Consultant required for Suffolk-based Research Project |
posted 16 Feb 2012 back to News |
Impact Review of BASIS and Forward Strategy Development
Expression of Interest Request
Now in Year 4 of a 5 Year BASIS project to deliver local infrastructure services to the Voluntary and Community Sector, the Suffolk LIP Leads have secured additional funding from the Big Lottery to undertake a review of the impact of the project so far, and look at ways to imbed the learning and best practice into future infrastructure service delivery. We are therefore seeking a consultant to undertake the impact review, write up the findings into a report and highlight key areas of work for the LIPs to take into the transforming infrastructure agenda.
The impact review will be robust, including: an analysis of what services provided by the original six LIP Lead organisations voluntary and community groups have accessed and how they have benefitted from them, including the work of the two BASIS Officers. It is envisaged that information will be gathered using a range of methods, such as paper based and email questionnaires, telephone and one to one interviews with organisations across the county. This will include VCS organisations from a range of geographic locations including rural and urban, of different sizes, area of benefit and interest, etc. identified through databases and information held by each of the LIP Lead organisations.
As well as reporting on the impact of infrastructure services on Suffolk’s VCS, the review will identify new ways of working, suggesting ways to develop or refine current business models and will inform the transforming agenda to ensure that local infrastructure services are available, cost effective and valuable to the VCS in the long term. Within the review, one particular area of impact will be the LIP’s work with the Suffolk Congress. Emphasis will be made on carrying forward particular models of best practice and quality into the Transforming Local Infrastructure partnership and the findings will also be used to support our work with key partners (such as Suffolk County/District Councils, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Health and Wellbeing Boards).
The impact review findings will be included on all LIP and the Suffolk Congress websites, which link into our statutory partners websites.
We are thus inviting consultants to submit a proposal to undertake the review, gather together the key findings and suggestions on key areas to take forward, producing this information in a final written report.
Essential Requirements:
- You will have some understanding of the work of VCS infrastructure organisations
- You will have some experience of undertaking an impact report or project review in the past five years
- You are able to travel within Suffolk, as necessary
- You are able provide the minimum of 12 days consultancy to undertake the review, pull together the findings and produce a first draft and then final report by 30th June 2012
- You are available during office hours on the 14th March 2012 to deliver a ‘pitch’ for your Expression of Interest at Belstead House Educational Centre, Ipswich
- You are able to meet with the LIP Leads (or named LIP Lead contact) during the review to disseminate findings so far and discuss any issues
- You may be a self-employed consultant, or work for an organisation in the voluntary, business or public sector, but you are not, nor have been in the past four years, a paid member of staff, regular volunteer or trustee of any of the six local infrastructure partners, namely: Bury St Edmunds Volunteer Centre (as lead partner of the West Suffolk Consortium), Mid Suffolk Action in Partnership (MAP), Ipswich Council for Voluntary Service (ICVS), the Suffolk Association of Voluntary Organisations (SAVO, on behalf of the Suffolk Coastal Resource Network partnership), The Community Forum (Waveney) and Babergh Communities Together (BCT)
- You are able to deliver all the requirements for a total of £4,200, which must include all your on-costs (half to be paid at the start and the final amount on completion of agreed, final report).
To support you in the review, the LIP Lead partnership can provide:
- Access to databases of VCS organisations who have used our services
- Access to key staff within the six organisations for interviews and background information
- Access to an online survey package to conduct questionnaires (Zoomerang)
- Reports, business plans, work products and monitoring forms from the past four years
- A key named contact to work with
- Access to meeting space in different geographical locations around Suffolk
- Access to an office desk and telephone to work from and make calls, if required
- Photocopying of questionnaires, relevant documentation and production of hard copies of the final report
Please set out briefly within your Expression of Interest (no more than one side of A4 in 12 point font):
- Your relevant experience and ability to undertake this proposal
- Your interpretation of the aim of the proposal
- Your timescale for delivery – to be complete by 30th June 2012
- Brief methodology
- Costing and resources (VAT requirements clearly marked)
- Contact details of one reference we can take up
Thank you for considering this task, if you wish to discuss this in more detail contact
Hazel Pidsely. Tel: 01284 766126 Email: chiefofficer@volunteercentre.co.uk
If you wish to submit an Expression of Interest this must be received by 4.30pm on Friday 3rd March 2012 by Laura Hack, Business Manager, SAVO, 43a Woodbridge Road East, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 5QN. Email: laura.hack@savo.co.uk Tel: 01473 275195
