ToR for a consultancy in Public Finance Accountability

ANALYTICAL STUDY ON PUBLIC FINANCE ACCOUNTABILITY IN OPT

BACKGROUND
Oxfam’s vision is a just world without poverty: a world in which people can influence decisions that affect their lives, enjoy their rights, and assume their responsibilities as full citizens of a world in which all human beings are valued and treated equally. Oxfam’s mission and work are based on the following rights-based aims: the right to life and security, the right to a sustainable livelihood, the right to essential services, the right to be heard and the right to an identity (please refer to Oxfam Strategic Plan 2013-2019 for further details).

Oxfam Novib understands public finance accountability as a way for citizens to have a voice in how public funds are collected and spent. It is about the participation of people to hold governments accountable for their obligation to guarantee the fulfillment of human rights to all people by focusing on the way governments collect and spend financial resources to support development.  As part of the Right to be Heard programme “People claiming their right for a better life”, Oxfam’s objective in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is to increase the voice of poor and marginalized people to demand more responsiveness from their authorities to their interest, and to increase people’s influence and benefit from the policies and legislation. Purpose of this assignment is to generate knowledge on public resource collection and allocation (national budgets) and explore potential for Oxfam Novib and local partner organizations to meaningfully engage in promoting citizens’ voice to influence public finance accountability and transparency. Oxfam Novib has been supporting number of local CSOs in promoting good governance in the OPT and intends to expand its existing governance programming to include public finance accountability as one of the main themes.  Oxfam Novib is seeking a consultant to compile evidence from existing literature and consultations with key stakeholders to develop analyses study and provide guidance on such elements as mechanisms for budget monitoring that make for good entry points for civil society role in promoting transparency and accountability.

OBJECTIVE
The general objective of this study is to obtain knowledge and understanding on existing approaches, initiatives and actors engaged in public finance accountability in the OPT to inform Oxfam’s future programme under the Right to be Heard (RTBH) theme.  This assignment has two specific objectives: to provide a comprehensive overview on formulation and enactment of national budgets in the OPT (legislation, processes, key actors), sources and types of revenues and the process of national budget implementation; and to map out stakeholders and provide an analysis on the capacity of the government, international community and local civil society to effectively monitor national budget and promote accountability and transparency. 

SCOPE OF WORK
The document is intended for internal use by Oxfam Country Team as a means to apply in the development of a public finance accountability programme under Rights to Be Heard priority theme.
The following describes the consultant’s proposed tasks involved and the Country Team (subject, of course, to discussion with, and amendment by, the Country Team), the number of days involved for the consultant, and the first draft of the timeline for the assignment. 

TASK 1: PREPARATORY STAGE (DESK REVIEW OF OXFAM STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS, AND INITIAL BRIEFINGS WITH RELEVANT STAFF AT OXFAM HEADQUARTERS AND COUNTRY OFFICE).
Consultant days: 3.0

Goal: the consultant will get familiar  with Oxfam’s in-country programmes, the national governance structure, and key issues and stakeholders (including but not limited to international and Palestinian NGO’s, governmental authorities, UN agencies, donors, etc.); around public finance accountability. This will allow the consultant to collaborate more effectively with the country team. 

Country Team’s Role: To provide recent Oxfam strategic documents (in English) and information about relevant partners and projects working on governance issues. Country team will provide full support and relevant documents and information to the consultant to facilitate his/her tasks during the consultancy period. In addition, Oxfam CT will facilitate any meetings and field visits with relevant partners, Oxfam staff at CO and HQ.

Consultant’s Role: To examine laws and regulations governing public finance accountability, related research, studies and findings on public finance accountability in the oPt. Relevant documents will include at the minimum: legislations and procedures governing national budget revenues, allocations and expenditures, with a general overview on previous practical experiences on  formulation, enactment, execution, assessment of national budgets; an overview of budget monitoring initiatives and projects (by civil society, INGOs, other stakeholders) during the last five years; level of transparency of national and sectorial budgets; and how budget monitoring is specifically relevant to gender issues.

TASK 2: PLANNING THE CONSULTATIONS
Consultant days: 2.0

Goal:  To ensure productive consultations for both Consultant and country Team.
Consultant Role: based on the desk review, prepare an inception report identifying a number of experts and key stakeholders and players in the field of public finance accountability and to arrange for interviews with them

Country Team Role: To identify relevant Oxfam partners/projects likely to contribute; to liaise with the consultant to ensure the consultations are most productive and the goals mutually agreed; and to review proposed list of organizations /individuals to be interviewed.

