1. Background and Rationale

The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) is a Coalition formed in 2004 to bring together CSOs at national and district levels to influence Government decisions on resource mobilization and utilization for equitable and sustainable development. To deliver on its mandate, CSBAG has over the years, built capacity of CSOs in resource tracking and budget analysis, and many members organizations have integrated the budget advocacy work within their work.  CSBAG consistently engages the Government for open and inclusive public finance management processes, people-centered, and gender responsive budgets through provision of alternative budget proposals on an annual basis. As a result of the consistent advocacy work of the CSBAG, linkages have been established with the Ministry of Finance, Parliament, and the wider civil society.  

CSBAG’s interventions over the past 5 years have been guided by its Strategic Plan, which ends in December 2023.  The Strategic Plan was anchored on the theme of Supporting Public Accountability for Revenue and Expenditure (SPARE). SPARE was the second-generation Strategic Plan for CSBAG, and it provided the road map for the period between 2019-2023.

Between 2019 – 2023, CSBAG and its members have registered key milestones in making PFM processes more participatory, transparent and gender responsive. Notable milestones include i) mobilizing citizens in over 20 Local Governments to shape priority setting in the budget and influence the way resources are utilized to benefit especially the marginalized, iii) operationalising CSBAG outreaches[1] to enhance inclusion and representation right from grassroots level to national and East African region as well as at the level of Parliament. Increasing CSO’s participation and involvement in PFM decision-making processes, where to date CSBAG and its members serve on several government working groups and select committees. Shaping policy and practice around public finance management for improved allocative efficiency, minimized wastage and misuse of public resources among others.  CSBAG also continued to broaden its scope to work with more CSOs within Uganda and across the East African regions to strengthen civil society involvement in shaping reforms in Public Finance Management.

2. Statement of Work

CSBAG seeks to chart a path that will make it more relevant to the current trends in budget and public finance management work within Uganda and beyond. To deliver on this, a 3^rd generation of SPARE Strategic Plan (2024-2029) will be developed that  comprehensively defines the direction for the CSBAG in the coming 5 years. The development of the Strategic Plan  will be delivered through three major stages. These shall include, 1.) Assessment and Diagnostic Stage which shall allow for reflection and analysis of operating context and the emerging issue, review of institutional mandate and progress made among others[2]. 2. Drafting of  the Strategic Plan ,it’s monitoring framework  and costed  plan for the proposed interventions over the projected strategic period.  3)  Hold Presentation of the findings  and validation meetings .

2.1 Outputs and Time frame.

Based on the 3 stages outlined above, the specific Terms of Reference for this assignment shall include:

1. Review existing national and international strategies/actions, PFM laws, and policies and for reference in designing strategic actions.
2. Review the institutional setup against the CSBAG mandate and the identified strategic objectives and key result areas and make recommendations (if any)
3. Review relevant documents including the current Strategic Plan, mid-term review report and any other reports to gain an understanding of the mandate, legal framework, and context of CSBAG work.
4. Assess the existing Theory of Change employed by CSBAG with a focus on refining it to fit into the focus of the coming strategic period.
5. Conduct a needs assessment of CSBAG, which shall include a review of the existing structure, financial strategy, and sustainability.
6. Conduct a strategy development workshop comprised of internal and external stakeholders.
7. Undertake stakeholder mapping and analysis.
8. Propose strategies for achieving the strategic objectives and key results.
9. Develop i) Results framework and ii) and Resources for the plan period.
10. Hold validation meetings with stakeholder meetings to receive feedback on the draft Strategic Plan.
11. Finalize the Strategic Plan and submit the final approved copy to CSBAG.

3. Outputs and Time frame.

The strategy development process should be completed within 21 working days, and not later than 6^th July  2023. The consultant will produce the following outputs by the stated deadline:

1. Inception report
2. Strategic Plan that contains the following:
   1. An elaborate and coherent Theory of Change
   1. Strategic Objectives, priority programs and Outcomes
   1. A Costed Plan for the Strategic Plan
   1. A Stakeholder Map and Communication Plan
   1. Results Framework for the Strategic Plan  
3. Progress reports on the process including stakeholder consultations and validation meetings.

4.       Reporting 

The Consultant/firm will report directly to the CSBAG Executive Director or his delegate. It is also expected that he/she will work closely with the Deputy ED and other designated staff for the coordination and execution of activities. 

5.       Qualification

The resource person (Firm/Individual) must have: 

1. A minimum of a post-graduate or university degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Law, Public Administration, Public Finance or equivalent
2. Work experience and (or) training in a field related to Public Sector Governance and Management, Strategic Management or Organisational Development, with a preference for a graduate degree and relevant professional certification.
3. Experience as lead resource person for similar assignment of strategic planning in areas of public finance management
4. Strong Experience in evaluation and development of Strategic Plans
5. Excellent research and analytical skills

6. Excellent and proven writing skills.
7. Capacity to organise and facilitate technical consultations .
8. Proven experience working with a wide range of stakeholders from the private and public sector to generate collective effort.
9. Proven experience knowledge on the dynamics and of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
10. Confident professional with the ability to engage and work independently as well as with others.   

6. Submission of proposals for the tasks

CSBAG is inviting proposals as specified in this Terms of Reference. Interested consultants/firms are requested to submit technical and financial proposals based on guidance below:

1. An independent financial proposal quoted in UGX  and not more than 2 pages .
2. The technical proposal should not be more than 4 pages and should contain:
3. Description of the understanding of the tasks, including comments on the TORs.
4. A brief critique or advice on, what the ToR ought to have included or considered, from your understanding of the task.
5. A description of the methodology to be followed, to achieve the desired objectives.
6. Work plan and time scheduling of information gathering and other activities; and
7. CVs of the consultant/firm

7. Application Process.

Interested candidates should submit their application letter, updated CVs, technical and financial proposals, and references for similar work conducted previously, addressed to the Executive Director: Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), email: hr@csbag.org  by 10^th MAY 2023. E-mail subject line must include “Strategic Planning Consultant”. We appreciate all interest in this opportunity, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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[1] Participatory budget clubs, CSO Regional budget Coalitions, East African Budget Network and the Parliament Forum on Public Finance Management Strategy

[2] This May include literature of CSBAG performance and Consultation with key stakeholders