The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) is a non-profit foundation that works to ensure a better future for children in cocoa-growing communities. It is a multi-stakeholder partnership advancing the elimination of child labour and forced labour, by uniting the forces of the cocoa and chocolate industry, civil society, farming communities, governments, international organizations, and donors. ICI has 180 staff members across multiple sites in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Switzerland, and two official languages (English and French).  

ICI is seeking a qualified consultant or consulting firm to assist in the design and development of materials to support awareness, understanding and adoption of ICI’s current Code of Conduct. The objective of this project is not to modify the existing content or rules within the Code but to enhance its accessibility and comprehension by incorporating additional information and practical examples and creating supporting material such as short e-learning modules and posters. The primary goal is to provide our staff members with a clearer understanding of the policy and its implications. 

ICI has a number of existing e learning modules on the Code of Conduct and related values, created in 2019, for new joiners. Within this project we would like to develop short, refresher modules for existing staff focusing on the Code of Conduct and Child Safeguarding. These modules will comprise multiple scenarios, situational examples, text, pictures, videos, presentations, and evaluations. They shall be designed based on existing content and in consultation with ICI focus groups, the ICI project team and other relevant resource persons. The course will be hosted on ICI’s current e-learning platform.

Objectives  

This project aims to ensure all ICI staff  

1. understand the expected behaviour, ethical standards, and guidelines of the organization, as well as the purpose and importance of ICI’s Code of Conduct 
2. can identify and understand the key policies outlined in the Code of Conduct and explain their rationale and impact on the organization 
3. can relate the Code of Conduct to everyday work tasks and responsibilities, understand how it guides behaviour in different job roles and are able to make ethical decisions in various workplace situations 
4. understand the potential consequences of violating the Code of Conduct, and 
5. are aware of the procedures for reporting potential violations of the Code of Conduct and feel comfortable doing so. 

Development  

The consultant or consulting firm will be expected to do the following as part of their mandate:  

Review Existing Code of Conduct and e-learning modules 

Thoroughly examine ICI’s current Code of Conduct and existing e-learning modules on the topic, to understand its structure, content, and intended audience.  

Stakeholder Engagement 

Conduct interviews or focus groups with key stakeholders, including employees and leadership, to: 

• gather insights into their understanding of the current Code of Conduct, as well as existing e-learning modules content  
• identify areas where clarification is needed 
• define situational scenarios (“what if” situations) to illustrate the various elements of the code of conduct to reflect ICI staff members real situations. 

Identification of Gaps 

Identify gaps in the existing Code of Conduct and e-learning modules, where additional information and practical examples would enhance understanding, and to reflect the latest ethical guidelines, compliance standards, and best practices without altering the core content or rules.  

Research and Best Practice 

Conduct research on industry best practices for Code of Conduct and e-learning design and user comprehension, bringing in innovative and effective approaches. 

Deliverables  

Redesigned Code of Conduct

Redesign the existing Code of Conduct to include clear, comprehensive situational examples, that are applicable in real-world scenarios, ensuring a visually appealing and user-friendly design that aligns with our organizational brand. 

Associated awareness raising materials 

Design a set of posters (and/or other related visual materials) to improve awareness of key messages within the document.  

Supporting videos  

Develop and create a selection of short videos to support the learning objectives. 

Training Materials 

Design short “refresher” e-learning modules and provide recommendations for training materials or communication strategies to accompany the launch of the redesigned Code of Conduct. 

• Develop and design a short, interactive and user friendly, “refresher” e-learning module on core values, policies, and Child safeguarding (30 min) for all staff members, integrating situational scenarios to aid understanding. 

• Bilingual: All materials should be developed in French and English 
• Updating the course: the consultant/consulting firm or consortium should develop the digital content in a way that it can be updated later by ICI staff or other parties. 
• Accessibility and inclusiveness: voice-over narration and subtitles for the content should be included.  

Data privacy 

If personal data are gathered and processed in the fulfilment of this mandate, the process must comply with national legal requirements for Data Protection Act, the Swiss data protection and European GDPR laws which protect individuals’ privacy and personal data among other requirements.  

The consultant/consulting firm or consortium will have to sign the necessary data protection agreement as part of the contract.  

Qualifications 

The selected consultant/consulting firm or consortium must jointly possess the following qualifications: 

• Proven experience in redesigning Codes of Conduct or similar policy documents. 
• Expertise in organizational communication and stakeholder engagement. 
• Strong research skills and familiarity with industry best practices. 
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with internal teams. 
• Expertise in e-learning module curriculum design and development. 
• Expertise in adult learning approaches. 
• Similar work in the last 3 years (provide prototype sample). 
• A demonstrated high level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high-pressure situations under tight deadlines. 
• High proficiency in written and spoken English is required. 
• Be established legally as an independent worker or as an institution/company.  

Assignment   

The assignment will be carried out remotely. However, the consultant/consulting firm or consortium will be required to interact regularly with ICI team members based in Geneva. Meetings between the consultant/consulting firm or consortium and ICI team may take place online provided there is a good internet connection or in person at ICI’s office. This requires availability during working hours in GMT and CET time zones. 

Payment 

The consultancy fee will be paid in instalments, as agreed in the contract, based on deliverables and commensurate with contractual requirements and deadlines. 

Application 

The technical and financial proposals, as well as any inquiries, should be submitted by email by 3rd December 2023 to hr@cocoainitiative.org with the title “Consultant Review of ICI Code of Conduct and e-learning refresher” in the subject line. Interested firms or individuals are requested to submit a concise technical and financial bid including: 

Executive summary 

Present a high-level synopsis of the responses. The executive summary should be a brief overview of the engagement and should identify the main features and benefits of the proposed work. 

Project management approach  

Include the method and approach used to manage the overall project and client correspondence. Briefly describe how the engagement proceeds from beginning to end. 

Detailed and itemized efforts and pricing  

Include a fee breakdown by project phase and estimates of all other anticipated fees and efforts. Applicants must provide the hourly fee in case additional services are required. Applicants must provide their hourly rate cards that would be applicable for any additional reports or services that may be requested. Applicants must describe and quantify all other costs that may be applicable and in addition to the above. 

References 

Provide three current references for whom the applicants have performed similar work. ICI reserves the right to contact references as part of the selection process. ICI agrees that any reference contact will be made with the coordination of the applicants. 

Project team  

Describe the qualifications and relevant experience of the team members that would be assigned to this project by providing biographies for those staff members. Affirm that no employees working on the engagement have ever been convicted of a felony. 

Company overview (if applicable) 

Should include: 

• Official registered name and single contact name representing the responsible person for this process. 
• The person or persons authorized to contractually bind the organization for any proposal. 
• A brief history, including the year established and number of years your company has been offering services within the scope defined.