DEADLINE: 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2023
GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR IMPROVED NUTRITION (GAIN)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONSULTANCY TO DESIGN AND FACILITATE A FOUR-DAY TEAM-BUILDING RETREAT
Introduction
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses, and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious foods for all people, especially the most vulnerable. GAIN is driven by a vision of a world without malnutrition, in which all people have access to and consume nutritious and safe food. Our mission is to advance nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially the most vulnerable to malnutrition.
Background
Since 2019, GAIN Nigeria has been committed to engaging its staff in a yearly retreat to strengthen the team’s capacity to deliver results and to increase the bonding within the various teams that makes up the Nigerian team. This retreat not only provides an opportunity for team bonding and growth but a chance to get away from the fastpaced nature of everyday work. From the first to the last retreat in Lagos, in December 2022, GAIN Nigeria has keenly leveraged on this retreat as a platform to enhance our values as an organization and to focus on key staff thematic areas such as Building our Community of Practice (CoP) in regards our Operations & Projects through sharing interest, reiterating the global strategy and how it fits to our context in Nigeria, co-learning, and continued interaction among staff. At the end of each retreat, every individual goes back with renewed commitment and better understanding of how their role is critical to the achievement of GAIN’s vision both globally and in-country. Through the retreat committee, GAIN Nigeria has organized three staff retreats in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and each year had a theme to guide the discussions and capacity building sessions during the retreat days. This year as with past years, the retreat committee has proposed a theme for the retreat – ‘Heart-Centered Service’. The theme was chosen based on the new values that have been added to GAIN’s global values – Humility, Integrity and Voice. As we continue to support various stakeholders to achieve the vision of a world without malnutrition, it is important to understand how these new values fit into all the other GAIN values and our relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. Every GAIN Staff must possess the courage, compassion and wisdom to take critical decisions to achieve our goal as an organization, with empathy, transparency, and most importantly humility to serve our bosses, thereby creating a positive and supportive work relationship and environment. The retreat typically lasts for five days and four nights at an offsite resort. During the retreat, the team participates in various team-bonding exercises, outdoor activities, and strategizing sessions. In addition to strengthening the team’s consistency for excellence in its project implementation, the retreat also serves as a platform for staff to brainstorm on new strategies to strengthen the existing structure of the organization. Everyone is encouraged to contribute and share ideas in a safe and open environment, which is a great (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses, and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious foods for all people, especially the most vulnerable. GAIN is driven by a vision of a world without malnutrition, in which all people have access to and consume nutritious and safe food. Our mission is to advance nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially the most vulnerable to malnutrition. Background Since 2019, GAIN Nigeria has been committed to engaging its staff in a yearly retreat to strengthen the team’s capacity to deliver results and to increase the bonding within the various teams that makes up the Nigerian team. This retreat not only provides an opportunity for team bonding and growth but a chance to get away from the fastpaced nature of everyday work. From the first to the last retreat in Lagos, in December 2022, GAIN Nigeria has keenly leveraged on this retreat as a platform to enhance our values as an organization and to focus on key staff thematic areas such as Building our Community of Practice (CoP) in regards our Operations & Projects through sharing interest, reiterating the global strategy and how it fits to our context in Nigeria, co-learning, and continued interaction among staff. At the end of each retreat, every individual goes back with renewed commitment and better understanding of how their role is critical to the achievement of GAIN’s vision both globally and in-country. Through the retreat committee, GAIN Nigeria has organized three staff retreats in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and each year had a theme to guide the discussions and capacity building sessions during the retreat days. This year as with past years, the retreat committee has proposed a theme for the retreat – ‘Heart-Centered Service’. The theme was chosen based on the new values that have been added to GAIN’s global values – Humility, Integrity and Voice. As we continue to support various stakeholders to achieve the vision of a world without malnutrition, it is important to understand how these new values fit into all the other GAIN values and our relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. Every GAIN Staff must possess the courage, compassion and wisdom to take critical decisions to achieve our goal as an organization, with empathy, transparency, and most importantly humility to serve our bosses, thereby creating a positive and supportive work relationship and environment.
