TERMS OF REFERENCE

Oxfam is a global movement of people who are fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice. Across regions, from the local to the global, we work with people to bring change that lasts.

1.    BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Oxfam has been working in Iraq for several decades, supporting communities affected by conflict, displacement, and protracted socio-economic challenges. In Al-Anbar Governorate, Oxfam’s programming focuses on strengthening local governance, promoting inclusive and just service delivery between women and men, and enhancing community resilience to climate-related risks through citizen engagement and participatory planning approaches.

Under the GIZ-funded Iraq Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ICCA), Oxfam is implementing the project “Strengthening Community Engagement and Citizen–Government Relations in Local Development Planning” in the districts of Ramadi, Heet, and Fallujah. The project aims to enhance citizen participation and inclusive dialogue to strengthen trust between communities and local government institutions and reinforce vertical social cohesion.

A key pillar of the project is Output 2, which focuses on strengthening and institutionalizing accountability systems and citizen engagement mechanisms at the district level. This includes improving the capacity of local government officials to manage participatory planning processes, respond to citizen feedback and complaints, and integrate community-informed priorities into Local Development Plans (LDPs) and Climate Action Plans (CAPs).

While local authorities are committed to leading citizen engagement measures, there remains a need for continuous technical support, mentoring, and on-the-job coaching to ensure that participatory approaches are applied consistently, inclusively, and in a gender-sensitive manner across districts. To address this need, Oxfam seeks to engage a Long-Term Advisor on Citizen Engagement and Accountability Mechanisms to support local government actors throughout the project lifecycle. The Advisor will provide background facilitation and advisory support to strengthen institutional practices, reinforce accountability mechanisms, and promote sustainable state–citizen engagement beyond individual events or consultations.

2.    SPECIFICATION OF SERVICES/SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT REQUIRED

The Long-Term Advisor will provide strategic advisory, mentoring, and facilitation backstopping support to local government authorities in Ramadi, Heet, and Fallujah to strengthen citizen engagement practices and accountability mechanisms, in line with Output 2 of the ICCA project.

The scope of this assignment focuses on institutional strengthening and capacity support, rather than direct implementation of events. The Advisor will support local government actors to lead, manage, and institutionalize participatory planning and accountability processes.

Scope of the Assignment

The Advisor will be responsible for the following core areas of work:

1. Advisory Support to Local Government on Citizen Engagement and Accountability:

• The advisor will facilitate the discussion with the local government to underscore the importance of citizen participation and it’s added value to their work.
• Provide ongoing technical advice to district-level authorities on participatory planning, inclusive dialogue formats, and citizen engagement methodologies.
• Support local government officials to strengthen and operationalize feedback, complaint-handling, and accountability mechanisms, particularly those related to climate-affected services.
• Advise on integrating citizen inputs into Local Development Plans (LDPs), Climate Action Plans (CAPs), and related planning processes.
• Engage the local government officials and improve their understanding on participatory planning, enable them to lead the citizens engagement and participatory planning process.
• Support/guide the local government in leading the measures in the targeted districts, this includes invitations, follow-up, organizing meetings and ensure local Govt. readiness to lead the whole participatory planning process.

2. On-the-Job Coaching and Mentoring:

• Deliver hands-on coaching and mentoring to local government officials before, during, and after the implementation of citizen engagement measures, with a focus on improving facilitation skills, responsiveness, and follow-up practices.
• Support officials to reflect on lessons learned from engagement activities and identify practical improvements for future processes.
• Contribute to strengthening local government capacity to manage participatory processes independently over time.

3. Backstopping Support to Project Measures:

• Provide background facilitation and technical backstopping during selected citizen engagement measures, as needed, to ensure quality, inclusivity, and gender-sensitive approaches.
• Coordinate closely with short-term facilitators and specialized consultants to ensure coherence and consistency across the 13 citizen participation measures.
• Ensure that all support provided reinforces local government leadership and ownership of the processes.

