TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToRs)

FOR THE

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF

THE THIRD (3^rd) STRATEGIC PLAN (2011-2015)

FOR THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM

1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The SADC Parliamentary Forum, established in 1996 and formalized by SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in 1997, is a Regional Parliamentary organization representing fourteen (14) SADC Member Parliaments. The Forum has gone through two strategic phases namely, 2000-2005 and 2006-2010, respectively. During the 1^st Phase, the organization identified its unique niche and strategies to fulfilling that whilst the second phase served to consolidate the Forum’s role as an important player in SADC integration.

Through the 2005 – 2010 Strategic Plan, the Forum aspired to be ‘a delivery-focused, people-centered institution that accelerates and promotes parliamentary participation in regional decision making for the benefit of the citizens of SADC.’ 

This was mainly to be achieved through four (4) important Strategic Objectives which are;

1. Improved Institutions of Democratic Governance in the SADC region,
2. Effective Implementation of Regional Integration Programmes,
3. Increased Professional Performance of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Staff under the Parliamentary Leadership Centre (PLC), and finally through,
4.  Strategic Partnerships and Alliances established for Parliamentary Cooperation.

2.      SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Having been in existence for fourteen (14) years now and successfully completed two strategic phases, the SADC Parliamentary Forum is in need of a third (3^rd) Strategic Plan (2011-2015) to guide the implementation of its mandate. Such a Document is primarily expected to take account of gains and challenges experienced through past implementation and should be aligned to overall vision and positioning of the organization. Principally, the exercise is expected to identify or affirm the Forum’s Vision, Mission, Strategic Objectives and core values. A comparative analysis of the role and mandate of the SADC Parliamentary Forum vis-à-vis SADC member Parliaments, similar regional parliamentary bodies and other SADC institutions will be required.

The Consultant is therefore expected to undertake the following specific activities:

2.1    Consult with the Secretary General (SG) and his Management Team in order to get an understanding of the direction of the Forum given the ongoing reforms;

2.2    Review the two previous Strategic Plans to get a sense of where the Forum has come from;

2.3    Prepare a Work Plan within three (3) days of commission outlining the methodology to be used in carrying out the assignment;

2.4    Consult widely with relevant stakeholders on the subject;

2.5    Prepare a draft Strategic Plan;

2.6    Present the draft Strategic Plan at a workshop or forum for comments;

2.7    Finalize the draft Strategic Plan taking into account comments received at the workshop and through other consultations;

2.8    Present the final draft Strategic Plan to the Secretary General in both electronic version and hard copies; and

2.9    Remain available to include final comments and inputs of the wider Forum membership as may be obtained from the Executive Committee or by any other organ of the Forum.     

3.         Deliverables

The Consultant shall produce as a final output…

1. The SADC Parliamentary Forum Strategic Plan 2011-2015 Document.

4.         MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1. The Consultant will work closely with the designated lead person and is expected to also  and on a regular basis brief the Secretary General on progress being made;
2. The Schedule of deliverables is as follows;

1. Work Plan and Methodology to be presented within three (3) days after signing the contract,
2. Report on Findings to Secretary General and Management in the 3^rd week,
3. 1^st draft Strategic Plan Document presented at a workshop in the 4^th week,
4. Final draft Strategic Plan Document incorporating comments and any changes by the Secretary General and management in the 5^th week of the assignment.
5. In cooperation of all and final comments received after presentation of the draft document to the relevant organs/committees of the Forum.  

5.         DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The expected duration of the assignment is a maximum of five (5) weeks from the commencement date of 26 July 2010 and not going beyond 31 August 2010.

 6.        QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The assignment will require a high level of technical competence in strategic and project management, preferably at regional and/or international level. Experience and exposure to parliamentary, public or regional and international institutions’ evaluations and management will be an added advantage.  

Thus, the consultant should have:

1. A university degree, preferably a Masters in either Management or Public

       Administration or any other related discipline,

6.2  Minimum 5 years demonstrated experience in assessment, reforms and

       organisation development (OD) of Public Sector, civil society organisations

       (CSOs) and/or Regional or International Organisations,

6.3  Experience in working with parliaments and or SADC institutions will be an added

       advantage,

6.4  Excellent written and oral skills in English.

7.         PROPOSAL DETAILS FROM TENDERERS

Any consultancy firm or individual interested in undertaking the assignment is invited to submit a proposal outlining the approach to be used in carrying out the assignment and quote for professional fees for the entire assignment in US Dollars.

The proposal should include the following:

1. Details of the firm or individual;
2. Details of the experience of the firm or individual relevant to this assignment;
3. A detailed Work Plan and the proposed Methodology, which shall include full justification for procedures to be adopted;
4. Financial Proposal; and
5. Three traceable References on recent relevant work by the firm or individual.

8.         Payment for Services

Payment for the Consultancy Services will be as follows and upon approval of the documents by the Forum Management:

1. Upon presentation of the Outline of the Work Plan - 25%;
2. Upon presentation of First Draft - 25%; and
3. Upon presentation and approval of copies of the Final Draft of the SADC Parliamentary Forum Strategic Plan (2011-2015) - 50%.

9.         ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Tenderer may also submit:

1. Information on any ongoing or successfully completed similar project.
2. Any other information that would help in the choice of the consultancy firm or individual.

10.        EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

A one-stage procedure will be adopted for evaluating the proposals, i.e., the technical and financial evaluations will be combined.

The overall evaluation parameters will be as follows:

1. Technical - 70%
2. Financial - 30%

The technical proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

The successful bidder will be the one whose proposal gets the highest combined Technical/Financial score.

11.        SUBMISSIONS

The tender must be submitted by 21 July 2010 in both email and hard copies to:

The Secretary General

SADC Parliamentary Forum

Parliament Gardens

578 Love Street

Private Bag 13361

Windhoek

Nambibia

Tel: +264 61 2870000

E-mail: info@sadcpf.org

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Terms of Reference (TORs) For The Consultancy Services for the Development Of The Third (3^rd) Strategic Plan (2011-2015) For The Sadc Parliamentary Forum