Rural Community Network Invitation to Tender

RURAL COMMUNITY NETWORK

Rural Enabler Programme

Invitation to Tender

For

Facilitation of 2011/12 Programme Planning

22 November 2011

Rural Community Network (NI) 38a Oldtown Street Cookstown BT80 8EF

Rural Community Network is inviting tenders to facilitate a programme planning day as part of the Rural Enabler Programme funded through the PEACE III Programme, Priority 1, Reconciling Communities, Theme 1, Building Positive Relations at the Local Level.

RCN is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Charity recognised by the Inland Revenue.                                           

Rural Enabler Programme

The Rural Enabler Programme employs a community development approach to tackling conflict impacts and modern day racism within rural NI and the border counties of Ireland. The project adopts an integrated and interdependent thematic approach involving one regional and up to 72 local programmes of intervention to address sectarianism, racism, community polarisation, mistrust and hatred.

Twelve county specific Rural Enablers and one Rural Institutions Enabler facilitate the local delivery.

Thematic sub-objectives (developed from RCN/CRC research and consultation Sharing over Separation – a Rural Perspective

• Young People – opportunity to create own idea of shared future
• Flags and Emblems – used to mark territory – sense of “place’ highly emotive in rural areas
• Housing – segregation still evident – opportunities for mixing needed
• Interfaces – ‘turn in road’, mind map but as powerful as ‘peace walls in urban’
• Racism – large number of migrant workers employed outside urban where infrastructure is weakest
• Community Development and Community Relations – good CD work will incorporate good relations if done well
• Rural Institutions – strong single identity focus

Programme Principles

• Community development approach/values/principles
• Each area different – geography, demography, local history, community infrastructure and political leadership
• Rural communities <4,500 population
• Partnership approaches, for example, Peace III Clusters & Regional programmes, Council CR/GRO, ELBs, PSNI, etc
• Tackling conflict, sectarianism, racism from grass roots

Specific Local Objectives and Impacts

Objectives                                                          Impacts

To increase awareness and understanding of issues relating to sectarianism and racism within a rural context through dialogue

Increased confidence of local communities to engage in dialogue without the need for external facilitation

To increase the capacity and skills of groups and individuals in rural society to address sectarianism, racism and polarisation

Increased capacity and skills of groups and individuals to address sectarianism, racism and polarisation

To increase the potential of sharing of residential, social, environmental spaces and services for the benefit of all in rural society

Assets within the community are potentially more sustainable for future generations with usage by all members of the community

Key Programme Outputs

• Up to seven thematic action research reports
• A practice to policy manual to influence and inform future interventions in this work
• One programme evaluation which tracks progress against each of the seven themes
• End of programme conference with presentation of evaluation and practice to policy study

Tender Terms of Reference

 Introduction

 Aim

The Aim of the planning day is to establish a workable and realistic operational plan for the Rural Enabler Programme and for each County covered by the Enabler Programme for 2011/12.

 Objectives

 The objectives are:

To involve all staff of the enabler programme in the design of the plan

To apply a planning model that will allow for flexibility and adjustments and review by the Enablers to accommodate changes in community development outcomes as they may arise during the year

To facilitate the planning day (22 November 2011) in order to:

• enable the project to agree on an operational plan for 2011/12,
• address the issue of a legacy of the Enabler Programme after its end in 2012

 Methodology

 Applicants are asked to suggest the most appropriate methodology which will

contribute to meeting the above aim and objectives within the time-frame detailed

below. 

 Required Outputs

 At the end of the one-day planning event, the Rural Enabler Programme will have an agreed outline operational plan for 2011/12;

 Project Staff will have discussed and gathered ideas about a desired legacy of the project;

 Project Staff will have a clear and useful framework to assist their individual planning processes in their respective Counties / area of work.

Budget

 Fees should be calculated on the basis of preparation time and a one-day (10.00h – 18.00h) facilitated planning session on 22 November 2011 at the Rural College, Draperstown.

Dates and deadlines and reporting procedures

 The deadline for submission of this tender is Friday 28 October 2011 at 4pm. Please submit your tender by email to: orla@ruralcommunitynetwork.org

 Submission of Tenders

 The tender submission should include the following elements:

 1.    Applicant Details and Status of Organisation

 2.    Specific expertise and competencies of all individuals who will have responsibility for the task

 3.    Methodology for completion of the piece of work

 4.    A breakdown of all fees and costs, including travel expenses and indicating whether or not they are inclusive of VAT

Failure to provide any of the above will result in the tender submission being declared ineligible.

 Tenders will be selected against the following criteria:

1. Methodology approach

2. Value for money

3. Competencies of people to be involved in the work

4. Timescale and ability to deliver to schedule

 Further Information

For further information regarding this tender please contact Orla Black at 077 38 449 699 or email orla@ruralcommunitynetwork.org