4. Coordination, Documentation, and Learning:

• Prepare briefs, and key recommendations based on the planning meetings findings and community inputs across all 13 measures and follow-up to ensure proper implementation.
• Work closely with Oxfam’s project team to align advisory support with project timelines, priorities, and monitoring requirements.
• Contribute to documentation of good practices, challenges, and lessons learned related to citizen engagement and accountability mechanisms.
• Provide brief advisory notes or inputs, as requested, to inform adaptive project management and learning.

If the Consultant wishes to propose modifications to the specification (which may provide a better way to achieve Oxfam ´s objectives) these must be considered as an alternative offer. The Supplier must make alternative offers in a separate letter to accompany the offer. OXFAM is under no obligation to accept alternative offers.

3.    METHODOLOGY

The key steps to be followed though not explicit and the detailed modality and work plan will be agreed during consultation meeting include:

The assignment will be implemented using a flexible, participatory, and demand-driven advisory approach, tailored to the capacities and needs of local government authorities in Ramadi, Heet, and Fallujah.

The Advisor will work closely with district-level officials and Oxfam’s project team to agree on priorities, modalities, and timing of support, ensuring alignment with the implementation of the citizen engagement measures and Output 2 objectives.

The key methodological elements include:

• On-the-job coaching and mentoring: Practical, hands-on support provided before, during, and after selected citizen engagement measures to strengthen facilitation skills, participatory planning practices, and responsiveness to citizen feedback.
• Embedded advisory support: Continuous technical backstopping to local government actors through regular field visits, coordination meetings, and remote support, focusing on institutionalizing accountability mechanisms and participatory approaches.
• Reflective learning and adaptation: Supporting local authorities to review experiences from engagement activities, identify lessons learned, and apply improvements to future planning and accountability processes.
• Coordination and complementarity: Close coordination with Oxfam staff, short-term facilitators, and specialized consultants to ensure coherence across interventions and avoid duplication or overlap of roles.

A detailed workplan, including indicative milestones and level of effort, will be agreed upon at the start of the assignment and updated periodically based on project needs and implementation progress.

Planned timeline

4.    TIMEFRAME AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Remuneration is based on submission of final deliverables according to the schedule below.

5.    EXPERIENCE OR PROFILE REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant should have the following competencies:

Essential

• Advanced university degree in public administration, governance, public policy, political science, development studies, social sciences, or a related field.
• At least 7–10 years of relevant professional experience in citizen engagement, participatory planning, accountability mechanisms, or local governance support, preferably in fragile or post-conflict contexts.
• Demonstrated experience providing advisory, mentoring, or coaching support to government institutions or public authorities at sub-national or local levels.
• Proven understanding of participatory planning processes, citizen–government dialogue formats, and feedback and complaint-handling mechanisms.
• Experience in applying justice between women and men-sensitive and inclusive approaches in governance or community engagement programming.
• Familiarity with working in coordination with international NGOs, donors, and local authorities.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills, with the ability to produce concise advisory notes and reports.
• Strong Knowledge in the local context of Iraq, and to Anbar governorate.
• Fluency in both Arabic, and English is a must, to ensure seamless reporting.

Desired

• Postgraduate qualification or certified professional training in governance, public policy, accountability, participatory planning, or related fields.
• Previous experience working with Oxfam, GIZ, UN or similar international development donors.
• Experience supporting the institutionalization of accountability mechanisms within local government systems.
• Knowledge of the Iraqi governance context, particularly at governorate and district levels.
• Experience working on climate adaptation, climate governance, or environment-related planning processes.
• Ability to work flexibly across multiple locations and adapt advisory support to evolving project needs.

6.    APPLICATION PROCESS

Submission instructions

Quotations and applications must reach Oxfam no later than 05/03/2026 at 16:00 Baghdad time.

Responses must be submitted in English or Arabic, electronically to: irqconsultancy@oxfam.org.uk

The subject of the mail should be: [RFQ-IQRMD-26-0005 – Proposal Submission + [Name of bidder]]

Any questions, remarks or requests for clarification can be sent up to 7 days before the submission deadline in writing. The (anonymised) questions will be answered to all applicants.

