REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Please quote RFP# P-GEO-2016-008 in
all future correspondences on this matter.
Date: 11 July 2016
UNICEF Tbilisi requests proposals to select the company for - Analyzing social norms
in relation to violence against children in Georgia
Submit your proposal with unit price(s) in GEL together with vendor registration form, as instructed, on or
before closing time.
(a) Note that failure to submit proposal in GEL, or in accordance with the requested terms, will result in
automatic invalidation of your application.
1. In addition, please note that:
(a) UNICEF and its implementing partners are VAT exempt. Kindly ensure that all price(s) quoted in GEL are
excluding VAT;
(b) For transparency of the process we require that the proposals are received in the sealed form (sealed
envelopes);
(c) It is important that you read all of the provisions, to ensure that you understand UNICEF’s requirements and
can submit an offer in compliance with them. This includes submission of ALL documents requested. NOTE
that your proposals should be submitted in English using the enclosed format. Proposals received in any
other manner or after the indicated above deadline will be INVALIDATED.
(d) Evaluation criteria will be based on reliability of the organization, suggested methodology and approach, best
price and proposal terms. The ratio between the technical and price criteria is 70:30.
(e) In case of pre-payment request, bank guarantee letter should be submitted
SUBMISSION TERMS:
In order to be considered for an award, your technical and price proposals should be hand delivered in separate
sealed envelopes and placed in the locked Tender Box located at the Ground Floor of UN House, 9 Eristavi Street,
Vake, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia NO LATER than 15:00 of 27 July 2016.
While the price proposals remain sealed until the technical evaluation is completed, the technical envelopes will be
opened immediately after the closing time and forwarded to the unit designated to manage the selection process.
One representative from each bidding company may attend the opening process.
The sealed envelopes should be labeled as follows: (1) P-GEO-2016-008- Technical Proposal and (2) P-GEO-2016008 - Price Proposal.
Technical Proposal should include:
Company’s profile; Project proposal; Description of the proposed work plan, timeline
and working methodology; CV s of suggested experts; Information regarding
organization’s bank account issued by Bank (stamped); filled VMIP Vendor
Registration form (template is attached)
Price Proposal should include: Cover letter; proposed budget with indication of
proposed fees; (in GEL).
Respectfully,
Vakhtang Akhaladze
Operations Manager, UNICEF Tbilisi
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
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P-GEO-2016 -008
Analyzing social norms in relation to violence against children in Georgia
Terms of Reference
The National Study on Violence against Children in Georgia conducted a couple of years ago revealed
that children in Georgia have been experiencing a high level of violence in different settings. The use of
physical and psychological punishment starts at home at an early age, and occurs despite an apparent
willingness of parents to use positive management techniques in rearing their children.
In order to analyse barriers to ending violence against children in Georgia UNICEF in 2012
commissioned the study to assess knowledge, attitude and practices of general public in relation to
violence against children. The “National Survey of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices” revealed that 45
per cent of the Georgian public believes that the use of physical violence against children is acceptable,
and that 60 per cent of respondents, both male and female, believe that harsh parenting is more effective
than non-violent parenting methods.
The study also revealed that most people in Georgia (70%) are reluctant to accept the idea of the
‘authorities’ interfering with family affairs, even when there may be violence in a family. Furthermore, it
seems that even 60% child protection professionals (teachers, resource officers and social workers) agree
with public that a family’s internal affairs are its own business, and should not be interfered with by
others.
Institutional context
In recent years, Georgia has made significant steps to address the problem of violence against children. In
2010, A National Child Protection Referral and Response Mechanism was created by the Ministry of
Labour, Health and Social Affairs (MoLHSA) in coordination with the Ministry of Education and
Science (MES) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). The evaluation of the mechanism conducted
by UNICEF in 2012 showed that child protection referral system in Georgia has significant strengths.
Professionals across the three ministries have started collaborating to respond to violence against
children cases, and have acquired a certain level of understanding of the system and their role. Identified
cases of violence that are referred through the system are increasing.
However, large majority of professionals working with children, who are obligated by the law to respond
to the acts of violence, still believe that family matter is sensitive and sometimes it is better not to get
involved. In 2014, administrative sanctions were introduced for those professionals who do not report
on violence against children cases but these sanctions have not been working in practice.
Legal context
The Law of Georgia on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Protection and Assistance of Victims of
Domestic Violence and Administrative Procedure Code of Georgia regulate protection of children in
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families. As per the law corporal punishment against children is prohibited. Professionals are obliged to
report but other individuals, neighbors, friends who are aware of the facts of violence against children,
are not obliged to appeal to respective bodies.
Though institutional and legal frameworks to combat violence against children have been strengthened,
the issue has never been addressed through social norms lens. What has been done so far is a creation of
normative and institutional mechanisms for referrals but as it happened people, including professionals
whose duty was to report, were not doing so. The analysis of the existing social norm was missing that
neglected the most important area that is essential in making the institutional mechanism to work
properly – change of the existing social norm of reporting.
Also there was no analysis of the reasons behind harsh parenting to define whether the use of violent
methods of upbringing were related to existing social norms deeply rooted in cultural and social
relationships and beliefs.
Social norm analysis
Social norm is a rule of behaviors such that individuals prefer to conform to it on conditions that they
believe that most people in their reference network conform to it (empirical expectation) and most people
in their reference network believe they ought to conform to (Normative expectation). (Bicchieri)1.
As it was revealed by the KAP study, it is high probability that there are the following normative
expectations:

