Consultancy - Organisational Capacities - Naseej

Deadline Date ‎2022-‎06-‎30## TERMS OF REFERENCE

Strengthening Partners’ Organisational Capacities

1. Background
   This capacity building activity in Iraq is planned as part of the project
   entitled Naseej - Connecting Voices and Action to End Violence Against Women
   and Girls in the MENA Region funded by the EU and implemented by Oxfam in
   Iraq, in OpT and in Yemen. s .
   Since ‎2020, the Naseej project has been providing grants to Civil Society
   Organisations (CSOs), Women-led (WLOs) and Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs)
   to realise actions against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and for
   gender equality, through programming and advocacy. The project has also
   included capacity strengthening actions with the grantees and partners to
   support their technical and organisational development as civil society actors
   working on gender equality and women’s rights.
   This activity is planned to be delivered in the final stages of the project
   implementation and contributes to the project’s exit strategy. More generally,
   it is part of Oxfam’s strategy to continuously support the development,
   sustainability and strategic positioning of CSOs, WLOs/WROs in view of
   empowering the feminist and women’s movements for gender justice in Iraq. In
   this perspective the activity is meant to provide insights and recommendations
   to continue our support to our partners beyond the scope of the Naseej
   project.


2. Purpose and Objectives
   The capacity building activity seeks to establish strengths, areas for further
   consolidation and key recommendations in terms of organisational development
   of Naseej partner WROs and CSOs, in view of their contribution to sustaining
   services and advocacy efforts to end SGBV.
   It is meant to provide both a concluding assessment of capacity strengthening
   undertaken so far, a baseline for future development and strategic advice in
   that regard.
   The activity builds upon the conclusion of trainings and other capacity
   strengthening actions that have taken place under the project on several
   thematic areas (see details hereafter), and more generally, on partner
   assessments to grow as gender-just organisations, positioned and equipped to
   tackle SGBV as a systemic, gender inequality issue.

1. Scope and Methodology
   The capacity building activity will encompass two levels of assessment and
   strategic recommendations for further development:


2. At a first level: Assessing the progress of the capacity strengthening activities targeting up to ‎10 partner organisations from January to April ‎2022, using indicators outlined under several thematic areas, and identifying key recommendations/roadmap for further improvement.
   The thematic areas are as follows: financial management, logistics
   management, human resources management, safeguarding and safe programming,
   MEAL, writing skills. Further work is also being undertaken with partners on
   capacity for SGBV programming and advocacy, and gender/gender mainstreaming in
   general.


3. At a secondary, higher level: Through consultation sessions with the partners (up to ‎10 organisations), assessing gaps and opportunities for organisational development as gender-just organisations, examing key dimensions of strategic management and work, particularly with respect to sustaining services and advocacy efforts against SGBV.
   The key dimensions tentatively include: (i) Quality of management,
   programming and sustainability of the local organisations, and extent to which
   they are using best-practice governance and management practices (e.g. using
   reporting system, following a risk management strategy, having a funding
   diversification strategy, …); (ii) Quality of work in general, programming and
   advocacy (including e.g. reach of programmes, diversification of advocacy
   methods, engagement with networks and alliances, …). These dimensions can be
   informed by transformative leadership for women’s rights and other domains
   presented, for instance, in Oxfam’s diagnostic tool for gender-just
   organisational development available at:
   https://www.oxfam.ca/publication/oxfam-canadas-capacity-assessment-tool-for-
   gender-just-organizational-strengthening/.


4. The capacity building activity will then, through a consultation process, provide strategic advice on organisational development to the senior management at partner organisations and possibly initial coaching to set improvements in motion upon immediate feasibility.
   The selected consultant is expected to employ a participatory methodology to
   deliver the assignment. The partners are located in Diyala, Anbar and Baghdad
   and the consultant is expected to spend ‎1-‎2 days with each organisation.
   Ideally, the consultant will engage online data collection methods as well as
   in-person visits to each partner head office.
   The audience will include: the partners themselves, the Naseej project team,
   the Gender Justice Programme Manager and other Gender Justice project teams
   who will benefit from the assessments and key recommendations for further
   support to CSOs and WROs.


5. Deliverables
   The completion of the assignment includes the following deliverables:
   - Inception report (English);
   - Draft methodological tool for first-level assessment of the progress in
   thematic capacity strengthening areas based on indicators [English], and
   report on the assessment;
   - Draft methodological tool for second-level assessment of partners’
   strengths and weaknesses, with a particular focus in developing as gender-just
   organisations and bearing mind their work on eliminating GBV (Arabic,
   English), and report on theassessment;
   - Final report with summary of partners’ capacities and the list of strategic
   recommendations provided to partners for enhancing their organisational
   development and conclusions of any coaching sessions held with them.


