Terms of reference for a training on participatory public policy review 21 views0 applications

Background

horizont3000 is an Austrian non-governmental organisation for sustainable development cooperation. Constituted by 11 grassroots organisations of the Catholic Church, horizont3000’s core instruments are co-financing, advisory and knowledge management. We work with almost 100 partner organisations, most of them are in four focus regions/countries East Africa, Mozambique, Senegal and Central America. In our two sectors Human Rights & Civil Society and Sustainable Livelihoods, the focus is on Gender Equality, Climate Action and Policy Dialogue with over 2 million people participating in over 180 projects.

One of the projects being implemented in East Africa by horizont3000 is Policy Dialogue with support from Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The project goal is to enhance civil society organisations’ (CSOs’) Effectiveness in Policy Dialogue and in the long term realize inclusive, responsive, representative and effective policies that reflect the aspirations and will of the community affected by a particular policy problem across levels. This project has made significant contributions for the past 4 years by capacitating partner organisations to effectively engage in Policy Dialogue.

A major pillar of the Policy Dialogue East Africa project is enhancing capacity of partner organisations for effective participation in all the 4 phases of policy cycle namely; agenda setting, policy formation, policy implementation and policy review. This is being accomplished through physical and virtual mentorship and coaching, individual and joint trainings and a regional sharing event; where all Partners in the Policy Dialogue project discuss their activities and experiences within a previously set topic or area of work in order to learn and improve their practice.

The regional sharing event is planned for August 2026 on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th in Dares salaam-Tanzania. This two (2) days event will be split into; one day dedicated for the session on policy review and experience sharing from policy experts and one day specifically dedicated for partners to share policy dialogue successes and challenges from 2023 to 2026 and how they have managed to over the challenges encountered.

Against this background, horizont3000 is seeking for services of a qualified service provider (consultant) to design and deliver training on participatory public policy review with a focus on participatory policy monitoring and evaluation and accountability.

Purpose of the training and follow up support

The main purpose of this training in to enhance the capacity of Policy Dialogue East Africa project partners in policy dialogue through increased knowledge and skills in policy review for participatory and gender responsive policies in East Africa.

Specific objectives of the training

1. To strengthen participants knowledge and skills on participatory and gender responsive policy reviews to ensure that the targeted policy is dealing with the identified policy issues and that the tagged government budget and spending is effectively implemented as planned
2. To guide participants and jointly develop participatory and gender-responsive policy review frameworks and tools for strategic planning and policy making by improving the links between policy interventions and their outcomes & impact

Focus of the consultancy

The consultant(s) shall deliver one training divided into sub-topics as outlined below:

1. Understanding public policies

• Introduction to public policy formation and implementation frameworks focusing on history, principles, concepts and institutions.
• The roles that policies play in national development and types of public policies.

1. Introduction to participatory public policy review

• policy monitoring versus policy evaluation and accountability
• objectives and practical tools and frameworks for participatory policy monitoring and evaluation.
• rationale for public policy monitoring and evaluation

1. Steps for conducting successful participatory public policy monitoring and evaluation

• Determining the public policies to be implemented and monitored
• Developing standards for implementing and monitoring public policies
• Collecting and analysing data on public policies
• Measuring performance of policy implementation
• Comparing actual performance of policy implementation and set public policy performance standards
• Detecting any public policy performance deviations.
• Finding out reasons why there is such public policy performance deviations.
• Doing public policy performance corrective action

1. Monitoring of public resource acquisition and allocation and the tracking of performance resulting from such allocations.

• Key parameters and commitments (Baseline)-key programmes and departments and what was promised vs. what was allocated.
• Audit processes (Data Collection)-Routine source verification and reconciliation of commitments
• Value proposition (Following the money)
• Outputs (What happens on the ground & gaps)
• Outcome (Who benefits and how)

1. Joint reflection on the common challenges in policy review and developing joint actions to overcome those challenges.
2. Joint development of practical tools and frameworks for participatory policy monitoring and evaluation and accountability.

Methodology and target participants

The training will be conducted in person with approximately 30-35 participants from civil society organizations operating in diverse political and environmental contexts.The consultant(s) must use participatory learning approaches, gender-responsive training methods outlined in the proposal, ensuring participants can relate the topics to their organizational realities and facilitate peer exchange.

Expectation from horizont3000

• Providing and catering for all cost of the training venue
• Provide technical and administrative support, including assistance in mobilizing relevant participants, ppt presentation and other presentation equipment
• Provide all the necessary data and information required by the consultant(s) to ensure the training is successful

Deliverables

The following are some of the deliverables expected from the successful coach/consultant(s);

• Develop needs-based training programs based on the East African civil society context – to be approved at least 2 weeks in advance of the training
• Deliver in person training targeting about 30-35 participants from approx. 15 organisations with various backgrounds in policy dialogue
• Practical tools and frameworks developed for participatory policy monitoring and evaluation and accountability.
• Submit all the approved training materials, templates, recordings and related documents and reporting notes to horizont3000 for filing
• Depending on the country of residence of the selected trainer, horizotn3000 will cater for accommodation and food at the venue.

Budget

Interested consultant(s) are invited to submit technical proposal demonstrating their understanding and delivery of the assignment and financial proposal that includes their fees, taxes, and any other relevant expenses associated with the consultancy. The total budget for this consultancy should not exceed One Thousand United States Dollars ($1000) inclusive of all taxes.

Skills and Qualification of the consultant(s)

The assignment will be awarded to an experienced trainer (coach) with clearly demonstrated knowledge and diverse experience in participatory monitoring and evaluation of gender policies.In terms of years of experience, the lead consultant/trainer must have a minimum of 5 years of experience in handling similar trainings for international and indigenous civil society organisations.

More specifically;

• Deeper understanding of the concept of policy dialogue
• Proven track record and experience in delivering training workshops for civil society organisations on the topics highlighted above in any of the East African countries where horizont3000 operates.
• Proven experience and tangible results on the trainings delivered on the topics highlighted above.
• Fluency in Swahili is an added advantage

Additional consideration

• Applications without supporting documents may be treated as incomplete and may not be considered for further assessment.
• horizont3000 is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The organisation recruits’ consultants regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.
• All consultancies at horizont3000 is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
• horizont3000 has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of horizont3000, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. The selected consultant(s) will be expected to adhere to all horizont3000’s policies and standard operating procedures.
• Female qualified candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this consultancy opportunity.

How to apply

Point of contact

Please send your offers to the Project Manager Policy Dialogue East Africa, Isaac Amuku on email; [email protected] and copy [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your offers latest by Wednesday 15th July 2026 2026 at 11:59pm EAT and thank you in advance for your interest in horizont3000 consultancy opportunities.

The application should include;

• A cover letter expressing interest and availability for the consultancy to offer the training in person (max. 1 page).
• A technical proposal detailing the applicant’s understanding of the ToR (max. 5 pages).
• A financial proposal indicating the consultancy fee (Please indicate the hourly rate if possible, max 1 page).
• A curriculum vitae highlighting relevant qualifications and experience (max. 3 pages).
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Technical proposal (60%)
• Financial proposal (20%)
• Relevant experience and references (20%)