Terms of Reference for hiring a local service provider to produce and conduct radio drama on digital media information and literacy

Background and Justification

Within the implementation framework of the EU-funded Ijwi Riranguruye ry’Itangazamakuru (IRI) project, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Rwanda is seeking to commission a locally registered consultancy company or a formally registered non-government entity specialised in expressive or performing arts for public mass campaigns to produce and broadcast a weekly radio drama on digital media information and literacy for a total duration of one year counted from October 2024 until September 2025.

In Rwanda, digital media in its different forms (internet, online sources) is a third most consumed source of information in Rwanda after radio and print TV. However, the rapidly growing importance and place of digital media as a key source of public information in the country comes with its own challenges, key of them being disinformation and fake news which are rapidly gaining ground mostly due to unethical, non-fact-based and unprofessional journalism, partly resulting from a growing number of self-proclaimed citizen journalists who did not have prior journalism or media training background. Added to these challenges is ‘’the chase for engagement, views and click-through rates’’.

The above-mentioned challenges contribute to eroding public trust in the digital media and their content, yet trust is known to be a critical factor that influences (digital) media content consumption choices by the public. Other identified drivers for digital media content consumption include impartiality and relevance, the ability of the digital media to capture different perspectives in their reporting, being fact-based and explanatory rather than descriptive as well as being understandable to a diverse audience.

It has been observed that a vast majority of citizens are reportedly still not capable enough of critically and confidently scrutinising the quality and trustworthiness of digital media content and hence decide, from a better-informed perspective, which one is worth consuming or not. Also, most of them (citizens) are yet to be aware enough of the law on access public information and the opportunities it creates for them to access public domain information.

With view to the above, the ultimate purpose of the commissioned radio drama is to increase citizens’ individual capacity to critically assess the quality of the digital content meant for their consumption through digital media platforms. The choice of the radio drama as a mass campaign tool is justified by the high oral cultural context nature of Rwanda whereby what is heard tends to spread faster than what is read, hence amplifying the multiplier effect of the messaging.

About IRI

IRI project started in November 2023 and is expected to end in October 2026. The three-year project was designed to address some of the existing critical gaps resulting from the rapid evolution of information technology, internet penetration and proliferation of media outlets including the increasing wide use of social media. Some of these gaps include limited digital media literacy including limited knowledge and capacity among citizens to critically assess and thus discern on the quality of the digital information or content they share and or consume.

Specifically, the IRI project, which is in pursuit of a long-term goal of enhancing freedom of expression and access to information by digital media practitioners, citizens and decision makers in Rwanda, is primarily targeting digital media practitioners, content creators and citizen journalists as direct target boundary partners. The project will directly work with digital media practitioners who are officially accredited by competent media regulators and those who are not (informal) to empower them to produce and share more ethical and responsible digital content meant for public consumption, which is critical for their responsible exercise of the freedom of expression in the digital space.

NPA and its partners believe that with technical empowerment to be provided to media and content creators, their satisfaction level regarding their freedom of expression in digital media space will increase over the course of the project and ultimately contribute to improved citizen satisfaction with the quality of digital media content.

The project also primarily targets different duty bearers, including law enforcers, at local and national levels who will be engaged to better know and observe the right to freedom of opinion expression and press and access to public information. Citizens from different walks of life are equally targeted and they will be empowered to critically scrutinise the credibility of the content out there in the digital space which is meant for their consumption.

Geographically, the IRI is being implemented by NPA and the Great Lakes Initiative for Human Rights and Development (GLIHD) in 10 districts of Rwanda, namely Nyarugenge, Bugesera, Kirehe, Gatsibo, Gisagara, Nyamagabe, Huye, Nyamasheke, Ngororero and Musanze.

Objectives of the assignment

The overall objective of the commissioned radio drama is to equip citizens, from all walks of life, and primarily across IRI intervention districts, with the requisite critical thinking and analysis skillsets necessary for them to filter and discern, on their own, about the quality of the public information available, for their consumption, in the digital media space.

Specifically, the weekly radio drama to be broadcasted for a duration of one year will:

• Enhance the target audience’s awareness of access to public information law and available avenues for accountability in case of non-compliance by duty bearers;
• Enhance the target audience’s digital media literacy with a focus on both the opportunities and challenges as well as the policy and legal frameworks governing this area of work in Rwanda;
• Enhance the target audience’s awareness and understanding of the dangers and implications of unchecked public information available in the digital place and meant for their consumption;
• Equip the target audience with the know-how about assessing and determining the quality and hence trustworthiness of the digital media content for better-informed digital content consumption decisions;

Collect, based on their perception and experience, target audience’s feedback on the state of digital media development and ethical digital journalism in Rwanda and recommendations for continued improvement of the related policy, legal, regulatory and institutional framework as well as recommendations for digital media practitioners and citizen journalists’ capacity strengthening.

