Call for expert contributions to the creation of an edited Citizen Resource Handbook on Public Policymaking Processes in Rwanda

1. Background

One of the objectives of the Public Policy Information Monitoring and Advocacy (PPIMA) Project, which is now in its 15^th year of implementation, is to strengthen the organisational ability of national and local CSOs to organise, mobilise and influence government policy and programme choices. This objective resonates well with the change influencing traditional mandate of any civil society organisation which, unfortunately, is largely still not adequately implemented by many Rwandan CSOs, national and community-based alike[1]. Additionally, PPIMA works to empower citizens to participate in decision-making processes and act for their rights. 

Feedback from the community of practice hints that most CSOs, with very few exceptions, are generally reluctant to engage with the government policy, legislative and decision-making processes while a very few of them are efficient in their change influencing work. Recent evidence suggests that this reality stems from limited understanding and familiarity with contemporary government policy and decision-making architecture and practices. It was for instance found out recently that as few as 14.3% of PPIMA partner CSOs have a confident understanding of the national policy and lawmaking processes while 86.7% of them expressed the need for process knowledge enhancement[2]. 

To many professionals spearheading change influencing work across non-government organisations and civil society, it largely remains unclear enough, if ever at all, where, by who, how and when major government reform decisions in terms of policies, laws, regulations, guidelines, strategies, programs and spending decisions that impact citizens’ lives are made. The insufficient knowledge and understanding by CSO actors of the government policy, legislative and decision-making architecture and practices as well as entry point opportunities for influencing desired changes has led to the limited vibrancy of the former in successfully shaping key government policy and programme choices. Not surprisingly, citizens’ satisfaction with CSOs’ participation in governance stands at 76.10%[3], very far below the 90% satisfaction cap set by the first National Strategy for Transformation (NST-1). Additionally, opportunities provided by the government for citizens to shape, either individually or collectively, the government policy and programme choices remain largely untapped.

It is against the above background that Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), the PPIMA convener, is seeking to call upon experts who will individually contribute to the creation of an edited citizen resource handbook on the Policy, Law and Decision-Making Processes in Rwanda. The upcoming resource handbook is intended as a one-stop reference document that will expertly bring under one roof the insights into the architecture of government decision-making in Rwanda, offering a glimpse into the prevailing institutional arrangements, related power configuration and the key decision-making process moments as well as entry points and opportunities for engaging with and shaping these processes. 

2. Objective

The objective of this call for contribution is to provide interested role players, and PPIMA partner CSOs in particular, with a cutting-edge one-stop resource handbook that will boost their knowledge and understanding of the government policy and decision-making architecture and machinery and hence boost their ability to confidently navigate the political space with the end-purpose to vibrantly shape government policy and program choices at both national and local levels. 

3. Topics to be covered/tentative structure of the handbook

In addition to the prefaces, the general introduction as well as the general conclusion, the upcoming resource handbook will consist of the following chapters:

1. Policymaking process in Rwanda (between 10 and 15 pages maximum)
2. Lawmaking process in Rwanda (between 10 and 15 pages maximum)
3. National and local planning and budgeting processes (between 10 and 15 pages maximum)
4. Local Council functioning and procedures for decision-making (between 10 and 15 pages maximum);
5. The sector-wide coordination approach at both national and local level (between 10 and 15 pages maximum).

As the resource handbook is intended for self-paced individual or collective learning purposes, chapter contributors will be encouraged to include practical evaluation questions (practicals) in between the different sections that form their content and reserve the correct answers after the bibliography. At the end of each chapter, the contributor shall take care to properly cite all references that informed their content. Additionally, they may also add recommended reading references. 

4. Key guiding questions

Under each topic to be covered by the upcoming resource handbook, the contributing expert will be expected to cover, in very simplified language, all the key elements about the relevant process that the handbook user needs to know about. Towards this end, contributors shall be among others guided by a range of questions.

4.1 Policymaking process in Rwanda

In relation to the policymaking process in contemporary Rwanda, the contributor will among others address but not limited to the following indicative guiding questions:

1. What is the source and nature of public policy in Rwanda?
2. What are the different types of public policy in Rwanda?
3. Where and by who are high-level policy decisions made?
4. How is public policy made in Rwanda and through which process?
5. What are the key attributes of good policy making in Rwanda?
6. What are the entry points, opportunities and or channels for individual citizens or collectively organised citizens, including civil society organisations, to contribute inputs to the policy development process and through which recommended engagement formats?
7. When, where and how to access a draft and or adopted policy?
8. Who is the policy custodian and how about cross-sectoral policies?
9. When does a public policy become effective?
10. What is the lifespan of a public policy in Rwanda and how is a policy discontinued or ended?
11. Who can ask the Government to discontinue and or reform a policy and how?

