Measuring the impact of Better Factories Cambodia-MoLVT Labour Inspector                                                      engagement

BACKGROUND

The foundational programme of Better Work, Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) was established in 2001 as part of the US-Cambodia Bilateral Textile Agreement, directly linking export quotas to the improvement of labour conditions in the industry. While initially voluntary, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) then made BFC’s enterprise assessments mandatory for all garment exporting factories, working in close cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) and its Labour Inspectorate. The quota incentive ended with the expiry of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement 1974-2004 which imposed quotas on the amount of clothing and textile exports from developing to developed countries, and its successor the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing in 2004. However, the Cambodian Government requested the ILO to continue to assess labour law compliance for all exporting garment factories, and since early 2022 to also include travel goods and bag factories, maintaining its mandatory assessment provisions. Over time, voluntary advisory services and training services were added to the BFC programme in response to enterprise and sectoral needs.

As part of BFC’s 2022-2027 strategy, the programme will place a key focus on strengthening capacity of MoLVT. BFC will implement a robust roadmap to strengthen institutional and MOLVT employee inspection and industry support capacity, especially the labour inspectorate and Department of Occupational Safety and Health.

To achieve these results, BFC and MOLVT will institutionalize regular meetings and conduct capacity development programmes. A Joint Workplan between BFC and the MOLVT will outline key activities and milestones of capacity and knowledge transfer. Capacity development will focus on enhancing the inspectors’ capacity, skills, commitment and integrity in workplace inspection and compliance.

BFC will undertake a programme with the labour inspectorate on transferring technical and transferrable skills. This includes an induction programme for current and new labour inspectors on technical and transferrable skills, and joint assessment visits in the travel goods and bag sector. Subsequently, BFC will carry out quality assurance and support for labour and OSH inspectors in their inspections, with the objective of performing joint labour inspection visits to travel goods and bag factories by end of 2023.

OBJECTIVE

Better Factories Cambodia seeks to contract an individual with substantial regional and sectoral knowledge to carry out research activities to measure and evaluate the progress in Labour Inspectors’ expertise, effectiveness and integrity in Cambodia.  This will be done primarily through a case study of Better Factories Cambodia’s capacity building work with state labour inspectors to improve their regulatory performance.

SCOPE OF WORK

The proposed research aims to track the institutional and policy-level efforts of the BFC programme, particularly related to the training and capacity building of labour inspectors.

The contracted researcher is expected to conduct a longitudinal qualitative research study that will track efforts to improve institutional capacity and performance over time using a process-tracing research design or other methodology to measure change in a complex and shifting environment. The expected timeline of the study is from 2023-2027. It is envisioned that the researcher will:

• Engage with BFC management team members and Better Work research team members to refine research proposal.
• Define a main set of research questions and theoretical expectations or testable hypotheses about the effectiveness of the programme’s institutional and policy-level efforts at reaching a certain outcome of interest (e.g.., strengthen constituents’ capacities, building ownership and trust, among others).
• Define a sequence of events or timeline of the programme’s institutional and policy-level efforts, identifying the link between the proposed explanations and the outcomes of interest.
• Conduct a thorough review of the existing correspondence and secondary documentation related to BFC-MoLVT collaboration and capacity building.
• In conjunction with BFC, identify key stakeholders and participants in intervention activities as key informants the efforts to measure impact.
• Draw upon and inform analysis using any existing and future monitoring data of the BFC programme tracking activities such as training and training participants.
• Collect primary data, expected through in-depth interviews with key informants. It is expected that data collection would occur on a longitudinal basis over several years, to be further and jointly defined with BFC.
• Analyze data and produce draft findings for review and validation with the BFC team. Lead discussions with the team to interpret findings.
• Draft final report presenting key findings and considerations of programme impact.

DELIVERABLES

The following set of deliverables are expected to guide the work of the research consultant for the first year of the project (i.e. through mid-2024).

1. Building from initial proposal, develop concept note defining research approach, including proposed timing for baseline and subsequent rounds of data collection. (Q3 2023)

2. Conduct desk review of existing literature and documentation, and define of a specific set of testable hypotheses about the effectiveness of the programme’s institutional and policy-level efforts at reaching a certain outcome of interest (identified with the support of the BFC programme). (Q4 2023)

3. Proposed interview guidelines for key stakeholder interviews to trace the programme’s institutional and policy-level efforts over time. (Q4 2023)

4. Conduct first round of data collection. (Q1 2024)

5. Conduct initial analysis of primary data and secondary data, including any administrative and monitoring data, and submit an interim brief summarizing results. (Q2 2024)

6. Interim informal interpretation workshops with key BFC staff. (Q2 2024)

REPORTING

The research consultant will report to Better Factories Cambodia’s Programme Manager.

DESIRED PROFILE

• Experience: substantive professional experience and publication record on issues relevant to this task (e.g. global supply chains, labour regulation, impact evaluation of policy interventions) Familiarity with the Cambodian context. Ability to draft concise reports for non-technical audiences.
• Additional requirements: knowledge on designing surveys and data collection methods – both qualitative and quantitative.

SUBMISSION OF QUOTATION/PROPOSAL

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Initial proposal describing how he/she will approach and conduct the work (3 pages maximum).
• Writing sample
• Estimated Year 1 budget (i.e. through mid-2024) (financial proposal), i.e., professional fees (daily rate and expected number of working days) and additional expenses (e.g. transportation costs), for completing the work.

The expression of interest should be sent to BFCJOBS@ilo.org by 30th June, 2023.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND NON-DISCLOSURE

All data and information received and collected for the purpose of this assignment are to be treated confidentially and are only to be used in connection with the execution of these Terms of Reference. All intellectual property rights arising from the execution of these Terms of Reference are assigned to IFC and ILO. The contents of written materials obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the expressed advance written authorization of the IFC and ILO.