EOI - Engagement of State-Level Field Facilitation Consultants for Project Learning Study

EOI - Engagement of State-Level Field Facilitation Consultants for Project Learning Study

Organization: American India Foundation Trust (AIF)

Apply By: 25 Sep 2026

Expression of Interest (EOI) For Engagement of State-Level Field Facilitation Consultants for Project Learning Study

Publication Date: 18th September 2026

1. Assignment Objective

The State-Level Field Facilitation Consultant will provide on-ground coordination and facilitation support to the central study agency and the organisation’s project team. The consultant will not independently conduct the research, evaluation, or learning study. Their primary responsibility will be to enable timely, smooth, ethical, and well-coordinated access to relevant stakeholders and field locations for the agency’s study activities.

2. Background

American India Foundation Trust implemented EY Skill Bridge Project across six states (Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamilnadu and Odisha) for approximately four years. Although implementation has concluded, a cross-state learning study will now be undertaken to document the project journey, assess broader outcomes, identify what worked well and what did not, and generate learning for future programming. A central agency/knowledge partner will be engaged to conduct the study, including research, stakeholder consultations, field documentation, analysis, and preparation of the final learning document. Since the agency may not have established access or operational visibility at school and government levels in every state, one field facilitation consultant will be engaged in each of the six project states. Stakeholder consultation across schools, teachers, students, head teachers, and government officials is a core element of the project evaluation and learning exercises.

3. Scope of Work

The consultant will undertake the following activities within the assigned state: - Coordinate with AIFT’s agencies, obtain necessary background information on project locations, participating schools, key stakeholders, and available records. - Prepare and update field engagement plan in discussion with the agencies, including proposed school visits, stakeholder consultations, travel schedules, contact details, and required permissions. - Establish communication and coordinate with head teachers/principals, teachers, school management representatives, students where appropriate, and other relevant school-level stakeholders. - Facilitate access to identified project schools and support scheduling of visits by the central study agency. - Liaise with relevant government officials at district, block, cluster, or state level, as applicable, to seek appointments and enable consultations. - Support the central agency in organising stakeholder interviews, focus-group discussions, meetings, and field interactions according to the agency’s research plan and tools. - Ensure that stakeholders receive timely information about the purpose, date, time, venue, and expected duration of consultations. - Assist schools and local stakeholders in arranging an appropriate space and suitable time for interviews or group discussions, while ensuring minimal disruption to academic activities. - Support the agency in obtaining relevant non-confidential project-related records, information, or documentation available with schools and local stakeholders, subject to organisational approvals and applicable data-protection requirements. - Accompany or support the agency during field visits whenever required, including logistical coordination and local issue resolution. - Track completion of planned consultations and promptly flag delays, access constraints, cancellations, or stakeholder availability issues to the organisation and agency. - Maintain a concise field-visit tracker containing dates, locations, stakeholders contacted, consultations facilitated, pending actions, and key operational observations. - Submit brief periodic updates and a final state-level completion note to the designated project focal point. This role is aligned with common education-sector consultancy practice, where field facilitators liaise with school leaders and government stakeholders, organise consultations and field visits, and document stakeholder inputs for the lead research or technical team.

4. Key Deliverables

Each consultant will submit:

- State-level stakeholder mapping and proposed field-engagement schedule within the first week of engagement. - School-visit and consultation tracker, updated fortnightly. - Records of appointments, meetings, consultations, and field coordination completed. - Weekly or fortnightly progress update highlighting completed activities, upcoming engagements, challenges, and support required. - A final state-level completion note summarising: - Schools and stakeholders supported - Consultations facilitated - Key coordination challenges and resolutions - Pending follow-up actions, if any - Practical field observations relevant to the study process

5. Duration and Engagement Terms

- Number of consultants: Six consultants, one for each project state (Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Odisha)

- Duration: Two months from the date of onboarding or issuance of the agreement.

- Nature of engagement: Short-term consultancy assignment.

- Assignment location: Respective assigned state, with travel to identified schools and government offices as required.

- Professional fee: To be paid in INR for complete two-month assignment (Milestone), subject to satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables and compliance with organisational requirements. - Reporting: The consultant will report to the designated organisation focal point and work in close coordination with the centrally appointed learning-study agency.

6. Roles and Boundaries

The consultant’s role is facilitative and coordination-focused. The central agency will retain responsibility for research design, tools, data collection methodology, analysis, interpretation of findings, and preparation of the final learning document. The consultant must not make commitments on behalf of the organisation, independently collect sensitive data outside the agreed process, or share stakeholder information without authorisation.

7. Required Competencies

The consultant should have:

- Experience working with schools, education programmes, government systems, NGOs, CSR projects, or community-based initiatives. - Strong local knowledge and working relationships with school and government stakeholders in the assigned state. - Demonstrated ability to coordinate field visits, meetings, consultations, and logistics. - Good written and verbal communication skills in English and relevant local language(s). - Ability to travel independently within the assigned geography. - Professional conduct, confidentiality, responsiveness, and timely reporting discipline. A strong consultant profile for this assignment combines field coordination, government liaison, stakeholder management, documentation, and support to third-party evaluation activities. Scope of Information Requested This stage is for collecting information from interested Consultant. AIFT will review the submissions and may issue a detailed Request for Quotation (RFQ) to shortlisted consultant based on the specific assignments. Submission Requirement Please submit your Expression of Interest using the Google Form link provided below:

Google Form Link: Expression of Interest - Engagement of State-Level Field Facilitation Consultants for Project Learning Study - EYGDS

Please note that applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, and the positions may close before 25th September 2026 upon identification of a suitable candidate.