Counterpart International Currently Recruiting in Zambia: Extractive Industries Consultant

Introduction

The Fostering Accountability and Transparency (FACT) program in Zambia is a USAID funded five-and-a-half-year project that seeks to enhance the capacity of targeted civil society organizations (CSOs) to increase opportunities for citizens to engage effectively with government authorities and personnel responsible for delivery of public services.

Counterpart International, Zambia is seeking an experienced consultant to conduct a desk review of EITI interventions in Zambia to identify CSO networks or coalitions that are working in the EITI sector and provide recommendations on how to further strengthen their work. The Consultant is expected to make clear recommendations to strategically position FACT’s work on extractives in Zambia and increase citizen participation and engagement. The assignment is anticipated to take 12 days.

Background

The mining sector is an important contributor to economic development. However, there are huge challenges in the management and governance of the sector across the value chain. For instance, the Resources Governance Index ranks Zambia’s mining industry at 50 over 100, ranking 40th among 89 index assessments and 11th within the sub-Saharan Africa region (RGI, 2017). It states that this overall weak score is particularly impacted by poor revenue management. With respect to enabling environment, Zambia ranks at 58 over 100, but there is good progress in sub-categories of voice and accountability. Given that Zambia joined the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2009, with broad participation of government, civil society and private sector, there is considerable efforts being made in partnership to monitor and track the extractives. However, there is still much that remains to be done.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a global coalition of Government, Mining Companies and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The objective of EITI is to promote transparency and accountability of both the Extractive Industry and Government through regular disclosure of information along the extractive industry value chain from the point of extraction, to how the revenue makes its way through the government, to how it benefits the public. The goal of EITI is to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable economic development.

From a CSO perspective, critical to the attainment of the aspirations of the EITI, considerable efforts need to be made in the building of citizen and community capacities to understand the extractive value chain, broaden spaces for participation and linkages between communities affected by the extractives, private sector, local government, policy makers and legislative representatives. FACT’s focus is therefore  on the civil society pillar of ZEITI: strengthening CSO capabilities and engagement with communities on EITI; striving for broader and deeper public awareness and use of EITI data; and identifying, nurturing and networking sub-national champions for EITI.

Scope of Work

To order to design and develop a robust and impactful strategy of civil society strengthening, FACT intends to conduct a desk review and a stakeholder dialogue to explore among others the following:

a) Examine the existing literature on the key issues with regards to mining at community, local government and national levels, and progress being made on the EITI in Zambia and in particular the engagement of civil society and the need for increased transparency and accountability to citizens.

The desk review will:

• Conduct stakeholder analysis of key players in the EITI in Zambia.
• Explore what local and national level processes, mechanisms or actions that can expand work on extractives in Zambia and lead to increased citizen participation to improve local government responsiveness to ensure relevant, appropriate and sustainable projects, programs and services.
• Examine the context in which the EITI in Zambia lends itself to increased citizen participation. What measures or processes need to be put in place to enhance this engagement?
• Identify opportunities that exist to expand citizen participation beyond the multi-sector group to enable poor and marginalized affected communities to engage? What spaces or platforms currently exist that can be strengthened?
• Identify networks or coalitions that are working in the EITI sector and provide recommendations on how to further strengthen their work.
• Identify the key messages or communications about the EITI that lead to increased community participation?
• Identify and make clear recommendations for what multi-media activities and channels offer the best options for message delivery in affected communities for effective participation?
• Identify the key contextual issues that can enhance local government responsiveness towards increased resources transparency and accountability, and citizen engagement?
• Identify opportunities that the FACT program can consider for funding under their EITI activities such as capacity strengthening for CSO participation in EITI implementation; broaden spaces for citizen participation; stakeholder engagement forums

b) Conduct stakeholder engagement meeting to examine key findings from the desk study and build consensus messages for the campaign.

c) Engage CSOs to establish a feedback sharing mechanism for sharing lessons among themselves and with their constituents.

d) Design training materials for the pre-proposal training workshop

e) Conduct training of CSOs in pre-proposal workshop on EITI

Key deliverables:

1. Draft report on the status of EITI implementation in Zambia
2. Produce a draft communication strategy with messages that can be used for the mass media to increase citizen awareness of EITI.
3. Key recommendation on what the FACT program can fund
4. Stakeholder engagement Workshop report
5. Final report

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor Degree in Development, Environment, Social science, Mass Communication or related field, Masters Degree Preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in successfully implementing governance and social accountability projects with an excellent understanding of sector policy, advocacy, accountability and transparency issues in Zambia
• Experience working or supporting the EITI and Civil Society Organizations in the Extractive Industry.
• Demonstrated experience and capacity in designing communication strategies and campaign messages and undertaken Advocacy work in the Extractive Industry
• Experience in using different media tools and methods targeting diverse audiences with special consideration for poor resourced communities.
• Experience of designing training modules and materials on EITI with good facilitation skills.

ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The anticipated period of performance for this consultancy is approximately 12 days.

• Desk review and report– 5 days
• Development of communication strategy to include key messages- 2 days
• Development of training materials- 2 days
• Facilitate stakeholder workshop and CSOs pre-proposal training in Solwezi and Lusaka- 2 days
• Final Report- 1 day

Evaluation Criteria

The consultant will be evaluated against a combination of technical and financial criteria. Maximum score is 100%. The technical evaluation will include the following:

Criteria Score

• Background and minimum educational qualification 20%
• Substantial professional knowledge and experience in the EITI in Zambia 30%
• Experience in developing communication strategies and campaign messages 20%
• Financial Cost 30%

Please note that if there are significant deficiencies regarding responsiveness to the requirements of this SOW, an offer may be deemed “non-responsive” and thereby disqualified from consideration. Counterpart reserves the right to waive immaterial deficiencies at its discretion.

Best-offer quotations are requested. It is anticipated that award will be made solely on the basis of these original quotations. However, Counterpart reserves the right to conduct any of the following:

• Counterpart may conduct negotiations with and/or request clarifications from any offeror prior to award.
• While preference will be given to offerors who can address the full technical requirements
• Counterpart may cancel this opportunity at any time.

Please note that in submitting a response to this SOW, the offeror understands that USAID is not a party to this solicitation and the offeror agrees that any protest hereunder must be presented—in writing with full explanations—to the FACT Project for consideration, as USAID will not consider protests regarding procurements carried out by implementing partners. Counterpart, at its sole discretion, will make a final decision on the protest for this procurement.

Instructions on submission

Offerors must provide the following information:

• Cover letter detailing your consultancy rate
• Capability statement of no more than four (4) pages
• Past performance references: include recent and relevant contacts (including points of contact with telephone numbers and email addresses);

The submission will be submitted no later than 1700 hours (Zambia time) on Monday April 23, 2018 by email to [email protected] clearly indicate EITI Consultancy in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be communicated to.