The Asia Foundation: CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (EOI) – MEL HUB

PARTISIPASI PROGRAM

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (EOI)

Selection of an Indonesian Organization to Establish and Operate the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Hub

Issued by: The Asia Foundation Convenor of the Civil Society Partnership (CSP) Partisipasi Program

June 2026

1. Background

The Indonesia Democratic Participation Program (Partisipasi) is a flagship Australian Government investment funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and implemented from May 2026 to May 2030. The program seeks to strengthen democratic participation, democratic resilience, and inclusive governance in Indonesia through collaboration between state institutions, civil society organizations, and other democratic actors.

The Asia Foundation (TAF) serves as Convenor of the Civil Society Partnership (CSP) component of Partisipasi and is responsible for coordinating implementation across Core Group Partners and Collaboration Partners, managing grants and partnerships, supporting learning and adaptation, and ensuring accountability to DFAT.

To support these responsibilities, TAF intends to establish a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Hub that will provide strategic and technical leadership for monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, adaptive management, and evidence generation across the program.

TAF invites qualified Indonesian organizations to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for consideration in a competitive procurement process.

1. Purpose of the EOI

The purpose of this EOI process is to identify and shortlist organizations with the capability, experience, and technical expertise required to establish and operate the Partisipasi MEL Hub.

Only shortlisted organizations will be invited to participate in the second stage of the procurement process and receive the full Request for Proposal (RFP), Terms of Reference (TOR), Program Design Document, and associated procurement materials.

1. Scope of the MERLA Hub

The MEL Hub will support implementation of the Partisipasi Program through:

• Development and implementation of a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adaptation (MERLA) Framework;
• Monitoring, outcome tracking, and performance assessment;
• Evaluation and evidence generation;
• Political economy and contextual analysis;
• Learning, adaptation, and knowledge management;
• Partner capacity strengthening;
• Establishment and management of a program-wide Monitoring Information System (MIS);
• Support for DFAT reporting and accountability requirements.

The MEL Hub will operate using a Hub-and-Spoke model and will maintain a regular physical presence within a dedicated workspace provided by TAF in Jakarta.

1. Eligibility

Expressions of Interest may be submitted by:

• Indonesian non-profit organizations;
• Research institutions;
• Universities;
• Think tanks and policy institutes;
• Consulting firms;
• Consortia of eligible organizations.

Consortia are encouraged where they strengthen technical capability and geographic reach.

1. EOI Submission Requirements

Interested organizations should submit a concise EOI of no more than ten pages (excluding attachments) covering the following:

1. Organizational Profile

Provide:

• Organization name;
• Legal status and registration details;
• Year established;
• Organizational mission and areas of expertise;
• Number of staff and office locations;
• Consortium arrangements (if applicable).

1. Relevant Experience

Provide a summary of up to five relevant assignments completed within the last ten years demonstrating experience in:

• Monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptation;
• Governance and democracy programming;
• Civil society strengthening;
• Adaptive management;
• Complex multi-partner programs;
• DFAT-funded or similar donor-funded programs.

1. Technical Capability

Describe your organization’s technical capability to deliver MERLA services, including:

• Monitoring and evaluation expertise;
• Research and analytical capability;
• Learning and adaptive management approaches;
• Data management and information systems;
• Capacity strengthening experience.

1. Key Personnel

Provide brief profiles of proposed key personnel, including:

• Team Leader / MERLA Director;
• MERLA Specialist(s);
• Data and Knowledge Management Specialist;
• Finance and Operations Personnel.

Full CVs are not required at this stage.

1. EOI Evaluation Criteria

Expressions of Interest will be assessed against the following criteria:

Criteria

Weight

Organizational capability and qualifications

20%

Relevant organizational experience

25%

Technical capability in MERLA functions

25%

Qualifications of proposed key personnel

30%

TAF reserves the right to conduct due diligence and reference checks as part of the shortlisting process.

1. Indicative Procurement Timeline

Open Bidding Timeline

Activity

Timeline

EOI submission deadline

July 8, 2026

Notify shortlisted bidders and release the full RFP package to shortlisted bidders

 July 10, 2026

Online Q&A and clarification session

July 15, 2026

Proposal submission deadline

July 24, 2026

Technical and financial evaluation

25–30 July 2026

Interviews and presentations of the top three candidates

August 4, 2026

Notify bidders of the selection outcome

August 7, 2026

Contract negotiation and finalization

10 – 21 August 2026

Contract signing

August 2026

1. Submission Instructions

EOIs must be submitted electronically to the contact details provided in this announcement no later than July 8, 2026.

Please download the application form here, complete the template, and submit the completed application by email to id.hr@asiafoundation.org. using the title, ”MEL HUB – organization name – EOI”.

Late submissions may not be considered.

Only shortlisted organizations will be contacted and invited to participate in Stage 2 of the procurement process.