1. Background
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is implementing the “Strengthening African Leadership for Climate Change Adaptation” programme, which aims to improve the performance of organizations working in the area of climate change adaptation to a sustainable ecosystem for adaptation to climate change on the African continent. The overall expected outcome of the program is to have a strong group of African-based and African-led organizations capable of shaping Africa's response to climate change through effective policy dialogue, advocacy and using a common voice to raise awareness and influence policy.
More specifically, the program will strengthen the capacity of selected organizations to play a leading role in climate adaptation by improving their efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability, while improving their capacity to develop an organizational culture of excellence, with the overall aim of improving the continent's capacity to undertake the necessary actions to prepare for and adapt to the current and future impacts of climate change.
The program emphasizes a data- and evidence-based approach in its implementation, as well as gender sensitivity and social inclusion in the climate adaptation strategies of selected organizations. As part of its implementation strategy, the program has developed and is implementing customized performance improvement plans (CICIPs) through a capacity needs assessment (CNA) process, to address priority capacity challenges of target organizations working with poor and vulnerable African communities to develop sustainable and resilient climate adaptation strategies.
As part of the implementation of the SALCA, four organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa have been selected, including the African Center for Equitable Development (ACED), a think-and-do tank driving equitable development across Africa. ACED serves as a catalyst for positive change, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and sustainable solutions to address the continent's most pressing development.
Through building partnerships, sharing expertise, and developing sustainable solutions, ACED guides and supports policymakers and practitioners in making fair, inclusive, and informed decisions.
The CNA process recommended that ACED develop a Programme Management Manual to strengthen its programs management practices and decision-making processes, thereby furthering its mission to drive equitable development in Africa. It is in this context that ACBF seeks to recruit an individual consultant to support the development of ACED’s Programme Management Manual.
2. Objectives of the Assignment
The primary objective of this consultancy is to develop a detailed Projects / Programmes Management Manual tailored to the specific needs and objectives of ACED. The manual should provide clear guidelines, procedures, and best practices for effective project and programme management across all thematic areas. Additionally, the consultant will deliver training sessions to staff members, ensuring their understanding and effective utilization of the manual's content. The consultant will also recommend a suitable Program Management Software to support the adoption and implementation of the manual.
3. Scope of Work
The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Conducting a thorough review of existing project and programme management processes, documents, and tools within the organization.
- Identifying gaps, challenges, and areas for improvement in current project and programme management practices.
- Consulting with key stakeholders, including project managers, programme coordinators, and senior management, to understand their needs and expectations regarding project and programme management.
- Developing a comprehensive Project/Programme Management Manual that covers key areas such as project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, risk management, budgeting, reporting, and knowledge management.
- Ensuring alignment of the manual with organizational policies, procedures, and strategic objectives.
- Incorporating relevant best practices and standards in project and programme management.
- Designing user-friendly templates and tools to support project and programme management activities.
4. Identifying the best program management software that can be customized for the organization.
- Facilitating consultations and workshops with relevant stakeholders to gather input and feedback on the draft manual.
- Revising and finalizing the manual based on feedback received from stakeholders and organizational leadership.
- Providing in-person engaging and interactive training sessions to relevant staff members on how to effectively use the manual and associated tools.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the training sessions.
- Prepare comprehensive reports documenting the process, outcomes, and recommendations arising from the development of the Program Management Manual and the training sessions.
5. Methodology
The assignment will be conducted using various methods such as but not limited to:
- Desk review of relevant documents.
- Interviews with staff and relevant stakeholders.
- Focus group meetings and key informant interviews with identified staff members.
- Any other methodology deemed appropriate by the consultant for achieving the objectives of the consultancy.
6. Expected Deliverables and timelines.
The consultant is expected to deliver the following deliverables:
- Inception Report outlining the proposed approach, methodology, and work plan for manual development.
- Draft Project/Program Management Manual for review and feedback.
- Final Project/Program Management Manual incorporating revisions and feedback received.
- User-friendly templates and tools to support project and program management activities.
- Submission of specifications of cost-effective Program Management software
- A training plan outlining the key topics, activities, and duration of the staff member training sessions.
- Training materials and presentations for staff training sessions
- A training report summarizing participant feedback and recommendations for ongoing capacity-building efforts.
- The final updated Programme Management Manual suitable for distribution and reference by staff members.
The outputs must match quality standards. The text of the reports should be illustrated as appropriate. The final delivery of the manual and training materials along with other relevant attachments is expected to be submitted by November 30th, 2024. The deliverables and tentative timeline are presented in Table 1 below.
