Scottish Peace Programme: request for proposals.

A. Introduction

The Scottish Government’s (SG) International Development Team is seeking to commission a 3-year, £400,000 annual grant programme to establish a Scottish Peace Platform and support the 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowships (with option to extend by up to 2 years). This integrated initiative aligns with Scotland's existing contributions to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and which supports the UK's WPS National Action Plan 2023 - 2027. This grant, funded under the International Development Fund, will run from 2024 until 2027, with a break point in May 2026 following an internal review by SG of progress on both strands.

As the world faces increasingly complex conflicts, the need for innovative, feminist-informed approaches to peacebuilding has never been greater. The proposed Scottish Peacebuilding Programme responds directly to this need. By establishing a Scottish Peace Platform and supporting women in conflict Fellowships, the programme will harness Scotland's unique assets to amplify global voices, particularly those of women from the global south, and promote more inclusive and sustainable peace.

The programme has two complementary strands:

• Strand 1: Establishment of a Scottish Peace Platform to coordinate, connect, and amplify Scotland's diverse peacebuilding stakeholders and initiatives. This will involve convening a network, establishing a shared brand and identity, facilitating knowledge exchange, and brokering strategic partnerships between Scottish and international actors. This aligns with recommendations from the Scottish Peace Institute Research Project (2022), which called for support to bring together Peacebuilders across Scotland as part of the development of a Peace Institute.
• Strand 2: Deliver the 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowships, providing training, capacity strengthening, and networking opportunities for women peacebuilders from conflict-affected regions. Building on 7 years of programming that has engaged over 379 women from 30 countries (Scottish Government, 2023), this will develop a vibrant community of practice and create pathways for fellows to apply their skills in influencing peace processes. Evaluations of the Fellowships have highlighted their transformative impact on participants' confidence, skills, and ability to meaningfully engage in peace efforts (1325 Fellowships Evaluation, 2022).

The Scottish Government is therefore seeking an organisation or a consortium (the grant holder/s) with the governance capacity and experience in conflict resolution and peace-building in the international context to: 1) establish a Scottish Peace Platform; and 2) deliver a Fellowship programme providing training, capacity strengthening and networking for women peace-builders from conflict zones around the world.

The total value of the Programme will be up to £400k per annum (inclusive of management costs and any VAT) for three years (date to be confirmed from 2024 to 2027)), subject to the annual approval of SG budgets by the Scottish Parliament and/or any earlier termination in accordance with the grant conditions.

The £400k per annum may be indicatively broken down as:

• 100k per annum for Strand 1 - Establishment of a Scottish Peace Platform.
• £300k per annum for Strand 2 - Delivery of the Scottish Government’s 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowships Programme.

While we are comfortable with the bidder suggesting the split that they think is most appropriate on the financing, we expect the bulk of finance to be spent on the peacebuilding activity through the Women in Conflict fellowships, and for synergies and efficiencies to be created between the two strands.

As set out in Section B2 of this Request for Proposals, Scottish Government is seeking an organisation or consortium to deliver both Strands 1 and 2.

We have been clear since the Review of our approach to international development in 2020/21 that in all our future international development and humanitarian work, we will be guided by three underpinning approaches: alignment with our new International Development Principles; taking a feminist approach; and pursuing an equalising power agenda in our relationships with our partner countries and other Global South countries. In relation to this Request for Proposals, therefore, applicants should note the following in particular.

The successful grant holder is required to, within specified parameters (see programme objectives section), design the programme (using a participatory approach that involves stakeholders affected by the programme), implement the programme in line with good practice, and provide appropriate and ongoing management of the Programme ensuring appropriate monitoring, evaluation and safeguarding arrangements are in place.

In line with our International Strategy and our commitment to deliver on a feminist approach^[1] to international relations, this work will adopt a human rights-based approach and prioritise the rights of women and girls. As such, the successful organisation will be required to mainstream gender equality throughout all aspects of the Programme in line with our feminist approach to International Development. See Guidance Note at Annex G.

In line with our SG International Development Principles, which include commitments to inclusion and diversity, equality, and partnerships/collaboration, as well as our ongoing commitments to ‘do no harm’, proposals must follow a participatory approach.

Therefore, the programme design, implementation, and evaluation processes must involve meaningful participation from a diverse range of stakeholders, including marginalised groups in countries affected by conflict (for example, but not limited to, participants from a range of different: ages, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, religions, rural and urban areas, those living with disabilities) as experts by experience. Bidders should evidence how this has been incorporated into the proposal.