NRC EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT(S)
1. INTRODUCTION
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization advocates for the rights of displaced populations, with a history dating back to World War Two. NRC operates in over 40 countries, addressing new and protracted crises. NRC specializes in six core areas: food security, education, shelter, legal assistance, protection from violence, and water, sanitation, and hygiene. As an organization, NRC is committed to advocating for the rights and dignity of displaced individuals, both within local communities and on the global stage.
2. CONSULTANCY BACKGROUND
The NRC Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) covering 10 countries (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan), is seeking to pre-qualify proposal writing consultants to work on both regional and country office (CO) specific proposals over the course of 2024 to 2026. Proposals will be from various donors and will vary in size, scope, complexity, and duration. The consultant(s) will work closely with relevant Programmes Delivery Units, Core Competency and Thematic Specialists and advisers, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), Finance, and Advocacy teams in the development of high-quality concept notes/proposals for institutional donors, as well as other governmental, non-traditional, and corporate donors.
3. SCOPE OF WORK
Key Areas of Responsibilities include:
- Reading and understanding all necessary and supplementary documents related to the Solicitation which may include but not limited to:
- Call for proposals and related documents.
- Donor Strategies (At Country, Regional or Global level)
- Related Assessments (NRC or external)
- Understanding of due diligence requirements and strategic thinking on how to meet them the set criteria and achieve outcome of the application.
- Lead on and streamline communication on a regular and timely basis regarding the progress of the proposal development process.
- Design, organize or participate in a kick off/ proposal planning meeting with stakeholders, allocate roles, and responsibilities throughout the proposal development stages.
- Lead on the proposal design workshop(s)
- Mapping key steps and workflow including identifying decision-making and other checkpoints for all partners and stakeholders.
- Create a Proposal Development Plan/ Gantt Chart outlining dates and responsible individuals; seek consensus from all involved parties.
- Ensure a shared understanding among all stakeholders of the essential requirements of the proposal.
- Manage the overall proposal development process in line with the established timelines and in collaboration with the Regional Office (RO) or relevant Country Office (CO), ensuring effective communication with all relevant parties throughout.
- Lead the integration of inputs from technical experts and staff into a cohesive narrative that clearly communicates NRC approaches and technical solutions and is compliant with all donor instructions and requirements.
- Collaborate with the Country Office (CO), regional technical staff and /or Head Office Based Institutional Partnerships Advisers to integrate cross-cutting themes into the design and narrative of the proposal.
- Collaborate with CO and/ Or Regional programmes and Finance teams on the development of the budget and budget narrative, ensuring alignment with thematic narratives and meeting specified requirements.
- Work with the Head of Programmes, Grants teams and Regional Programme Advisers to incorporate feedback from proposal reviewers.
- In specific instances, liaise with partner organizations to ensure their comprehension of call requirements and provide necessary support for their contributions.
- Format and edit proposals, ensuring the production of high-quality final documents.
- Adhere to the proposal calendar and meet established deadlines.
- Prior to submission, ensure that all proposals undergo review and approval by the relevant parties as appropriate.
NB: The scope of consultancy may include application where NRC is applying as an individual organisation, or in a consortium where NRC is lead. Therefore the consultant may therefore be tasked to facilitate consortium building and/or local stakeholder involvement, or undertake activities 1-17 mentioned above, as necessary.
4. DELIVERABLES
A Process Workflow /Gnatt Chart: The chart describing key steps, roles and responsibilities of tasks identified to be undertaken by consultant, staffs, partners involved in the proposal and budget development.
Agreed sets of minimum standards: Guidelines to support the proposal and budget development.
Final Proposal: Deliver quality (tone, content, design) final project proposal that meets the due diligence requirements of the call including NRC and donor strategic objectives and programming priorities, and outlines the following:
- Theory of change for the whole project
- Risk Framework (organizational, institutional and political etc.
- All Annexes (including logical framework, workplan and budget etc)
- Any other document that may be specified based on the call
Proposed Start, : On need basis once prequalified.
Type of Contract: Consultancy Agreement at pre-agreed daily rate
Location: Determined based on the nature of the call
Reporting To: Determined based on the nature of the call
Mode of Delivery (Remote or Physical): Determined based on the nature of the call.
5. QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONSULTANT(S)
Proposals should be submitted by 10th May 2024 strictly through the Digital Procurement System (DPS) https://eaydps.nrc.no for further consideration on Failure to meet the closing date and manner of submission will result in the proposal being rejected.
Applications should include the following:
- Cover Letter including all successful proposals developed and funded.
- Curriculum Vitae of the Consultant (whenever the applicant is a team of consultants, the information of Lead Consultant should be presented), indicating relevant past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Applicant and at least three (3) professional references;
- Demonstrated background in proposal and budgeting tools development.
- Evidence/Sample of related previous proposal that clearly presents methodology and includes a clear project plan including timeline, key deliverables and number of days for each area of work to be performed, as well as includes the description of the team involved. Please provide information evidencing your experience of having provided services similar to those required or expertise that would allow you to carry out the services required.
- Financial offer (daily rate/ monthly rate/ etc ) in USD
Qualifications
- Significant experience in leading and developing the preparation of proposals for relevant donors, including budget preparation.
- Experience in leading teams in the preparation of successful funding proposals, for Humanitarian and development donors.
- Experience with working on proposals for any/ or most institutional donors including but not limited to ECW, INTPA, ECHO, BHA, BPRM, GAC, FCDO, GIZ, AfDB, USAID, BHA, FCDO, KfW, and the World Bank.
- Excellent writing skills and the ability to communicate complex technical ideas in a clear and compelling way, responsive to priorities interests and strategy of a particular donor.
- Ability to synthesize inputs from multiple sources into one cohesive document with a unified voice.
- A good understanding of international Humanitarian and development programmes including terminology and language.
- A good understanding of the contexts where NRC ESARO operates in.
- Ability to work under pressure and within deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Excellent and fluent written and spoken English.
- Capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in a difficult and (sometimes) challenging working environment(s)
-Ends-
How to apply
Proposals should be submitted by 10th May 2024 strictly through the Digital Procurement System (DPS) https://eaydps.nrc.no for further consideration on Failure to meet the closing date and manner of submission will result in the proposal being rejected.
Applications should include the following:
- Cover Letter including all successful proposals developed and funded.
- Curriculum Vitae of the Consultant (whenever the applicant is a team of consultants, the information of Lead Consultant should be presented), indicating relevant past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Applicant and at least three (3) professional references.
- Demonstrated background in proposal and budgeting tools development.
- Evidence/Sample of related previous proposal that clearly presents methodology and includes a clear project plan including timeline, key deliverables and number of days for each area of work to be performed, as well as includes the description of the team involved. Please provide information evidencing your experience of having provided services similar to those required or expertise that would allow you to carry out the services required.
- Financial offer (daily rate/ monthly rate/ etc) in USD