Terms of Reference

BACKGROUND

Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognised that: there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness and contact among people of ASEAN. It was of this concern that ASEAN leaders established ASEAN Foundation during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Summit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 15 December 1997, ASEAN Foundation is an organisation from and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community. As an ASEAN’s body, the Foundation is tasked to support ASEAN mainly in promoting awareness, identity, interaction and development of the people of ASEAN.

The ASEAN Foundation’s annual report plays a critical role in showcasing the achievements of the ASEAN Foundation to all its stakeholders as well as outlining the organisation’s results against its annual work plan and its efforts to promote ASEAN awareness through people-to-people interaction and to support the Secretary-General of ASEAN to build the community building process.

The ASEAN Foundation’s 2021 Annual Report will detail what the organisation has achieved in the past year under the thematic areas of Arts and Culture, Community Building, Education and Media by working with partners, examining the outcome of these accomplishments on the lives of people living in ASEAN. The production of the annual report helps the ASEAN Foundation to attain effective and efficient use of resources and be more accountable to donors and other stakeholders, to build credibility for the organisation, and to inspire confidence that the organisation is worthy to receive the contribution and investment. The 2021 Annual Report is also expected to effectively highlight the results of the ASEAN Foundation’s effort in transitioning all of its programmes to online activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to develop a comprehensive and impactful annual report, a support from capable consultant with vast experience in developing annual reports for international organisations and multinational companies is required.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

A Consultant will be hired to develop the content of the ASEAN Foundation’s 2021 Annual Report. The Consultant is expected to arrive at a strong understanding of ASEAN Foundation’s objectives, ways of working, capacities and challenges, in order to create the best possible product. Similarly, the Consultant will need to apply creative thinking and strong writing skills to produce succinct texts that effectively introduce ASEAN priorities and language to ordinary readers, i.e. laypersons.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES

• A draft of annual report’s content structure
• A draft of content template to be shared with all project coordinators
• At least 5 success stories of ASEAN Foundation’s selected programmes
• 2 messages from the Foundation’s Executive Director and Chair of Board of Trustees
• A draft of annual report full contents containing graphic and chart concepts as a guidance for designer
• A proofread service for the entire development of the annual report

 
TASK OF THE CONSULTANT

In the development of the 2021 Annual Report, the Consultant will be closely working with the Head of Communications under the guidance of the the Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation. The scope of work of the Consultant is as follows:

• Draft an annual report’s content structure to be reviewed
• Collate programme data and develop impact-focused programme reports
• Develop at least 5 success stories from selected programmes by interviewing programme beneficiaries
• Develop ideas for graphics and charts that creatively convey key messages/data in the report, as well as write captions for the photos in the publication
• Develop 2 message drafts for the ASEAN Foundation’s Executive Director and Chair of Board of Trustees
• Incorporate comments (related to content, design and/or language) from internal reviewers
• Proofread the texts once the design draft is ready to confirm whether the final product is print-ready from an editorial stand point
• Finalise the annual report for publication
• Provide any other support, as needed

TIME FRAME

The duration of the consultancy is from 31 January to 30 June 2022. The estimated timeframe does not reflect the actual number of days worked but the recommended time needed to complete those tasks. Moreover, it is noted that due to the nature of the assignment, there will be periods of time when no actual writing or research will occur because the Consultant will be waiting for either text clearance from the ASEAN Foundation and/layouts from the designer. Below is the detailed time frame:

REMUNERATION

A lump sum quotation is required including fees for writing the annual report. Payment will be linked to deliverables.

Payment will be affected upon submission a Time Sheet by the consultant, duly approved by the consultant’s supervisor, which shall serve as the basis for the payment of fees as per the scheduled deliverables identified in the expected outputs for this Assignment above.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• University degree in communications, social sciences or other related fields
• Minimum requirement is three years of demonstrated experience in writing content related to development
• Preference is for candidates with demonstrated experience in producing NGO/not-for profit marketing material, including annual reports
• Previous results-based Annual Report writing experience
• Previous experience in copy-editing and fact-checking
• Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills and attention to detail
• Superior English-language skills, of publication standard
• High level proficiency in standard computer software, in particular, Microsoft word and Excel
• Diplomacy, willingness to respond to suggestions within the review and feedback process
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to engage and interact with diverse people
• Ability to listen and commitment to produce the agreed deliverables, as articulated by the client

 
APPLICATION PROCESS

All interested applicants to send application, stating the position with the following documents to [email protected] with Cc to [email protected]: a) application letter, b) curriculum vitae, c) samples of previous Annual Report work and d) financial proposal specifying a total lump sum amount highlighting deliverables.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 20 January 2022