TASK 3: CONSULTATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS: EXPLORING PUBLIC FINANCE ACCOUNTABILITY IN OPT
Consultant days: 10.0

The consultations will allow the consultant to explore in some depth the context of public finance accountability in OPT, main features of the institutional and governance structures, current projects and key stakeholders including international actors (World Bank, EU, major donors) in so far as they relate to budget monitoring; begin to identify and map existing and potential Oxfam partners into these areas.

Goal: To interview experts, partners and key stakeholders identified as relevant to public finance accountability in the oPt.

Consultant role: To meet with identified experts, organizations and stakeholders involved in budget monitoring and learn about the current context of budget monitoring in the oPt.

TASK 4: MAPPING AND CONTEXT ANALYSIS DRAFT ON PUBLIC FINANCE ACCOUNTABILITY IN OPT
Consultant days: 4.0

Goal: based on the interviews, consultations and documentations collected, to draft an analysis of public finance accountability in OPT. The analyses should cover the following:

The revenues:
-To analyze the main sources of budget revenues: taxes (income taxes, VAT, etc.), import levies, aid, etc. and their relative importance in the overall national budget; the character of the tax system;
-To analyze the efficiency of tax raising (how much of the GNP is raised in national taxes?);
-To analyze the effects of the different national taxes on the population and corporate sector;
-To analyze the conditions for foreign aid and its effect on the population and the poor.

The spending:
-To analyse the formulation and enactment of national budgets (process, key actors);
-To analyse the mechanisms of budget spending;
-To assess national budgets in terms of monitoring by governmental institutions and international agencies;
-To assess mechanisms for transparency and accountability towards the population;
-To assess initiatives by civil society organizations (CSOs) to be involved in the budget process from the formulation to audits and quality assessments;
-To assess the capacity of CSOs to analyze budgets;
-To assess the capacity of CSOs to be effective watchdogs and their capacity to formulate proposals;
-Recommendations. Provide recommendations on how to improve public accountability work in the OPT, and possible entry points for intervention.

Consultant role:  Analysis and report drafting (an initial scoping of key strategic areas for public finance accountability; the rationale behind it etc.); send the draft to country team and de-briefing session in which summary findings will be discussed.

Country Team role: To review and comment on the draft.

TASK 5: FINAL DRAFT OF THE ANALYTICAL STUDY
Consultant days: 1.0

Goal: To finalize the context analysis draft on public finance accountability in OPT.

Consultant role:  To incorporate country team comments on the draft report, finalize the document and send back to the country team for final approval.

Country Team role: To review last version of the draft and approve the report.



CONSULTANCY DELIVERABLES
Upon completion of the consultancy, a report should be submitted for ON’s approval including major findings and recommendations. The study should be prepared under the supervision of Ivan Nikolic, Programme Officer, who will act as a focal point for all communications and approvals.
The consultant is expected to liaise closely with other members of the country office and Headquarters staff. All communications including the report should be in English. Annexes should include the TOR, list of organisations/persons interviewed and a list of documents reviewed in connection with this consultancy.
All materials produced in the course of this consultancy are the property of Oxfam Novib. The consultant will not share any internal documents provided by ON with the outside world without the explicit written permission of Oxfam Novib Country Office.

CONSULTANCY SERVICE  REQUIREMENTS
-Master’s Degree in Economics with specialization in public sector management;
-Demonstrated track record in proving technical support and policy advice in public expenditures and financial management processes at national and local levels;
-Knowledgeable about the key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with focus on public finance and tax justice;
-Solid understanding of gender concepts and latest developments in Gender Justice policy and practice and proven experience in using different gender analysis frameworks and tools;
-Strong analytical and communication skills;
-Fluent in English and Arabic;
-The candidate should be immediately available.

APPLICATIONS
Oxfam invites bids from individuals with the experience and skills described above. Tenders must include: 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.
-An indicative plan with timelines for each of the tasks included under this consultancy
-A maximum one page budget (or daily fee) covering all consultancy related costs inclusive of VAT.
-A CV detailing relevant skills and experience of no more than 2 pages, including contactable references.

Tender should be sent to [email protected] with copy to [email protected] and received no later than midnight GMT, 27 June 2014.

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