Foreign economic-aid-related services

Tender description

Prior Information Notice — Civil Society Support Programme Phase II (CSSP II) — Ethiopia This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to advertise an Early Market Engagement Event. Publication and Call for Competition will be conducted once the scope of work is fully defined and approved. No tender documents are available during this early market engagement stage and we will not be able to answer any specific questions on this opportunities procurement process until after the tender documents have been published on the DFID Supplier Portal. DFID intends to publish a new competition opportunity in early-2017 where we will be seeking management agent for the Civil Society Support Programme Phase II (CSSP II). The programme will be a multi-donor programme lead by DFID. Description of Programme: Civil society in Ethiopia has the potential to play an important role in reducing poverty, deepening democratic processes and promoting accountability. Ethiopian civil society to achieve such results is paramount in a country where there is limited space for civil society — government discussions and civil society inputs on national development and good governance. DFID can support one of the few mechanisms in Ethiopia that would bring an approach that builds civil society's capability to be more effective in citizen — government engagement, and fosters a more enabling relationship with government for improved delivery of social services and enhanced accountability to its citizens. The programme will have 2 components which will be; Grant making to civil society organizations and capacity building of CSOs which includes relationship building; networking; policy analysis and influencing. Grant making Grants will play a key role in sustaining CSOs and building organisational and project development capacity to respond the needs of poor people. 3 grant windows will use principles of flexibility and adaptation in order to respond to opportunities (e.g. a new policy proposal by government) or constraints (e.g. new funding directives) which arise. The grant mechanisms should focus on long-term sustainable impact, but be flexible enough to respond to the space and dynamics in the sector. The ‘hard to reach’ principle will remain a fundamental approach at the centre of the programme. Capacity Building CSSP II will increasingly focus on building collaborative engagement between civil society and government to address problems through collective action. This will help CSOs to identify problems that can be addressed through collective action and as a convener, catalyst and coordinator of civil society efforts on strategic issues, rather than simply a funding mechanism, is crucial. Knowledge management, sharing and networking needs to be more systematised and a strong culture of learning from success and failure will be tools for delivery. Learning forums and spaces for dialogue between government and CSO actors, and among CSO actors will be supported directly or through tailored support for umbrella organisations and strong regional offices. Capacity development component will focus on — Strengthen skills and confidence for collaboration with government — Build organisational capacity — Build self-financing capabilities Contracting and procurement arrangements: It is anticipated that the programme will be delivered through one contract with a management agent to bring together a team with the skills and expertise mix required to deliver both components. It is anticipated that the programme will go to tender in early-2017, with contracts to be finalised in late-2017. The programme will have duration of up to 3 years. Information on attending the EME Event for CSSP II is contained in the PIN Additional Information Section below.