Call for expert contributions to the creation of an edited Citizen Resource Handbook on Public Policymaking Processes in Rwanda
One of the objectives of the Public Policy Information Monitoring and Advocacy (PPIMA) Project, which is now in its 15th 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.
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.
In addition to the prefaces, the general introduction as well as the general conclusion, the upcoming resource handbook will consist of the following chapters:
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.
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.
In relation to the policymaking process in contemporary Rwanda, the contributor will among others address but not limited to the following indicative guiding questions:
In relation to lawmaking process in contemporary Rwanda, the contributor will among others address but not limited to the following indicative guiding questions:
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:
In relation to the functioning and procedures for decision-making of local Councils, the following questions need to be inter alia addressed:
In relation to the sector-wide coordination approach at both national and local levels, the following guiding questions will be addressed:
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.
Interested candidates should demonstrate among others:
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.
May 13th-25st, 2024: launch of the call for expression of interest
May 29th-June 3rd 2024: notification of successful contributors and contracting
June 4th-7th, 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 11th, 2024: validation of the content-write-up structure for every expected contribution.
June 12th-24th, 2024: full write-up and submission of contributions to NPA
June 24th-26th, 2024: NPA commissions external/blind peer review of the different contributions
June 27th-28th, 2024: Reviewers’ comments addressed, and final contributions submitted back to NPA July 1st-5th, 2024: Professional proofreading and editing
July 8th-12th, 2024: art-designing of the book and printing by a professional publisher
July 30th, 2024: Official launch of the handbook
July 8th-5th August, 2024: Translation of the handbook from English to Kinyarwanda, proofreading & editing.
August 6th-9th 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.
Interested individual experts are invited to submit their expressions of interest (of not more than 5 pages) in line with the below guidance:
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 25th 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.
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.
Description |
Weightage |
|
1 |
Quality soundness of the technical offer in terms of the proposed methodology and how it relevantly addresses the assignment objective, the tentative guiding questions as well as the scope of work. |
50% |
2 |
Suitability of the profile and expertise for the proposed assignment |
20% |
4 |
Sufficiently detailed financial proposal in Rwandan Francs (daily rates, clear breakdown of activity costs, etc.) |
30% |
Done at Kigali on the 13th May 2024.
[1] Never Again Rwanda (2019). The Role of Civil Society in Enhancing Citizen Participation in Governance and Development in Post-Genocide Rwanda, Kigali: Never Again Rwanda (NAR) p.9
[2] Never Again Rwanda (2018) Assessment of PPIMA Partners’ Readiness to Conduct Joint Evidence-Based Advocacy. Baseline Report. Kigali: Never Again Rwanda (NAR), p.
[3] Rwanda Governance Board (2023). Rwanda Governance Score Card. 10th edition. The State of Governance in Rwanda, Kigali: Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), p. 31
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