TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CARE INTERNATIONAL IN SUDAN PARTNERSHIP STRATEGY

1. Background
CARE International is a global humanitarian organization with a physical presence in 104 countries worldwide in 2020. CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice where poverty has been overcome and all people live in dignity and security. We put women and girls at the center because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until everyone has equal rights and opportunities. CARE aspires to become the most dynamic, diverse, and largest network of organizations and individuals fighting poverty and standing with those in crises, believing the best ideas and programs come from local leadership. As CARE evolves, we hope to unleash the creativity and collective action of a locally-led, globally connected network of social enterprises, country offices, local organizations, civic participants, and private sector partners operating in more than 100 countries. As an organization, CARE is testing the means by which it can be more intentional in being driven by national and local forces.

2. Context of this assignment
CARE International was established in Sudan in 1979, it played various roles in supporting and advancing development and humanitarian work in Sudan. Moving from direct implementation to a more partnership based model (through national and local implementing organizations) has taken shape in ways to ensure local organizations’ capacities are reinforced and leveraged to become institutionally strong and empowered, to co-create and co-lead on programs that would impact positively the lives of the Sudanese people.

Considering the changes nationally and globally, in 2021, CARE International in Sudan conducted a program strategy review process guided by the CARE 2030 vision and the Emergency Response Strategy in the wake of war in Sudan. CARE’s Vision 2030 outlines six program areas in which CARE seeks to achieve impact. These areas are gender equality, women’s economic justice, right to health; right to food, water & nutrition; climate justice, and humanitarian action. Additionally, the East and Central Africa (ECA) Regional Roadmap, which was informed by CARE’s Vision 2030, has 3 program focus pillars, Locally Led, Globally Scaled, and Gender Equal. All country offices in the region have agreed to adopt a locally led approach to programming. In alignment with the above vision and ECA roadmap, CARE International in Sudan’s new Emergency Program Strategy which was approved in June 2023, focuses on two main interconnected impact areas: “Humanitarian Actions” and “Women, Peace and Governance. The program is guided by CARE’s Gender Equality Framework which focuses on agency, relations, and structures. CARE International in Sudan deliberately collaborates and partners with different stakeholders (government, private sector and local implementing partners mainly women rights organizations (WROs) and women led organizations (WLOs) in order to achieve its mandate to defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

Partnership is one of CARE’s programming principles for achieving its desired long-term impact. CARE defines partnerships as “purposeful relationships based on mutual trust, equality, and learning, with an agreed vision, and clear accountability for all parties, and which engage the complementary strengths of the actors involved to collaborate on specific objectives, challenges, or opportunities in ways that achieve greater impact than they could achieve alone” (CARE Partnership Policy 2021). Thus, a partnership is CARE’s approach in the implementation of programs through, and with, local partners per CARE’s internal commitments (such as CARE’s Vision 2030 and CARE International in Sudan strategic plan 2022 – 2025) and external commitments like the Grand Bargain and the charter for change for the localization and organizational evolution of CARE and local partners.

CARE International in Sudan is committed to a process that will help it forge mutually beneficial partnerships with a variety of actors, including Women-Led and Women Rights Organizations (WL & WROs), social movements, Emergency Response Rooms etc. This requires CARE International in Sudan to have a clear and coherent partnership strategy that aligns with CARE’s 2030 vision and fair partnership standards as well as CARE International in Sudan’s 2022 – 2025 Emergency Program Strategy, as well as having a localization plan that clearly defines and articulates CARE International in Sudan’s partnership vision, ambition, focus and direction to streamline our partnership relationships. It is in this context that

CARE International in Sudan is seeking services from experienced consultants/firms to lead and support the development of the CO partnership strategy which is guided by two critical principles; firstly, being locally led and driven, and secondly, intentionally engaging with women’s and young people. More specifically, CARE International in Sudan’s ambition is to have a strategy that can:
• Mapping of the prospective partnerships in the country and in the region.
• Define clear ways to collaborate and engage with different categories of stakeholders (government, private sector, and civil society organizations/ CSOs, media, and others, with a focus on women’s rights and women-led organizations)
• Provide a framework to deliver on our emergency response, humanitarian, development and advocacy mandates by working with others to reach more beneficiaries and multiply impact.
• Consider CARE International in Sudan as a partner of choice and aligned to CARE International’s partnership vision and “locally led” agenda to support and achieve CARE’s mandate for gender and social justice and achieving impact at scale.
• Define how CARE can behave as a convener, a connector, and a supporter of civil society in all its diversity to lead on their respective/joint advocacy agendas.
• Adopt a service culture and improve our partnership practices by being a partner and not a competitor or a donor.
• Build authentic relationships and move away from transactional arrangements by defining how to play the role of incubator, facilitator, enabler, capacity strengthener, and communicator.
• Address the deeply entrenched structural inequalities and power imbalances built into our ways of working as international development and humanitarian actors matching words with action and meaningful change.
• Add better and more differentiated expertise to meet our different partners’ needs and add value to their work.

