Baseline Study – Olof Palme DRC Programme

TERMS OF REFERENCE:

Purpose

Develop a baseline for the Olof Palme International Center DRC Programme, which will serve as the basis for the development of a strong Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (PMEL) framework that will guide the monitoring and evaluation over the course of the five-year DRC Programme. The assignment will also provide recommendations on what and how to follow up on the baseline.

Background

The Olof Palme International Center (Palme Center) with its 27 member organisations, constitutes an active hub of the Swedish labour movement’s international work articulated through trade union, political party and civil society organisations. These organisations represent more than one hundred years of experience of promoting political and civic engagement, democratisation, and poverty reduction. Through our development partnerships, we seek to empower people to change their own lives. The Palme Center has its main office in Stockholm and several local offices.

The Palme Center’s international strategy identifies five political priorities, which are translated to outcome areas within the programmes. It also recognises four main actor groups that play a crucial role for the progressive development we aim for: decision makers, rights-holders, actors working in cooperation (e.g. networks and alliances), and our partner organisations (PO).

The Palme Center’s DRC Country Programme is one of a few programmes developed and proposed directly to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency for (Sida) at a Swedish Embassy overseas. The Embassy of Sweden in Kinshasa is financing the DRC Programme for the period 2021-2025.

The Palme Center’s DRC Programme focuses on supporting an inclusive democratic transition by reinventing the trade union movement’s role in state building through social dialogue, increasing women’s political participation, and strengthening the role of the citizens movement (movement citoyen) in fostering citizen participation and dialogue.

Assignment

The Consultant(s) is expected to do a contextual analysis and conduct consultations and interviews with the Palme Center’s DRC partner organisations (POs) and other relevant stakeholders with the aim to develop a solid baseline for the Palme Center’s DRC Programme.

Using the Programme Objectives Framework created by the Palme Center in DRC as a starting point, the baseline study should include, but may not be limited to, a thematically and actor divided context analysis and description of the behavioural situation at programme launch, which can serve as a basis for later comparison. Furthermore, the consultant shall provide the Palme Center and the POs with recommendations on how to follow up on the provided baseline towards the desired outcomes

The context analysis should depart from the Palme Center’s five political priorities:

• Democracy and Human Rights
• Equality and Worker’s Rights
• Just Transition
• Peace and Dialogue
• Gender Equality

It should address the Palme Center’s four ‘actor focused’ intervention and outcome areas, namely:

• Decision makers
• Actors in collaboration
• Rights holders
• Partner organisation (POs)

The baseline should cover both the general political and societal context, as well as provide a more detailed analysis that describes that responds the programme’s outcome areas. Potential questions to be addressed by the baseline could include:

• Who are the actors that influence the context situation related to the five political priorities?
• What is the current behaviour of these actors in relation to the programme’s outcome areas?
• How do the different actors relate to each other and cooperate on issues related to the five political priorities?

Participants

The Consultant(s) will lead and carry out consultations in close coordination with the Palme Center’s DRC Programme Managers. The project management teams of each partner organisations (PO), consisting of two to three people, are expected to participate in the consultations.

The Consultant(s) is expected to consult and interview the six POs that currently make up the DRC Programme. In addition to the POs, the Consultant(s) may also consult with other key sources within the trade unions, civil society, the citizens movement, and other stakeholders relevant to the programme.

Methodology

Existing levels of programming and monitoring routines differ greatly between the partner organisations (POs). Therefore, it is essential that the Consultant(s) tailor the methodology in close communication with the Palme Center’s DRC Programme Managers and the POs.

The methodology must include the following items, but the Consultant(s) is invited to submit their own suggestions or add items to the list below:

• Literature / document review
• Brief inception report
• Consultation and interviews with partner organisations and other stakeholders
• Final report

1. Literature and document review

The Palme Center’s DRC Programme Managers will make available key primary documentation and information to be reviewed, including but not limited to:

• Palme Center’s International Strategy 2020-2025
• Palme Center’s proposal to Sida / Embassy of Sweden in Kinshasa, including the 2020 pre-study report (Annex 4)
• Palme Center’s DRC Programme Objectives Framework, revised July 2022
• Partner applications to the Palme Center DRC programme
• Dialogue and interviews with the Palme Center and other relevant stakeholders

2. Brief inception report

Following dialogue with Palme Center’s DRC Programme Managers, the consultant will be expected to submit and present a brief inception document which will detail the study design, methodology, and work plan.

3. Consultation and interviews with partner organisations (POs) and other stakeholders

Interviews with relevant staff will give a clearer picture of the present situation in relation to the outcome areas and actor groups. Informants and sources to approach may include representatives of partner organisations (POs); organisations similar to the Palme Center that are supporting trade unions, women’s organisations, and/or citizens movements in DRC; regional and national organizations operating in the field of trade unions and civil society.

4. Final report

The final baseline report should be concise and not exceed 20 pages excluding annexes.The report shall include inputs from all the relevant stakeholder groups.

Deliverables

1. Inception report and work plan

The Consultant(s) shall draft a brief inception report and work plan based on the documents provided by the Palme Center and other sources the Consultant(s) deems relevant. Following this desk study, the Consultant(s) will meet with the DRC Programme Managers to finalise the scope of the baseline and agree on the work plan.

2. Baseline report for the Palme Center’s DRC Programme with Recommendations

The Consultant(s) shall establish a baseline with regards to the outcome areas and actor groups described in the Programme Objectives Framework. The DRC Programme Managers shall read the draft, and their comments and feedback shall be taken into consideration, before completing the documents.

The final baseline report should includerecommendations from the consultant(s) for follow up, within the framework of the Palme Center’s PMEL-system. This should ideally include a list of sources for potential third-party verification.

3. Report presentation

The Consultant(s) shall present the findings and recommendations to the Palme Center team in the DRC and other relevant staff at the Palme Center.

Timeframe and duration

The assignment starts with the signing of the contract and ends with the delivery of the report and presentation. The assignment will ideally begin by mid-August 2022 and be completed by end-October.

The consultations with Palme Center DRC Programme Managers, POs, and other stakeholders should take place during the period of August- September 2022. The report should ideally be submitted to the Palme Center by end-October 2022, but dates may be jointly decided in connection with the contract writing. The assignment is expected to comprehend approximately a total of 180 working hours. (22,5 working days).

Requirements on the Consultant(s)

The Palme Center expects the Consultant(s) to have the following qualifications:

1. A cost effective and affordable tender.
2. Documented experience working with civil society and grassroot organisations.
3. Documented experience with international development cooperation within the field of democracy and human rights.
4. Documented experience with baseline study related to civil society interventions.
5. Excellent knowledge of French and English language, both spoken and written.
6. Documented experience in leading and facilitating learning processes incl. workshops, trainings, etc.

Meriting

1. Experience with participatory methods and behavioural change programming.
2. Experience and knowledge of the political system and civil society in DRC.
3. Experience of work with trade unions.
4. Previous experience of working with the Palme Center.

Compensation

The tenders must include a maximum budget frame in USD, including any VAT. First payment: 50% of the budget after the start of the assignment and upon receiving an invoice from the Consultant(s). Second payment: 50% of the budget after Palme Center’s approval of the report and presentation and upon receiving an invoice from the Consultant(s), no later than 30 Nov, 2022.