TERMS OF REFERENCE: CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS ASSESSMENT

Deadline: April 11, 2022
Open Job

Note: The deadline for receiving applications has been extended to April 11, 2022.

Introduction

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is an African-led and Africa-based international research institute committed to conducting high quality and policy-relevant multidisciplinary research. Our researchers address critical development issues and challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in areas such as health and wellbeing, data science and evaluation, human development, population dynamics, urbanization and wellbeing, and ageing. Our mission is to generate evidence for meaningful action, strengthen the capacity of researchers and institutions, engage with policymakers in the region to disseminate our research findings, influence policy decisions, and ultimately improve the quality of life in Africa.

APHRC seeks a consultant with experience in organizational effectiveness (with an emphasis  on assessment and the transition to organizational strengthening). Organizational effectiveness for the purposes of this call includes organizational design, assessment, execution practice, improvement science, design thinking, organizational strengthening, business modelling, and capacity building, etc. The aim of the consultancy is to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of APHRC’s current organizational structure and management system(s) in achieving its vision and mission.  Based on the assessment, the consultant will make actionable recommendations for changes or adjustments to ensure optimal organization and management to assist APHRC to achieve its intended impact.

We invite vendors to respond by submitting a proposal for an organizational effectiveness assessment and the  development of a plan to strengthen APHRC and further its ability to achieve impact.

Areas of Inquiry should include:

  •  Ambition
  •  Strategy coherence and alignment with the Vision
  •  Capabilities including:
  1. Governance
  2. Leadership
  3. Resources/infrastructure
  4. Talent
  5. Processes
  6. Learning

Special Considerations

In addition to the general areas specified above, the consultant’s review will need to consider and incorporate the following:

  • APHRC has experienced rapid but steady growth over the years in its finances, staffing, portfolio and geographic reach. To what extent has APHRC developed its systems and management processes to deal with rapid growth? In particular:
  1. How ready is APHRC for the growth envisaged in the strategic plan 2022-2026 and beyond?
  2. How is the new structure proposed in the strategic plan 2022-2026 aligned to manage its program now and beyond 2022? What are the strong points for the new structure and where does it need to be improved?
  3. What are the gaps in operation systems for supporting the current program priorities and envisaged future growth and the same or faster rate?
  4. Does APHRC have the staff complement to fulfill its mission?
  • How does the pressure to meet various clients’ needs (funders) affect APHRC mission focus? Are there potential engagements that can lead to mission drift? What risk mitigation has been put in place to prevent mission drift?
  • To what extent is the fundraising model aligned to APHRC vision and mission? What are the funding risks?
  • How visible is APHRC and how does the current visibility affect its effectiveness?
  • How is APHRC positioned for success in the current environment?

Guidance on submission of bids

(Note: Submission does not constitute a commitment for a contract of work).

Submissions should include:

1.Organizational Profile

a) Submit a services profile containing the following:

  1. Standard company information(name, website, office locations)
  2. Approach and philosophy (what makes your firm unique, what is relevant to this work?)
  3. Industry specialties
  4. Services(areas of expertise and example types of offerings – a list is fine)
  5. Example of clients, especially non-profit and government (please pick at least one to provide a paragraph or more description of the work and impact)
  6. Contact information (name, title, e-mail, phone number).

2. Orientation and Capabilities

a)Briefly, please  describe your willingness and ability to carry out the work aligned to the mentioned principles:

  1. Willingness to be open and co-create
  2. Critical friend and coach vs. investigator and savior
  3. A track record of using a clear and comprehensive organizational effectiveness framework relevant to partners leading change in new fields across a diversity of industries and geographies
  4. A deep set  of  methods,  tools,  and  resources  to  efficiently  and collaboratively discover, assess, and document how an organization performs against that framework
  5. Approach and methods that increase readiness and willingness for organizational strengthening and  builds  its capacity  to  continue similar work.

3.Tools and Resources

a)Please provide actual examples, links to, or excerpts to show that you have the following to build on and adapt:

  1. Point of view / strategic story /aspirational model of organizational effectiveness
  2. Organizational effectiveness framework (high-level components, governance, people, systems, etc.) and details of what you look for underneath components [or experience using existing third-party tools]
  3. Outputs   including   maturity   matrix,   improvement   planning document/presentation, etc.
  4. Organizational effectiveness engagement approach (menu of options to tailor to APHRC situation, project plan and articulation of roles).

4.Engagement Design and Timeline

a)Please propose a specific design for engagement with timeline and show how you would execute it:

  1. What might be the major phases and steps and timeline?
  2. What primary  method/exercise/project  would  you  recommend  for each step?
  3. What type of team or expertise would carry out the work?

5.Budget and Fee structure

a)You must include  a  budget  (or  budget  range  if  preferred),  including preparation, on-the-ground work, and synthesis and reporting for this engagement.

  1. Include any necessary expenses
  2. Show hours and hourly rates for personnel types.

6. Main contact information.

Expected Deliverables

  1. A practical work plan and methodology within two weeks of commencement of the assignment
  2. A draft report. Key areas of the report would include, but not limited to, description of current state, assessment based on industry best practices and benchmarks, identification of improvement opportunities, and recommended actions to improve organizational effectiveness
  3. A final report with comments incorporated.

Capabilities we seek

  1. A track record of using clear and comprehensive organizational effectiveness frameworks relevant to partners leading change in new fields across a diversity of industries and geographies. The vendor should use their own potentially complementary point of view and framework and be willing to adapt to the context of the organization and its partners.
  2. A deep set of methods, tools, and resources to efficiently and collaboratively discover, assess, and document how an organization performs against that framework. These approaches might include facilitated group assessments, workshops, observation, exercises, simulations, etc. beyond a set of traditional interview In turn, we believe this approach should produce a more comprehensive and evidence-based understanding.
  3. Approach and methods that increase readiness and willingness for organizational strengthening and builds grantee capacity to continue similar work. Beyond identifying organizational strengths and gaps aligned to a strategic point of view, it’s important the design and delivery of these engagements increases readiness of partners, improves the grantee-funder relationship, and prioritizes opportunities versus creating an overwhelming list of rather obvious step Vendors should be adept at using methods and producing outputs that leave partners better positioned and ready to embark on organizational strengthening and capacity building.

This work must be done efficiently with regard for the busy schedules of all involved and cognizant of the current virtual working environment. Vendors should have experience with focusing on what matters and willingness to adapt to these constraints.

Required experience and qualification

Education:

– Advanced degree (Master’s level or higher) in a relevant field.

Experience:

– Demonstrable skills in conducting consultancies of a similar nature.

– Demonstrable oral and written communication skills.

– Previous experience working in/managing research operations will be an added advantage.

How to apply

If you meet the criteria above and are interested in this opportunity, please email consultancies@aphrc.org and copy procurement@aphrc.org with the subject “Consultancy for Organizational Effectiveness Assessment”. Attach a cover letter, CV and an indicative budget. Please note that APHRC will hold full copyrights of all edited documents, any use shall require permission from APHRC. The application deadline is April 11, 2022. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications should be addressed to:

The Human Resources Officer

African Population and Health Research Center, Inc

APHRC Campus, Manga Close, off Kirawa Road, Kitisuru

P. O. Box 10787-GPO, Nairobi

Website:  www.aphrc.org

APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the protection of vulnerable persons