3. Objectives of the consultancy and expected deliverables
3.1 Objectives of the consultancy
The main objectives of this consultancy are to:
I. Identify the gaps in the Country Partnership department, processes and procedures in line with CARE’s global partnership standards and fair partnership standards in line with Grand bargain commitment.
II. Define who we are going to work with (private sector, government, research institutions, civil society – WLO, WRO, organizations representing particularly marginalized and vulnerable groups (people with disabilities), community based organizations, non-traditional committees, local entities etc.
III. Define types of relationships that can be built with different partners and outline roles in implementation and financing stated in II and associated risks /mitigation measures in establishing non-traditional partnerships.
IV. Define how to achieve a coherent approach to partner assessment, safeguarding, Due Diligence Assessments, capacity building plans, mutual learning, monitoring / remote monitoring in current context, KPI/shared costs, drawing on the experiences of various CARE member partners (CMPs) internally and from other external actors.
V. Propose a clear roadmap to implement and operationalize the partnership strategy with a clear sequencing of the key activities.
VI. Define how to respond to the needs and priorities of the partners we work with and align with CARE Sudan’s programmatic ambitions.
VII. Develop Standard Operating Procedures based on CARE partnership and award management policies.
3.2. Expected deliverables
• An inception report and presentation demonstrating understanding of the assignment by the consultant/firm. The report will include a detailed methodology that satisfactorily demonstrates how the strategy will be developed with a clear timeline and different tools and approaches
• A draft partnership strategy report and its raw data with tools to process the strategy
• Presentation of the strategy to the technical team and to the SMT
• Presentation of the strategy in the partners’ validation meeting
• Refine and re-submit the partnership strategy report and tools to execute the strategy considering feedback/comments and inputs from CARE and partners
• Conduct a Four-day (04) workshop to equip core staff with the skills and clarity on their leadership/technical development priorities in order to spearhead the new strategy and produce the report.
• Capacity building support for CARE Sudan partnership team on Partnership strategy tools and processes defined.
• MEAL framework for Partnership monitoring designing programmatic and financial monitoring of partner-led program.

Deliverables: A strategy document (15 pages max); an implementation plan/with risks and resources (3 pages); tools to process strategy, a monitoring framework, a workshop plan and report (2 pages) for the workshop

4. Methodology
The process will involve the following tasks:
– Make sense of the documentation made available by CARE in Sudan for the purpose of this consultancy, including but not limited to country, regional, and global strategies (CARE USA and CARE International), partnership policies in humanitarian and development contexts, country-level partner selection committee documentation, etc., and CARE partnership standard procedures.
– Consult with WLOs/ WROs and other CSOs, government entities and ministries, donors, private sector actors, media, and peer INGOs, to get their views and identify best practices around partnerships and how it could look like that fits the context and purpose.
– Consult with the CARE International in Sudan team and CARE Global including CARE Member Partners and other key technical teams from Communities of Practice on partnerships and locally led.
– Facilitate a one-and-a-half (1,5) day workshop with the country team (and other participants upon suggestion) to agree on the main components of the partnership strategy.
– Develop a comprehensive partnership strategy and a roadmap until the end of the current strategy cycle (2025) containing (but not limited to) a list of key stakeholders identified.
– Tools (new or adapted) that align with the new partnership strategy.
– Risk matrix and suggested mitigation measures.
– Socialize the strategy to CARE International in Sudan staff through delivering a Four-day (04) workshop to equip core staff with the skills and clarity on their leadership/technical development priorities in order to spearhead the new strategy.
The firm/consultant is expected to make use of a number of tools and approaches to reach the expected objectives: Desk review and research; and interviews with key informants within CARE and outside of CARE.

