Terms of Reference
Development of a Training Manual for Induction of Judges – The Judiciary of The Gambia
About The Promoting Rights and Justice (PRJ) in The Gambia Activity
ABA ROLI project starts at a time when assistance is urgently needed to lay the foundations for The Gambia’s budding democracy. Emerging from two decades of a brutal dictatorship, The Gambia is currently navigating a delicate transition with ambitious plans to restore the rule of law, build strong institutions, adopt laws and practices to enhance good governance, inculcate a culture of human rights, and invest in its socio- economic development, to name just a few national priorities.
The Promoting Rights and Justice activity will help solidify and accelerate democratic transition in The Gambia by supporting the justice sector and civil society to hold elected officials and government institutions accountable to the public. The project aims to achieve the following outcomes: (1) Strengthened efficiency and effectiveness in the administration of justice, (2) The quality of services and the professionalism of Gambian justice personal is improved, (3) Enhanced accountability of the justice system, (4) Empowered civil society organizations functioning to hold government accountable through issue-based accountability and reform efforts, (5) Increased use of constituency building and government engagement skills by civil society organizations to promote human rights, (6) Professionalized media entities engaged in ethical reporting and promoting policy-based dialogue, and (7) Individuals and organizations defend and maintain an enabling legal environment.
The project aims to achieve the following objectives:
Objective 1: Improve institutional capabilities within the justice sector.
Objective 2: Empower civil society organizations to safely and effectively exercise civic and political rights.
Background
Judicial training has been ongoing in the Gambia since 2008/2009 on Civil and Criminal procedure, judgment writing and a host of other relevant subjects. In an effort to institutionalize and provide a legal framework for the Judicial Training Institute, The Gambia Institute for Judicial Training and Research Bill was developed. A document titled: ‘Judicial Training Institute- A Blueprint’ was also drafted outlining objectives which include: Improve the jurisprudence of the jurisdiction, improve the quality of justice, make it internationally competitive and effective for legal education; to achieve uniformity of practice in all courts and ensure professionalism and transparency, safeguarding judicial integrity; effective case management and improve access to justice; ensure judicial accountability-impartiality, efficiency and effectiveness; aid professional self-development, competency and leadership skills; make the judiciary relevant to the society in that it reflects its aspirations.
Over the years, The Gambia Institute for Judicial Training and Research has conducted several trainings, capacity building for both judicial officers and administrative and support staff of the judiciary. These trainings for judicial officers have focussed mainly on substantive, procedural law and judicial ethics and conduct amongst other relevant subject areas. Recently, PRJ supported a review of the legal framework of the JTI – Draft Bill and Blue Print document and support in refurbishing the JTI premises.
The Assignment
Under the overall direction of the ABA ROLI and in partnership with the Judiciary of The Gambia and supervision of the Human Rights Advisor and in collaboration with relevant colleagues, the Consultant will perform the following duties:
Specifically, the consultant is tasked to review training materials developed for training of senior/ principal Magistrates. The training materials cover a broad range of topics and issues relevant for judicial officers- Magistrates and Judges especially for induction training. It is important to take into consideration also:
- Topics covered take cognisance of recent developments, issues in judicial training.
- Curriculum development for judicial officers specifically judges.
Within this framework, the Consultant will be responsible to undertake the following:
1) Review training materials developed for training of Magistrates of the Judiciary of The Gambia.
2) Engage and consult with relevant stakeholders including Judiciary of The Gambia, including the Coordinator/Administrator of the JTI, Judges, Magistrates, The Gambia Bar Association, to get input on topics/issues for inclusion in the Induction Training Manual.
3) Develop a Training Manual for a Judges Induction program for the Judiciary of The Gambia.
4) Edit the existing training materials, develop new modules and compile the training materials/modules in compendium as an accompaniment to the Induction Training manual.
5) Share draft of the Induction Training Manual with relevant stakeholders, receive and incorporate feedback.
6) Facilitate a Validation of the Induction Training Manual
6) Produce a final Induction Training Manual and accompanying compendium of training materials.
Key Deliverables
Due Date
Review of training materials and Submission of Work plan and Inception Report
7 days after signing of contract
Submission of first draft of the Training Manual and reviewed training materials
8 weeks after signing of contract
Submission of Final Training Manual and Compendium of edited training materials.
10 weeks after signing of contract
Education
A degree, preferably at least a Masters in law, or other relevant social sciences is required. A post graduate qualification in education is desirable/an added advantage.
Specific Technical & Behavioural Competencies:
A minimum of ten (10) years relevant experience in legal research, conducting research including adult education and teaching.
Extensive experience in developing capacity development tools such as training manuals, curricula development particularly in legal and judicial education.
Excellent legal writing, strong writing and editing skills with attention to detail especially when working under pressure.
Ability to work under limited supervision with a high degree of accuracy and attention to quality and detail in a busy and complex environment.
Proven ability to see through tasks set and deliver results.
Strong coordination, communication, and organization skills; proven ability to work as part of a team.
DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS
While submitting the Technical Proposal, the Applicant shall, in particular, ensure to attach the following:
- Profile of the consultant (max 1 page) explaining why they are the most suitable for the work.
- Relevant Experience (max 2 pages).
- Detailed methodology and conceptual framework with expected deliverables and timelines, man days required (3-5 pages).
- Recent CV.
FINANCIAL PROPOSAL
Lump sum contracts: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount (including a breakdown of costs for fee and number of working days). Payments will be made in instalments based upon key outputs, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.
Duration of the Consultancy
The Consultancy is expected to be completed within 10 weeks.
Evaluation Criteria
A combined scoring method will be used to select the best proposal where the qualifications and proposed methodology (technical proposal) will account for 60%. This will be combined with the financial proposal which will account for 40% of total points received.
GENERAL
Throughout this assignment, it will be necessary to:
Emphasize knowledge sharing and peer exchange, responding collaboratively to feedback and input.
Terms and Conditions
The consultancy will be Home Based and open to national and international applicants. The consultant will be required to conduct consultations with key stakeholders. The estimated start date for the assignment is August 2023 for a total timeframe of approximately 10 weeks. PRJ serves the right to hire more than one consultant depending on workload and available resources. Deliverables should be submitted according to the timeframe enclosed in this Terms of Reference, and the consultancy fee will be paid out on a deliverable’s basis.
Taxation
The contract price is subject to 10% withholding tax as per Gambian taxation regulations to be deducted from the agreed price before payment of the consultant.
Candidates should address their applications to the Chief of Party by email with the subject line ‘Application for theDevelopment of a Training Manual for Induction of Judges – The Judiciary of The Gambia’ to abaroligambiaoffice@americanbar.org by September 8, 2023. Only applications that are complete and sent by email will be considered.
How to apply
Candidates should address their applications to the Chief of Party by email with the subject line ‘Application for theDevelopment of a Training Manual for Induction of Judges – The Judiciary of The Gambia’ to abaroligambiaoffice@americanbar.org by September 8, 2023. Only applications that are complete and sent by email will be considered.