4.2 Lawmaking process in Rwanda

In relation to lawmaking process in contemporary Rwanda, the contributor will among others address but not limited to the following indicative guiding questions:

1. What is the source of law in Rwanda?
2. What different types of laws exist out there in Rwanda and how do they differ in terms of hierarchy?
3. Where and by who are high-level government decisions in terms of laws made and through which process from initiation until adoption and promulgation?
4. What are different public institutions from different branches of Government involved in the lawmaking or reform process and in which way?
5. Which specific guidelines apply to lawmaking and or law reform?
6. What is the lifespan of a law in Rwanda and how is it determined?
7. When does a law become effective?
8. Where and how to access draft laws and adopted laws for self-information?
9. How to keep track of planned law reforms?
10. What are the entry points, opportunities and or channels for individual citizens or collectively organised citizens, including civil society organisations, to contribute inputs to the lawmaking and or law reform process?

4.3 National and local planning and budgeting processes

As for the planning (national and local) and budgeting processes, the contributor will among others address but not limited to the following indicative guiding questions:

1. What are the master planning instruments for Rwanda’s long-term and medium-term priority setting which feed into regular short-term planning and inform spending/budget allocation decisions, what is their duration and their level of hierarchy?
2. How do different national vision policies relate with other sectoral and or cross-sectoral policies, Sector Strategic Plans (SSPs), national programmes and or global or regional policies that Rwanda has internationally committed to?
3. How are national vision policies, sectoral policies, sector strategic plans and national programmes translated into local plans for context-specific implementation?
4. What is the relationship between the District Development Strategies (DDSs) and other national reference master planning documents?
5. How and when does Government (Central and Local) translate plans into spending decisions and through which instruments?
6. How is national or local budget developed and by who and when it is approved?
7. Calendar-wise, what are the key moments of the planning and budgeting processes?
8. Where and how to access adopted government spending decisions/budget?
9. How can one track national and or local government spending decisions?
10. What are the entry points, opportunities and or channels for individual citizens or collectively organised citizens, including civil society organisations, to contribute inputs and thus shape better responsive planning and budgeting practices?

4.4 Local Council functioning and procedures for decision-making

In relation to the functioning and procedures for decision-making of local Councils, the following questions need to be inter alia addressed:

1. Why do local Councils matter?
2. What is the power, authority and competence of the local elected councils as far as public local decision-making and nature of decisions are concerned?
3. What is the place, importance and role of public decisions made by the Local Councils in a context of unitary State and two-tier Government system?
4. How does local decision-making by the Council work from the agenda setting to deliberations and public dissemination of the Council resolutions?
5. What are the governance compliance requirements before the application of Council resolutions?
6. What are the entry points, opportunities and or channels for individual citizens or collectively organised citizens, including civil society organisations, to contribute inputs to the local decision-making processes and through which recommended engagement tools and formats?

4.5 The sector-wide coordination approach at both national and local level

In relation to the sector-wide coordination approach at both national and local levels, the following guiding questions will be addressed:

1. Why does sector-wide coordination approach matter and which role does it play with regard to participatory policy, law and planning and budgeting decision-making processes?
2. Structure-wise, what is the current configuration of the Sector-wide coordination approach at the national level, including membership composition?
3. What are the key moments of the sector-wide coordination processes at the national level including statutory events or functions?
4. What functional linkages exist between the different structures of the Sector-wide coordination approach at national level?
5. Structure-wise, what is the current configuration of the sector-wide coordination approach at the local level, including membership composition?
6. What are the key moments of the sector-wide coordination processes at the local level including statutory events or functions?
7. What are the entry points and opportunities for change influencing by individual citizens and or CSOs at both national and local levels?
8. What are the possibilities of functional linkages between local and national level sector-wide coordination structures?

5. Who will the upcoming resource handbook be intended for?

The upcoming citizen resource handbook will be primarily intended for CSO professionals i.e executive heads and content staff, who deal with policy, legal and institutional practice change influencing by engaging with related political processes. It will equally be useful for any stakeholder, including citizens from different walks of life, interested in the fabric of high-level government decisions at national and local levels in Rwanda, including ordinary citizens.

6. Profile of required contributors

Interested candidates should demonstrate among others:

• A practical experience with the topical area of contribution interest as evidenced by at least a minimum of five-year recent insider’s experience technically supporting, at very high-level, or directly participating in policymaking, lawmaking, national and local planning and budgeting, Local decision-making through Councils and or sector-coordination mechanisms in Rwanda;
• Currently employed by the Government in a very senior position either as a technical person or decision-maker including volunteer decision-making positions such as Chairperson of the District or City of Kigali Council;
• Ability to critically identify untapped opportunities for change influencing and gaps worth closing to optimise citizen-centric laws and policy as well as program choices at both national and local levels;
• Strong ability to synthesise vast and complex information and succinctly, precisely, and clearly communicate it to a variety of audience;
• Excellent original writing skills in English;
• Attention to details.

