Local Partner for SERI Capacity Strengthening Programs

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Local Partner for SERI Capacity Strengthening Programs

Location: Vietnam

Contract date: 1 January – 31 December 2026

PURPOSE OF THE WORK

SERI is a collaborative initiative that empowers women in global supply chains through workplace-based programs. Operating across multiple countries, SERI delivers three core capacity-strengthening programs at the factory level: Respect, Foundations, and Financial Health.

We are seeking experienced organizations to serve as implementation partners, working closely with the SERI country team and global program staff. Partners will be responsible for adapting, delivering, and monitoring one or more of the SERI factory workplace capacity building programs, ensuring high-quality, contextually relevant outcomes for both workers and managers.

All procurement will be conducted in line with our Procurement Policy, ensuring transparency, value for money, and compliance with both donor and local requirements.

BACKGROUND

Launched in 2023, SERI brings together the world’s four largest women’s empowerment programs in global supply chains—BSR’s HERproject, CARE International, Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. Program, and ILO-IFC Better Work. By uniting this collective experience in over 21 countries, SERI seeks to drive transformative change for millions of women workers worldwide.

SERI works across three interrelated pillars of action to address immediate barriers while driving medium- and long-term structural improvements for women workers.

Pillar 1: Capacity Strengthening: Working in factories in key countries, SERI achieves impact with a network of local civil society partners and organizations working on gender equality to deliver worker capacity building programs. There are two approaches to capacity strengthening programs: the Peer Educator model, where training is implemented by a local partner organization, and the Integrated (Licensee) model, which is integrated by a brand/supplier directly in their supply chains. The three core workplace programs—Respect, Foundations, and Financial Health—are central to advancing women’s empowerment across supply chains.

Pillar 2: Market Transformation: SERI works with and encourages leadership from industry actors (brands, buyers, suppliers and worker representatives) to improve operating practices at all levels in global value chains to support greater gender equality outcomes.

Pillar 3: Influencing: SERI leverages the founding partners’ existing relationships and identifies opportunities to work in partnership to influence employer/company/factory policies, programs and budgets, as well as government policies that impact workers, in particular women workers, and support the breaking down of harmful social and gender norms.

SERI Country Overview

SERI has been present in Vietnam since 2007 (formerly under HERproject and Gap P.A.C.E. programs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City). In Vietnam, SERI delivers three core workplace programs—Respect, Financial Health, and Foundations—designed to build resilience, improve workplace systems, and enhance wellbeing.

Overview of SERI Capacity Strengthening Programs

SERI Financial Health program supports workers, especially women, to access, use and benefit from financial products and services, and build their financial capability to improve their financial health and resilience. The training program covers financial planning, budgeting, saving, decision making and using financial products and services. SERI also provides advice and support to managers to scale financial inclusion in the factory, including linkage to local financial service providers and government employee schemes, considering the needs of women workers.

SERI Foundations is a life skills development program that builds women’s confidence and capability, raises awareness on various health and financial literacy topics, and increases the overall capacity of workers to excel in life.

SERI Respect is a comprehensive program for preventing and remediating gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the garment industry. SERI Respect promotes gender equality and cultivates more equitable relationships and attitudes among women and men to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace and in intimate relationships. SERI provides advice and support to management and share GBVH Policy Guides to help factories establish workplace systems and policies, supported by mapping trusted local organizations and resources for legal, psychosocial, and other GBVH-related support.

SCOPE OF WORK

The selected organization will be expected to:

1. Deliver workplace program

Deliver workplace program activities training sessions for workers, supervisors, and managers following SERI’s curriculum and methodologies (the number of trainings/workers and the duration of the sessions will be specified in Stage 2 of the application process).
Deliver and organize program kick-off and closing meetings in coordination with the SERI Country Lead and factory workplace.
When required, adapt and translate new SERI training modules and materials into the local language, ensuring accuracy and cultural relevance.
When required, develop and provide IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) materials to the workers and managers, as per local context.
Facilitate joint worker–management dialogues on key workplace issues.

2. Project Management

Monitor the progress and timeliness of the training implementation.
Submit timely invoices in line with training milestones.
Attend monthly check-in meetings with SERI country team.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Conduct baseline and endline data collection, and monthly reporting and update the online workplace program tracking portal monthly.
Routinely collect worker stories, including arranging photography as needed.
Support the SERI Country Lead and team in engaging brands, suppliers, unions, and industry platforms and stakeholder events and meetings.
When required, support additional MEL activities.

