Terms of reference (ToRs) for the

procurement of services below the

EU threshold

Project number/
Developing an Inclusive Digital Skills Training Toolkit for Persons cost centre:
with Disabilities
18.2132.1-001.00

0. List of abbreviations ..................................................................................................... 2

1. Context......................................................................................................................... 3

2. Tasks to be performed by the contractor ...................................................................... 4

3. Concept ........................................................................................................................ 7
Technical-methodological concept ............................................................................... 7
Project management of the contractor (1.6) ................................................................. 8
Further requirements (1.7)............................................................................................ 8

4. Personnel concept........................................................................................................ 8
Team leader ................................................................................................................. 9
Short-term expert pool with minimum two, maximum three members ........................... 9

5. Costing requirements ..................................................................................................10

Assignment of personnel and travel expenses ............................................................10
Sustainability aspects for travel ...................................................................................10

6. Inputs of GIZ or other actors........................................................................................11

7. Requirements on the format of the tender ...................................................................11

8. Outsourced processing of personal data .....................................................................12

Form 41-14-3-en 1
0. List of abbreviations

AG Commissioning party

AN Contractor

AVB General Terms and Conditions of Contract for supplying services and work

BLC Bradshaw LeRoux Consulting

CCNA CISCO Cybersecurity Network Associate

CCT CISCO Cybersecurity Technician

DCDT Department of Communications and Digital Technologies

DWYPWD Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities

DS4JI Digital Skills for Jobs and Income

GDPR General Data Protection Regulation

GPI Global Project for Inclusion

FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

FK Expert

FKT Expert days

KZFK Short-term expert

NDFSS National Digital and Future Skills Strategy

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

POPIA Protection of Personal Information Act

SANCB South African National Council for the Blind

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

ToRs Terms of reference

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1. Context

The Digital Skills for Jobs and Income project (DS4JI, 18.2132.1-001.00, Duration: 2020 –
2024), implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has four main objectives which aim to increase the
employment prospects of young South Africans in various sectors through a combination of
the following

 access to qualitatively improved and demand-oriented training through integration of

digital competences and methods into the training courses of the formal TVET system,
at selected TVET colleges with a focus on young people, especially girls and women
(Output 1),

 demand-oriented further training through financial and technical support of the

respective service providers which will lead to an expansion of further training and
networking measures and thus enable a larger number of young people to improve
their employment prospects with regard to dependent or self-employed employment
(Output 2),

 improved recruitment policies of companies through the introduction and

implementation of new, gender-sensitive approaches to identifying applicants with the
digital skills demanded by the company (Output 3),

 increased networking and cooperation of initiatives and actors and the exchange of
learning experiences in the transformative process of digitization of the South African
economy (Output 4).

The DS4JI project, under Output 2 supports private/civic initiatives to provide upskilling
opportunities for youth that range from basic digital skills to industry-specific/occupational
skills. These initiatives aim to address the skills pipeline for the digital economy. This involves
innovative short training programs, providing technical and soft skills through, work readiness
and mentorship. The project aims to address digital divide and promote equal opportunities
for individuals with disabilities through various interventions targeting the inclusion of young
women, and youth with disabilities, in line with Leave No One Behind principles.

Furthermore, the DS4JI project partnered with the Global Project for Inclusion (GPI) to pilot
disability-specific cybersecurity training programmes with South African implementation
partners. The pilot programmes aim to replicate implementation of the Kenya Bride Academy,
delivering inclusive cybersecurity training that is tailored to youth with disabilities’ unique
needs. Key pillars for the pilot programmes included digital accessibility, soft skills training,
work readiness and mentorship towards transitioning youth into ICT and cybersecurity roles.

Digital skills training plays a crucial role in empowering persons with disabilities to participate
fully in the digital world. However, there is a need for inclusive resources that cater to the
diverse needs for persons with disabilities. It is against this backdrop that the project aims to
develop a toolkit that will assist training organisations/programmes realise inclusive training
journey, from design to implementation. The toolkit draws from experience and learnings of
training interventions for youth with disabilities and private sector partnerships for employment
promotion in South Africa. The toolkit aims to provide recommendations from the broader
digital skills development landscape and inclusive policies for employment promotion for youth
with disabilities.

