Invitation to Tender: Meant to Work Evaluation Specification

Invitation to Tender: Meant to Work Evaluation Specification

Background

Meant to Work is a unique Peer Mentoring service for young people aged 16 to 24, who want to gain and sustain meaningful employment in Greater Belfast and beyond.  The project has been funded by Queen’s Young Leaders through Comic Relief from 1st February 2016 to 31st January 2020.

The team of two Peer Mentors help the young people, who have a range of abilities and experiences, to gain employability skills, build a CV, research career options, fill out job application forms and prepare for job interviews.  They do this through engaging with young people on a one to one basis, in outreach groups within Include Youth programmes and with partner organisations, and through working with employers to create and facilitate training and job opportunities.

Description

We require an evaluation of Meant to Work with a particular focus on:

1. The Meant to Work model
2. The ‘experience’ of being part of Meant to Work

• Entry to Meant to Work
  • Recruitment and retention
  • Assessment and goal setting
• The effectiveness of project delivery including:
  • One to one peer mentoring
  • Outreach provision
  • Ready to Work Fund
  • Employer engagement
  • Supported employment
• Move on and transition from Meant to Work

1. Progress, challenges and changes under the 4 outcome areas
   1. Young people will have improved employability skills to access and maintain employment
   2. Young people will engage in vocational training
   3. Young people will have improved confidence and self-esteem
   4. Staff who are ‘Expert by Experience’ have the skills and knowledge to act as peer mentors to other young people.
   5. The stories of Meant to Work
      1. Young people
      2. Peer Mentors
      3. Employers
      4. The project
      5. Sustainability
         1. Learning from Meant to Work
         2. The future

Project Brief

There will be a number of audiences for the report:

• Young people
• Employers
• Funders and policy makers
• Other youth and voluntary organisations
• Politicians/decision makers

Format & Timeframe

1. 1.       Interim Report – an interim report will be made available to Include Youth and the project funders in December 2018
2. 2.       Final Report – a final report will be produced by January 2020

As there will be a variety of audiences for the findings we require a summary of the final report that will be approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words, will contain 10 to 15 infographics, and will be printed into a 32 page A5 booklet (including cover).  A fuller version of the report should be produced and made available to Include Youth and the project funders.

We also wish to see suggestions from the evaluator as to how the stories of Meant to Work can be communicated in a creative and meaningful way that can be shared with a variety of audiences including the other Queen’s Young Leaders grant recipients.

Budget

The project has a fixed maximum budget of £6000 inclusive of VAT.  We do not expect the total cost to be exceeded and wish to seek the best value possible. 

Your proposal

Your quote and specification will be evaluated to ascertain the most economically advantageous using the following criteria:

• Understanding of the project brief
• Your proposed methodology
• Knowledge of the sector and of issues affecting the young people we work with and for
• Evidence of previous successful projects

Assessment will be based solely on the information provided within the response and an individual or company appointed accordingly.

Contact details

Please direct all enquiries and completed proposals to Dearbhla Holohan, Partnership Coordinator, via email to [email protected] or phone 028 90311007.  

The deadline for the receipt of all quotes and proposals is Friday 15th September 2017 at 3pm.