Scope of Work (SoW)

The USAID Rule of Law Program in Georgia is a five-year, $25 million activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI).

The USAID Rule of Law Program aims 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. 

Background

The National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (“the Center” or EQE) is the agency within the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports charged with improving the quality of education in Georgia. The Center authorizes all educational institutions and accredits all educational programs, and implements authorization and accreditation standards. The Center works on improving external as well as internal quality assurance mechanisms, their implementation, and the creation of relevant recommendations.

In 2019, with USAID/PROLoG assistance, an EQE working group started drafting a framework document defining knowledge and competencies to be acquired by Georgian law students (Law Benchmarks). The Law Benchmark document was adopted by EQE in Spring 2020, after active communication and participation from various stakeholders. The Benchmark document is a guide for Georgian law schools in the process of accreditation, defining baseline requirements that each law curriculum should adhere to.

In 2021, USAID/PROLoG expert Konstane Chokoraia analyzed accreditation expert reports and subsequent decisions of the accreditation board and provided a generalized report on major challenges and deficiencies in the implementation of the Law Benchmark document. According to expert’s research, the new law benchmarks led to positive modifications and new approaches in law programs of universities. However, there is a challenge of subjective understanding and inconsistent application of the Law Benchmark document by the accreditation experts and accreditation board members. As a result, establishing a uniform understanding of the Law Benchmark document and its principles, as well as a uniform practice in applying the document, is essential. The EQE approached the USAID Rule of Law Program and requested assistance in drafting Law Benchmark Guidelines to facilitate the uniform application of the Law Benchmark document by accreditation experts and university representatives. The need for the Guidelines is apparent after consulting with the representatives of the universities and EQE representatives.

Proposed Approach

The USAID Rule of Law Program seeks to hire a local legal expert to develop Guidelines on the Law Benchmark document. The Guidelines will support the uniform and standardized application of the Law Benchmark document by all stakeholders, which will contribute to the overall improvement of legal instruction in Georgia. The Guidelines shall provide definitions and describe the essence of each principle of the Law Benchmark document so that it can be used as a reference and assist accreditation experts and university representatives to work on law program accreditation more effectively and with a uniform approach.

During the drafting process, the expert is expected to engage in consultations with the EQE management, EQE Accreditation Board, accreditation experts, law school representatives and/or other relevant stakeholders.

Reporting

The Expert will closely work with Nino Balanchivadze, USAID Rule of Law Program’s Legal Education and Bar Reform Advisor, and Mariam Vardosanidze, Legal Education and Bar Reform Specialist, and will report to Giorgi Chkheidze, Chief of the Party.

Timeline

The project is envisaged to be implemented in the period of February -May 2023

Estimated Level of Effort:

The estimated level of the effort includes 15 working days for consultations (with EQE management, EQE Accreditation Board, accreditation experts, law school representatives and/or other relevant stakeholders) and drafting of the Guidelines document.

A competitive fee will be paid for the consultancy. No further benefits are offered.

Deliverables

The Expert will provide the following deliverables:

1. Interviews and/or focus groups with EQE management, the EQE Accreditation Board, accreditation experts, law school representatives, and/or other relevant stakeholders (February-Marc 2023);

2. Guidelines on Law Benchmark document (April-May, 2023)

Requirement and Eligibility 

The Local expert should possess the following qualifications:

• University degree in law or another relevant field;

• At least 7 years of professional experience in the field of legal education;

• Knowledge of the legal education system in Georgia, including accreditation processes

and quality assurance mechanisms;

• Experience drafting similar documents;

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

In order to apply, potential candidates need to present:

• CV with detailed list of qualifications;

• Basic outline of the Guidelines document;

• Estimated effort and cost of the effort (expert honorarium);

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

criteria.

The application may be submitted in English or in Georgian. The application should be e-mailed to Nino Balanchivadze at nbalanchivadze@ewmi.org  Please include the following text in the subject line “Law Benchmark.”

The deadline for application submissions is February 17, 2023.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

“EWMI is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion or sexual preferences.”