To note:

It is expected that the organization will appoint a project team to manage the program and to be in communication with SERI, brands and factories.
SERI expects good quality work from the organization and so the organization should appoint qualified facilitators who have expertise in gender, soft skills, GBVH and system strengthening work in the garment sector. The organization should have an internal quality assurance procedure to uphold the SERI standard.
The full program methodology and curricula are proprietary to SERI and will only be shared with contracted partners under confidentiality agreements.

Deliverables

Ensure timely delivery and effective management of workplace training sessions and joint dialogues (as per country/program targets).
Translate and adapt program materials as required.
Submit monthly progress reports in a timely manner.
Complete baseline and endline data collection and reporting for each factory on schedule.
Document stakeholder engagement activities and workplace system support provided.
Deliver and submit invoices promptly in accordance with agreed timelines.

QUALIFICATIONS

Registered organization or business that has a license to operate in Vietnam. The organization should have an inclusive work environment and adhere to all local laws and regulations in the country.
The organization should adhere to all local laws and regulations in the country.
Demonstrated experience in gender equality, workplace training, or worker well-being programs with vulnerable populations and with a no harm approach.
Proven capacity in adult learning facilitation and sensitive-topic engagement (GBVH, financial literacy, women’s health and soft skills).
Experience with monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
Strong knowledge and experience in the areas of gender equality, women’s empowerment, GBVH, women’s health and soft skills.
Strong project management skills, including timely and clear communication with factory management & SERI and managing project expectations, and working under tight timelines.
Fluency in written and spoken in English and Vietnamese is mandatory. Demonstrated experience in producing report in English and translation skills are required.
Ability to work closely with SERI in country and global teams across time zones.
Experience in garment/footwear/home textiles supply chains preferred.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

There will be a two-stage tendering process:

Stage 1: Technical Proposal Interested organizations should submit:

Organizational profile.
Proposal narrative with examples of relevant experience.
A short narrative statement explaining how your organization’s mission and approach align with SERI’s core values (women’s empowerment, equity in supply chains, preventing GBVH, worker well-being).
Proposed project team (CVs and roles, max. 3 pages per CV).
Two references from recent, relevant assignments.
Copy of Safeguarding policy.
Copy of Tax registration number & certificate
Copy of Business/Organization registration certificate

Stage 2: Financial Proposal

Suitable organizations will be contacted with a detailed breakdown of each of the programs and will be requested to submit a financial proposal including:

Budget breakdown (labour cost, daily rates, unit costs, other direct costs).
Cost assumptions and justifications.

Evaluation

Evaluation Scoring Criteria	Weight	Sources to be evaluated
Technical capacity & relevant experience	30%	Stage 1: Technical proposal (Narrative on relevant experience, references, CVs of team members)
Organizational capacity & compliance	10%	Stage 1: Technical proposal (Tax and Business registration, Organization Location)
Commitment to DEI and alignment with SERI values	10%	Stage 1: Technical Proposal (Relevant Experience, Narrative on Alignment to SERI’s mission and values, Safeguarding Policy)
Cost competitiveness & value for money	50%	Stage 2: Financial Budget

Timeline

Tendering Process
Stage 1: Technical Proposal due date	24-Oct
Invitation to move to Stage 2	30-Oct
Stage 2: Financial Proposal due date – Share Budget Template	14- Nov
Interviews and contracting	20 Nov – 5 Dec

Contract period: 1 January – 31 December 2026, subject to renewal and annual review.

PROPOSAL

Interested organizations must submit Stage 1: Technical Proposal application to [email protected] before 24^th October 2025 and reference the job title ‘SERI Local Partner Vietnam’ and in the email title and file name.

Confidentiality Statement and Intellectual Property Rights

All data and information received from BSR for this assignment are to be treated confidentially and are only to be used in relation to the execution of these Terms of Reference.

All intellectual property rights arising from the execution of these Terms of Reference are assigned to SERI, as part of BSR. The contents of written materials obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the expressed advance written authorization of SERI.

Only suitable organizations will be contacted for Stage 2 of the application process.