Consultancy for Youth Integrity Survey in Vietnam

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS/QUOTATIONS
TERMS OF REFERENCE

YOUTH INTEGRITY SURVEY IN VIETNAM – FOURTH EDITION (YIS-2021)
Consultancy for YIS-2021 data collection fieldwork

1. Background

In the framework of the Transparency International (TI) Vietnam Programme 2016-2020, implemented by Towards Transparency (TT), TI’s national contact in Vietnam, young people have been identified as one of the key target groups to support people’s engagement for more transparency and integrity in Vietnam. Relevant activities targeting youth have been developed based on existing experience in Vietnam, and are also shaped by the TI movement’s past and ongoing global experiences and initiatives in working with young people.

The Youth Integrity Survey (YIS) was first piloted in Vietnam by Towards Transparency. It provides an invaluable source of evidence on youth perceptions and experiences of corruption, and on who shapes young people’s values of integrity. Given the success of the first YIS edition in 2011, Towards Transparency carried out the second and third edition of YIS in 2014 and 2019. These editions provided important insights into the perceptions and behaviour of young people with regard to integrity. They provide strong evidence which has been used in advocacy and to develop TT’s youth integrity initiatives. The research process also directly engaged young people during the implementation of the survey.

YIS-2021 will provide an important evidence-based tool for advocacy work to promote integrity among young people and to influence relevant stakeholders in Vietnam. The overall YIS-2021 high-quality report’s findings will be used as inputs for the development of an advocacy plan that aims to ensure that results are taken up by young people and key stakeholders such as policy-makers, education practitioners, mass organisations, NGOs and businesses to improve conditions for young people to practice integrity.

2. Objectives of the fourth edition of the YIS (YIS-2021)

The overall objective of the research is to capture and assess in-depth youth beliefs, behaviours and experiences related to integrity and to gauge how perceptions and experiences change over time in Vietnam. The results of the YIS will be used to promote and support greater integrity amongst young people in Vietnam.

Specific Objectives:

• To capture the timely change in youth perceptions, experiences and behaviours relating to integrity, honesty and corruption.
• To provide policy makers, educational institutions, civil society and other stakeholders with detailed data on young people’s understanding of integrity and their experiences in corruption in daily life.
• To provide evidence for TT’s future advocacy to influence key stakeholders, especially schools/universities, educational institutions, and the media, which shape young people’s views and behaviours.

3. Objective of the consultancy assignment

The overall objective of the consultancy is to lead the survey quantitative and qualitative research from the planning phase up to the reporting stage in order to collect updated information on the youth perceptions and experiences of integrity. Specifically, the consultancy will:

• Enable development and finalisation of survey protocols, training materials and data collection tools following the SMART survey standards.
• Effective coordination with TT for the timely approval of the survey protocols to ensure the ethics of the research.
• Ensure strict adherence of the survey team members to survey protocols and standards during data collection and data processing.
• Support technical validation of the survey results and provide comprehensive pilot and fieldwork reports.

4. Key Activities

• Reflecting learning from and since the second and third edition of the YIS and the existing context of youth integrity in Vietnam, contribute to refine and update the YIS-2021 survey questionnaire in close cooperation with TT’s team. The questionnaire will be translated into Vietnamese and tested on a selection of households. The purpose of piloting is to ensure that the translation is correct and that the questions are appropriately phrased for the local environment. The consultancy will notify TT of any issues that arise during the piloting in a documented report. All modifications to the questionnaire that may be suggested from the piloting results will be approved by TT before the surveys are implemented.
• Based on previous YIS tools, develop the training of survey enumerators and supervisors on protocols of survey (e.g. ethical issues) and use of survey instruments (e.g. questionnaires).
• Develop the detailed field work plan in consultation with TT.
• Collect data and manage supervision of the quantitative data collection teams and ensure implementation of quality control measure during data collection and data entry at all levels.
• Lead data processing.
• Develop and send to TT an intermediate fieldwork report and a preliminary data review, built on disaggregated data (by age, gender, location, education level, occupation, etc.) based on TT’s selected themes and requirements.
• Develop a discussion guide in cooperation with TT and the senior researcher to be used in qualitative face to face interviews or focus group discussions.
• Organize and conduct qualitative face to face interviews or focus group discussions.
• Develop a final fieldwork report and send it to TT.

