1. Summary

These Terms of Reference outline the consultancy for the review and development of the FAWEZI Strategic Plan. Recognising the changing landscape of girls’ and women’s education, FAWEZI seeks to develop a comprehensive, actionable, and context-specific strategic plan that is fully aligned with the FAWE Africa 2024-2028 Strategic Plan. The new strategy will serve as a roadmap to enhance organisational capacity, maximise programmatic impact, and ensure long-term sustainability.

The consultancy will encompass a thorough desk review of relevant documents, consultation meetings with key stakeholders, the consolidation of strategic priorities, and the drafting of a new strategic plan. The process will culminate in the production of a high-quality, forward-looking strategic plan and an accompanying report that will guide FAWEZI in achieving its mission over the coming years.

2. 
   Background

The Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) is a membership-based non-governmental organisation established in March 1998. With over 27 years of experience, FAWEZI is led by female educationists committed to advancing equality in education across Zimbabwe. Its core objective is to empower girls and women through education, addressing systemic gender disparities.

FAWE, the parent organisation, was founded in 1992 in Kenya and operates through 34 national chapters across Africa, championing girls’ and women’s education. FAWE’s vision is an equitable and inclusive society where all African girls and women thrive.

FAWEZI maintains a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and is set to sign an additional MOU with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development in April 2025. Over the years, FAWEZI has significantly contributed to enhancing education for girls and women in Zimbabwe through targeted interventions aimed at promoting gender equality and equity in education.

FAWEZI’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values:

Vision:            An inclusive society where all gender disparities in education are eliminated,
                        and girls and women are holistically empowered for socio-economic
                        transformation.

Mission:         To provide opportunities for girls and women to develop the skills,
                        competencies, and values necessary to become productive members of society.
                        FAWEZI works in partnership with strategic partners, government ministries,
                        NGOs, educators, researchers, and communities to influence policy and
                        practice, build public awareness, and demonstrate best educational practices.

Values:           Integrity, Respect, Teamwork, Safeguarding and Child Protection, and
                        Accountability.

FAWEZI’s current strategic plan covers the period 2021 to 2025. To remain relevant and aligned with emerging educational challenges and the new FAWE Africa 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, FAWEZI seeks to engage an institution or individual consultant to review and update the strategic plan. Potential consultants are invited to submit their qualifications, technical proposals, and financial quotes to support FAWEZI in this important exercise.

3. 
   
   Objective of the Assignment

The primary objective of this assignment is to review and update the FAWEZI Strategic Plan to ensure it remains relevant, effective, and fully aligned with the FAWE Africa 2024-2028 Strategic Plan. The updated strategic plan will guide FAWEZI in strengthening its organisational capacity, enhancing program impact, and promoting sustainable development in girls’ and women’s education in Zimbabwe.

Specifically, the consultant will:

• Conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of FAWEZI’s current strategic position, including its achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Align FAWEZI’s strategic goals and priorities with those of FAWE Africa, emphasising key themes such as equitable access to quality education, gender-responsive policies, advocacy for systemic change, and empowerment of girls and women.

• Develop a detailed and actionable strategic roadmap that includes clear, measurable objectives, prioritised activities, realistic timelines, and identified resource requirements.

4. Scope of Work

FAWEZI invites individual consultants, organisations, or firms to provide consultancy services for the review and updating of its Strategic Plan. The scope of work includes, but is not limited to, the following key tasks:

• Develop a detailed work plan outlining the approach, methodology, timelines, and deliverables. This work plan must be submitted for review and approval by FAWEZI before commencing the strategic planning process.
• Design and prepare strategic planning facilitation materials tailored to FAWEZI’s context and aligned with the FAWE Africa Strategic Plan.
• Facilitate consultation meetings and workshops with FAWEZI members, strategic partners, government stakeholders, and other relevant actors to ensure broad and meaningful participation.
• Provide onsite orientation and capacity-building sessions for the strategic planning core team on the process, facilitation techniques, and scheduling of consultative meetings.
• Conduct a comprehensive desk review of relevant documents, including the current FAWEZI Strategic Plan and the FAWE Africa 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, to inform and guide the review.
• Lead participatory processes such as discussions, key informant interviews, and focus group meetings to gather insights and inputs for an inclusive and relevant strategic plan.
• In collaboration with FAWEZI, synthesise stakeholder inputs and draft a coherent and actionable Strategic Plan that reflects the organisation’s priorities and aligns with continental strategies.

