedback to the project team;
• Verbatim transcripts of all focus groups in English;  Raw data (in form of audio file) from each group
• Full analytical report detailing key findings and insights.

10.  Time schedule

Please provide a detailed schedule for how you intend to meet these deadlines.

11. Expectations for the tender

We would like to commission a research agency to conduct research using the design described above. 

We will award this contract competitively and will make decision on the basis of the following information:

• A time plan of field work accompanied by an explanation of how the project will be managed to deliver the data quickly and to a high standard. Please outline how long it will take to collect the data and how many teams you will send into the field and how this process will be overseen and managed;

• Specification of how the research will be quality assured;

• Breakdown of costs by activity;

• A realistic and competitive budget;

• How you will address the proposed sampling strategy;

• Provision of information related to how you will access participants and gain their permission;

• Plan for delivering continuous reports from the field and safely managing and delivering audio and written data to BBC Media Action.

Research agencies will be highly scored if they are able to propose a plan which provides a detailed approach to participant recruitment, a thorough and clear process to data recording and management, and how this will be managed with the BBC Media Action team.

Overall assessment of proposals will be concerned with value for money, taking account of the cost and quality of each research proposal. In particular, assessment will focus on:

• Relevant skills and experience of the research agency [i.e., previous experience conducting media research; experience working with migrant populations and research on trafficking issues]
• Proposed methods, including quality assurance, project management and reporting
• Ability to work within the proposed timetable
• The proposed costs compared to the implementation plan.

12. Proposal Requirements

The t echnical proposal should include:

• A one page summary of the proposal;
• Examples of previous work in the field;
• An outline of the agency’s skills and capacity to undertake and manage the research, including quality assurance, organisational background and at least two references (names and contact details must be provided);
• A plan of how the research will be carried out, including:
  • The process of obtaining any permissions necessary to carry out the research;
  • Quality control practices. How will the agency assure the standards of own fieldwork and work with BBC Media Action on the stated quality control elements;
  • A timetable for the study, a commitment to meeting the deadlines and a

                                                                narrative of how these deadlines will be met.  

The financial proposal should include:

• Detailed costs to complete the work outlined in the specification, and unit costs;
• Optional costs for an analytical report which will include top level findings (including a summary of the media diaries).
• Optional costs for translations and transcriptions of all groups and other reporting outputs.

Formatting

The full proposal, including both technical and financial components, should be no more than 20 pages. The proposal should be written in a font no smaller than 11 point. Annexes may be included with the proposal, and will not count against the 12 page maximum limit. Proposals submitted in response to this RFP should address the research objectives set out in this brief and should be written in English. Please submit your proposal in PDF format and put “[Agency Name]’’ proposal to BBC Media Action USAID C-TIP qualitative research” as the title of the email.

The proposal should be emailed to: sally.gowland@bbc.co.uk

The deadline for receipt of proposals: 27th April 2018 at 5pm GMT.