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Tenders are invited for Multimedia Storytelling Services Closing Date: 20 Jun 2026 Type: Consultancy Terms of Reference Framework Agreement for Multimedia Storytelling Services Multi-Company Framework · Three-Year Agreement · Ethical Storytelling · Results-Based per Product Contracting organisation: BRCiS (Building Resilient Communities in Somalia) Contract type: Framework Agreement Multiple Companies, Results-Based per Product Duration: Three (3) years from date of signature, with annual performance review Geographic scope: Somalia Languages: English and Somali (standard); local Somali dialects as specified per assignment Currency: United States Dollar (USD) Reference: BRCiS-MEDIA-2026-001 Issue date: 2026 1. Background The Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) Consortium has operated across Somalias most shock-exposed communities for more than twelve years, implementing resilience programming with over 500 communities. BRCiS works at the intersection of climate adaptation, agroecological transformation, financial inclusion, housing and land rights, and community systems strengthening. The stories generated through this work communities restoring degraded land, women leading self-help groups through drought, families rebuilding livelihoods after displacement are powerful but rarely told with the depth, creativity, and craft they deserve. BRCiS is establishing a three-year Framework Agreement with pre-qualified specialist multimedia storytelling companies to serve as its creative partners for the complete storytelling lifecycle: from story identification and pitch development, through field production, to active distribution and dissemination. Inclusion in the framework does not guarantee a minimum volume of work. Commissions are issued on an assignment-by-assignment basis, triggered by an approved story pitch. 2. Ethical Storytelling and Team Diversity Ethical storytelling is the creative and professional standard from which all work flows. BRCiS works with communities experiencing displacement, climate stress, food insecurity, and conflict. The stories of these communities carry weight: they can dignify or diminish; they can amplify community voice or extract it. All companies working under this framework must demonstrate a deep, practical understanding of the following ethical storytelling principles: Do no harm. Every story choice is assessed for its potential impact on subjects, including exposure to security risks, social stigma, or retaliation. A written risk note is submitted to BRCiS before every field deployment. Dignity over disaster. Communities are represented as agents of their own lives, not as passive victims. Sensationalism, poverty aesthetics, and trauma-as-spectacle are unacceptable in any product produced under this framework. Genuine informed consent. Informed consent explained clearly in the communitys own language and dialect is required for all identifiable subjects. Consent is not a form; it is an ongoing relationship between the production team and the community. Cultural sensitivity and authenticity. Stories must be told with genuine knowledge of and respect for Somali cultural contexts, social structures, gender dynamics, clan sensitivities, and local values. External narrative frames must not be imposed on Somali realities. Community voice and ownership. Where possible, individuals and communities have meaningful input into how their stories are told not merely as subjects of documentation. Accuracy and accountability. All content is factually accurate and verifiable. BRCiS communities must be able to recognise themselves truthfully and fairly in the stories told about them. Applicants must address their ethical storytelling approach in their application. Evidence of ethical practice must be visible in submitted portfolio samples. In addition the commitment must be visible not only in the teams that produce content. Authentic stories about Somali women, displaced communities, minority groups, and marginalised populations are best told by teams that include people from those communities not as a token gesture, but as a genuine source of creative and editorial authority. All companies on the framework must demonstrate the following minimum standards in the composition of their core production team: Women in meaningful creative and editorial roles. At minimum, 40% of the team members involved in any given assignment must be women, and at least one woman must hold a substantive creative or editorial role on every assignment. BRCiS strongly encourages women in lead producer, director, photographer, writer, or editorial decision-making positions. Representation of minority and marginalised communities. The team must include individuals who have lived experience of, or demonstrated deep professional engagement with, the communities being documented including displaced communities, minority clans, and other marginalised groups relevant to the assignment. Companies must describe how they ensure this representation in their application. 3. How the Framework Works The framework operates through a pitch-driven process. Companies actively identify and develop story ideas in close engagement with BRCiS, and propose them for approval. Production only begins once a pitch is approved. Step 1 Story Identification and Pitch Development Companies on the framework are expected to maintain ongoing engagement with BRCiSs programme attending quarterly briefings, following programme developments across Somalia, and proactively developing story ideas. This engagement is not separately remunerated; it is the professional contribution expected of a creative partner, recognised through the commission when a pitch is accepted.Story ideas emerge from genuine engagement, including: Regular conversations with BRCiS field staff, programme managers, and community facilitators. Visits to programme areas and communities as a creative observer. Monitoring BRCiS publications, reports, and social channels for emerging themes and untold stories. Identifying characters, communities, or moments with the potential for compelling storytelling. When a story idea is ready, the company submits a Story Pitch to BRCiS, which must include: A short narrative description of the story who it is about, what it shows, and why it matters now. The BRCiS programme area, community, or theme the story connects to. The proposed product format (one of the six standard formats in Section 5) and the rationale for that choice why is this format the right vehicle for this particular story and audience? The target audience and proposed distribution approach. An all-inclusive unit cost proposal for the product (using the pricing structure in Section 7). An estimated timeline. Any do-no-harm or sensitivity flags identified at this stage. BRCiS will respond to pitches within ten working days: approved, returned for revision, or declined. Approval triggers a Purchase Order and formal assignment contract. No production work begins before the Purchase Order is issued. Step 2 Production Once a pitch is approved, the company moves into production. The unit cost agreed in the pitch covers the full cost of delivering the product from detailed planning through to final file delivery. Planning and production are integrated under a single unit cost and a single results-based payment schedule. Production encompasses all of the following, as required by the specific product and assignment: Detailed production planning: schedule, logistics, field coordination, interpretation needs, consent management approach. Written do-no-harm and risk assessment, submitted to BRCiS at least five working days before any field deployment. Field deployment to BRCiS programme areas across Somalia, which may include remote rural locations, IDP settlements, pastoral zones, and peri-urban areas. All production activities appropriate to the commissioned format: photography, filming, audio recording, interviewing, writing, illustration, or artist collaboration. Consent management: obtaining and documenting informed consent, in-line with NRC Informed Consent guidelines, in the appropriate language and local Somali dialect for all identifiable subjects. Full post-production: review and editing, colour grading, sound design, subtitling, translation, captioning, format adaptation, and file delivery. Language delivery: English and Somali (standard) are the default. Local Somali dialects may be specified in the approved pitch. Step 3 Distribution and Dissemination (Phase 3, Separately Contracted) Where an approved pitch includes a distribution component, Phase 3 is contracted separately using the distribution rate card in Section 6. Companies must demonstrate active distribution networks in Somalia and must activate these on behalf of BRCiS when distribution is commissioned. Activities include: Media partnership placement: Somali and international radio stations, TV channels, online news outlets, and digital media platforms. Influencer and creator network activation: Somali social media creators and digital community voices. Social media campaign management: scheduling, boosting strategy, platform-specific adaptation, and community management. WhatsApp community dissemination: structured sharing through Somali community networks and broadcast channels. Post-campaign analytics: documented reach, impressions, engagement, airtime secured, and qualitative feedback. 4. Required Capabilities All companies on the framework must demonstrate genuine capacity across the following areas. Sub-contracting specific functions is permitted but must be disclosed and approved by BRCiS. Multimedia Production Capacity to produce all six standard product formats defined in Section 5. Professional-grade equipment and softwar Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4215391/framework-agreement-multimedia-storytelling-services
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