Request for Proposals- Digital- and Technology-based Solutions for Data Collection- Pilot Organization

For over 40 years, Search for Common Ground has worked to demonstrate that even the deepest divides can be transformed into cooperation. Today, we are the world’s largest peacebuilding organization, active in 29 countries across six continents. We partner with local communities to break cycles of violence, building trust and creating opportunities for lasting collaboration. Our principle of multipartiality means we engage with all sides in a conflict, ensuring that every voice is heard and every perspective matters. From empowering young people and elevating women in peace processes to advancing digital peacebuilding, climate resilience, security sector reform, and political deconfliction, we bring people together to imagine and build a world of safe, healthy, and just societies, free from the threat of violent conflict.

1. Context & Project Description

Search for Common Ground is seeking to pilot (over 6 months) innovative digital solutions to enhance the ability of our country teams and local partners, operating in a diverse range of countries, to more effectively conduct their monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) for their respective peacebuilding programming. The organization is leading two multiyear, multi-country peacebuilding projects. The first is, From Grassroots to Global: Empowering Communities in Peacebuilding Policy (G2G), which operates in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Palestinian Territories, and Niger. The G2G project seeks to empower local actors in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (FCAS) to meaningfully and durably influence multi-level peacebuilding practices that contribute to strengthening peaceful and safe societies. The second project is Youth Talk Phase 3 (Youth Talk), which operates in the Central African Republic (CAR) Mali, Kenya, and South Sudan. Youth Talk aims to empower a diverse, connected constituency of young people who drive positive change in their communities.

We are interested in testing solutions that are innovative, accessible (particularly in low-bandwidth and/or volatile contexts), AI-enabled, and promote easier and faster data collection (qualitative and quantitative), analysis, and visualization. This digital solution should be aligned with the Peace Impact Framework (PIF) and prioritize the ability of local partners and our country teams to use innovative ways to collect data among communities, in ways that are both less extractive and participatory.

Ideally, we are hoping to establish a longer-term technology solution that can be replicated and scaled across all or majority of our programming; therefore, solutions that are holistic (i.e. responsive to data collection, storage, analysis, and visualization) and cost-effective, will be prioritized. We invite qualified candidates to present their proposals in line with the desired components outlined below.

1. Objectives

The primary objective of this engagement is to pilot a 6-month, AI-enabled digital solution for data collection, analysis and visualization, that will:

• Enable Search staff and local partners to track their activities and impact measurements through intuitive, non-extractive and participatory methods (including low literacy options, multimedia/audio workflows, etc.).
• Support participant-led / crowdsourced monitoring - where communities can contribute self-reported data.
• Support a data submission interface designed for a range of users (i.e. Search country teams, local partners, and community members) to easily access and engage.
• Transform Search’s impact measurement framework as well as project and institutional indicators into practical qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments.
• Deploy and aggregate data across diverse partners and/or countries for longitudinal learning incorporating an automated framework mapping engine that tags data directly to organisational frameworks (PIF, etc.).
• Generate high-quality, real or near-real time data analysis that promotes learning and programmatic decision making.
• Generate data visualization (e.g. an interactive dashboard) and reports that are accessible in multiple formats and languages.

1. Scope of Work

The selected vendor shall provide a comprehensive digital solution that addresses the following functional requirements: 3.1 Data Collection Capabilities

The data collection solution should utilize flexible, user-friendly and non-extractive tools specifically designed for capturing qualitative outcome data, quantitative impact metrics, and community stories. Data collection capabilities should be adapted to low-bandwidth, low-literacy, and remote/offline environments. Please see additional capabilities below:

• Generate data collection tools (both quantitative and qualitative) from project indicators while allowing customization for local contexts.
• Support multiple data collection methodologies (surveys, interviews, observations, mappings, multimedia-based, etc.), including the option for crowd-sourced data collection with feedback loops and incentives for users who are self-reporting.
• Support direct recording and uploading of offline voice notes/audio and photo attachments, enabling low-literacy community members to self-report qualitative insights easily.
• Provide user-friendly templates and interfaces for gathering qualitative and quantitative data.
• Enable remote access and functionality across various mobile and/or web platforms.
• Support offline data collection capabilities where internet connectivity may be limited.

3.2 Longitudinal Data Management and Analysis

• AI-driven qualitative data processing and quality control (i.e. transcribing and analyzing voice notes, interview notes, and other data using AI workflows, etc.)
• Store responses over time in a centralized database for longitudinal analysis (as applicable by and tailored to each project and country)
• Aggregate data across diverse partners and/or countries, as applicable, while maintaining data integrity.
• Deliver an interactive dashboard that allows for data visualization/consumption in multiple ways (e.g. an interactive GIS map linked to crow-sourced data inputs, framework and indicator tagging, graphic visualizations of trends and statistics, etc.)
• Support both partner-specific and country-specific, as well as aggregated global analysis, as appropriate.
• Provide options for varying levels of data analysis and reporting (from raw data delivery to comprehensive analytical reports)
• Deliver data in formats compatible with Search for Common Ground’s existing systems and reporting requirements
• Maintain data security and privacy standards appropriate for sensitive peacebuilding work, * Support multiple languages, including English, Dari, French, Arabic, and other relevant languages, within the platform interface and/or user submission capabilities (e.g. users can upload voice notes in their own language).
• Provide CSV or in-app translation workflows
• Enable deployment across different country contexts with varying technical capacities (i.e. low-bandwidth, low-power, and offline/remote field environments)
• Support culturally appropriate and context-specific adaptations

