Consultancy Services to Facilitate National Stakeholder Dialogues — SADC Focal Group

Request for Expression of Interest

For

Consultancy Services for Supporting the SADC Member States to Host National Stakeholder Dialogues (NSDs)

• Background

Recognizing the increasing importance that groundwater and its management plays in the SADC region, the SADC-GMI was established to become a “Centre of Excellence” for groundwater management and groundwater dependent ecosystems in the region. SADC-GMI is in a unique position to serve as an interlocutor with national, regional transboundary and international groundwater initiatives and institutions. As a subsidiary of the SADC Secretariat, it operates under the strategic guidance of the SADC Water Division, and it draws it mandate from the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses of 2000 and from the SADC Regional Strategic Action Plan - RSAP (V).

In the past 5 years, SADC-GMI with support from the World Bank, assisted 10 Member States to establish National Focal Groups (NFGs), viz. DRC, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe through the CIWA and GEF funded Sustainable Groundwater Management in SADC Member States Project that started in 2015 and is running until November 2025. The said NFGs are at various formative and development stages.

Under the ongoing phase 2 of the above project, provision was made to build the capacity of the NFGs so that they fully realise their mandate. Modes of capacity building identified included NFG exchange visits. The project also made provision to ensure that the many knowledge products developed by SADC-GMI are disseminated as widely as possible in-country all the way to the grassroot levels.

The mid-Term review mission conducted by the World Bank, SADC Secretariat and SADC-GMI in December 2023 also concluded that there is limited awareness and awareness of SADC-GMI activities within the respective SADC Member States.

The established NFGs from the 10 SADC Member States were invited to submit technical and financial proposals to host a National Stakeholder Dialogue on groundwater within their respective country during 2024. The Specific Objectives of the NSDs are:

• To organise and host the National Stakeholder Dialogue (NSD) to raise awareness and advocate for groundwater in the country.

• To raise awareness on the role of SADC-GMI at national, transboundary and regional level and to enhance the ownership of SADC-GMI programmes.

• Offer opportunities to facilitate the NFG Exchange programme by inviting participation on the NSD programme by at least one established NFG from another Member State

• Include on the NSD programme the sharing and dissemination of SADC-GMI knowledge products.

• Besides NFG members, include participation from diverse groups e.g. local groundwater users, professionals, politicians, NGOs, CBOs, , government bureaucrats, Development Partners, IFIs, ICPs, etc

• Involvement of Young Professionals, gender and socially disadvantaged groups

• Communication and awareness programme to ensure that the event is widely publicised and disseminated.

• Objective of the Assignment

The key objective of this assignment is to enlist the services of a consulting firm to support the NFGs to roll-out the hosting of up to 10 NSDs in the respective SADC Member States.

• Specific Tasks and Activities

To achieve the objectives of the assignment, the successful consultant will implement the tasks, not limited to the following:

• Support SADC-GMI to evaluate the proposals received from the NFGs to ensure that they are aligned with the provisions of the Call for Technical and Financial proposals for hosting the NSDs.

• Support the NFGs, where required, to clarify and fulfil the requirements of the Call for Technical and Financial Proposals.

• Where necessary, in liaison with the SADC-GMI project manager, organise planning meetings with the respective NFGs.

• Avail a Regional Expert to physically be in the respective countries during the NSD events to facilitate the proper conducting of the activities in line with the pre-agreed programme and ensuring that the objectives of the NSD programme are fulfilled.

• Liaise with the NFG to produce a Proceedings report with clear recommendations for the way forward for each of the NSDs facilitated and ensure that such report is submitted and approved by SADC-GMI.

• Eligibility

The Consultant shall submit documentation to demonstrate Eligibility in the following areas:

The ideal Consultancy firm should be legally registered and have proven experience in the international institutional strengthening and organisational development fields with a demonstrated track record of more than 8 years strengthening national and regional policies, laws and institutions to enhance (ground-)water governance and management in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the SADC region.

Firms demonstrating a proven track record of successfully completing at least 3 similar projects, of which 1 should have been in the SADC region are preferred. Specific experience establishing and facilitating the work of national stakeholder dialogues in the SADC Member States is required. Knowledge of the SADC-GMI stakeholder engagement and capacity strengthening as well as governance and institutional development models is a distinct advantage. In the case of a partnership for purposes of this assignment, relevant experience from the Key Experts will be aggregated to the firm’s experience.

• Schedule and Duration of Assignment

This is a once-off assignment without any obligation for follow-up work and is expected to run for (12) months with an estimated aggregate level of effort of 160 person-days for key experts only, all-inclusive of field, travel and office work.

• Liaison and Logistics

On a day-to-day basis, the consultant will liaise with the SADC-GMI through the designated Project Manager accountable to the Executive Director of SADC-GMI.

• Expression of Interest Submission Requirements

Interested consultancy firms are requested to submit an expression of interest, and the expression of interest should include the following:

• Evidence showing that the firm is a legal entity (certificate of registration)

b) proven experience in the international institutional strengthening and organisational development fields with a demonstrated track record of more than 8 years strengthening national and regional policies, laws and institutions to enhance (ground-)water governance and management in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the SADC region.

c) Availability of Professional Key Staff with Suitable Qualifications in the field of

assignment.

d) Firms demonstrating a proven track record of successfully completing at least 3 similar projects, of which 1 should have been in the SADC region are preferred. Specific experience establishing and facilitating the work of national stakeholder dialogues in the SADC Member States is required.

e) Knowledge of the SADC-GMI stakeholder engagement and capacity strengthening as well as governance and institutional development models is a distinct advantage.

f) Brief description (not more than 3 pages) of the proposed Methodology of carrying out the scope of the work.

g) The EOI submission should not exceed 30 pages.

Further information can be obtained at the e-mail address listed below during office hours i.e., 08:00 am-5:00pm, Monday – Friday, [email protected]

• Submission of Expression of Interest (EOI)

Bidders must submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) by e-mail

to [email protected] by 12:00 noon (RSA Time) on or before 23 February 2024.