LANGUAGE AND LEARNING FOUNDATION (LLF)
1st Floor, B Block, Plot No. 8, Balaji Estate, Guru Ravidas Marg, Kalkaji, New Delhi – 110019
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Behavioural Science Agency/Consultant — BEO Implementation Research, Uttar Pradesh
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Assignment
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Behavioural Science Agency/Consultant — BEO Implementation Research (Uttar Pradesh)
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Commissioning Organisation
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Language and Learning Foundation (LLF)
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Engagement Type
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Deliverable-based consultancy — behavioural science lead
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Indicative Duration
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August 2026 – December 2026 (approx. 6 months, aligned to intervention design and midline phases)
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Proposal Submission Deadline
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31st July 2026, by 5:00 PM IST
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Submit To
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"Proposal – Behavioural Science, BEO Implementation Research, UP"
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1. About LLF
Language and Learning Foundation (LLF) is a not-for-profit organisation working to improve the quality of school education and foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) outcomes for children in the early grades across India. LLF partners with state governments and system actors — including Block Education Officers (BEOs), District Education Officers (DEOs)/Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSAs), Academic Resource Persons/Teacher Mentors (ARPs), and Cluster Resource Coordinators — to strengthen the "middle tier" of the public education system, which plays a critical role in translating FLN policy into classroom practice.
In Uttar Pradesh specifically, LLF's middle-tier work spans: strengthening cluster-level meetings (Sankul Baithak) as a recurring, structured CPD touchpoint for teachers; designing and piloting a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework for ARPs and BEOs anchored by an Annual CPD Calendar; and building a one-year Professional Development Programme for BEOs in collaboration with NIEPA, IIM Ahmedabad, TISS, and ISDM to strengthen whole-system and instructional leadership capacities. The BEO Implementation Research described below sits within this broader middle-tier strengthening agenda.
2. Background and Context
A diagnostic study conducted by LLF in 2024 with 43 BEOs across 5 districts of Uttar Pradesh found that Block Education Officers — while structurally well-positioned to influence school-level teaching and learning — are largely disengaged from academic leadership. Their interactions with ARPs, Head Teachers (HMs), and schools tend to be procedural and compliance-driven, with minimal instructional depth.
This evidence led LLF to design an embedded Implementation Research (IR) project to test whether structured support can enable BEOs to prioritise and lead academic processes more effectively.
The project commenced in March 2026. The baseline covered structured observations of BEO–ARP meetings, BEO–HM meetings, and BEO school visits, using a dedicated observation tool. The baseline phase is now complete; the Implementation Research is ongoing, with the intervention and monitoring phases beginning in July 2026.
This RFP is specifically for the behavioural science component of the study. LLF is separately engaging a research agency for the broader implementation research support (tool refinement, data analysis, and reporting) under a parallel RFP; the two agencies will work in close coordination, with this behavioural science lead setting the analytical and conceptual direction that the broader research support agency builds on.
2.1 Central Research Question
“How does structured support to BEOs in planning and prioritising academic tasks influence the quality of their academic engagement — specifically in nodal meetings with ARPs and HMs, school visits, and ARP coaching?”
3. Purpose of this RFP
LLF invites proposals from qualified behavioural science agencies or individual consultants with demonstrated, applied expertise in behavioural science — not general M&E or education consulting — to lead the behavioural science component of the BEO Implementation Research study in Uttar Pradesh.
4. What We Are Looking to Understand
Drawing on prior discussions and the behavioural science literature, the assignment should build a rich, evidence-based picture of BEOs across the following dimensions:
- Motivation, incentives and disincentives, and ecosystem signalling — what the system rewards or ignores.
- BEOs' leadership style, individual orientation, and attitudes.
- BEOs' relationships across the system — both "upward" (with District Education Officers/BSAs) and "downward" (with ARPs, teachers, Head Teachers, and the community) — including who influences them and whom they influence, akin to a lightweight network/relational mapping.
- Current orientation toward the role — administrative vs. academic — and how this shows up in day-to-day decision-making and time use.
- The nature and quality of feedback, facilitation, and data-informed planning BEOs bring to ARP and Head Teacher meetings and school visits.
- Barriers underlying all of the above — distinguishing knowledge/skill gaps, attitudinal factors, and structural/systemic constraints.
This should be used to understand the different types of BEOs — who show change and who don't — and to map the individual-level gaps, enablers, and barriers behind that difference. LLF is not seeking a differentiated implementation programme in this phase; the intent is for these insights to inform how a future phase could support different types of BEOs differently.
5. Scope of Work
- Review of LLF's existing baseline data and instruments to identify gaps — specifically, behavioural aspects that were not adequately captured in the baseline round — and recommend practical approaches to collect the missing baseline information on these aspects before the next round of data collection.
- A review of relevant behavioural science literature on this cadre and comparable public-system actors, to inform the overall study design and approach.
