Myanmar: Consultancy, Gemstone Peer Reviewer

Nov 29, 2020 | Natural Resource Governance Institute
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The Natural Resource Governance Institute is an independent nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving countries' governance over their natural resources to promote sustainable and inclusive development.

As part of the 2021 Resource Governance Index project, NRGI seeks to hire an experienced research expert to peer review and fact check a questionnaire for the Myanmar gemstones sector.

1. About NRGI and the Resource Governance Index (RGI)

Countries that are rich in oil, gas, and minerals face a critical development challenge. When used well, these resources can create greater prosperity for current and future generations; used poorly, or squandered, they can cause economic instability, social conflict, and lasting environmental damage. Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is a non-governmental organization dedicated to helping communities and nations benefit from their countries’ endowments of oil, gas, and minerals. For more information about NRGI, please refer to this short introduction and our 2020-2025 Strategy.

NRGI produces the Resource Governance Index (RGI), a tool for measuring the quality of governance in the oil, gas and mining sectors across a range of countries with considerable oil, gas and/or mineral reserves. The RGI is based on the premise that good governance of natural resources is necessary for the successful development of countries with abundant oil, gas and minerals. It provides a diagnostic tool to help identify good practices as well as shortcomings in governance. The most recent edition of the index is the 2017 Resource Governance Index; you can learn more about the results at www.resourcegovernanceindex.org/ .

Following positive outcomes from the first two editions of the Resource Governance index in 2013 and 2017, NRGI is launching the next edition of the project: the 2021 Resource Governance Index.

2. Responsibilities of the peer reviewer

The peer reviewer will be responsible for reviewing and fact-checking the detailed questionnaire completed by the researcher for the country of Myanmar with respect to the gemstone sector. The peer reviewer will review information provided to justify the answers selected by the researcher related to overall governance of the extractives sector, including government reporting and disclosure practices and information about Myanmar’s legal framework. The peer reviewer will objectively conclude if the answer provided by the researcher is correct or can be disputed.

The peer reviewer will review the completed RGI questionnaire for completeness, factual errors and missing data or sources of information. In order to complete the review, peer reviewers will consult various publicly available official documents.

NRGI will provide all necessary tools needed for the review of the questionnaire and information management. The peer reviewer will insert their objective review of an answers accuracy in the Microsoft Excel workbook where the initial research is presented. The peer reviewer will have access to all the documents necessary for the peer review and any new supporting documents the peer reviewer provides will be collected and stored in Google Drive. The process has been designed such that work can be done offline.

NRGI will provide full on-boarding and instructions to completing the peer review. NRGI will also provide on-going assistance to the peer reviewer during the process to answer questions about the methodology and ensure high quality, consistent peer review.

Following peer review, the research which initially completed the questionnaire will be asked to follow-up on specific questions, to provide further evidence or clarifications in response to concerns following the review.

3. Deliverables and compensation

Peer Reviewers will produce the following deliverables:

Completed select group of questions

Due date: 5 days after the start date, as agreed with NRGI staff

The peer reviewer will review and fact check a group of approximately 10 questions as agreed with NRGI staff. For each question, the peer reviewer will validate the researcher’s answer or flag inaccuracies, writing a justification explaining any different choice of answer, with evidence to support it.

This deliverable serves as a review point in the peer reviewer’s work process and NRGI staff will check the answers, provide feedback and tips if required. Consultants are, however, encouraged to ask questions at any point and not wait for this review point to raise any challenges.

Completed questionnaire

Due date: 5 February 2021, or as agreed with NRGI

The peer reviewer will complete a review and fact check of the entire RGI questionnaire. For each question, the peer reviewer will validate the researcher’s answer or flag inaccuracies, writing a justification explaining any different choice of answer, with evidence to support it.

Answering the questionnaire includes writing a justification explaining the choice of each answer, and providing evidence (e.g. legislation, company reports) to support it. It is important that peer reviewers provide full evidence for every point made so that NRGI staff can independently confirm the answers and take a decision when the researcher and peer reviewer have come to different conclusions. The evidence will generally involve at least one of the following:

  • A full citation, URL reference (where possible) and PDF of an official government document that supports or provides a foundation for the answer choice,
  • A full citation, URL reference (where possible) and PDF of relevant newspaper articles, academic papers, books or reports by local or international institutions.

Official documents are the strongest form of evidence, and peer reviewers should cite these wherever possible. Please note that there is no need for the peer reviewer to consult with other people or visit any establishment in person in order to answer the questionnaire. Key documents to be used as evidence include, but are not limited to:​​​​

  • Legislation
  • Government reports
  • Natural resource contracts
  • Environmental and social impact reports
  • Petroleum, gas and mining statistical reports or databases
  • Annual and in-year reports
  • EITI reports
  • Auditors’ reports

4. Qualifications

It is expected that the researcher will possess the following qualifications:

  • Graduate degree in Law, International Affairs, International Development, Political Sciences, Economics, or similar disciplines.
  • Demonstrated desk-based research skills.
  • Strong interviewing skills and familiarity with expert survey and research methodologies.
  • Detailed knowledge of extractive industries operating in the given region as well as of the political context of the region.
  • Interest in good governance or previous work on projects to improve transparency and accountability in the extractive sector.
  • Familiarity with the movement for greater transparency in the extractives sector, including initiatives led by NRGI, as well as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Publish What You Pay (PWYP), among others.
  • Attention to detail; ability to meet deadlines.
  • Responsiveness to inquiries and excellent communication skills.
  • Independence from government and extractive companies.

5. Duration

The entire research process for the 2021 Resource Governance Index will take place between August 2020 and March 2021. Consultant peer reviewers will start work at the end of December 2020 or early January 2021 and are required to complete the questionnaire by early-February 2020.

Peer reviewers are expected to be available for follow up questions during the remainder of February 2021.  Actual dates of implementation will depend on the date when work is started and the peer reviewer will receive deadlines for deliverables based on the start date. 

6. Fee

NRGI will compensate the peer reviewer upon satisfactory performance of the work, assignments and tasks outlined in this Terms of Reference at a rate of USD $1,500 for each assigned questionnaire.

Please note that peer reviewers will be compensated after satisfactory completion of the work and compensation will not be based on an hourly or daily rate.

7. Qualifications

Consultants will sign a contract with Natural Resource Governance Institute. Terms and conditions include confidentiality, no conflicts of interest and that the work product will be intellectual property of NRGI. If consultants are interested, their contributions can be acknowledged in this published edition of the Resource Governance Index.

8. Application procedures

Applications should consist of a cover letter and CV, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis up to the closing date. Applications can be submitted through this link.

NRGI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NRGI considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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