Administrative requirements

To be shortlisted for evaluation against award criteria, the following documents must be submitted with this application:

Evaluation and award criteria

The proposals will be assessed according to the following criteria and distribution of points:

Only proposals scoring at least 40 out of 70 points in the technical evaluation will proceed to the financial evaluation.

Oxfam withholds the right to conduct interviews with one or more potential suppliers before an award decision is made. The purpose of the interview is to seek further clarification on the submitted quotations and learn more about the background and previous experiences of the potential suppliers and their teams.

7.    OTHER CONDITIONS

Conditions for participating in the procurement process are detailed in the Terms & Conditions of Bidding

8.    CODE OF CONDUCT

Oxfam is committed to integrity in its operations and supply chains and ensuring high ethical standards. Complying with all laws and regulations and ensuring fair competition are fundamental to this commitment. We actively promote these principles and standards and expect all Oxfam suppliers to demonstrate commitment towards them.

All consultants/applicant are required to agree and adhere to the Oxfam Supplier Code of Conduct, whereas individuals (including consultants) must sign the Oxfam Non Staff Code of Conduct[1]. These Codes of Conduct set out the specific standards and principles in the areas of human and labour rights, environmental impact and anti-corruption that suppliers must follow.

9.    ANNEXES

• Conflict of interest declaration form for 3rd parties
• Safeguarding policy
• Oxfam child safeguarding policy

[1] Non-Staff Code of Conduct applies for any self-employed individuals or contracted employees of suppliers who are working on Oxfam sites, or who have access to Oxfam materials, or who may represent Oxfam in any manner but are not part of Oxfam’s legal entity)

الاساسية

• شهادة جامعية متقدمة في الإدارة العامة، أو الحوكمة، أو السياسة العامة، أو العلوم السياسية، أو دراسات التنمية، أو العلوم الاجتماعية، أو مجال ذي صلة.
• خبرة مهنية لا تقل عن 7-10 سنوات في مجال إشراك المواطنين، أو التخطيط التشاركي، أو آليات المساءلة، أو دعم الحوكمة المحلية، ويفضل أن تكون في سياقات هشة أو ما بعد النزاعات.
• خبرة مثبتة في تقديم الدعم الاستشاري أو التوجيهي أو التدريبي للمؤسسات الحكومية أو السلطات العامة على المستويات دون الوطنية أو المحلية.
• فهم مثبت لعمليات التخطيط التشاركي، وأشكال الحوار بين المواطنين والحكومة، وآليات معالجة الملاحظات والشكاوى.
• خبرة في تطبيق العدالة بين النساء والرجال - مناهج مراعية للظروف وشاملة في الحوكمة أو برامج المشاركة المجتمعية.
• الإلمام بالعمل بالتنسيق مع المنظمات غير الحكومية الدولية والجهات المانحة والسلطات المحلية.
• مهارات قوية في التيسير والتواصل وإشراك أصحاب المصلحة.
• مهارات تحليلية وإعداد تقارير ممتازة، مع القدرة على إنتاج مذكرات وتقارير استشارية موجزة.
• معرفة قوية بالسياق المحلي للعراق، وبالمحافظة الأنبار.
• إتقان اللغتين العربية والإنجليزية أمر لا بد منه لضمان سلاسة عملية إعداد التقارير.

مرغوب

• مؤهل دراسات عليا أو تدريب مهني معتمد في مجال الحوكمة أو السياسة العامة أو المساءلة أو التخطيط التشاركي أو المجالات ذات الصلة.
• خبرة سابقة في العمل مع منظمات مثل أوكسفام، أو الوكالة الألمانية للتعاون الدولي، أو الأمم المتحدة، أو جهات مانحة دولية مماثلة في مجال التنمية.
• خبرة في دعم ترسيخ آليات المساءلة داخل أنظمة الحكم المحلي.
• معرفة سياق الحكم العراقي، لا سيما على مستوى المحافظات والأقضية.
• خبرة في العمل على التكيف مع تغير المناخ، أو إدارة المناخ، أو عمليات التخطيط المتعلقة بالبيئة.
• القدرة على العمل بمرونة في مواقع متعددة وتكييف الدعم الاستشاري مع احتياجات المشروع المتغيرة.

