Summary

WFD Maldives invites individuals (joint applications welcome) and/or consultancy firms to submit technical and financial proposals to co-design with WFD’s international experts and facilitate a participatory process that:

1. supports political parties to develop concrete, accountable reform commitments through a workshop and party-specific follow-up consultations and assessments.  

Overview  

Westminster Foundation for Democracy (“WFD”) is the UK public body dedicated to supporting democracy around the world. Operating internationally, WFD works with parliaments, political parties, and civil society groups as well as on elections to help make political systems fairer, more inclusive and more accountable.

We are a problem-solving, practitioner-led organisation that offers:  

• Specialist analysis, research, and advice to inform policy makers on a range of democratic governance issues;
• High quality and impactful programmes that directly support the full spectrum of institutions in political systems to develop inclusive political processes, more accountable political systems, protection of rights and freedoms, and more pluralistic societies; and  
• International elections observation on behalf of the UK.  

Aim of this Request for Quotes

WFD is issuing this Request for Quotes (“RFQ”) to a range of potential suppliers of goods and/or services and would welcome a proposal or quote from you/your organisation.

We seek a Maldives-based consultant to work closely with international experts at WFD to:

• Generate systemic risk analysis and synthesise anonymised insights from a series of safe, women-only spaces on Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP). The sessions will be facilitated independently by the WFD Maldives team.  
• Convene joint and party-specific sessions that translate insights gained separately facilitated from women-only spaces on Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) from into tailored reform commitments, accountability mechanisms, and where useful, politically sensitive scorecards.

Quote Submission  

All proposals or quotes should be submitted by 31 August 2025 in writing and include:  

• The supplier’s name, status, company number, and registered office address  
• An overview of the supplier’s relevant experience, expertise, capability and capacity
• A description of the good(s) or service(s) to be provided and clear explanation as to how this meets the specification in this RFQ
• A transparent quotation of the charge for the good(s) or service(s), in currency of the suppliers' bank account, to include: a clear breakdown of all costs; any proposed discount applied for WFD as a not-for-profit organisation; and a separate identification of any VAT charges (and/or any other applicable tax, excise or other charges).  
• The quotation shall not exceed USD 1,900.

The proposal or quote should be sent electronically and addressed to: Ismail Humaam at ismail.humaam@wfd.org and cc-ed to Aryj Hussain at aryj.hussain@wfd.org.  

The same email addresses should be used for any questions related to this RFQ.  

WFD’s standard terms and conditions for tendering and key policies are found at Policies | Westminster Foundation for Democracy (wfd.org) and you can find a copy of WFD’s Code of Conduct at Code of Conduct | Westminster Foundation for Democracy (wfd.org).

Detailed Specification

Objective

This consultancy contributes directly to Outcome 1 of WFD’s “Commitments to Action on Safe and Inclusive Politics” programme (01 July 2025 – 01 July 2026), which seeks to ensure that political parties embed accountability mechanisms and systemic review processes to address exclusion and harm—specifically VAWP —within their norms, structures, and practices. Guided by insights generated in from previous workshops led by the international expert, the consultant will:  

1. translate findings from women-only reflection spaces that reveal how VAWP is experienced and reproduced institutionally into politically viable, party-owned reform commitments and monitoring tools.  

This work builds on a key milestone achieved in 2024, when seven of the country’s nine registered political parties endorsed a Cross-Party Statement (CPS) on women’s political participation. Facilitated by WFD, the CPS marked a shared commitment to addressing VAWP as a significant barrier to inclusive politics in the Maldives.

The consultancy is designed to respond to these overlapping challenges. It draws on past research and political commitments — including the CPS and WFD’s study on Online Violence Against Women in Politics (OVAWP) — to help bridge the gap between recognition and reform. Ultimately, it aims to shift VAWP from an individual grievance to a recognised political risk that undermines democratic legitimacy and therefore demands institutional action.

Scope of work

Working alongside an international WFD expert and the WFD Maldives team, the consultant will synthesise anonymised insights gathered from storytelling workshops convened by WFD on VAWP in the Maldives into a concise risk brief and present it in a cross-party validation dialogue for endorsing parties and the Network of Women Leaders (NWL) members. NWL is a cross-party platform formed through previous WD programming, which brings together women leaders from the political parties and serves as a trusted space for peer exchange and collective voice.  

The consultant will also work with the political parties to develop party specific interventions, and deliver party-specific engagements, guiding each party to co-create reform commitments, procedural safeguards, or symbolic reparations. Where politically feasible, the consultant will also daft scorecards to help monitor progress on CPS pledges and VAWP risk factors.  

Deliverables

Key outputs include:  

1. Risk-factor synthesis brief of the women-only sessions that clusters VAWP risks thematically and links them to institutional dynamics.
2. Workshop content, slides and agendas, participant packs for the cross-party validation dialogue workshop (Inclusive Policies Workshop).
3. Individual party commitment matrices and draft scorecards (if agreed) co-signed by party focal points and NWL representatives.

Key events:

1. Inclusive Policies Workshop – one workshop with all political parties and NWL
2. Follow Up Meetings on Commitments & Scorecard Assessments (on a needs basis, online)

Timeline

The expected start date of the assignment is early September and ending in February 2026. 

Reporting

The consultant is expected to report to the WFD Maldives team after each deliverable and on a regular basis as agreed upon.    

Working arrangements

The consultant will work remotely and closely with the WFD Maldives Country Director Aryj Hussain.    

Payments

• Any advance payment upon signing shall not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the contract’s total value.
• Please note that logistical costs for venue hire for workshops and stakeholder consultations shall be borne by WFD and shall not be included in the financial proposal.
• Full breakdown of time and cost estimates for the proposed solution in the currency of the Expert’s preferred accounts payable account, including any daily rate to be applied.  
• Separate accounting of VAT and/or any other applicable tax, duty, or charge.    
• Detailing of any discount applied in view of WFD’s not-for-profit status.    

Minimum experience and expertise

Applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:  

• Professional experience: At least five (5) years of facilitation experience in gender sensitisation and/or political contexts, ideally in Maldives or South Asia region.
• Technical knowledge: Proven understanding of:  
  • VAWP
  • Political-economy dynamics in Maldives
  • Safeguarding principles and practices – especially in relation to gender-based violence  
• Contextual experience (preferred): A track record of constructive engagement with Maldivian political parties, and/or women’s rights networks in the Maldives  
• Research and analysis:  
  • Strong qualitative research and analysis skills
  • Demonstrated experience in writing analytical, bilingual reports in Dhivehi and English
• Desirable assets:  
  • Certification or demonstrated practice in trauma-sensitive or trauma-informed facilitation
  • Experience designing or contributing to participatory political dialogues or feminist political spaces