Developing a technical proposal - Nairobi at Hivos East Africa

Background

Hivos East Africa wishes to respond to a call on: Devolution by DFID. The Devolution agenda is currently being advanced by different programs in Hivos: Open Up Contracting, Protecting Rights, Openness and Transparency-Enhancing Civic Transformation (PROTECT) and Voice. The programs engage with county governments, national government agencies, oversight agencies, civil society, networks/coalitions of civil society organizations,media outlets and independent journalists and business sector actors in critical areas.

Building on experiences from the above mentioned programs, Hivos East Africa would like to expand and deepen its engagement at sub-national level specifically on issues of freedom and accountability through designing a new programe in response to the DFID tender on devolution.

We are seeking a suitably qualified consultant(s) to develop the technical program proposal in accordance with the DFID Terms of Reference and requirements.

Objectives

To develop a complete technical program proposal complete with a theory of change, activities and work plan.

Scope

The consultant(s) will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

• Review UK / Kenya Strategies informing the DFID Kenya Devolution Program and other critical literature
• Review the new DFID Kenya Devolution Program Tenders documents[1], key program documents, program implementation models for Hivos and partner(s) and other relevant program documents.
• Develop a draft technical proposal outline including key components in consultation with Hivos and partner organization(s)
• Co-facilitate a 2 day proposal design workshop (Mid-November 2019) in Nairobi to develop a theory of change and obtain further input and insights to improve the design of the proposal. Participants for the workshop will include representatives drawn from partner organization(s).
• Based on the draft program proposal and outcome of the proposal design workshop, develop a comprehensive proposal narrative including a refined theory of change, activities, work plan and any other relevant information as per the DFID Tender guidelines.
• Submit the final draft proposal for review and incorporate feedback from review.

Outputs

The consultant(s) will be expected to deliver the following outputs for final review, approval and submission to DFID:

• Complete technical proposal
• Stakeholders’ workshop report
• Program budget
• Theory of change
• Work plan

Management and support

The consultant(s) will work closely with the Program Development Manager-Freedom & Accountability and will be supported by a technical team from Hivos. The consultant(s) will be expected to work collaboratively with Hivos team and all partners involved in the design of the program.

Timelines

The exact timelines will be aligned to the DFID Tender Submission deadline following the publication of the Tender in November 2019. Consultancy assignment is expected to take at least 20 working days with the final technical proposal submitted not later than five days before the DFID submission deadline.

Qualifications

• University degree in development studies, political science, governance and anti-corruption.
• Minimum 10 years of experience of leading the design, execution, and management of programs in the development context. Strong program design skills, including capacity to prepare logical, coherent, and consistent technical documents including log frames and budgets.
• Prior demonstrated experience of developing and writing proposals for DFID.
• Ability to integrate different experiences, methodologies, and approaches from diverse organizations into program design and facilitation of workshops.
• Ability to translate research and evidence into the design new programs.
• Proven ability to work in a multi-stakeholder and multi-cultural setting and sensitivity to gender equality and diversity.
• Previous experience working in Kenya with specific understanding of the political and economic context at national and county levels including on issues around anti-corruption, inequality and marginalization.
• Demonstrated strong writing skills in English and demonstrated ability to adapt writing style to diverse audiences including funding agencies.
• Access to appropriate networks. Fluency in English and Swahili languages are preferred.
• Flexibility to adapt to any subsequent changes in the scope of work and general terms of reference.