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The toolkit also aims to identify interventions and provide recommendations for the design and
implementation of interventions that contribute towards achievement strategic goals/action
plans/measures of the National Digital and Future Skills Strategy of South Africa (2021-2025),
in line with implementation programme of the Department of Communications & Digital
Technologies (DCDT) in the areas below:

i) Industry/Workplace/Government 4.0: Expanding Workplace-Based Learning Opportunities

for persons with disabilities;

ii) Opportunity Zones for persons with disabilities: collaborations among national and sectoral
organizations for persons with disabilities and digital skills development in identified niche
areas

Therefore, the toolkit must provide insights into key considerations for successful
implementation of inclusive digital skills training for youth with disabilities as part of the National
Digital and Future Skills Strategy. Furthermore, the toolkit will provide an overview of the
relevant policies and regulations for digital skills and employment promotion to enable
stakeholders to incorporate into their inclusive digital skills interventions.

The main objective of this assignment is to develop a toolkit that addresses specific digital
skills training needs for persons with disabilities. These would be drawn from lessons learnt
from several interventions undertaken by GIZ, i.e., the implementation of projects in Kenya,
Ghana, and South Africa.

2. Tasks to be performed by the contractor

The toolkit should be inclusive, accessible, and adaptable to different disabilities. Equal
opportunity should be provided to relevant stakeholders to contribute to the development of
toolkit, including guidelines for application of the toolkit in project design. The development of
the inclusive digital skills training toolkit will follow a systematic and collaborative approach.

The contractor is responsible for providing the following services:

1. Review and analysis: evaluating existing inclusive digital skills training initiatives for youth
with disabilities, including but not limited to:
- Basic to advanced/specialist skills and employment promotion interventions supported
by the DS4JI project in South Africa
- Resources and approaches from implemented digital skills initiatives by GIZ in Kenya
& Ghana
- Mapping of digital skills and employment promotion partnerships for youth with
disabilities with private companies across different sectors, such as global business
services, banking, telecoms, etc
- Relevant South African labour policy and incentive schemes promoting public and
private sector employment of youth with disabilities

2. Case studies and best practices: Gather and analyse case studies, success stories, and
best practices from initiatives and highlight effective strategies, challenges encountered,
and lessons learned that inform the development of the inclusive digital skills training
toolkit. Case studies should include initiatives below :
- South African Bridge to Opportunities CISCO Cybersecurity training;

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 - CISCO Cybersecurity certification training, training for visually impaired and blind
youth;
- DS4JI supported interventions promoting inclusion of youth with disabilities, including
young women with disabilities
- Kenya Bridging Academy implemented in partnership with SightSavers
- Identified digital skills and employment promotion partnerships that are disability
inclusive in South Africa
- Recommendations based on successes for digital skills training providers for different
types of disabilities (infrastructure and digital accessibilities, facilitation, pace, duration,
soft skills, mentorship, etc)
- Recommendations based on successes for digital career pathways for different types
of disabilities (accessibility, mobility, orientation, demands of the roles, building
signage, etc)
- Recommendations/strategies on stages during the planning and implementation
journey that the private sector or potential employers should be included
Information to be gathered through interviews/reports/resources for GIZ projects, and gathered
in review analysis for external initiatives)

3. Stakeholder Engagements:
- Gather inputs from experts within the network of GIZ, the Department of
Communications & Digital Technologies and additional strategic organisations
(identified in review) in the inclusive digital skills training ecosystem for youth with
disabilities;
- Ensure alignment with overall objectives and contribution to action plans of the National
Digital and Future Skills Strategy;
Meetings to be held in person with GIZ implementing partners in the country of assignment
(South Africa), and held virtually with GIZ stakeholder network outside of country of assignment

4. Content Development: Design and development of an inclusive toolkit that incorporates

the following:
- Resources, and interactive materials that cover digital skills training and employment
promotion content from the review and analysis;
- Insights and knowledge gained from the case studies and best practices, including
inclusion preparation strategies and measures implemented to remove barriers for
digital skills training for different disabilities;
- Relevant content from Cisco cybersecurity training, accessibility considerations from
recruitment, enrolment, coursework, assessments to certification exams for the diverse
disabilities, including but not limited to, seeing, hearing, communication,
walking/mobility, self-care, remembering/concentration, psychosocial, etc.;
- Recommendations to training providers based on successes and learnings for digital
skills programmes;
- Recommendations to employers based on successes and learnings, considering types
of career paths for youth with different types of disabilities/individuals with diverse
disabilities;

