The USAID Rule of Law Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is designed to strengthen the rule of law in Georgia by building the independence and effectiveness of justice sector institutions, enhancing access to justice for all segments of society, and increasing citizen and institutional oversight of justice sector institutions. The Program seeks to hire a local expert to assist the state Legal Aid Service (LAS) in developing an action plan for the Service.

Background

One of the objectives of the Rule of Law Program is to improve access to justice for all in Georgia, by working with the LAS, a state-funded largest legal aid provider in Georgia, and CSOs delivering free legal assistance to socially vulnerable groups. The LAS provides legal assistance to beneficiaries through its bureaus and consultation centers and carries out different awareness-raising activities throughout Georgia as well. For a complex and dynamic organization such as LAS, having an action plan clarifying its objectives and the means for achieving them is of paramount importance. The Program will support the LAS leadership and the Board in this process and will secure expert assistance for LAS to engage in a strategic planning exercise that culminates in a development action plan (for 3 years). This will provide a foundation for the LAS to make the Service more effective and sustainable.

Proposed Approach:

The Program seeks to hire a local expert to develop a 3 years action plan for LAS. The action plan will define strategic objectives, implementation mechanisms, and performance indicators, as well as timelines and responsible persons. The expert will work closely with LAS to identify their needs and expectations, will prepare the action plan, and will discuss the draft document to the Service and LAS Board. The expert will finalize the document according to the results of the discussions, LAS Board retreat outcomes, and make a final presentation.

Timeline

The consultancy period will be November 2023-January 2024.

The estimated level of effort will be up to 8 working days, including 1 day for working meetings with relevant representatives of the LAS, 2 days for participating at LAS Board retreat, 3 days for preparing the first draft action plan, 1 day for finalizing the document, and 1 day for the presentation.

Reporting

The Expert will work closely with the LAS, in close consultation with Mariam Gaiparashvili, Legal Aid Advisor, and report to Mariam Gaiparashvili, Legal Aid Advisor, and Giorgi Chkheidze, Chief of Party.

Deliverables

The Expert will provide the following deliverables:

1. Working meetings with LAS
2. Draft the development  action plan
3. Present the action plan to the LAS

Requirement and Eligibility*

Qualifications and experience:

1. University degree in relevant fields
2. At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in a relevant field
3. Experience in developing action plans for similar institutions
4. Experience working with service delivery organizations
5. Familiarity with the work of the LAS
6. Excellent communication and presentation skills
7. Computer literacy (Internet, Microsoft Office programs, etc.)

To apply, potential candidate(s) need to present:

1. Cover Letter, addressing the criteria above
2. CV, with a detailed list of qualifications
3. Outline of the work to be performed
4. Cost proposal, including the proposed gross daily rate in USD (expert honorarium only)

*Applications will be reviewed based on the above-provided Requirement and Eligibility criteria.

The Program retains the right to select any or none of the applications. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The application must be submitted in English. The application should be e-mailed to info.rolp@ewmi.org Please include the following text in the subject line: Expert to Assist LAS in Developing the Action Plan

The deadline for application submissions is midnight, November 1, 2023 (Georgia time).