Scope of work

The successful service provider will:

• Write, in Kinyarwanda, a year-long highly engaging and innovative full script of the radio drama in line with the key messaging lines on ethical and responsible digital journalism put at their disposition by the joint quality assurance team appointed by NPA and its project partner GLIHD;
• Submit to NPA, on a monthly basis, a full script of the intended radio drama for review of quality and alignment with desired key messaging lines prior to proceeding with performance team rehearsal and radio production;
• Set up, train and manage the radio drama performance team;
• Set up, train and manage the radio drama performance team both during rehearsal and live performance if appropriate;
• Compile, in collaboration with the radio house, monthly radio drama audience reports by all known audience measurement means (e.g listening diaries, portable people meters, electronic audience measurement technology or a combination of different approaches) and ensure that audience reports to NPA are disaggregated by IRI intervention districts to showcase the outreach impact created;
• Compile, on a quarterly basis, the target audience’s feedback on the impact of the radio drama on their ability to discern the quality digital content they consume per demographics and interests for follow-up radio drama productions, thus helping NPA and GLIHD to understand the audience’s preferences and accordingly curate the radio drama programming they want to listen to;
• User listener’s feedback to ensure improved listener’s experience through better-informed re-programming and or radio drama airing reprogramming decisions;
• Pay radio drama airing costs and submit proof (EBM receipts) thereof to NPA including the partnership agreement with a radio station sub-contracted to air the radio drama on a weekly basis;
• Cover drama performance actors' fees on a monthly basis and or based on other payment modalities mutually agreed upon and ensure timely submission of proof thereof to NPA each month or quarter;
• Cover costs related to radio drama production and submit payment records thereof to NPA.

Key deliverables and timelines

The airing of weekly radio drama on digital media information and literacy and critical thinking skills to assess credibility and quality of digital media content meant for public consumption will happen from early October 2024 until end September 2025 which corresponds to 12 months or 48 weeks considering that one month consists of four weeks on average. Interested service providers are encouraged to consider these timelines and include a sufficiently detailed yet aligned work plan and time schedule for executing this assignment in their technical proposal (offer), separately submitted from the financial offer.

• Inception report and evaluation design (7 days): a sufficiently detailed inception report, not exceeding 15 pages, will be submitted to NPA within two weeks from contract signing. The report shall sufficiently address in detail the methodology and approach that the service provider will use to handle the assignment, the team composition and level of efforts, a clear work plan indicating key milestones as far as script writing, drama rehearsal, radio production and radio airing of the drama are concerned.
• Quarterly scripts in well written (proofread and edited) Kinyarwanda of the intended radio drama: the successful service provider will, before the 5th of the first month of the next quarter, submit a comprehensive script, in professionally written Kinyarwanda, of the intended radio drama for quality review by NPA appointed quality control team. This amounts to 4 scripts for the duration of the assignment.
• Weekly audio script/recordings of the radio drama production: an audio script/recording of the radio drama production not longer than 15 minutes will be submitted to NPA every Friday before 10:00 am for further quality review before it is aired on a radio station to be agreed mutually upon.
• Quarterly radio drama audience reports: each 5^thday of the next month, the service provider will submit to NPA a quick radio drama audience infographic report using the known audience measurement approaches ranging from listening diaries, portable people meters, electronic audience measurement technology or a combination of different approaches. To showcase the outreach impact created, the radio drama audience report should be disaggregated by IRI intervention districts. The report should also capture feedback received (by calls or emails, etc.) from the target audience and across geographies on the impact of the radio drama on people’s ability to discern the quality of digital content they consume per demographics. The report should address the target audience’s interests for follow-up radio drama productions. The multi-purpose radio drama audience report will be critical for NPA and GLIHD to iteratively understand the audience’s preferences and accordingly curate the radio drama programming they want to listen to.
• A summary annual radio drama audience reportconsolidating all major highlights as in the quarterly radio drama audience report will be submitted to NPA two weeks following the completion of the assignment.
• A consolidated script, in Kinyarwanda, of the radio drama: within the two weeks that follow the completion of the assignment, the service provider will provide a consolidated Kinyarwanda script book capturing all radio dramas aired on a mutually agreed upon radio drama.