• Prepare and submit a final process report documenting the methodology, stakeholder engagement, findings, and recommendations for follow-up actions.

5. 
   Methodology

Bidders are required to propose a clear, participatory, and context-appropriate methodology for the review and updating of the FAWEZI Strategic Plan. The proposed approach should emphasise inclusivity, ensuring meaningful engagement of all relevant stakeholders, including youth and adults, throughout the process.

The methodology should specifically address the following:

• Participatory Approach: Describe how the consultant will engage diverse stakeholders – FAWEZI members, strategic partners, government representatives, beneficiaries, and others – in a collaborative manner to gather inputs, validate findings, and build consensus on the strategic direction.
• Coaching and Mentorship: Outline strategies for coaching and mentoring the FAWEZI strategic planning core team to build their capacity in strategic thinking, facilitation, and implementation planning, ensuring ownership and sustainability of the process.
• Youth and Adult Engagement: Specify the techniques and tools that will be utilised to effectively engage both youth and adult participants. Examples may include focus group discussions, interviews, surveys, workshops, and digital engagement platforms tailored to different age groups and stakeholder categories.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Detail methods for collecting, analysing, and synthesising qualitative and quantitative data to inform evidence-based decision-making.
• Validation Process: Explain how draft outputs will be shared with stakeholders for feedback and how this input will be incorporated into final documents.

Bidders should ensure that the methodology is realistic within the proposed timeline and budget, and that it reflects best practices for strategic planning in the education and gender equality sectors.

6. 
   Assignment Duration, Place of Performance, and Other Conditions

• Duration: The consultancy is expected to be completed within a period of approximately three (3) weeks from the date of contract signing.
• Place of Performance: The assignment will primarily be conducted at the FAWEZI office located in Harare, Zimbabwe. However, the consultant may be required to engage with stakeholders at other locations as necessary.
• Reporting: The consultant will be required to submit the final strategic plan and process report within the consultancy period, ensuring all deliverables are completed on time.
• Other Conditions: The consultant shall coordinate closely with FAWEZI management and strategic planning core team throughout the assignment and be available for any necessary meetings, presentations, or feedback sessions.

7. Staff Structure

The consultant or consulting firm is expected to propose a qualified team with relevant expertise and experience that matches the scope and complexity of this assignment. Personnel proposed must:

• Possess demonstrated experience in strategic planning, preferably within the education and gender equality sectors.
• Include key specialists such as a lead consultant, facilitation experts, data analysts, and any other relevant experts required for the successful completion of the assignment.
• Provide detailed curriculum vitae (CVs) for all proposed team members, highlighting their qualifications, previous relevant assignments, and specific roles in this consultancy.

The proposal should clearly demonstrate the applicant’s capacity to mobilise and manage the necessary personnel and resources to deliver high-quality results within the agreed timeframe. Where applicable, a clear organisational and reporting structure for the consultancy team should be outlined.

8. 
   Expected Results and Deliverables

Upon contract award, the consultant/firm is expected to deliver the following key outputs to FAWEZI:

(a) Situation Analysis Report

• Conduct a comprehensive desk review and analysis of relevant documents including the current FAWEZI Strategic Plan, annual and project reports, organisational policy documents, and other pertinent materials essential for this assignment.
• The report should provide an in-depth situational analysis covering organisational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), as well as contextual factors impacting FAWEZI’s work.
• This report should be concise, not exceeding 25 pages including annexes.
• The final Situation Analysis Report, along with a detailed work plan including timelines, must be submitted no later than two (2) weeks after the contract start date.

(b) Detailed Strategic Plan

• In close collaboration with FAWEZI, develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan that clearly outlines the organisation’s vision, mission, strategic priorities, action plans, monitoring and evaluation framework, budget estimates, and references.
• The plan should include the following key sections: executive summary, background and context, literature review, environmental scan, strategic priorities and objectives, detailed action plan, M&E plan, and budget.
• The consultant/firm is expected to submit two (2) professionally bound hard copies of the Strategic Plan, along with a soft copy stored on a portable device.
• The Strategic Plan must be submitted no later than two (2) weeks after submission of the Situation Analysis Report.

(c) Final Process Report

• Submit a succinct, five-page summary report documenting the entire consultancy process. The report must include at minimum:
  1. A concise summary of key findings from the Situation Analysis Report.
  2. Highlights and challenges encountered during the strategic plan development process.
  3. Recommendations for effective implementation and follow-up of the strategic plan.

• Final payment will be contingent upon formal written approval of this report by FAWEZI.
  
  

9. Evaluation and Award Criteria

FAWEZI will award the consulting agreement or vendor contract to the bidder whose proposal is deemed acceptable and offers the best value based on the evaluation criteria outlined below. For a bid to be considered acceptable, it must comply fully with the terms and conditions of the Request for Proposal (RFP) without material modification. Furthermore, the successful bidder must be determined to be responsible, meaning they possess the technical expertise, management capability, workload capacity, and financial resources necessary to perform the work.

FAWEZI reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids at its discretion.

Initial Evaluation and Shortlisting

Proposals will first be evaluated and shortlisted based on the bidder’s demonstrated experience and capacity relative to the required qualifications:

• Minimum of five (5) years of successful experience conducting similar strategic plan assignments. Recent and relevant assignments should be clearly outlined.
• Possession of a Master’s degree in a relevant subject area.
• Legal registration and/or eligibility to work in Zimbabwe.

Only shortlisted candidates will proceed to the next stage of evaluation. Shortlisted applicants may be requested to provide additional information, clarifications, or participate in follow-up interviews to further assess their suitability.

Final Evaluation Criteria and Scoring

Shortlisted proposals will be scored according to the criteria below. The contract will be awarded to a responsible bidder whose proposal complies with RFP instructions, meets eligibility requirements, and achieves the highest total score based on a trade-off analysis.

Total Points: 100

10. 
    Price Quote

Bidders are required to submit a fixed-price quote presented in a Microsoft Excel document. The price quote should provide a detailed cost breakdown by each deliverable specified in this RFP, as well as the total cost for all services offered. This total price must include all expenses related to delivery, taxes, fees, and any other costs necessary to complete the assignment. The price quote must be indicated in United States Dollars (USD).

The cost of consultation workshops will be managed by FAWEZI.

11. 
    Deadline for Submission of Bids

It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that their bid is received by FAWEZI on or before the deadline of 8^th May 2025. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged to facilitate timely receipt.

Any bid received after the deadline will be rejected and will not be considered. FAWEZI will not be held responsible for delays caused by technical issues, delivery services, or any other factors beyond its control. Bidders should therefore plan accordingly to meet the submission deadline.

12. 
    Submission of Bids

FAWEZI will accept both electronic and hard copy submissions. All bids must include the technical proposal, price schedule, and all required legal documents.

Bids must be received no later than 17:00 hours CAT on May 8, 2025 and should be submitted via either of the following methods:

Electronic Submission

Email to: fawezim2@gmail.com

Hard Copy Submission

Addressed to:

The Executive Director
FAWEZI
P.O. Box MP 1058
Mt Pleasant
Harare
Zimbabwe

Alternatively, hard copies may be hand-delivered to:

FAWEZI Office
95 Parklane, Kenyan Embassy
Harare, Zimbabwe