Consultancy Terms of Reference to Undertake Media Monitoring and Tracking of National Budget & Social Expenditure – Construction, Setting Up and Rehabilitation of Farming Blocks

  • Consultancy
  • Zambia
  • Applications have closed

Oxfam

CONSULTANCY TERMS OF REFERENCE TO UNDERTAKE MEDIA MONITORING AND TRACKING OF NATIONAL BUDGET & SOCIAL EXPENDITURE – CONSTRUCTION, SETTING UP, AND REHABILITATION OF FARMING BLOCKS.

 1. INTRODUCTION

Oxfam is a global organization dedicated to ending poverty and injustice through a rights-based approach to equality. Our work supports evidence-driven, inclusive initiatives that challenge inequality. Currently, Oxfam is implementing the EU-funded project, “Beyond the Numbers: Making the National Budget Work for the People,” in collaboration with the Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) and the Non-Governmental Gender Organizations Coordinating Council (NGOCC). This project promotes active citizen engagement and non-state actor participation in Zambia’s budget planning and accountability processes.

2. BACKGROUND

National Budget tracking is an essential accountability tool, allowing CSOs and other stakeholders to monitor public funds from allocation through to their final use. Effective tracking identifies bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and potential corruption, fostering transparency and public trust. The media is crucial in this effort, holding the government accountable by reporting on spending practices and encouraging public engagement.

In Zambia, the government has initiated a significant agricultural development program aimed at establishing and rehabilitating large-scale farming blocks across the country. These farming blocks are aimed at enabling large-scale agricultural production and processing of regionally suitable agricultural products. The primary goals of the program are to support diversification, enhance value addition, and create employment in the agri-food sector. Through intensive, industrial-scale production within these farming blocks, Zambia aims to meet domestic demands while expanding its reach to export markets across Africa and beyond.

Oxfam, therefore, seeks to engage a media consultant to monitor and track the progress of the construction, setting up, and rehabilitation of farming blocks as pronounced in the national budget between 2022 and 2024, assess the efficiency and accountability of resource allocation, and document the findings in a short documentary.

Oxfam seeks to engage a media consultant to monitor the progress of this agricultural infrastructure initiative, specifically the construction and rehabilitation of farming blocks, assess the efficiency and accountability of resource allocation, and document findings in a short documentary. This will enhance public awareness and reinforce transparency in Zambia’s budget execution in the agricultural sector.

3. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

a. Overall Objective

The consultancy aims to conduct media monitoring and tracking of national budget and social expenditure on the construction, setup, and rehabilitation of farming blocks and later produce a short TV documentary of 5-10 minutes maximum, highlighting project progress and key outcomes. The documentary should focus on:

  • Geographical areas where farming blocks are established or rehabilitated.
  • Funds allocated and disbursed for each project.
  • Sources of funding and amounts managed by government implementing agencies.
  • Status of the projects, detailing both achievements and challenges encountered at present.

b. Specific Objectives

The specific objective of the consultancy includes.

  • Reviewing the allocation, disbursement, and utilization of funds towards the construction for farming block development.
  • Document project achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
  • Produce a 5-10 minutes TV documentary that includes:
    • Project locations and geographical scope.
    • Budget allocations, sources of funding, and expenditures.
    • Successes, challenges, and key learnings.

4. SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will be required to:

  • Conduct media monitoring and on-site verification of the construction, setup, and rehabilitation of farming blocks.
  • Develop a documentary script that identifies farming block locations, budget allocations, disbursements, and expenditure between 2022 and 2024.
  • Interview stakeholders, including government officials, local leaders, farmers, project managers, and beneficiaries.
  • Collect, compile, and analyze data on the allocation and disbursement of funds towards the farming block projects from 2022 to 2024.
  • Capture high-quality video footage of selected sites, integrating interviews and on-the-ground insights from relevant stakeholders.
  • Provide a coherent narrative on successes, challenges, and recommendations.
  • Produce a 10-minute documentary film showcasing key findings, supported by visuals and graphical evidence.

5. DELIVERABLES

The consultant(s) will be responsible for delivering the following outputs:

  1. Inception report outlining the survey methodology, tools, and work plan.
  2. A detailed documentary script outlining the flow of content, including visuals and interview segments.
  3. A 5–10-minute short documentary that includes:
    • Overview of farming block infrastructure projects.
    • Financial details including allocation, disbursement, and expenditure.
    • Interviews with key stakeholders.
    • Analysis of the progress, successes, challenges, and any recommendations.
  4. A summary report detailing the consultant’s findings, including key data on project implementation and expenditure.

6. DURATION AND TIMELINE

The consultancy is expected to be conducted over a period of 30 working days. The detailed timeline for each task will be agreed upon during the inception phase.

7. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The Academic Institution Consultants should possess the following qualifications and expertise:

  1. Proven experience in producing documentaries and media content, particularly in development, infrastructure, and public sector projects.
  2. Strong background in media monitoring and analysis.
  3. Ability to work with financial and budgetary data.
  4. Strong communication skills, with the ability to conduct interviews with diverse stakeholders.
  5. Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality video content.

Note: The consultancy team must have a public finance and governance expert with demonstratable experience in undertaking monitoring and tracking of national budget & social expenditure.

8. BUDGET:

The consultant(s) should provide a detailed budget proposal, outlining estimated, realistic, and itemized budget to produce the expected outputs.

9. REPORTING AND COORDINATION

The consultant(s) will report directly to the Governance Programs Coordinator and Beyond the numbers Project Manager as well as Communications Officer who will serve as the primary point of contact throughout the consultancy period.

10. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

  • All intellectual property rights, including the final report, documentary, and any related materials, will be transferred to Oxfam in Southern Africa upon completion of the consultancy.

12. CONFIDENTIALITY

The consultant(s) shall maintain the confidentiality of all data, information, and discussions related to the consultancy and ensure the security of any data collected during the review.

13. ETHICS AND SAFEGUARDING

Oxfam has a zero-tolerance policy towards inaction against sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse.  Oxfam’s ethics for safeguarding will be emphasized and remain mandatory throughout the process of the undertaking of the study. Engagements and support will aim to create and maintain safe, equitable, and inclusive culture where all those who work for and with Oxfam as well as those in the communities where Oxfam operates are treated with dignity and their rights and voices are heard and respected.

Selected consultants will be expected to read, sign, and adhere to the Oxfam Code of Conduct for no Oxfam staff and follow Oxfam’s Ethical Content Guidelines.

14. EVALUATION AND SELECTION

The selection of the consultant(s) will be based on their qualifications, relevant experience, proposed methodology, and budget.

15. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Interested consultants should submit a technical and financial proposal (maximum 20 pages) by 17:00 CAT on 27th January 2025, with CVs of the core team and sample of their work attached. Proposals should be sent electronically to [email protected]  with the subject “Media Monitoring and Tracking of National Budget & Social Expenditure – Construction, setting up, and rehabilitation of farming blocks.

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