It is expected that family’s internal affairs are its own business, and should not be interfered with
by others. One is not expected to interfere in other’s family affair when she/he sees the violence. This
is a major obstacle to reporting and referring the cases of violence against children. To highlight the
second order normative expectation – other people do not expect/disapprove one to report.

Large majority of professionals working with children, who are obligated by the law to respond to
the acts of violence, also believe that family matter is sensitive and sometimes it is better not to get
involved.
So, not only everyone thinks one should not interfere within families, which is personal normative belief
but also everyone thinks others believe one shouldn’t interfere, that constitutes normative expectation.
The combination of personal normative beliefs and normative expectations is the method to reveal the
presence of a social norm2.
What are the beliefs in the society in relation to using violent methods of upbringing children as violence
mostly happens in families. As it became evident, attitudes / personal normative beliefs are the
following:

The child is mine and I will use whatever methods I like to raise him/her. Strong discipline is
good and it is nobody’s business how I will raise my child. Without some physical punishment, the
child will be ‘spoiled’.
This attitude is based on the factual belief that:

Harsh parenting is a more effective method of raising a child than using a non-violent method (60
per cent of the general public thinks so).
1 Bicchieri, Norms in the Wild - what matters about social norms.
2 Bicchieri, Norms in the Wild – Measuring Norms: Consensus and Conformity.
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
However, the study found that many young people have a different opinion. Most believe that
positive parenting would be better than violent parenting.
Social norms are embedded into schemas and scripts (appropriate sequence of events in well-known
situations). Social norms are activated as part of a process that also triggers the beliefs and expectations
that support and justify conformity.3 What are the schemas and scripts or in other words, roles and rules,
in relation to our case? The hypothesis is that schema will be that good parenting is using strict
disciplining and the script would be that good parent punishes a child in case of disobedience. Parents
want their children to be successful in their lives and strict disciplining is part of their vision to a success.
They do not consider certain forms of disciplining as violent. So, in this hypothesis parenting schema
includes corporal punishment and thus it is not perceived as violence. In this case, we want to change the
schema that corporal punishment is ‘violence’ so that parents use alternative, more stimulative methods
of parenting. And by considering corporal punishment as violence, do report when they witness it in
other families as well.
In this regard, we have to look into the issue of how the society perceives violence as such? According to
the study, 82 per cent of the Georgian public believes that physical violence is an issue in Georgia, with
nearly 40 per cent believing it is a serious issue. This contrasts with the perceived high tolerance towards
violence against children as a tool for discipline. How this can be explained? It means that there is a so
called pluralistic ignorance, a cognitive state in which one believes that one’s attitudes and preferences
are different from those of similarly situated others, even if public behaviour is identical (Bicchieri).
In our case, the majority of people thinks that violence generally is bad but if I react on other cases
(neighbours e.g.) my behaviour will largely be disapproved. So, everyone thinks violence is bad but
everyone think that everyone else think violence can be accepted.
It is recommended to use this core belief that violence in general is bad in favour to change the existing
script that good parenting is about strict disciplining. There is a need to introduce the script that violence
and strict disciplining are one notion and this way we will influence the norm that one should report
when witnesses the violence against children.
In order to finalize the social norm analysis in relation to violence against children and to develop the
strategy on addressing the existing social norms, UNICEF seeks the support of a company.
The specific objective:


