Terms of Reference (ToR) for Consultancy Services

Initiative for Peace and Development (IPD)

Terms of Reference (ToR) for Consultancy Services

Date of Announcement: August, 3/2026 Deadline: August 12, 2026

About us:

Initiative for Peace and Development (IPD) is a civil society organization registered under the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Civil Society Organizations Proclamation No. 1113/2019 with registration number 4189 to work on peace and development.

1.  About the Consultancy Services

Despite progress in advancing gender equality in Ethiopia, women continue to face structural, social, economic, and institutional barriers that limit their meaningful participation in decision-making, leadership, and development processes. These challenges are also reflected within the civil society sector, where many women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) face limited institutional capacity, inadequate access to sustainable funding, weak organizational systems, and insufficient opportunities to influence policy and governance processes.

Strengthening women-led CSOs is essential to ensuring that they can effectively advocate for women's rights, promote gender equality, deliver quality services, and contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. Building their organizational, technical, and operational capacity will enable them to become more resilient, effective, and influential actors in advancing gender-responsive development and women's empowerment.

In this context, the Initiative for Peace and Development (IPD) seeks to recruit a qualified consultant or consultancy firm to design and deliver a capacity-building training program tailored specifically for women-led civil society organizations. The consultancy aims to strengthen institutional capacity while equipping participants with practical knowledge and skills to implement gender-responsive programs and promote women's empowerment

2.  General Objective

To strengthen the institutional and operational capacity of women-led civil society organizations to effectively promote women's rights, gender equality and sustainable development through gender-responsive programming and improved organizational performance.

3.  Specific Objectives

The consultancy service seeks to enhance knowledge of gender-responsive project design and management, improve proposal writing and resource mobilization skills, strengthen financial management and accountability systems, and strengthen participants' capacity to integrate gender equality and women's empowerment into all stages of programming.

6.  Training Topics

6.1  Training for Women-Led Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Introduction to Project Design Skills with a Gender Perspective

This session introduces participants to the fundamental concepts and processes of project design with a focus on developing gender-responsive and inclusive interventions. Participants will learn how to identify the needs and priorities of women and girls, conduct gender-sensitive problem analysis, formulate gender-responsive objectives and results, and develop logical frameworks that integrate gender equality considerations. The session will also strengthen participants’ proposal writing skills by enabling them to prepare competitive funding proposals that address women’s empowerment and gender equality priorities while meeting donor requirements.

Resource Mobilization for Women-Led Civil Society Organizations

This session focuses on strengthening participants’ capacity to mobilize financial and non-financial resources to sustain women-led civil society organizations and gender-focused initiatives. Participants will gain practical knowledge on developing resource mobilization strategies, identifying funding opportunities, building long-term partnerships with donors and development partners, designing sustainable income-generating initiatives, and strengthening fundraising efforts.

Project Management for Gender-Responsive Programming

This session equips participants with practical knowledge and skills to effectively manage projects that promote women’s rights, gender equality, and social inclusion

Participants will learn the principles of project planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, risk management, and stakeholder coordination while ensuring that gender considerations are integrated throughout the project cycle. The session will also emphasize accountability, results-based management, and adaptive project management approaches that contribute to sustainable outcomes for women.

Financial Management and Accountability for Women-Led Organizations

This session provides participants with practical knowledge of financial management systems and accountability mechanisms required for effective organizational management. Participants will strengthen their understanding of budgeting, financial planning, expenditure management, internal controls, financial reporting, donor compliance, and audit preparedness. Particular attention will be given to strengthening the financial sustainability and accountability of women-led civil society organizations while ensuring transparent and efficient management of resources allocated for gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives.

7.  Key Responsibilities of the Consultant

The selected consultant or consultancy firm shall design and implement the assignment in a professional, participatory, and results-oriented manner. The consultant will prepare an inception report outlining the proposed methodology, implementation plan, work schedule, and training approach for both training activities. The consultant shall develop detailed training agendas and prepare all required training materials before the commencement of the training sessions.

During implementation, the consultant shall facilitate all training sessions, administer pre- and post-training assessments, facilitate practical group exercises, encourage active participation, and document key discussions and learning outcomes. Upon completion of the assignment, the consultant shall submit all required deliverables, including a comprehensive final report containing participant feedback, training outcomes, challenges encountered, lessons learned, and recommendations for future capacity-building initiatives.

Overall Scoring Summary

Component

Points

Technical Proposal

70

Financial Proposal

30

Grand Total

100

9.  Deliverables

The consultant shall submit an inception report containing the proposed methodology, implementation plan, and work schedule within the agreed timeframe. A detailed training agenda for each target group shall also be submitted for approval before the training begins

The consultant shall prepare complete training materials for each activity, including participant manuals, PowerPoint presentations, practical exercises, case studies, and assessment tools. At the completion of the assignment, the consultant shall submit a comprehensive final report summarizing the training activities, participant evaluation results, key achievements, lessons learned and recommendations.

10.  Duration and Location of the Consultancy

The consultancy service is expected to be completed no later than 31^st August, 2026. The training sessions will be conducted in Hawassa, Sidama region, with the exact venues and implementation schedule to be communicated by IPD before the commencement of the assignment.

6.     Required Qualifications and Experience

The consultant or consultancy firm should possess:

·         A Master's degree or higher in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Peace and Security Studies, Social Work, Law, Public Administration, Governance, or another relevant field.

·         At least 7 years of demonstrated experience designing and facilitating capacity-building programs for civil society organizations, particularly women-led organizations.

·         Demonstrated experience in gender-sensitive programming.

·         Proven experience in women's rights, gender equality, women's empowerment, gender mainstreaming, and social inclusion.

·         Experience working with women's organizations, civil society organizations, NGOs, development partners, or donor-funded projects.

·         Strong knowledge of Ethiopian gender policies, the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation, and international gender equality frameworks.

·         Experience in participatory adult learning methodologies.

·         Excellent facilitation, report writing, and communication skills.

·         Experience integrating conflict-sensitive and inclusive approaches into capacity-building programs.