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 - Guidelines for trainers on how to deliver inclusive digital skills training to meet the
unique needs of youth with different disabilities (curriculum adaptation, reasonable
accommodation, instruction formats, facilitation style, etc);
- Include interactive and engaging elements incorporated into different sections of the
toolkit. Ensure the toolkit is transferrable to accessible and multimedia formats to meet
diverse needs of persons with disabilities;
- Sectional illustrations, checklists and templates for inclusive design in planning,
implementation, M&E and knowledge management
- Sectional Overviews, FAQs, Info Sheets, Toolkit Executive Summary presentation for
dissemination across GIZ, DCDT, DWYPWD networks and exchanges and
participating stakeholders;
- Toolkit should also include links to relevant resources informing guidelines and
contents of the toolkit
Design and development of content and components of the toolkit is required to adhere to GIZ
branding guidelines.

5. Policy Recommendations: addressing skills and employment gaps, to foster inclusivity in

the digital skills sector, and align with the National Digital and Future Skills Strategy of
South Africa
- Suggestions on how to integrate inclusive interventions into the broader strategy, in
line with international macroeconomic policies and Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG) promoting rights to decent work for youth with disabilities
- Guidelines for training providers and companies to leverage South African labour
policies promoting employment of digitally trained youth with disabilities
- Strategies for accessing incentive schemes that promote workplace learning for digital
skills, as outlined in Workplace 4.0 Implementation Measures of the Strategy
- Guidelines on measures for to build employer confidence for companies to create
inclusive work environments and integrate digitally trained youth with diverse
disabilities (considering common barriers to inclusion, universal design, reasonable
accommodation, safe spaces, inclusive language, empathy/fairness, equity/diversity,
etc.)

6. Stakeholder Feedback: Collect feedback on the useability, effectiveness, and relevance of

the toolkit in addressing the digital skills training needs of persons with disabilities:
- Disseminate the toolkit to the relevant stakeholders involved in the case studies and
engagements;
- Collect and incorporate stakeholder feedback for improvements to the toolkit based on
the findings

7. Finalize the toolkit: Incorporate feedback, finalize the content, and package the toolkit in a
user-friendly format, ensuring it is readily available for trainers and organizations working
with persons with disabilities.

8. Dissemination of Toolkit: Disseminate Inclusive Digital Skills Toolkit across wider GIZ
stakeholder networks and other additional stakeholders within the ecosystem for digital
skills development and employment promotion for youth with disabilities

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The toolkit will assist stakeholders in implementing the recommended policies by providing
practical guidelines, examples, and case studies. It will serve as a resource to support the
effective interventions that promote digital skills development and employment for persons with
disabilities.

In addition to the reports required by GIZ in accordance with the AVB, the contractor submits
the following reports:

 Inception report
 Contributions to reports to GIZ’s commissioning party
 Brief monthly reports on the implementation status of the project (5-7 pages)

Certain milestones, as laid out in the table below, are to be achieved during the contract term:

Milestones/process steps/partial services Deadline/place/person responsible

Inception Report and Implementation Plan Two weeks after signing of contract
Review and analysis report Four weeks after signing of contract
Alignment and policy recommendations report Six weeks after signing of contract
Resources and Materials: Eight weeks after signing of contract
- Toolkit Executive Summary presentations
Guidelines for trainers,
- FAQs, Info sheets, sectional
checklists/templates

Draft Inclusive Digital Skills Training Toolkit Twelve weeks months after signing of contract
Finalised inclusive toolkit Four months after signing of contract
Presentation and dissemination materials Four months after signing of contract
Dissemination to wider GIZ networks Four months after signing of contract

Period of assignment: from 15.11.2023 until 29.02.2024

3. Concept

In the tender, the tenderer is required to show how the objectives defined in Chapter 0 (Tasks
to be performed) are to be achieved, if applicable under consideration of further method-related
requirements (technical-methodological concept). In addition, the tenderer must describe the
project management system for service provision.

Note: The numbers in parentheses correspond to the lines of the technical assessment grid.

Technical-methodological concept

Strategy (1.1): The tenderer is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference
to the objectives of the services put out to tender (see Chapter 1 Context) (1.1.1). Following
this, the tenderer presents and justifies the explicit strategy with which it intends to provide the
services for which it is responsible (see Chapter 0 Tasks to be performed) (1.1.2).

