Call for Expression of Interest - Development of the Fair Recruitment Guide for the Palm Oil Sector (Indonesia-Malaysia Corridor)

Objectives
The objective of the proposed consultancy is to develop a practical guide (the Guide) on fair recruitment for recruitment agencies and employers of Indonesian migrant workers in the palm oil sector in Malaysia, with a view to enhancing their knowledge and capacities to protect migrant workers rights and effectively implement fair recruitment practices. The Guide aims to enhance recruitment agencies and employers’ knowledge on different international standards and Malaysian and Indonesian laws and policies that they need to comply with to hire and employ Indonesian migrant workers. It will also include the related sanctions for violations, case studies, example tools and potential good practices.

The Guide will adapt to the context of the Indonesia-Malaysia Corridor, the General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment (GPOG). The GPOG, adopted in 2016, complemented by the Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs, adopted in 2018, contains the most up-to-date, internationally agreed guidance in recruitment. They are grounded in international labour standards, adopted through tripartite social dialogue, and informed by extensive research.

The Guide will cover all stages of the recruitment process, including advertisements, information dissemination, selection, transport, placement into employment and return to the country of origin. The potential of disseminating The Guide through the Malaysian and Indonesian governments’ websites and relevant government offices’ forms/notice boards will be explored in the consultations.

External collaborator

This contract opportunity is open for an individual or a firm to apply for.
Through the “Advancing Workers’ Rights in the Palm Oil Sector in Indonesia and Malaysia” Project, the ILO will engage an individual Consultant to develop The Guide under the direct supervision of the National Project Coordinator of the Project and in close coordination with ILO Labour Migration experts. The details of the tasks, outputs, fees, contract duration and qualifications are as follows:

Tasks: 
1. Submit and discuss with the ILO the work plan and proposed detailed methodology that includes the following:

- list of reading materials to review;

- list stakeholders to interview;

- guide interview questions; and

- timeline.

2. Conduct desk review of relevant materials as part of data collection. The desk review should also inform the initial structure and contents for The Guide that will be presented during the inception meeting in (3).

3. During the inception meeting with the ILO and focal persons from the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) and Indonesian Ministry of Manpower (MOM) (date to be decided), present and get feedback on the proposed outline of The Guide and the workplan to develop The Guide.

4. With an introductory letter from the ILO, communicate with relevant stakeholders to set up interviews (face-to-face or online) to get their input.

5. Submit the first draft of The Guide to the ILO.

6. Revise the draft based on comments from the ILO, and present the revision to the ILO, MOHR and MOM. Discuss with them the agenda, list of participants, dates and venue for the validation workshop.

7. With ILO’s clearance of the draft version fit for validation, present the draft to key stakeholders and get their feedback.

8. Incorporate the feedback and inputs from the stakeholders, and revise The Guide to the satisfaction of the ILO.

Timeline
The contract will run between 1 April and 31 July 2023. All deliverables have to be completed by 15 July 2023. The additional days of the contract are reserved for technical reviews and processing of the final payment.

Fees
The total budget for this Contract is USD 10,000.00 inclusive of professional fees, travel costs and the daily subsistence allowance of the Consultant. The Consultant must utilize the most cost-efficient way of data collection such as utilizing the use of virtual conferencing, where appropriate. This does not include the budget for the validation workshop venue and meals, which will be covered by the ILO separately.

The ILO accepts no liability in the event of death, injury, or illness of the External Collaborator. The External Collaborator attests that he/she is adequately covered by insurance for these risks. In no circumstances shall the External Collaborator be covered by any ILO insurance, and it is his/her responsibility to take out, at his/her own expense, any personal insurance policies he/she may consider necessary, including a civil liability insurance policy.

Qualifications

The Consultant must have the following qualifications:
Education: Minimum of Bachelor’s degree on Social Sciences, especially law, research, gender studies, development studies, economics, or other related courses.

Experience:
- At least 5 years’ experience working on labour migration issues;
- Prior experience of producing labour migration-related publications and tools;
- At least 5 years experience working with government and non-government actors including workers and employers representatives.

Quality commitment:
- Strong commitment to quality and a thorough approach to the work;
- Previous work experience with the ILO or UN agencies is an advantage;
- Examples of the results of previous projects.

Languages: Good command of English; ability to work and communicate in Bahasa Malaysia and/or Bahasa Indonesia is an advantage.

Deadline for submission of the proposal is 24 March 2023 (Friday).

For more details on the assignment, please refer to the document attached.The documents must be submitted to Mr. Josh Hong, National Project Coordinator for ILO Advancing Workers’ Rights in the Palm Oil Sector in Indonesia and Malaysia at hongmf@ilo.org, with copy to Ms. Rathiya Gunaselvan, Finance and Administrative Assistant at gunaselvan@iloguest.org.