1.      CONTEXT

CRADEC (African Regional Centre for Endogenous and Community Development) is a development support association under Cameroonian law. Its objective is to empower communities at the grassroots level through various forms of support for their development in relation to public policies.

Ø  Objective of CRADEC

Its objectives contribute to the full development of grassroots communities based on self-promotion. This self-promotion is achieved through the respect of rights and duties as citizens and stakeholders in the management of public affairs at all levels. Thus, CRADEC advocates for tax justice through the fight against tax evasion and fraud and illicit financial flows, for an optimisation of tax revenues that guarantee the financing of development objectives.

Ø  Vision of CRADEC

CRADEC's main vision is focused on raising the awareness of grassroots communities of their position as actors and capacities in the state-building process.

This vision is that of a new Cameroon where fiscal justice prevails to contribute to an equitable, inclusive and sustainable development.

Ø  Missions

CRADEC's core mission is to champion tax justice in the development of Cameroon by enabling citizens and institutions to promote fair tax systems by influencing policy.

CRADEC's missions revolve around:

-        Awareness raising and training of stakeholders through information dissemination, campaigns and capacity building workshops;

-        Supporting and contributing to the production of data and fact-oriented reports on the processes and implementation of development programmes with the help of competent resource persons;

-        Support for the development of collective dynamics and synergies through common positions;

-        Promotion of consultation and multi-stakeholder partnerships with a view to sharing experiences and promoting good practices.

Also, Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) through NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) provides technical and financial support for the implementation of the project “Strengthening Tax Justice in Cameroon”, project for which CRADEC is launching a Call for Expression of Interest (C.I.E.) for the selection of a consultant for the development of the Institutional Diagnosis and Strategic Plan of CRADEC.

The Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) is a pan-African initiative and a member of the Global Alliance for Tax Justice. Launched in January 2007 at the World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi, TJN-A promotes socially just, accountable and progressive tax systems in Africa. It advocates for tax policies with pro-poor outcomes; tax systems that curb public resource leaks and improve domestic resource mobilisation. CRADEC is a founding member.

2.     OBJECTIVES OF THE NOTICE

a.     Main objective

The main objective of using an external consultant is to develop a Institutional Diagnosis and Strategic Plan of CRADEC to assess performance and the extent to which the organisation has achieved its desired outcomes and to generate information, practices and lessons to inform the future strategic direction of the association.

b.     Scope of the work

The review will look at CRADEC's institutional diagnosis, identify areas where CRADEC has played a relevant role and had an impact and make recommendations for a proposed strategic plan, while opening up to other areas of relevance and consistency with the association's history. The review is expected to help CRADEC focus on areas where it can add value, avoid duplication of effort and achieve greater efficiency and impact. It should provide CRADEC members with recommendations for refining the priorities of the organisation. In addition, the review should lead to a strategic plan for 2021-2026. The review will focus on the years of implementation of the strategy and will build on the previous diagnosis, including the various assessments of the organisation's capacity carried out to date.

c.     Specific objectives

The specific objectives are:

-        To provide an analysis of the achievements and results obtained by CRADEC in relation to the objectives and activities set to date;

-        Assess the performance of the CRADEC executive (all components) against its current objectives;

-        Assess the strengths and weaknesses and identify the reasons for any deviations from CRADEC's intervention methods, goals and results based on the institutional diagnosis;

-        Review the institutional capacity, organisational structure, financial and administrative systems in relation to CRADEC's mandate and identified strategic objectives and key result areas; and make recommendations, as appropriate;

-        Identify necessary adjustments, if any, to the objectives, design and implementation strategies of the proposed activities in light of changes in the operational and target environment;

-        Draw out key lessons, best practices and high impact success stories from CRADEC for replication and scaling up. 

-        To provide a critical analysis of the current theory of change and facilitate the development of a new theory.

-        Develop and submit a strategic plan for 2021-2026 identifying:

·       Specific approaches and strategies;

·       The action plans needed to achieve the strategy; and

·       Determining the plans for monitoring and evaluating the actions.

3.     METHODOLOGY

a.     Conduct of the consultancy

The selected candidate will propose a technical offer of 12 days of services spread over one month which will include the methodology and the work schedule. Following the selection of the candidate, CRADEC will organise a scoping meeting which will allow the parties to agree on the scope of the mission entrusted, its specific objectives as well as the quality of the deliverables and the detailed timetable of the study.

The comments and amendments will be incorporated into the technical specifications proposed by the Consultant. In carrying out the assignment, the Consultant will first review the key institutional documents of CRADEC. These include the following documents:

-        CRADEC's institutional charter;

-        Organisational development evaluation reports

-        The latest proposed work plans;

-        Institutional management reports;

-        Any other document deemed necessary for the implementation of the mission.

This review will provide the consultant with a solid and comprehensive understanding of CRADEC's history, progress and strategic direction and will be essential in forming a solid basis for the formulation of the strategic plan.

Various discussions will be conducted as part of the in-depth assessment of the substance. This will be done through a mixture of approaches ranging from individual discussions with officials to group discussions with teams within CRADEC as well as key informant discussions with partners. These meetings will be scheduled and conducted to consolidate internal and external information to guide the strategic planning process.

