Consultancy Services

The Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC) provides governments, donors and other organisations responsible for policy design and implementation across key areas of pro-poor development with rapid access to a large pool of high quality consultants through a simple call-down contracting mechanism. The service is organised by DFID on behalf of its development partners.

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About this service

Thematic areas of work cover the following:

  • aid instruments and aid effectiveness for poverty reduction (including budget support, PRSPs, SWAps)
  • civil service reform
  • conflict (including conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction)
  • decentralisation and local government
  • drivers of change
  • education
  • fragile states
  • gender mainstreaming
  • HIV and AIDS
  • human rights and development (including rule of law)
  • institutional development
  • measuring governance
  • monitoring and evaluation
  • migration
  • political economy and systems
  • pro-poor growth
  • public financial management and accountability
  • security and development (including security sector reform (SSR) and safety, security and access to justiceSSAJ))
  • service delivery
  • social exclusion (including institutions for promoting equity and social inclusion)
  • social protection (with a focus on social assistance for the poorest)
  • state building
  • voice and accountability  

Consultants can be provided for:

  • technical advisory roles
  • desk-based research
  • tailored training
  • advice to clients on off-the-shelf training
  • organisation of study tours

We can handle all contract management in conjunction with your contracts officer, and will ensure efficient delivery according to specification and following ISO 9001 certified quality standards. The GSDRC consultancy service is easy to use and can:

  • provide rapid response searching, project management and contracting to save you time
  • access a wide range of leading specialists through our extensive networks
  • access international and national consultants and organisations
  • contract named consultants/organisations proposed to us
  • conduct a quality review prior to submission of any drafts, and following submission of all final deliverables.

Please contact Bev Fletcher, GSDRC consultancy services manager, at any time to discuss your requirements by email: consultants@gsdrc.org  or telephone: +44 (0) 118 956 6066.


How to use this service

If you need a consultant for any length of time or type of project:

  • Contact the GSDRC consultancy services Manager on consultants@gsdrc.org who will work with you to clarify your terms of reference and discuss timings and other requirements;
  • Once we have agreed on how to work together, we will circulate your terms of reference to the GSDRC consortium to collect a selection of suitable CVs and present to you within an agreed timeframe;
  • Once you select a candidate, we will prepare a proposed budget and send this to both the project officer and contracting officer;
  • As soon as we receive a contract from you, the GSDRC can undertake all project management, mobilisation and contracting responsibilities;
  • We will monitor progress and ensure satisfactory completion according to specification and quality standards. This includes conducting a quality review of deliverables.

To obtain the best range of candidates, we strongly recommend sending your request for proposal well before the desired project start date. Top technical advisers and consultants are often committed many months in advance.


Tailor-made proposals

The GSDRC is flexible in its approach and we will adjust our services to meet your needs. When we submit CVs, we can either send a shortlist of suitable candidates, or supply you with a wider selection of all qualified and available candidates. If timing is not a critical factor in your project planning, we can also provide a wider selection of candidates available within a window of up to a few months.

Should you require consultants to prepare expressions of interest (EOIs), capability statements or other supporting documents alongside their CVs to aid your selection decisions, please specify this at the point of request and allow additional time. The GSDRC can assist you in designing your assessment process if required.


Flexible response time

Our standard response time is ten working days from receipt and confirmation of request. However, we are flexible on this matter and will work with you to meet your specific needs. The GSDRC is able to respond to urgent requests within a few days if required, but it should be noted that this may limit the choice of available consultants.


Fee structure

Consultants are provided at a range of daily fee rates as indicated below. The fee rates are negotiable within the bands and are in effect till the end of October 2010.

International Consultants

  • Consultants with more than 10 years experience:  £675 to £827
  • Consultants with 5-10 years experience: £375 to £717
  • Consultants with less than 5 years experience: Up to £413

Related services

Please note that the GSDRC works directly with organisations commissioning work. We do not work through intermediaries such as consulting firms, and we do not enter into consortia with other organisations, since the GSDRC is itself already a consortium.

Email: consultants@gsdrc.org Telephone: +44 (0) 118 956 6066

 

 
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