The tenderer is required to present the actors relevant for the services for which it is
responsible and describe the cooperation (1.2) with them.

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The tenderer is required to present and explain its approach to steering the measures with
the project partners (1.3.1) and its contribution to the results-based monitoring system
(1.3.2).

The tenderer is required to describe the key processes for the services for which it is
responsible and create an operational plan or schedule (1.4.1) that describes how the
services according to Chapter 0 (Tasks to be performed by the contractor) are to be provided.
In particular, the tenderer is required to describe the necessary work steps and, if applicable,
take account of the milestones and contributions of other actors (partner contributions) in
accordance with Chapter 2 (Tasks to be performed) (1.4.2).

The tenderer is required to describe its contribution to knowledge management for the partner
(1.5.1) and GIZ and to promote scaling-up effects (1.5.2) under learning and innovation.

Project management of the contractor (1.6)

The tenderer is required to explain its approach for coordination with the GIZ project. In
particular, the project management requirements specified in Chapter 2 (Tasks to be
performed by the contractor) must be explained in detail.

The tenderer is required to draw up a personnel assignment plan with explanatory notes that
lists all the experts proposed in the tender; the plan includes information on assignment dates
(duration and expert months) and locations of the individual members of the team complete
with the allocation of work steps as set out in the schedule.

The tenderer is required to describe its backstopping concept. The following services are part
of the standard backstopping package, which (like ancillary personnel costs) must be factored
into the fee schedules of the staff listed in the tender in accordance with Section 3.3.1 of the
GIZ AVB:

 Service-delivery control
 Managing adaptations to changing conditions
 Ensuring the flow of information between the tenderer and GIZ
 Assuming personnel responsibility for the contractor’s experts
 Process-oriented steering for implementation of the commission
 Securing the administrative conclusion of the project

Further requirements (1.7)

The tenderer is required to incorporate inclusivity with a focus on gender and disability, with
insights from disability studies, inclusive education and employment policy strategies.

4. Personnel concept

The tenderer is required to provide personnel who are suited to filling the positions described,
on the basis of their CVs (see Chapter 7), the range of tasks involved and the required
qualifications.

The below specified qualifications represent the requirements to reach the maximum number
of points in the technical assessment.

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Team leader

Tasks of the team leader

 Overall responsibility for project management of the contract (quality and deadlines)
 Coordinating and ensuring communication with GIZ, partners and others involved in the
project
 Personnel management, in particular identifying the need for short-term assignments within
the available budget, as well as planning and steering assignments and supporting local
and international short-term experts
 Regular reporting in accordance with deadlines

Qualifications of the team leader

 Education/training (2.1.1): university degree (Masters) in Disability Studies, Development
Studies, Public Policy or related Research qualification
 Language (2.1.2): C2-level language proficiency in English
 General professional experience (2.1.3): 10 years of professional experience in the Skills
Development and Labour Market assessment
 Specific professional experience (2.1.4): 5 years in disability inclusive skills development
and employment promotion
 Leadership/management experience (2.1.5): 5 years of management/leadership
experience as project team leader or manager in a company
 Regional experience (2.1.6): 5 years of experience in projects in in South Africa (country)
 Development cooperation (DC) experience (2.1.7): 3 years of experience in DC projects
 Other (2.1.8): Experience in aligning disability inclusion projects with strategic action plans
like Sustainable Development Goals and national skills strategies

Short-term expert pool with minimum two, maximum three members

For the technical assessment, an average of the qualifications of all specified members of the
expert pool is calculated. Please send a CV for each pool member (see below Chapter 7
Requirements on the format of the bid) for the assessment.

Tasks of the short-term expert pool

 Research support - data collection and analysis
 Inclusive employment practices and policies
 Liaison with disability and sectoral organizations, private sector and GIZ stakeholder
network
 Guide inclusive resource development
 Support development of toolkit content and materials

Qualifications of the short-term expert pool

 Education/training (2.6.1): up to two experts with university qualification (Masters) in Social
Sciences, Development Studies or Disability Studies OR related research qualification
 Language (2.6.2): up to two experts with C1-level language proficiency in English
 General professional experience (2.6.3): one expert with 5 years of professional
experience in the skills development and labour market research, one expert with 5 years
of professional experience in the research and data analysis
 Specific professional experience (2.6.4): one expert with 3 years of professional experience
in training evaluation and impact assessment, one expert with 3 years of professional
experience on disability inclusion in training and employment

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 Regional experience (2.6.5): up to two experts with 3 years of experience in South Africa
(country)
 Development cooperation (DC) experience (2.6.6): Not applicable
 Other (2.6.7): Not applicable

The tenderer must provide a clear overview of all proposed short-term experts and their
individual qualifications.