Through the process of institutional document review, discussions with internal and external stakeholders and ongoing assessment of external environments, the consultant will compile the content of the strategic plan. The draft strategic plan will be shared with the core strategic planning team for review and input, after which comments will be incorporated and appropriately addressed in order to finalise the strategy for review.

b.     Expected results and deliverables

The consultant will provide the following deliverables:

-        A validated implementation schedule;

-        A clear methodology for the evaluation;

-        A general document indicating possible strategic orientations/choices, with a particular focus on the appropriate theory of change. This document should be accompanied by an analysis and justification of the recommendations made;

-        Annexes: assessment tools, list of key informants and any other relevant information;

-        A 5-year strategic plan validated by CRADEC with the following characteristics:

Ø  CRADEC's main objectives within 5 years;

Ø  the main types of actions and means to be implemented to achieve these objectives;

Ø  a sequencing of objectives and implementation over time to move from a simple strategy to a concrete plan;

Ø  an analysis of the context and an organisational diagnosis;

Ø  an activity plan per strategy, a budget per strategy and a total budget for that period.

NB: A report format and required content will be agreed with the consultant before starting the task.

c.     Tasks to be performed by the consultant

Under the close supervision of CRADEC's management, the Consultant's tasks are specified as follows:

Ø  Development of the 5-year strategic plan

The consultant will:

·       Carry out a documentary review of all the legislative and regulatory texts concerning CRADEC;

·       Analyse the minutes and reports of the Board of Directors in order to highlight the recommendations and orientations for improvement formulated;

·       Analyse all annual activity reports and results of CRADEC;

·       Carry out interviews with CRADEC managers in order to highlight their expectations for the development of CRADEC over the next 5 years;

·       Identify the main objectives of CRADEC within 5 years. These will be the major objectives to be achieved in order to obtain new sources of funding;

·       Identify the main types of actions and means to be implemented to achieve these objectives;

·       Propose an analysis of the context and an organisational diagnosis;

·       Propose performance-based conclusions on the impact, relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of CRADEC's work and its methods/approaches;

·       Draw out lessons learned and best practices: What worked well and why; what did not work well and why?

·       Conduct an in-depth analysis of the internal and external environment in which CRADEC and similar organisations operate;

·       Conduct an analysis of internal and external drivers that encompass factors such as the structure of new projects, levels of demand, etc., all of which correspond to the opportunity and threat elements of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis;

·       Develop, if possible, annual action plans indicating key actions (with desired outcomes and deadlines) that need to be carried out in order to achieve the objectives;

·       Define budget allocations;

·       Develop the Strategic Plan;

·       Propose a budgeted operational action plan including monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the implementation of the strategic plan;

·       Draw up implementation and monitoring plans;

·       Propose practical recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the implementation of CRADEC initiatives and results-based partnership approaches;

·       Provide a summary of the impact that the proposed strategy will have on CRADEC's resource requirements. This summary will reflect financial requirements, as well as factors such as staffing levels and equipment;

·       Make a management summary;

·       Submit the draft study report to CRADEC within the specified timeframe for comment and validation of compliance with the ToR;

·       Incorporate amendments and observations made.

4.     PROFILE OF THE CONSULTANT TO BE HIRED

To apply, experts should have the following profile, knowledge and experience:

-        Be a specialist in development, including the international dimension, governance and institutional development or a related field (minimum Master's degree) with at least 10 years of experience in similar assignments, with knowledge and/or proven expertise in:

ü  Design of multi-year strategies in a national context and preferably in a pan-African context;

ü  Evaluation of strategies, in particular leading evaluations for similar organisations in the civil society sector;

ü  Experience in organisational and institutional development;

Demonstrated knowledge and experience in CRADEC's areas of work, namely fiscal advocacy and influencing sectoral public policies, citizen empowerment, partnership networking, capacity building of partners and civil society;

- Strong analytical and writing skills;

- Have a good understanding of tax justice issues on the African continent and an understanding of policy-based programming and advocacy approaches;

- Mastery of participatory approaches in conducting evaluations, facilitating strategic planning processes and drafting strategic plans for similar organisations;

- Have good knowledge and experience of the CSO sector, particularly at the national level;

The consultant shall submit his proposed approach to the review of the strategic plan taking into account:

ü  Initial meetings between the consultant and the Executive Director to explain the context of the review, the particular issues to be reviewed, the challenges, the expected outcomes, agreement on the scope of work and the content of a work plan;

ü  Desk research by the consultant to familiarise themselves with the organisational structure, management tools, systems and approaches, and decide on the format of the interviews;

ü  Interviews with relevant staff and stakeholders;

ü  Observing the process of integrating the work plans to achieve a coherent strategic plan.

5.     PROCEDURE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Potential consultants wishing to carry out the study must submit a file consisting of a CV, a technical proposal and a financial proposal, no later than 11 June at 16:00, deadline.

The file should be sent in electronic copy to the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Téléphone : 222 23 21 64 or 655 392 508