Supervision and quality assurance

The successful service provider will have the primary responsibility for ensuring high quality standards of producing and airing the radio drama. The service provider will functionally report to NPA Programme Team on basis of a contact and communication tree to be later unveiled during the contracting process but will also collaborate with an external quality control actor appointed by NPA. 6.Desired profile of the service provider

The desired service provider should fulfill the following eligibility criteria:

• Being a formally registered perfoming arts or mass behaviour change company or youth-led non-governmental organisation specialising among others in performing/expressive arts as a youth empowerment approach or in mass behaviour change campaigns and be able to prove that they have been into this work area at least for 5 years;
• Having a well-known physical address including facilities whereby the drama team can perform rehearsals for upcoming radio drama production and which can be visited by NPA’s monitoring team whenever deemed necessary;
• Having their own radio drama production studio in a well known physical address which can be visited by NPA’s monitoring team whenever deemed necessary;
• Submit a valid partnership agreement with either a national and or community radio capable of connecting with other radio stations for amplification of the radio drama;
• Submit at least three most recent certificates of good completion and at least radio drama-related assignments in the past accompanied by the contact details of references who know the quality of their work and can therefore testify to their technical and ethical competence;
• A valid certificate of registration depending on whether the applicant is a local company and or a non-governmental entity;
• Valid RRA tax clearance and RSSB compliance certificate for both companies and or non-governmental entity.

The bidding entity will provide a team of experts comprised of a minimum of two key positions among others: (i) a Team Leader who is a renowned radio drama writer and trainer; (ii) a radio drama production technician. Each of the experts proposed for the two key positions should have a minimum of 5 years of experience working on radio drama matters. In addition to the two key positions, the bidding entity should provide the names of other key figures to be featured in the radio drama and highlight their possible contributions and role. Teaming up with well known figures of radio drama, comedy or music in Rwanda would be an added advantage.

Procurement method

This tender follows a competitive tendering method and is only open to local performing arts of mass behaviour change companies or youth-led non-governmental organisation specialising among others in performing/expressive arts as a youth empowerment approach or in mass behaviour change campaigns that meet the criteria described under section five related to the desired profile of the prospective service. Issuance of service provision contract will be subject to a conclusive due diligence process. Only bidders passing the administrative evaluation stage will proceed to the technical evaluation stage while only those passing the latter stage will proceed to the final evaluation stage. 8. Payment

Payments to a successful bidder will be made in instalments based on performance progress, key milestones and compliance with the provisions of the service provision contract.

How to submit the offers

Interested service providers who meet the criteria specified under section 6 of these terms of reference are invited to separately submit their technical proposal (offer) and financial offer via NpaRwandaProcurements@npaid.org with the mention ‘’Radio Drama/IRI Project” under the subject heading not later than the 15^th September 2024 at 11: 00 p.m, Kigali local time.

A technical offer shall not exceed 10 pages, annexes excluded. Please note that the technical offer needs to clearly demonstrate the bidder’s understanding- strictly in their own words rather than a copy paste of the client’s text- of the objectives, the expected deliverables and scope of work of this commissioned assignment. Specifically, the technical offer shall clearly indicate how the different objectives of this assignment will be addressed methodologically, how relevant scope of work will be handled and by who (team composition with clear roles and responsibilities for the key team members and other team members) and within which timeframe (work plan). It is mandatory to include, as part of the technical offer, a bidder’s critique of the actual terms of reference (ToR) and make technical suggestions about what needs to be improved and how with a view to ensuring high-end quality products. If the bidder has no critique to the ToR, this will also have to be indicated in the technical offer.

The financial offer should be detailed enough, ensuring that a total budget should include the entire costs needed for the service provider to successfully perform the commissioned assignment. This includes any travel and accommodation costs, artists’ fees, etc. NPA will NOT cover any additional costs other than the ones presented in the financial offer.

Short listed bidders will be contacted by NPA for an interview prior to a final revision of the technical proposal and budget. Applicants will be notified about their bidding outcome before end of September 2024.

Evaluation criteria and scoring

A quality-based selection method that prioritises the soundness of the technical offer will weigh more weight over the pricing. NPA reserves the right though not to award the tender to the best technical offer in case no middle ground about the pricing negotiations can be reached.

Technical offer: