Strategic Planning Consultant

1-Background
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization devoted to service, development, and peace programs throughout the world. Our work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.

AFSC has a continuous history of work in Palestine and Israel dating back to 1948. AFSC also engages in advocacy, education and outreach in the US, and through the Quaker UN Offices (QUNO) in New York and Geneva, and the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) Brussels.

Two landmark decisions were made by the AFSC Board in 2011. The first was to approve an updated Framework for a Just and Lasting Peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This document upholds the equal rights of all Palestinians and Israelis. It calls for an end to the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza Strip, and respect for the rights of refugees . The second decision was to join the TIAA-CREF divestment campaign led by Jewish Voices for Peace . In the absence of an updated AFSC corporate strategy and regional strategy these guiding decisions are valuable.

The AFSC Corporate Strategy is due to be developed in early FY13. Within the Middle East region there is an urgency to review and develop the Israel Palestine work before then. An updated Middle East plan is intended to be in place by latest July 2012.

The distinctive contribution of the AFSC:
AFSC is a Quaker organization with a history of radical pacifism
AFSC is a US organization with a faith-based mandate to work for humanitarian service, development and peace building.
AFSC is a US INGO which is not constrained by USAID conditional funding.
AFSC is an INGO working both in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel.
AFSC has both a continuous history of practical service and the potential for advocacy, education and outreach within the international community both in the US through its regional offices, and through its sister organizations QUNO and QCEA.

2-Purpose
The purpose of the Israel Palestine strategic plan will be to guide the work of AFSC in Israel Palestine, and the US based Israel Palestine work for the period 2012-2015.

The strategic plan should provide a conflict analysis of the connectors and dividers between stakeholders in the conflict, and the drivers that sustain the cycle of violence and prevent conflict transformation. It should make it clear both internally and externally what we want to do, what environment we work in, and why we want to do it. It should articulate a clear theory of change.

3.    Approaches
The plan should be grounded in the vision, mission and values of AFSC as well as the Quaker testimonies.

Inclusion
The process should be inclusive, in particular in relation to youth and gender, participatory and based on the do-no-harm principles

Transparency
The process for the development of the plan and its conclusions should be clearly communicated to key stakeholders.

Appreciative
The process should be appreciative of the learning of the past and current AFSC programs and partners, especially in the areas of working with young people, recognize local capacities and build upon them.

Conflict sensitivity
As well as addressing the inequalities between Israelis and Palestinians (both in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel), the plan should be designed to connect people in communities and across political divides and contribute to the internal social cohesion of Palestinian society and Israeli society.

One program approach
The plan should clearly establish the relationships between the Middle East region and the US based Israel Palestine advocacy, policy, education and outreach. This plan therefore needs to be developed in close consultation with US AFSC stakeholders, and with the full participation of the AFSC Program Director Israel Palestine based in Philadelphia, USA.

Flexibility
The plan should offer flexibility and clear priorities for contingency planning in the case of political developments

Impact oriented
The plan should include a plan for monitoring, evaluation and review and clear accountability to its primary stakeholders.


4-Key participants
The AFSC Middle East staff consists of staff based in Israel Palestine (17) and staff based in the US (4). A strategic planning group has been formed of six staff (one in Gaza, two in East Jerusalem, two in Ramallah, and one in Philadelphia, USA), however, all staff should be invited to participate in appropriate and effective ways in the development of the plan and achieve a sense of joint ownership of the plan.

In addition, the planning process should invite participation from other Quaker agencies based in the West Bank, existing partners, and a wider group of stakeholders from Palestine and Israel.

Participation should be sought from stakeholders that AFSC has not to date had close relations with in order to encourage innovation.

AFSC US based staff should be invited to give input and feedback at regular intervals in the process.

5-Suggested methodologies, roles and responsibilities

6-Timetable
Staff are available to participate in a 3-5 day residential strategic planning meeting during the period after 16 April. Staff are also available before and after these dates to facilitate preparatory and feedback consultations. The last date for completion is July 2012.


7-Documentation of process
In order to use the Consultant’s research findings in AFSC publications and campaigns, AFSC must be provided with full information and documentation of the sources used so that we could substantiate those findings ourselves.

Primary sources must be used wherever possible over secondary sources. For example, the Consultant should reference a statistic to its original report, not where it is cited second hand by a newspaper or website.

If the Consultant has interviewed people in the course of the research, the interview notes should be submitted, signed and dated by the Consultant or other interviewer.

If the Consultant has done quantitative analysis for the research, the raw data should be provided, and all steps of calculations shown, in relevant software.

If Internet sources have been used, a printed out page from the website showing the cited facts and the date the page was viewed should be included with the documentation. This is so AFSC has documented proof of the content, since web pages are often updated or removed.

8-Qualifications and Experience
AFSC is looking for a national or international consultant (or team of consultants) with the following qualifications:
Academic and/or professional background in Peace building and Conflict Transformation
Demonstrable experience in the fields of conflict analysis, gender equality, social inclusion, and diversity sensitivity
Strong experience in program design, monitoring and evaluation
Knowledge of context in Israel and OPT
Knowledge of international law, human rights, and in particular third party responsibility for compliance
Experience of facilitating participatory strategic planning
Proven experience of accomplishing time-bound tasks in challenging contexts
Excellent Arabic and English writing/reporting skills

9-Submitting an Expression of Interest
AFSC invites bids from individuals with the experience and skills described above. Tenders must include:
1-A cover letter of no more than 2 pages introducing the consultant and how the skills and competencies described above are met, with concrete examples as appropriate. Please also use this cover letter to indicate consultant’s availability at critical periods.
2-A 1-page budget covering all major anticipated costs including estimated number of days (AFSC prefers to pay an agreed price based on specific deliverables
- Submission of proposal for strategic planning including communication strategy and design of preparatory work of context and stakeholder analysis and feedback on proposed strategy
- Submission of draft strategy for feedback
- Submission of final strategy

AFSC will reimburse travel and subsistence based on receipts.)
3-Brief description of methodology
4-A CV detailing relevant skills and experience of no more than 2 pages, including contactable references
5-One example of a relevant previous strategic plan (one each for joint bids)
Expressions of interest should be sent to [email protected] and received no later than Wednesday 29 February. Short-listed candidates will be contacted on or before Friday 2 March and invited to interview the following week (March 5-9).

10-Intellectual Property
Ownership and copyright of all data, drafts and final products will be the sole and exclusive property of AFSC.