The retreat typically lasts for five days and four nights at an offsite resort. During the retreat, the team participates in various team-bonding exercises, outdoor activities, and strategizing sessions. In addition to strengthening the team’s consistency for excellence in its project implementation, the retreat also serves as a platform for staff to brainstorm on new strategies to strengthen the existing structure of the organization. Everyone is encouraged to contribute and share ideas in a safe and open environment, which is a great opportunity to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative ways to tackle programme implementation challenges. Finally, the retreat serves as a form of reward and recognition for the team’s hard work over the year. The retreat is a much-anticipated event that is always looked forward to by all staff because of its significant impact towards the goals of the organization as well as personal development. Specific Objectives The retreat aims to achieve, in specifics, the following:
- Enhance employee engagement by creating a positive work environment where employees feel valued, heard, and supported.
- Strengthen GAIN Nigeria’s team resilience and well-being – by ensuring active listening, work-life balance, and prioritizing empathy.
- Enhance better team collaboration and co-creation.
- Hold sessions to discuss the added GAIN values, humility, integrity, and voice; and how to embed them into our ways of working as a team, and our program implementation approaches.
- Hold sessions and conversations about our code of conduct and safeguarding policy and its impact on our work to ensure all staff including new colleagues understand the requirements and provisions.
- Celebrate ourselves; bond, unwind, and have fun. Expected Outcomes
- An in-depth understanding of humility, voice values, and integrity as it relates to our day-to-day activities with stakeholders. •
- Enhanced team collaboration and an enabling positive work environment.
- Shared understanding by all staff on the revised code of conduct and safeguarding policy
- Strategies shared on how to enhance the softer elements of project implementation.
- Staff have a deeper understanding of the history of Nigeria in the South-South region and a deeper appreciation of local culture and diversity.
- A more enthusiastic and refreshed team Venue Ibom Resort Icon, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Duration Retreat dates: 30th October 2023 – 2nd November 2023 (4 days) Key requirements of the Consultant(s) The consultant(s) must have the following qualifications and demonstrate the following qualities:
- Demonstrable experience of supporting organizational leaderships/teams through strategic, organisational, group, and personal development
- Experience with facilitating training for international development organisations using current tools and models.
- Effective communication and people engagement skills
- Keen sense of confidentiality /ability to manage the sensitive personal information of clients
- Good report-writing skills (a detailed post-retreat report highlighting key outcomes, participant feedback, and recommendations for future retreats is expected) Consultant selection The selection will be made through a call for quotes from a limited pool of consultants based on strong profiles and positive referrals received from other organizations. Consideration will be based on the quality of the proposed methodology/approach and how well the consultant(s) meets the key requirements above in line with the selected theme for the retreat. The budget proposed will also be a factor.
Content of Proposal
- Letter of Introduction: This should be on letterhead, indicating that a formal offer of services is being made about this request and must state organizations worked within a similar capacity.
- Brief description of the proposed approach: This should be no more than 4 pages of text and should describe how the consultants have interpreted our requirements and the broad approach proposed to respond to the key deliverables.
- Workplan: The consultant(s) is/are requested to provide a preliminary proposed plan of activities and a draft agenda to meet the objectives set out above.
- Budget: Provide a cost-effective and ‘value for money’ budget in Naira, setting out all contingencies envisaged
- Curriculum Vitae: The CV for the lead facilitator(s) should be submitted. Brief details of all other members of the facilitation team must be provided. Instructions for Responding The proposal should be submitted in electronic copy and addressed to nquotation@gainhealth.org. Please include “GAIN Nigeria Staff Retreat 2023” in the subject line. Requests for additional information can be directed to the same e-mail address.
Summary of Deadlines
- Proposal Submission Deadline: September 18th, 2023
- Notification of acceptance from GAIN: September 28th, 2023
- Submission of Retreat Report: November 24th, 2023
