Request for Proposals to conduct a Political Economy Analysis for the Strengthening Political Landscape (SPL) project in Bangladesh

Democracy International, Inc. (DI) works on democracy and governance (DG) programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other development partners. DI provides analytical services, offers technical assistance, and implements projects across the full range of DG programming.

Over the past decade, Democracy International has worked in more than 40 countries and in all regions of the world. Since 1985, DI’s principals have advised and worked with election management bodies, civil society and election‐monitoring organizations, political parties, legislatures, government agencies, and others in more than 70 countries.

Program Overview of SPL in Bangladesh

DI is implementing Strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh (SPL), which is funded by USAID and FCDO. SPL promotes inclusive and peaceful politics in Bangladesh by supporting political party activists and politically active citizens to be effective leaders and to advocate for more inclusive and peaceful party policies and practices. With eight regional offices along with a head office in Dhaka, DI works with thousands of grassroots political activists across the country.

SPL supports inclusive decision-making practices within political parties, builds the leadership capacity of political party members and promising politically active youth at the grassroots and national levels, and brings party leaders together in multiparty dialogue programs and single party activities.

Objective:

The objective of the Political Economy Analysis (PEA) is to identify and analyze the key political, social, and economic dynamics at work in Bangladesh among several key stakeholder groups. In December 2019, SPL conducted a political economy analysis looking at changes in the political landscape since the 2018 parliamentary elections. This is a follow-on to that analysis, looking at changes in the political landscape through today and the implications of those changes for Bangladesh’s political future, including the upcoming 2023 parliamentary elections. This assessment will inform the interventions of SPL and inform donors’ understanding of threats to further shrinking political space and opportunities to defend and expand the space.

Purpose:

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to invite prospective firms to submit a written response (“Response”) for conducting a Political Economy Analysis in Bangladesh for the USAID- and FCDO-funded Strengthening Political Landscape project in Bangladesh.

The firm will consult with technical team members at the beginning and key intervals of the assessment and conduct approximately two to three weeks of in-person fieldwork in the eight divisions of Bangladesh to collect data. Field work should include key informant interviews and focus groups.

The PEA must deliver informed insights and reflections with practical recommendations that will clearly contribute to strategic thinking. As part of the design, the methodology, including the lines of inquiry, must be presented and mutually agreed upon before implementation.

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