Quotations and applications must reach Oxfam no later than 05/03/2026 at 16:00 Baghdad time.

Responses must be submitted in English or Arabic, electronically to: irqconsultancy@oxfam.org.uk

The subject of the mail should be: [RFQ-IQRMD-26-0005 – Proposal Submission + [Name of bidder]]

Any questions, remarks or requests for clarification can be sent up to 7 days before the submission deadline in writing. The (anonymised) questions will be answered to all applicants.

Administrative requirements

To be shortlisted for evaluation against award criteria, the following documents must be submitted with this application:

Evaluation and award criteria

The proposals will be assessed according to the following criteria and distribution of points:

Only proposals scoring at least 40 out of 70 points in the technical evaluation will proceed to the financial evaluation.

Oxfam withholds the right to conduct interviews with one or more potential suppliers before an award decision is made. The purpose of the interview is to seek further clarification on the submitted quotations and learn more about the background and previous experiences of the potential suppliers and their teams.

1.     عملية التقديم

تعليمات التقديم

يجب أن تصل عروض الأسعار والطلبات إلى منظمة أوكسفام في موعد أقصاه 05/03/2026 الساعة 16:00 بتوقيت بغداد.

يجب تقديم الردود باللغة الإنجليزية أو العربية، إلكترونيًا إلى: irqconsultancy@oxfam.org.uk

يجب أن يكون عنوان البريد الإلكتروني: [RFQ-IQRMD-26-0005- تقديم مقترح + [اسم مقدم العرض]]

يمكن إرسال أي أسئلة أو ملاحظات أو طلبات توضيح كتابيًا حتى 7 أيام قبل الموعد النهائي للتقديم. سيتم الرد على الأسئلة (مع إخفاء هوية المتقدمين) لجميع المتقدمين.

المتطلبات الإدارية

للتأهل للتقييم وفقًا للمعايير، يجب تقديم المستندات التالية مع هذا الطلب:

معايير التقييم والمنح

سيتم تقييم عروض الأسعار وفقًا للمعايير التالية وتوزيع النقاط:

لن تنتقل إلى التقييم المالي إلا المقترحات التي تحصل على 40 نقطة على الأقل من أصل 70 نقطة في التقييم الفني.

تحتفظ منظمة أوكسفام بحق إجراء مقابلات مع مورد واحد أو أكثر من الموردين المحتملين قبل اتخاذ قرار الترسية. والهدف من هذه المقابلات هو طلب مزيد من التوضيحات حول عروض الأسعار المقدمة، والتعرف أكثر على خلفية الموردين المحتملين وخبراتهم السابقة، بالإضافة إلى خلفيات فرقهم.

2.     شروط أخرى

تُفصّل شروط المشاركة في عملية الشراء في بنود وشروط تقديم العطاءات.

3.     مدونة لقواعد السلوك

تلتزم منظمة أوكسفام بالنزاهة في عملياتها وسلاسل توريدها، وتضمن أعلى المعايير الأخلاقية. ويُعدّ الامتثال لجميع القوانين واللوائح، وضمان المنافسة العادلة، ركيزتين أساسيتين لهذا الالتزام. ونحن نشجع هذه المبادئ والمعايير بنشاط، ونتوقع من جميع موردي أوكسفام إظهار التزامهم بها.

يُشترط على جميع الاستشاريين/المتقدمين الموافقة على مدونة قواعد سلوك موردي أوكسفام والالتزام بها ، بينما يجب على الأفراد بمن فيهم الاستشاريون التوقيع على مدونة قواعد سلوك غير الموظفين في أوكسفام  تحدد مدونات قواعد السلوك هذه المعايير والمبادئ المحددة في مجالات حقوق الإنسان والعمال، والأثر البيئي، ومكافحة الفساد التي يجب على الموردين اتباعها.

4.     الملحقات

• نموذج إقرار تضارب المصالح للأطراف الثالثة
• سياسة الحماية
• سياسة أوكسفام لحماية الأطفال