3.4 User Support and Capacity Building

• Offer comprehensive onboarding and training for Search and local partners
• Provide ongoing technical support and troubleshooting
• Deliver training materials and documentation in appropriate languages

3.5 Data Ownership and Security

• Ensure partners retain full ownership of their data
• Provide data export capabilities anytime (CSV/JSON or other standard formats)
• Guarantee no data sharing or unauthorized access
• Implement PII (Personally Identifiable Information) minimization and anonymization as default
• Maintain data encryption for sensitive information
• Provide user authentication and access controls
• Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations

1. Deliverables

The vendor shall provide the following minimum deliverables: 4.1 Setup and Configuration

• Work closely with Search’s relevant country teams, partners and support departments to build a customized digital platform configured to Search for Common Ground’s requirements globally and for each country (as many as 8 country-specific customized versions, 1 per country).
• The development of data collection templates and tools tailored to the PIF, with linkage to frameworks while allowing local customization

4.2 Training and Support

• Comprehensive onboarding training program for Search and partners (including training materials and user guides)
• Ongoing technical support services throughout the contract period
• Regular system updates and maintenance

4.3 Ongoing Operations

• Deployment and monitoring of data collection efforts
• Support for longitudinal wave configuration and scheduling
• Scheduled data deliveries (analysis and/or raw data as specified)

4.4 Reporting and Analytics

• Regular progress reports on data collection activities
• Dashboard views showing results aligned to core indicators (both partner- or country-specific and roll-up views)
• Data analysis capabilities (frequency and depth to be agreed upon)
• Data consumption and visualization that presents trends, findings and insights (country- or partner-specific and roll up) (which can be part of or in addition to the dashboard)
• System performance and usage analytics
• Recommendations for continuous improvement

4.5 Data Management

• Data export capabilities in multiple formats (CSV, JSON, Excel, etc.)
• Documentation of data structures and codebooks
• Anonymization and PII protection protocols

1. Technical Requirements5.1 Platform Requirements * Mobile-responsive design compatible with smartphones and tablets * Intuitive user interface suitable for users with varying levels of digital literacy * Multi-language support capability (minimum: English, Dari, French, Arabic) * Secure data storage and transmission protocols

5.2 Integration Requirements

• Ability to integrate with or complement existing Search for Common Ground systems
• Compatibility with standard data formats (Excel, CSV, JSON, etc.)
• API or data export capabilities for integration with other tools
• Support for importing existing frameworks and mapping to platform structure

5.3 Security and Compliance

• Data encryption for sensitive information
• User authentication and access controls
• Partner data ownership with no unauthorized access
• PII minimization and anonymization as default
• Compliance with relevant data protection regulations (GDPR, local data privacy laws)
• Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments
• Clear data governance policies

5.4 Deployment Capabilities

• Mobile or browser-based deployment
• Enumerator interface with metadata capture (if applicable)
• Offline data collection (if applicable)
• Translation workflow support (CSV or in-app)

• Proven experience developing and implementing digital solutions for international development, humanitarian, or peacebuilding organizations
• Technical expertise in mobile application development and/or web-based platforms
• Experience with remote data collection in low-connectivity or challenging environments
• Knowledge of monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks
• Experience with longitudinal data collection and analysis
• Experience with multi-partner data aggregation while maintaining data privacy
• Capacity to provide training and support in multiple languages
• Understanding of peacebuilding contexts and sensitivity to security considerations
• Knowledge of peacebuilding and conflict transformation programming (preferred), Access Control, Analysis Skills, Application Programming Interface (API), Arabic Language, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Authentication, Computer Security, Continuous Improvement, Crowd Sourcing, Cryptography, Customer Support/Service, Data Analysis, Data Collection, Data Formats, Data Import/Export, Data Management, Data Processing, Data Storage, Data Visualization, English Language, Establish Priorities, French Language, Identify Issues, Information/Data Security (InfoSec), JSON, Licensing, Literacy, Low Power, Maintain Compliance, Metrics, Mobile Technology, Mobile Web Programming, Mock Up, Multimedia, Onboarding, Performance Analysis, Privacy Controls, Privacy Regulations, Process Improvement, Progress Reports, Quality Control, Quantitative Analysis, Regulations, Remote Access, Reporting Dashboards, Request for Proposals (RFP), Smartphones, Systems Administration/Management, Systems Maintenance, Technical Support, Training Data Sets, Training/Teaching, Transmission Protocols, Usage Analysis, User Interface/Experience (UI/UX), Vendor/Supplier Selection