Specifically, the selected consultancy will:

• Ensure that the survey is conducted using the specified methodology and sampling plan.
• Seek approval for the final translated questionnaire in Vietnamese from TT prior to launching the surveys.
• Ensure that staff including field supervisors, enumerators and staff are trained on the questionnaire and survey procedures.
• Ensure that that the survey questionnaire is pilot-tested on at least 6 respondents prior to launching the survey.
• Confirm with TT any necessary or suggested changes on the questionnaire based on the results of piloting the surveys or issues raised during training of the interviewers.
• Complete the interviews to achieve a nationally representative sample.
• Report to TT with any serious problems encountered during the interviews (to be included in the fieldwork report).
• Conduct quality control checks of at least 40% of all interviews following the survey (quality control report to be included in the fieldwork report).
• Provide TT with a clean English labelled database of at least 1,500 completed interviews in SPSS electronic database format. The database will contain all variables and variable labels included in the questionnaire. It will also include weights to represent the national youth population by regions and provide tabulations. Each respondent should have a unique numeric identifier and ensure anonymously of personal information after quality controlled is complete.
• Based on the quantitative data results, develop in coordination with TT a qualitative discussion
• guide to be used in face to face interviews or focus group discussions.
• Identify a list of minimum 12 relevant contacts, from and/or outside the survey sampling, from which qualitative face to face interviews or focus group discussions will be organized.
• Provide TT with a detailed report on qualitative face to face interviews or focus group discussions including specific quotes in English and Vietnamese.
• Provide TT with final fieldwork execution report.

5. Deliverables Timeline:

The following deliverables are expected to be provided during the following period:

• 15 December 2020: field work plan including survey protocol, initial data collection tools and training manual developed and pre-tested (piloting), survey team member recruitment and training.
• 31 January 2021: final quantitative questionnaire, tested in its Vietnamese version.
• 15 April 2021: completion of quantitative data collection in the field by all team members.
• 30 April 2021: fieldwork report and submission of SPSS dataset and tabulation files (weighted and non-weighted) and preliminary data review.
• 25 June 2021: qualitative discussion guide and report on qualitative face to face interviews or focus group discussions.
• 30 June 2021: final fieldwork report.

Please note that contract payment will be linked to satisfactory and timely delivery of the key activities as listed above.

6. Methodology

The methodology draws upon the YIS-2019 edition. For detailed reference, please review the 2019 report on TT’s website: https://towardstransparency.vn/en/anti-corruption-reports-statistics/

Sample size and allocation per province

To maximize comparability with the previous YIS editions, the provinces to be selected will be the same as those surveyed in YIS-2019.

The minimum sample size will be:

• 1,100 for youths aged between 15-30 years old (target group), and
• 400 adults aged above 30 (control group)

The sample of interviewees will be selected randomly and will be representative in age and gender of the national population.

The questionnaire estimated duration should be 35-45 minutes.

Data collection

Interviews: Face to Face with logic enabled digital acquisition software with tablet or computer

7. Evaluation and award process

TT will award an agreement contract resulting from this solicitation to the bidder whose offer conforms to the terms of reference and represents the best value to the project and to TT. For the purpose of this Request for Proposals/Request for Quotations, price, delivery, technical and past performance are of equal importance for the purposes of evaluating, and selecting the “best value” awardee. TT intends to evaluate offers and award an Agreement without discussions with bidders. Therefore, the bidders’ initial offer should contain the bidder’ best terms from a price and technical standpoint.

The selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Quality and cost evaluation of the proposals.
• Advanced university degree in political sciences, development studies, or social sciences, along with relevant technical knowledge in survey methodologies, research methods.
• Extensive experience (10 years) in conducting large-scale surveys. Experience in managing a national survey will be considered a plus.
• Language skills: fluency in English.
• Documented experience in survey protocol development; proven skills to analyse and identify needs and respond with recommendations to address supply, human resources and implementation issues.
• Ability to conduct data analyses, including collating and presenting survey data.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel and work in tough field environments.

8. Timeframe

The consultancy is scheduled to take place between 01 December 2020 and 30 June 2021, over a seven months period.

9. Application Submission

Please email your application package to the following email address: [email protected] by 10 November 2020 with “Youth Integrity Survey 2021’’ in the subject line. The application should include the following:

• A statement explaining consultants’ understanding of the assignment (or a brief overview of how the assignment will be conducted).
• A cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications for the assignment, as well as commitment to deliver the service by 30 June 2021.
• Relevant references for large-scale survey dealing with similar social topics.
• Curriculum vitae of the lead consultant who will be responsible for the project implementation.
• Budget detailing number of working days (and administration costs, if any).

Note: This TOR is subject to final approval on project funding