7. Handling approach

NPA works within established national frameworks and systems. Accordingly, and to the extent possible, the design and development of the resource guide is intended as a collaborative output between the Government of Rwanda, experts and CSOs so as to ensure that the handbook end-user has the most accurate information as the Government would have wished to communicate to the public. Thus, while it calls upon expert contributors acting independently, NPA will, to the possible extent, seek partnerships and collaboration with relevant government institutions which could choose to designate key resource persons form within to support the handbook content quality assurance process.

8. Timelines

May 13^th-25^st, 2024: launch of the call for expression of interest

May 29^th-June 3^rd 2024: notification of successful contributors and contracting

June 4^th-7^th, 2024: facilitation of the consultations with CSOs to define key common questions about government policymaking, lawmaking, planning and budgeting, local council functioning and decision-making as well as the sector-wide coordination approach.

June 11^th, 2024: validation of the content-write-up structure for every expected contribution.

June 12^th-24^th, 2024: full write-up and submission of contributions to NPA

June 24^th-26^th, 2024: NPA commissions external/blind peer review of the different contributions

June 27^th-28^th, 2024: Reviewers’ comments addressed, and final contributions submitted back to NPA July 1^st-5^th, 2024: Professional proofreading and editing

July 8^th-12^th, 2024: art-designing of the book and printing by a professional publisher

July 30^th, 2024: Official launch of the handbook

July 8^th-5^th August, 2024: Translation of the handbook from English to Kinyarwanda, proofreading & editing.

August 6^th-9^th 2024: upstream training of CSOs’ leaders and content staff on government policymaking processes in Rwanda and opportunities of engagement on basis of the handbook content.

9. Expression of interest

Interested individual experts are invited to submit their expressions of interest (of not more than 5 pages) in line with the below guidance:

• A technical offer not exceeding 8 pages which:
  • includes submission letter which clearly states only one topic that their contribution will be addressing and indicates why they are a best match as well as their availability to support (1 page);
  • demonstrates their understanding of the assignment, including a critique of these ToRs and what can be improved and how to optimise the quality of the end product as well as how they will approach and handle the assignment (4 pages);
  • a work plan not exceeding (1 page);
  • incorporates a resumé (maximum of 1 page and half) highlighting their expertise and experience in relation to the chosen contribution topic and mentioning the names of their professional referees who can testify to their technical and ethical ability to handle the assignment.
  • Adequately references the key official resources that set the guidelines, procedures and or standards for a relevant policymaking process (maximum 1 page);
  • Please note that a CV sufficiently detailing their work experience and qualifications can be attached as a separate annex but is not mandatory.
• A separately submitted financial offer not exceeding one page and clearly indicating their daily rates (all taxes inclusive) as well as breaking down the costs as per the following scope of work and orientation:
  • Orientation meeting with NPA (1 day)
  • Co-facilitation of the consultations with CSOs to define and agree on key questions and knowledge areas they want the different handbook chapters to address (1 day);
  • Workshop for the validation of the content-write-up structure of every expected contribution/chapter (1 day);
  • Full write-up and submission of chapter contribution to NPA (a maximum of 12 days);
  • Addressing external reviewer’s comments and incorporating their inputs (1 day);
  • Official launch of the handbook (1/2 day);
  • Upstream training of CSOs’ leaders and content staff on government policymaking processes in Rwanda and opportunities of engagement on basis of the handbook content (1 day as per slot-allocation to be allocated later);
  • Quality review of the Kinyarwanda translation of chapter contributions after the booklet translation from English for its consistency with the original English chapter contribution (1 day).

As far as putting together the financial offer is concerned, please note that NPA will cover all costs related to workshop organisations including accommodation, should travels outside of Kigali be required to deliver the training to CSOs on basis of the handbook content.

Submission of offers is done through nparwanda@npaid.org with the mention “Contribution to the Citizen Resource Handbook on Policymaking in Rwanda’’until the 25^th May 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to the next steps of service vendor selection.

In respect of the process, individual candidates not meeting the profile outlined under section 6 of these ToRs should refrain from sending in their expression of interest.

10. Offers evaluation criteria and scoring

NPA maintains very high-quality standards in everything it undertakes. Thus, the evaluation and scoring of the offers received will follow a quality-based selection method that prioritises the soundness of the technical offer over the pricing. However, NPA reserves the right not to award the tender to the best qualifying bidder in case the financial negotiations were unsuccessful.