5. Timeframe
The assignment will be undertaken within 90 working days between 1st May to 31st July 2024.

6. Requirements
Essential
• Proven extensive understanding of the Sudan legal framework pertaining to CSOs and INGOs,
• Proven understanding of programmatic aspects pertaining to partnerships and localization,
• Proven extensive experience with INGOs in strategic planning/management, organizational development and management, program design or relevant discipline plus 10 years of related experience,
• Proven extensive experience in facilitating design workshops (virtually and on site) of organizational strategic planning/programming; business models,
• Proven experience in designing and evaluating partnership strategies/ approaches,
• Strong understanding and experience in diversified civil society organizations (CSOs) strengthening, especially those in less/developing countries; including with INGOs will be an added advantage,
• Experience in developing business/presence models,
• Expert knowledge of advocacy, partnerships and accountability frameworks,
• Effective interpersonal, oral and written communication skills are required,
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines,
• Excellent English writing skills,
• Must be holding a master’s degree in relevant fields (Business development, Development Studies, International Law, Public Policy, strategic planning)

7. Key Contacts
Internal:
• CARE International in Sudan Country Director
• CARE International in Sudan senior management team, program teams at field level and program quality team,
• CARE International Member Partners (CARE Canada, CARE Germany, CIUK, CARE Luxemburg, CARE Nederland, CARE USA)
• ECA Regional Director
• ECA Regional Advocacy Adviser
• ECA Deputy Regional Director Program Quality
• CARE USA Global Leadership Team members and “locally led” sponsors
External:
As key external contacts, the consultant will have:
• Government authorities: line ministries and government agencies if need be.
• Current CARE implementing partners (national and local)
• Prominent influencers (for advocacy and accountability),
• Representatives of peer INGOs: a selection of national and INGO women-led organizations operating in Sudan

8. Reporting lines
Works on a regular basis with the country director, DCD-Program, Program Quality coordinator and Senior Partnership officer. Reports to the Funding and Program Quality Coordinator.

9. Working conditions
The CARE International in Sudan team will provide the consultant with all the necessary background information and documentation that is deemed relevant for this consultancy. They will provide also backstopping (list and contact details of people to interview) and logistical support (workshops to be organized) when needed. The assignment will be a hybrid in-person and remote interactions. The consultant is expected to have reliable internet connectivity as some sessions have to be conducted virtually on Zoom or Teams.

10. Role of CARE
• Assume all the responsibilities pertaining to hiring of the consultant(s)
• Where applicable ensure that all necessary documents and information are available to the consultant
• Assume all the responsibilities regarding inviting people to attend design workshops.
• Facilitate initial connections of the consultant with different institutions (at optimum level)
• Technical review of the draft papers and report and final signing off
• Provide any other technical or operational support to the consultant(s) as needed.

11. Role of the consultant
• The consultant will be liable to secure any prior approvals that might be required to conduct the review.
• The consultant shall be liable for ethical procedures including getting informed consent from respondents.
• All documents and data collected will be treated as confidential and used solely to facilitate analysis. All data should be stored and transferred securely to CARE.
• The production of the partnership strategy will be the liability of the consultant covering all the aspects as outlined in these ToRs.
• All training administrative and logistics costs for the enumerators (if needed) including transport, per diems, and data collection materials during data collection will be covered by the consultant.
• Comply with all aspects of data protection and privacy policy in place.

12. Evaluation criteria of the proposals
The evaluation of both technical and financial proposals will be based on the following criteria:
I. Technical Proposal – 80%
A. Overall Proposal Suitability – 30%
Methodology, workplan, and sample of similar work previously done.
B. Previous Work and Awards – 20%
Provide 3 or more client experiences whose environment, size, and scope are most similar to CARE. Include a summary of the work completed for each account. Include reference contact names, telephone numbers and email addresses, previous records of performance and service, the consultant’s citations
and awards, any testimonials, and survey response/s from previous clients and/or partners.
C. Technical Expertise – 30%
CV of the proposed team to conduct the assignment, number of years of experience

II. Financial Proposal (Value and Cost) – 20%
D. Value and Cost of services that are in accordance with the technical proposal 20%

13. Application procedure
The application file should contain the following documents:
● A technical proposal (3 pages), with a clear timeframe and a description of the proposed methodology detailing how the deliverables will be achieved, and the team credentials for similar assignments.
● Detailed Curriculum Vitae of the proposed team to carry out the assignment with clear roles and functions.
● A financial offer (1 page) detailing the various costs including transportation associated with the delivery of the above services, in PDF format and must be a separate document from the technical offer.
● Evidence of the consultant’s experience in doing similar assignments: Copies of similar assignments (with evidence for good completion of the previous similar assignments)
● Submit at least 3 references with their contacts and addresses.
● Bank account information including the scanned copy of a blank check or document from the bank confirming bank account information (name, account number, swift code, …)
● Consultant firm profile; VAT registration certificate; tax clearance certificate; (when applicable). For applicants without registration in Sudan, submit the above requirements from the country of registration as applicable.