TERMS OF REFERENCE (TORS)
CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP THE CIVIL SOCIETY FOR POVERTY REDUCTION (CSPR) STRATEGIC PLAN (2027–2031)
I. Background and Organisational Context
The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) is Zambia’s largest membership driven anti-poverty advocacy network. Established in 2000 to ensure that civil society effectively contributes to the design, implementation, and monitoring of pro-poor policies, the organization works with a diverse membership base of over 104 national and grassroot level civil society organizations (CSOs), government institutions, cooperating partners, communities (rights holders), and other stakeholders to address poverty, inequality and extreme vulnerability through the promotion of social inclusion, social justice, accountable governance, and strengthening citizen participation in national and local development and governance (decision-making) processes. The organization operates through national, provincial, district and community structures to amplify the voices of the poor.
CSPR is currently implementing its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan which comes to an end in December 2026. In light of evolving national, regional, and global development dynamics including fiscal constraints, gender and income inequalities, climate-related shocks, increased needs for localization, governance reforms, and changing donor priorities, CSPR seeks to develop a new Strategic Plan for the period 2027–2031 that is highly responsive to current context on poverty and inequality and seeks to contribute to the local development landscape.
To this end, while it is recognized that a significant proportion of the work will be conducted internally, CSPR seeks to engage an experienced and competent anchor consultant to facilitate a participatory and inclusive strategic planning process that will result in a clear, contextually relevant country strategy that will inform its course of action against poverty in Zambia over the next 5 years.
Objective of the Consultancy
The overall objective of the consultancy is to provide technical leadership and facilitation in designing and delivering a consultative strategic planning process that culminates in the development of the CSPR Country Strategic Plan (2027–2031).
Specifically, the consultancy will support CSPR to:
- Clarify its strategic positioning and comparative advantage within Zambia’s civil society and development landscape;
- Respond strategically to emerging policy, governance, climate, gender and inequality challenges;
- Strengthen organisational effectiveness, sustainability, partnerships, and impact;
- Model a CSPR that is more efficient and effective in its operational design, structure and membership approach; and
- Align CSPR’s strategic direction with national development priorities and donor expectations.
Scope of Work
The anchor consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Designing the Strategic Planning Process
ü Propose a clear, sequenced, and participatory process for developing the Strategic Plan, including timelines and stakeholder engagement strategies.
- Context and Organisational Analysis
ü Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the external environment (political, economic, social, environmental, technological, and funding landscape) relevant to CSPR’s work.
ü Review internal organisational capacities, governance arrangements, programming approaches, and institutional strengths and gaps.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Facilitation
ü Facilitate consultative meetings, workshops with:
· CSPR Secretariat staff;
· Board members;
· Member organizations.
· Key external stakeholders including civil society and selected communities/ community actors, donor and partner organizations, selected foreign missions, government stakeholders, academia and private sector
ü Ensure inclusive participation, reflecting gender, disability, and diversity considerations.
- Documentation
ü Document and synthesize outcomes of all consultations, workshops, and engagements.
- Strategic Framework Development
ü Propose an overarching strategic framework, including:
· Vision, mission, and core values;
· Strategic priorities and objectives;
· Theory of Change
· Integrated themes
- Drafting of the Strategic Plan
ü Prepare a draft Strategic Plan (2027–2031) that includes:
· Strategic objectives and results framework;
· Implementation considerations;
· Linkages to resource mobilisation, partnerships, and organisational development;
· Monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) framework.
· Clear organizational structure and organogram
· Strategic plan budget
- Validation and Approval Support
ü Present the draft Strategic Plan to CSPR Senior Management, Staff, and the Board for validation.
ü Incorporate feedback and revisions arising from validation processes.
- Final Documentation
ü Produce a final Strategic Plan and a comprehensive report detailing the strategic planning process, key findings, and recommendations for implementation.
Key Deliverables
The consultant/consulting firm will deliver the following outputs:
- An Inception Report outlining understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, work plan, and timelines;
- A Context and Organisational Analysis Report;
- A Draft CSPR Strategic Plan (2027–2031), including a detailed Theory of Change, logical framework (Master log frame), M and E plan and Master 5-year budget;
- A Final CSPR Strategic Plan (2027–2031) incorporating stakeholder feedback.
- A Final Process Report summarizing methodology, consultations, findings, and recommendations.
Methodology
The consultant/consulting firm shall propose a methodology that is:
- Participatory and inclusive;
- Rights-based and people-centred;
- Gender-responsive and sensitive to power relations;
- Aligned with good practice in civil society organisational development.
The proposed methodology will form part of the assessment criteria during selection.
Timeframe
The consultancy is expected to be undertaken over a period of 30 working days, staggered between 19th June and 30th September 2026.
A detailed work plan will be agreed upon at inception.
Qualifications and Experience
The anchor consultant should meet the following minimum requirements:
- Advanced academic qualifications (Master’s or PhD) in Organisational Development, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Public Policy, Strategic Management, or related fields;
- At least 5 years of proven experience in developing strategic plans for civil society organisations, NGOs, or networks;
- Strong understanding of civil society, governance, social justice, and development programming, preferably within the Zambian or Southern African context;
- Demonstrated expertise in facilitating participatory and inclusive strategic planning processes;
- Experience integrating Theory of Change, results-based management, and MEAL frameworks;
- Excellent analytical, facilitation, and report-writing skills;
- Fluency in English is required.
Management and Reporting
The consultant will report to the Executive Director of CSPR and work closely with the Senior Management Team and relevant staff.
Application Procedure
Interested consultants (individuals) are invited to submit:
1. A cover letter demonstrating suitability for the assignment;
2. A technical proposal outlining understanding of the TOR and proposed methodology;
3. Curriculum Vitae of the consultant or consulting team;
4. Evidence of previous similar assignments, including contactable references;
5. A financial proposal indicating professional fees and costs.
Applications should be submitted to hr@csprzambia.org and copied to recruitments.procurements@csprzambia.org clearly marked: “Consultancy to Develop the CSPR Strategic Plan (2027–2031)” by 5th June, close of business.