Finalize the analysis of social norms in relation to violence against children through a desk
research and consultations with experts and professionals about cultural and social relationships and
reasons behind violent behaviour.
Support in developing Communication for Social Change strategy to influence negative social
norms.
Specific tasks:

To conduct a desk review/research on violence in Georgia and on the related cultural and
social norms and beliefs. A particular attention will have to be given to the issue of violence
against children and its specificities if any.
3 Bicchieri, the Grammar of Society
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

Facilitate five round-table discussions in Tbilisi and in the regions of Georgia with participation
of sociologists, psychologists and anthropologists to discuss behaviours, patters deep-rooted in social
relationships and in culture.
Develop Communication for Social Change strategy to influence negative social norms and to
promote better parenting.
Deliverables

Report on the analysis of existing social norms in relation to violence against children.

Five round-table discussions.

Finalized Communication for Development strategy.
Qualifications:

Minimum of 5 years of experience in carrying out research on cultural and social behaviours and
norms.

Minimum of 5 years of experience in developing communication for social change strategies.

In-depth knowledge of the methodological and analytical approaches of social research.

Demonstrated understanding of social issues in Georgia, in particular social norms and cultural
practices around violent behaviours and practices.

Attentiveness to detail and compliance with timelines.

Excellent report writing skills in English and Georgian.
Supervision
The work of the organization will be directly supervised and guided by UNICEF Communication Officer
in consultation with Child protection Section.
Duration:
All the deliverables till December 2016.
How to apply
In order to be considered for an award, your technical and price proposals should be hand delivered in
separate sealed envelopes and placed in the locked Tender Box located at the Ground Floor of UN
House, 9 Eristavi Street, Vake, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia NO LATER than 15:00 of 27 July 2016.
Technical Proposal should include:
Company’s profile; Project proposal; Description of the proposed work plan,
timeline, and working methodology; CV s of suggested experts; Information
regarding organization’s bank account issued by Bank (stamped); filled
VMIP Vendor Registration form (template is attached)
Price Proposal should include: Cover letter; proposed budget with
indication of proposed fees; (in GEL).
Please, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, contact persons: Maya Kurtsikidze
[email protected] 2251130 #227
Application deadline is 15:00 on 27 July, 2016.
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Application deadline is 15:00 on 27 July, 2016.
Proposal should be addressed to:
The UNICEF Georgia office Operation Department, Tbilisi Georgia
IMPORTANT – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Proposals must be received by latest 15:00hrs on 27 th July 2015.
Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated. Technical Proposal for the
requested services must be enveloped separately and corresponding financial proposal must also be
enveloped separately.
The reference RFP 008 must be shown on the envelopes containing the financial & Technical proposals
with a label financial proposal or Technical proposal. Proposals Delivered incorrectly will be invalidated,
even if received before the stipulated deadline.
It is important that you read all the provisions of the Request for Proposal to ensure that you understand
and comply with UNICEF’s requirements. Note that failure to submit compliant proposals may result in
invalidation.
Price Proposals will only be accepted in the currency stated in the enclosures to this LRPS (GEL). Any
Proposal received in any currency other than the stated currency will be invalidated.
All the information provided in response to this RFP are subject to verification
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
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