Background and Purpose of Assignment
Oxfam in Pakistan believes that working with a wider range of partners would help leverage creating long-term collaborations to sustain and scale up the impact of its work. To maximize its outreach, Oxfam in Pakistan plans to expand the range of its partnerships with eligible entities from across Pakistan to realize its Theory of Change as enshrined in its new Country Strategy (for Pakistan). In this vein, Oxfam in Pakistan is rummaging around for long-term potential partners in the implementation of various projects/programs under its three key thematic areas including across Pakistan; 1) Effective Governance and Economic Justice, 2) Gender Justice, and 3) Resilience, Response and Climate Change Adaptation.
Oxfam has commissioned this assignment to a consultant named “Aayan Management Solutions (AMS) to keep process transparent, accountable and unbiased. Through this Call for the Expression of Interest, we invite EOI from Pakistan based NGOs/ Civil Society Organizations that meet the eligibility criteria explained in following sections. Our consultant will undertake due diligence of the shortlisted organizations (comply with eligibility criteria) before forging the strategic partnerships. Interested organizations can submit their Expression of Interest online on the following link: http://ayansolutions.com/
Our Partnership Principles
Oxfam works with a range of partners applying following five partnership principles:
- Complementarity of purpose and added value;
- Mutual respect for values and beliefs;
- Clarity around roles, responsibilities and decision-making;
- Transparency and accountability;
- Commitment and flexibility, in the way that we work with them.
These principles reflect our values as an organization. They aim to support and guide us to make judgements about our partnerships based on the context, the programme, our own local knowledge, and discussions with our partners.
We commit to putting women’s rights at the heart of all we do by:
- Basing all our work on the understanding that gender is key to overcoming poverty and suffering
- Working with women and men to address specific ideas and beliefs that create and reinforce gender-related poverty
- Empowering women and girls through our programmes and ways of working
- Reflecting gender equality in our own internal practices and ways of working
Specific TORs for the Selected Partners
To help Oxfam in Pakistan in carrying forward its vision of a just world; elimination of poverty and social injustice, and creating resilient communities to withstand the climate change and its adverse effects;
- Identify, develop and implement community-based actions/projects in keeping with the priorities of Oxfam in Pakistan;
- Improve institutional capacity in areas identified ‘High Risk’ during due diligence of the organization;
- Complying with Oxfam in Pakistan’s reporting requirements of the awarded projects;
- Participate in periodic workshops and meetings while ensuring the right level of participation from senior leadership to font liners;
- Provide access to all staff, systems, organizational policies, strategies, plans, reports, financial documents etc. for the purposes of Capacity Assessment, Development and Monitoring;
- Implement agreed actions ensuring value for money with respect to women’s rights programming and institutional strengthening;
- Actively engage with broader civil society and collaborate for joint advocacy on women rights issues in the country at various levels;
- Providing a work environment to staff, particularly women staff, which is free of any discrimination, unhealthy behaviours, exploitation and all types of harassment at work;
- Financial management of the awarded grants/projects with the required level of operational transparency; and
- Any other mutually agreed assignment.
Eligibility Criteria for the Potential Partners of Oxfam in Pakistan
Oxfam in Pakistan is looking for partners that are compliant with the new regulations of Government of Pakistan and have the capacity/ infrastructure, interest and willingness to become Oxfam’s partner for the rollout of its new Country Strategy. The specific eligibility criteria is given below:
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Groups, Development Organizations;
Alignment and experience of working with Oxfam’s thematic areas such as;
1) Effective Governance and Economic Justice,
2) Gender Justice
3) Resilience, Response and Climate Change Adaptation.
- The organization is lawfully registered in Pakistan under any relevant law of the land;
- The organization has a valid registration with Economic Affair Division (EAD);
- The organization has adequate internal controls & capacity to manage donor funds;
- The organization has elaborated policies and procedures such as Financial management Policy, Procurement Policy, Asset management Procedures, and above all Safeguarding Policies (Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy, guidelines for the Code of Conduct, Declarations for Trafficking in Person, child rights and Child Labour etc.);
- The organization has at least five (05) years of experience of implementing programs, projects and/or community-based actions that are aligned with the key focus areas of Oxfam in Pakistan;
- The organizations have never been sacked/blacklisted in the past by any national or international donor agency on account of fraud, waste and misuse of resources and any other unhealthy and unlawful practice(s) and are ready to give an undertaking thereof; and
- The organization has never been forced in past to suspend operations by Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan on account of dubious activities that are diagonally opposite to the National Security of Pakistan.
Oxfam’s Partnership Process
Oxfam has elaborated and mandatory partnership processes to identify the most appropriate development partners for long-term partnerships. This process is succinctly summarized below in chronological order:
- Desk review of the information provided in EOI for initial screening and shortlisting;
- Institutional Capacity Assessment/Due Diligence by visiting the organization’s head office/key office(s) and interaction with all concerned staff;
- Satisfactory reference/background checks from previous donors/partners;
- Good Partnership conversation; and Letter of Agreement.
Application Submission Process and deadlines
To undertake the assignment “Mapping and Identification of the Development Partners”, Oxfam Pakistan has engaged Aayan Management Solutions (Pvt.) Limited (AMS), an Islamabad based Management Consultant Company. AMS is registered with the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) under Section 32 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984 (XLVII of 1984).
For the convenience of prospective applicants, the AMS has designed “Partners Mapping Information System (PMIS)” which is a user-friendly online application. All interested organizations who qualify the eligibility criteria mentioned above can submit their expression of interest online by logging in the PMIS. The link to the PMIS can be accessed on http://ayansolutions.com/ home page.
It is important that prospective development partners of Oxfam in Pakistan complete the EOI diligently and provide all relevant information on or before August 19, 2019. Only complete and aptly filled EOIs will be considered for further assessment.
For Contact/Queries about EOI submission:
Queries related to the EOI submission can be sent to [email protected]
NOTE: Subject to preliminary evaluation, only shortlisted NGOs will be contacted. Please note that submission of this EOI should not be construed as a commitment to award a contract on the part of Oxfam or bear the cost of the documentation and application.