- Behavioural analysis of LLF's baseline data to identify patterns in BEO decision-making, time use, and operational constraints, and to develop behavioural segments of BEOs.
- Qualitative research building on the segmentation analysis to identify the specific enablers and barriers influencing behaviour change across different BEO segments.
- Review and refinement of LLF's planned research design from a behavioural science lens, including updates to the Theory of Change, wherever required.
- Design of tools to assess motivation, barriers, and BEOs' relational/network position — mapping upward relationships (with District Education Officers/BSAs) and downward relationships (with ARPs, teachers, Head Teachers, and the community), including who influences BEOs and whom they influence.
- Design of behaviourally informed monitoring tools for longitudinal tracking of BEO, ARP, and HM behaviours across implementation, running parallel to LLF's first intervention iteration beginning July 2026.
- Facilitation of co-design workshops with BEOs using the COM-B framework to identify tailored interventions for the barriers surfaced through the qualitative research.
- Based on the above, categorising BEOs into distinct types and surfacing implications for LLF's current implementation strategy and intervention design — noting that LLF is not seeking a fully differentiated implementation programme in this phase, but wants these insights to inform how a future phase could tailor support to different BEO types.
- Defining 6–7 key parameters to track behavioural change from baseline over time — i.e., where a BEO started versus where they are as the intervention progresses.
- Contributing the behavioural science analysis and interpretation to the midline review (October–November 2026), working alongside LLF's broader research support agency.
6. Deliverables and Indicative Timeline
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Deliverable
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Indicative Timing
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Baseline data gap analysis and recommendations for supplementary data collection
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Month 1 (July 2026)
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Literature review note on behavioural science approaches for this cadre
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Month 1 (July 2026)
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Research design review note — including updated Theory of Change
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Month 1 (July 2026)
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Methods Report — BEO behavioural segments and research approach
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Month 2 (August 2026)
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Motivation, barrier, and relational/network assessment tools
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Month 2 (August 2026)
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Behaviourally informed monitoring tools for BEO/ARP/HM tracking
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Month 2–3 (August–September 2026)
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Diagnostic qualitative report — barriers and enablers by segment
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Month 4 (October 2026)
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Co-design workshop facilitation (COM-B) and tailored intervention inputs
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Month 5 (November 2026)
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BEO categorisation note — types, and implications for current and future-phase support
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Month 5 (November 2026)
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Behavioural analysis input to midline review
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Month 6 (December 2026)
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7. Eligibility Criteria
- LLF invites proposals from applicants who can demonstrate:
- Core, applied expertise in behavioural science — able to design and apply frameworks such as COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour), EAST, or equivalent to diagnose and shift practice within public systems.
- A track record of behavioural segmentation and qualitative research design, ideally within Indian government or public education systems.
- Experience working with state or district-level government functionaries (education officials, block/district administrators, or comparable public system actors).
- Availability of a lead consultant/analyst (individual or small team) who can commit to the engagement duration and travel to Uttar Pradesh as required.
- Comfort working in close coordination with a separate research support agency handling the broader data collection, analysis infrastructure, and reporting for the study.
8. Proposal Requirements
- Technical Proposal: Understanding of the assignment, proposed behavioural science methodology, and a work plan with timelines.
- Team/Individual Profile: CV(s) of the lead consultant and any supporting analysts, with a note on allocated days per deliverable.
- Relevant Experience: Summary of at least two comparable behavioural science assignments, with references and (where permissible) sample outputs.
- Financial Proposal: A cost breakdown by deliverable/milestone, inclusive of applicable taxes, specifying what is and is not covered (e.g., travel).
- Institutional Details: Organisation or individual profile, registration details (if applicable), and points of contact.
9. Evaluation Criteria
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Criterion
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Weightage
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Depth of applied behavioural science expertise (COM-B/EAST or equivalent)
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45%
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Relevant experience with Indian public education / government systems
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25%
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Team/individual capability
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15%
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Cost competitiveness and value for money
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15%
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10. Submission Instructions
- Proposals must be submitted by 31st July 2026 to shveta.lall@languageandlearningfoundation.org, with the subject line "Proposal – Behavioural Science, BEO Implementation Research, UP."
- Queries regarding this RFP may be directed to Shveta Lall at shveta.lall@languageandlearningfoundation.org.
- LLF reserves the right to shortlist applicants for a clarification call or presentation prior to final selection.
- LLF reserves the right to reject any or all proposals without assigning any reason.
11. General Terms
- All research outputs, data, tools, and materials developed under this assignment will be the sole and exclusive property of LLF.
- The selected agency/consultant will be expected to enter into a Services Agreement with LLF, including confidentiality and data protection clauses, prior to commencement of work.
- The engagement will be on a non-exclusive basis.
- LLF is committed to a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment and expects the same standard from all agencies and consultants.
For queries, please contact:
Shveta Lall | Language and Learning Foundation (LLF)
Mb. No. – 9818262755