Table1. Delivery Schedule
|
No. |
Milestones |
Timeline |
|
1. |
Submission of Inception report and clear methodology for the assignment |
September 05th 2024 |
|
2. |
Assessment report of ACED’s Program Management capacity |
September 20th 2024 |
|
3. |
Submission of first draft version of the Programme Management Manual for review and feedback |
September 30th 2024 |
|
4. |
Comments and revision from ACED |
October 05th 2024 |
|
5. |
Submission of specifications of program management software |
October 05th 2024 |
|
6. |
Presentation of the revised report and validation |
October 10th 2024 |
|
7. |
Development of training plan and facilitation of ACED staff training on the Manual. |
from November 11th to November 20th 2024 |
|
8. |
Submission of report and final version of the Programme Management Manual and other deliverables. |
November 30th 2024 |
7. Academic profile, experiences, skills
To fulfil the requirements of this consultancy, the candidate should possess:
- A master’s degree in project and program management, preferably in the development sector, or Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in developing and implementing programme management manual, guidelines, and tools, preferably for non-profit organizations or research institutions.
- Strong understanding of project management methodologies, frameworks, software, and best practices.
- Experience working with diverse stakeholders and facilitating participatory processes.
- Familiarity with thematic areas such as food systems, digital economy, nature economy, and human development would be an asset.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Proficient in program management methodologies.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders at all levels.
- Strong writing and editing skills, with the ability to develop clear, concise, and user-friendly manuals.
- Experience in facilitating training sessions and workshops.
- Proficiency in relevant software tools for Programme management.
- Fluency in French (required).
8. Supervision and duration of the assignment and remuneration
The provisional start date for this assignment is September 2nd, 2024, with an expected end date of November 30th, spanning a maximum of 60 calendar days. The consultant will submit a financial proposal in their application for this assignment. The consultancy fee excludes travel expenses and per diems which will be paid by ACBF.
9. Location and working arrangements.
This assignment will be predominantly carried out remotely with some travel missions primarily to Benin. The Consultant may work in his own office or that of the ACED regional coordination office in Cotonou. The Consultant will be given access to the relevant information required to carry out the tasks set out in this assignment. The consultant will be required to provide his/her own workstation (laptop, Internet, telephone, scanner/printer, etc.) and have access to a reliable Internet connection.
ACED, in collaboration with ACBF, will review draft reports for quality assurance and provide feedback on the deliverables. Approval of the documents and reports by ACED as deliverables will be a prerequisite before any payment to be made to the consultant.
10. Language
All reports and documents must be presented in French and English.
Evaluation
The proposals will be evaluated based on the Consultant’s Qualifications Selection. The technical evaluation committee shall consider the technical proposals based on their responsiveness to the Terms of Reference, with a minimum technical score required of 70 points. The evaluation of applications will be based on the criteria presented in the table below;
The evaluation of applications will be based on the criteria presented in the table 2
Table 2: Evaluation criteria
|
N° |
Criteria |
Maximum Point |
|
01 |
Hold a master’s degree in Program management, preferably in the development sector, or Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field. |
15 |
|
02 |
Proven 10 years’ experience in developing and implementing program management manual, guidelines, and tools, preferably for non-profit organizations or research institutions |
30 |
|
03 |
Proven 5 years’ experience in project management methodologies, frameworks, software, and best practices for development/research institutions. |
20 |
|
04 |
Proven a minimum of 2 samples of program management manual developed |
10 |
|
05 |
Proven experience facilitating training on program management within development/research institutions. |
10 |
|
06 |
Excellent written and oral communication skills in French |
15 |
|
|
Total |
100 |
11. Application process
- A cover letter outlining how the candidate meets the above qualifications.
- A Technical proposal to ACED interpreting the terms of reference and elaborating the consultancy methodology and design, level of effort required to fully deliver the assignment,
- Brief overview of consultant or and the skills and experience they would bring to assignment. The consultant should submit a resume - maximum 3 pages
- Copies of two similar assignments undertaken in the last 5 years and contacts of the clients, contact details of three referees from organizations that have recently contracted the consultant for similar or related work with in the last 5 years.
- A financial proposal with an encrypted password – Financial proposals must include a detailed breakdown of the costs of the services proposed to be offered in response to Table 1. Delivery Schedule
12. Interested Individual consultants are requested to submit their bid with the subject marked RFP Process No.: ACBF/REOI/007/24/ACED/SALCA “Develop a Programme Management Manual for ACED” to email address procurement@acbf-pact.org on or before 17.00 hours (local Harare time), on 12th July 2024