5. Costing requirements

Assignment of personnel and travel expenses

Per-diem and overnight accommodation allowances are reimbursed as a lump sum up to the
maximum amounts permissible under tax law for each country as set out in the country table
in the circular from the German Federal Ministry of Finance on travel expense remuneration
(downloadable at https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de).

Accommodation costs which exceed this up to a reasonable amount and the cost of flights and
other main forms of transport can be reimbursed against evidence

All business travel must be agreed in advance by the officer responsible for the project.

Sustainability aspects for travel

GIZ would like to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO 2 emissions) caused by travel. When
preparing your tender, please incorporate options for reducing emissions, such as selecting
the lowest-emission booking class (economy) and using means of transport, airlines and flight
routes with a higher CO2 efficiency. For short distances, travel by train (second class) or e-
mobility should be the preferred option.

If they cannot be avoided, CO2 emissions caused by air travel should be offset. GIZ specifies
a budget for this, through which the carbon offsets can be settled against evidence.

There are many different providers in the market for emissions certificates, and they have
different climate impact ambitions. The Development and Climate Alliance (German only) has
published a list of standards (German only). GIZ recommends using the standards specified
there.

*Please submit your budget in the templates provided in ZAR and EUR in equivalent terms.

Specification of inputs

Fee days Number Number of Total Comments

of days per
experts expert

Designation of TL

Designation of short-term
expert pool

Travel expenses Quantity Price Total Comments

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 Fixed travel budget

Other costs Number Price Total Comments

Flexible remuneration 1 5500 EUR 5500 EUR A budget of 5000 EUR is

foreseen for flexible
remuneration. Please
incorporate this budget into the
price schedule.
Use of the flexible remuneration
item requires prior written
approval from GIZ.

Other costs 1 The budget contains the content

design and development, which
includes separate sectional
resources and interactive
materials such as:
 overviews, review and
analysis, case studies,
guidelines and policy
recommendations
 Sectional illustrations,
checklists and templates,
FAQs, Infosheets,
 Compilation of all materials
presented in final toolkit.

6. Inputs of GIZ or other actors

GIZ and/or other actors are expected to make the following available:

 GIZ Digital Skills for Jobs and Income implementation reports (anonymised)
 GIZ Global Project for inclusion resources (anonymised)
 GIZ stakeholder network introductions
 GIZ Corporate Identity manual guide, together with the CI manual of partners, GIZ
cooperation logos, reference guides with GIZ work implemented

7. Requirements on the format of the tender

The structure of the tender must correspond to the structure of the ToRs. In particular, the
detailed structure of the concept (Chapter 3) should be organised in accordance with the
positively weighted criteria in the assessment grid (not with zero). The tender must be legible
(font size 11 or larger) and clearly formulated. It must be drawn up in English (language).

The complete tender must not exceed 10 pages (excluding CVs). If one of the maximum page
lengths is exceeded, the content appearing after the cut-off point will not be included in the
assessment. External content (e.g. links to websites) will also not be considered.

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’

The CVs of the personnel proposed in accordance with Chapter 4 of the ToRs must be
submitted using the format specified in the terms and conditions for application. The CVs shall
not exceed 4 pages each. They must clearly show the position and job the proposed person
held in the reference project and for how long. The CVs can also be submitted in English
(language).

Please calculate your financial tender based exactly on the parameters specified in Chapter 5
Quantitative requirements. The contractor is not contractually entitled to use up the days, trips,
workshops or budgets in full. The number of days, trips and workshops and the budgets will
be contractually agreed as maximum limits. The specifications for pricing are defined in the
price schedule.

8. Outsourced processing of personal data

All reports will be submitted to the officer responsible for the project. The reported data will be
anonymised upon submission to GIZ. The service provider will also manage data in
accordance with the EU-General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR) and the Protection
of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

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