Plan International

Terms of Reference for a Consultant/ a Consultant Team Tasked to Develop Methodology for Cost-Benefit Analysis of FAIR Fish Responsible Recruitment Process

I. Introduction

The Fostering Accountability in Recruitment for Fishery Workers (FAIR Fish) Project is an effort to reduce forced labor and human trafficking in the recruitment of women and men in the seafood processing sectors in Thailand to support the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), Department of Labor (DOL). FAIR Fish will be led by Plan, an international NGO with expertise in addressing forced labor (FL), human trafficking (HT) and child labor (CL), among fishers and seafood processors in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The project’s theory of change is as follows: Forced labor and human trafficking in the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors will be reduced when: (1) all stakeholders understand the nature of forced labor and human trafficking in the recruitment of workers; (2) companies act in good faith to  root out exploitive  practices in their own recruitment processes; (3) recruiters comply with anti-FL/TIP regulations and policies; and, (4) companies, consumers, buyers, government,  workers, CSOs, and the media promote responsible and transparent recruitment policies and practices.

Activities in this project are expected to lead to four outcomes:

1. Improved understanding of the nature of forced labor and human trafficking in the recruitment of workers
2. Improved company-led approaches to address forced labor and human trafficking in the recruitment process
3. Improved compliance with recruitment policies and procedures by third-party recruiters
4. Increased action on promoting responsible recruitment policies and practices among private sector actors.

FAIR Fish is a four-year project, from 2019 to 2022. This project is being implemented in Thailand’s Bangkok and Rayong province and will involve two small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) serving as pilot companies, and approximately 500 individuals working in the private sector in recruitment and as employees of fish processing factories. Final indirect beneficiaries are low-skilled, migrant workers from Cambodia, and Myanmar and their families.

II. Background

In a bid to reach expected results under Outcome 2 and 3, FAIR Fish Project is developing a responsible recruitment process for small and medium-sized seafood processing companies through consultation with two pilot companies. The model of responsible recruitment process in FAIR Fish Project was drawn upon a supply chain approach in which pilot companies are expected to cascade their “Anti-Human Trafficking” and “No-Forced Labor” policies down along the recruitment supply chain to recruitment agencies that supply migrant workers to them.

By far, FAIR Fish has improved pilot companies’ recruitment policies based on International Labour Organization’s (ILO) General Principles for Fair Recruitment, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), and Plan International’s gender equality and inclusion principles.

The project, at the same time, wants to make available evidence-based information on the cost and benefit of responsible recruitment practice by seafood processing SMEs in Thailand, so that they could make decision how and to what extent they will implement responsible recruitment practice in their recruitment supply chains. For this reason, the project will apply a cost-benefit analysis on our responsible recruitment process.

III. Objective of the TOR

The FAIR Fish Project is looking for a consultant or a team of consultants well-versed in in cost-benefit analysis methodologies to help the project develop methodology and tools for applying cost-benefit analysis with gender integration on the project’s model of responsible recruitment process. (The model development process is ongoing.)

IV. Tasks

The consultant or consultant team is expected to:

1. Participate in an initial meeting with FAIR Fish team-members to finalise the work plan for completing the assignment (in person or via Skype);
2. Develop and describe a methodology with gender integration for performing cost-benefit analysis as foreseen in FAIR Fish responsible recruitment process, and
3. Provide a detailed work plan including timeline and milestones needed for each step of cost-benefit analysis methodology execution.

V. Timeline

Activities under this TOR are expected to start in June 2020 and to be completed by August 2020

(The cost-benefit analysis is expected to be performed later in a separated assignment commencing around December 2021.)

VI. Deliverables/Outputs

The consultant can work remotely with regular consultations with FAIR Fish Project team through Skype or other communication channels for the preparation work, and the consultant will be expected to submit deliverables and take action as stated below:

VII. Qualifications

Candidates should prove to have:

• Experience in developing methodologies and performing cost-benefit analysis on social development projects;
• In-depth knowledge and experience in designing tools for data collection;
• Understanding about gender integration in cost-benefit analysis framework;
• Familiarity with forced labor and human trafficking issues related to migrant workers in Thailand’s seafood processing sector;
• Proficient in English verbal communication and report writing, and 
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and the ability to demonstrate respect for people with diverse ethnicities, different socio-economic backgrounds and beliefs. 

VIII. How to apply?

• Submit a proposal with a cover letter to Mr. Supornchai Nawataweeporn, Plan International Thailand’s senior procurement officer, via email at supornchai.nawataweeporn@plan-international.org by 31 May 2020
• The proposal should include the following information:
  •  Work plan and budget for this assignment,
  •  CVs with contact details of all team members, plus their roles and responsibilities in the assignment,
  •  Man-day rates for each member of the consultant team, the number of man-days that is expected to be employed, on this assignment,
  • A few samples of previous work on cost-benefit analysis, and
  •  The information and support that FAIR Fish Project should provide to the team for this assignment.
• The selection of the consultants will be done through proposal reviews and candidates interviews.
• Only short-listed candidates will be notified for further recruitment procedures.

Further information on the description of FAIR Fish Project can be found at

https://www.planusa.org/thailand-fair-fish-fostering-accountability-in-recruitment-for-fishery-workers

Closing Date               :      19 April 2026 (11:59 PM, Bangkok Time)