6. Supervision and Management
   The assignment will be supervised by the Naseej Project Manager and Gender
   Justice Programme Manager in close coordination with Partners Focal Points in
   Diyala and Anbar. The final payment will be released upon written approval of
   all deliverables by the Naseej Project Manager and Gender Justice Programme
   Manager.


7. Ethical Requirements
   There are risks in conducting interviews, particularly during a global
   pandemic. Participants may have difficulties taking the time to be interviewed
   amidst care and other responsibilities or face technical difficulties. We will
   work closely to continuously identify, assess, and monitor potential risks and
   unintended negative consequences, and decide if and how we should move forward
   with the data collection and expect the consultant to participate in that
   effort.
   In addition, care will be taken to maintain safe programming and safeguarding.
   Capacity building participants will be provided with the necessary information
   about the activity so that they can provide their informed consent (with the
   option of being able to retract it if the need arises) and will be provided
   with the mechanisms available to them in case a problem arises (Ethics Point,
   etc.).
   Lastly, this project will follow responsible and ethical data
   policies,[‎1]
   including informed and voluntary consent. In particular, all partners involved
   in the Naseej project undertake action, one way or another, on issues of
   women’s rights, gender equality and SGBV. In this view, it is expected that
   the Consultant abide by ethical standards – in particular on SGBV-related
   research/programming – when examining organisational strengths and areas for
   improvement. Also, interviewees will have the option to be anonymous if they
   so wish and may opt out of the project at any time. Data will be stored safely
   – with identifying information removed if requested – and will be deleted when
   no longer needed.


8. Time Frame
   The assignment is expected to be carried in June-July ‎2022. The consultancy is
   estimated to require around ‎30-‎40 working days. The timeline will be refined
   based on the work plan submitted by the consultant.


9. Budget
   A full financial plan should be submitted by the consultant for their fees
   using the template attached with detailed breakdown of costs: per cost
   category (e.g. daily fees, equipment, …); and per task/deliverable.
   [‎1] Oxfam’s
   Responsible Program Data Policy (‎2015).
   https://oxfam.app.box.com/s/upzivp7d34rvkmydvn5b2ca3t7mp0c57Knowledge and Experience
   - Strong knowledge and experience in providing strategic advice on
   organisational development to civil society organisations
   - Experience with civil society development and capacity assessment and
   organisational diagnostic tools and methodologies
   - Strong understanding of gender dimensions in organisational development,
   e.g. through experience in gender mainstreaming not only in projects but in
   structure, gender audits, WRO strategic and leadership support, …
   - Knowledge of project/programme cycle management
   - Familiarity with interventions aiming to end gender-based violence in Iraq;
   overall knowledge of technical standards and organisational requirements for
   providers of SGBV protection services, familiarity with advocacy efforts on
   SGBV/against VAWG; understanding of issues of safety, confidentiality and
   ethical requirements in the work around SGBV
   - Fluency in English and Arabic
   - Ability to travel
   - Familiary with Oxfam’s mission; adherence to the organizational code of
   conduct and safe programming principlesInterested individuals, with relevant experience and skills based on the ToR,
   can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI), including the following:


10. Cover letter of no more than ‎1 page introducing the consultant and intention to deliver the assignment. The cover letter should also indicate the consultants’ availability for the proposed period.


11. The technical proposal should provide details on proposed methodology responding to the ToR and the deliverables; capacity in line with the competencies required for the assignment, including references to experience with similar assignments; CV of the individual directly involved in the assignment, including their specific roles; and three professional referees. A technical proposal should not be longer than ‎7 pages, excluding annexes.


12. The financial proposal includes a one-page budget of the offer, covering all major anticipated costs. An accompanying work plan must be submitted too.


13. Statement on the willingness to follow Oxfam’s Code of Conduct and guidance regarding safe programming*.
    Please submit the EOI and other documents by midnight Iraq time by ‎30 June
    to [email protected] with
    Organisational Capacities - Naseej in the subject line. No EOIs will be
    accepted after the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
    All questions or clarifications of a technical nature are to be sent to:
    [email protected] no later
    than ‎26 of May ‎2022, ‎5 pm. Interested applicants can collect the Terms of
    Reference (TOR) at Oxfam in Iraq Country Office, starting from May ‎2022
    (during working hours). Alternatively, the Oxfam Logistics team can send the
    ToR via email upon request .*
    the advert will continue till the consultant is selected.
    TOR LINK:
    https://jobs.oxfam.org.uk/vacancy/‎17139/description
    This invitation to tender has been issued for the sole purpose of obtaining
    offers for the provision of the services requested in this TOR. Oxfam reserves
    the right not to enter in or award a contract as a result of this invitation
    to tender. Oxfam also reserves the right to terminate any contract issued as a
    result of this invitation to tender as set out in the contract terms and
    conditions.