REVIEW OF 2013-2016 STRATEGIC PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT

OF 2016-2020 STRATEGIC PLAN

TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. INTRODUCTION
The Tax Justice Network-Africa (TJN-A) is a Pan-African initiative and a member of the Global
Alliance for Tax Justice. It was launched in January 2007 at the World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi.
TJN-A promotes socially just, accountable and progressive taxation systems in Africa. It advocates for
tax policies with pro-poor outcomes, tax systems that curb public resource leakages and enhance
domestic resource mobilisation.
Based on a participatory analysis, understanding of the external environment and a review of TJN-As
organisational strengths and limitations, the current plan sets the overall strategic direction for the
organisation over the period 2013 - 2016 and is structured around four complementary pillars: tax
advocacy & policy influencing, citizen empowerment, partnership networking, partners and civil
society capacity development.
More specifically the strategic objectives are formulated as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

More transparency and accountability in global and national financial systems

Increased voice and participation of African citizens to shape tax policies
Civil society effectively engaging African governments on tax policy and practice
Compliant corporate tax payers and citizens who demand accountability.
TJN-A institutional strengthening

2. RATIONALE

The CSO environment is very dynamic and numerous evolutions have taken place internally and
externally since the development of the strategy in 2011 and the review conducted in 2013. Thus, it is
critical for TJN-A, at this point as the end of the strategic period approaches, to reflect critically in order
to ensure that the organisation is in touch with the changing environment. This, therefore, forms the
basis for the planned evaluation of the current strategic plan and development of a new strategy a year
ahead of the initial end date.
3. PURPOSE
The main objective of the assignment is to carry out an evaluation of TJN-As work to assess the
performance and extent to which the organisation has achieved its desired results and generate
information and learning to inform future strategic direction.
The specific objectives of the assignment are to:
1. To provide an analysis of the outcomes and results achieved by TJN-A against the set objectives
and activities between October 2013 to April 2015.
2. Assess the performance of the TJN-A secretariat based on the Balance Score Card in the current
Strategic Plan;
3. Assess strengths and weaknesses as well as identify reasons for any deviations from the TJNA intervene methods, goals and outcomes based on the implementation matrix in the current
strategic plan;
4. Take stock of current strategic achievements, challenges and opportunities
5. Verify the continued relevance of the initiatives and/or programmes of the organisation
6. Identify the necessary adjustments, if any, to the programme objectives, design and
implementation strategies in light of changes in the operating and target environment;
7. Draw key lessons, best practices and TJN-A high impact success story or stories of change for
replication and scaling up
8. Provide a critical analysis of the current Theory of Change and facilitate the development of a
new one.
9. Develop the new strategic plan for 2017-2020.

5.

THE SCOPE

The assignment will have two distinct but related phases namely:

The evaluation of the 2013-2016 Strategic Plan and

The development of a new strategic plan for the period 2017-2020.

5.1. The Evaluation

5.1.1. Overview
The evaluation will focus on the five pillars (tax advocacy and policy influencing, citizen
empowerment, partnership networking, partners and civil society capacity development and

institutional strengthening) of the Strategic Plan and the initiatives, processes and engagements that
have been undertaken by TJN-A at national/country, regional and continental levels to contribute to the
organisations vision and quest to promote tax justice in Africa. Analysis of strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats during the four-year period as well as the external environment will be
conducted.
The evaluation will assess the performance of TJN-A in implementation of the strategic plan in the
following dimensions:
Sustainability:
To what extent are TJN-As interventions sustainable? What are the mechanisms put in place over the
period to contribute to sustainability?
Impact:
1. The extent to which TJN-As work made positive changes on the target groups/constituencies and
the people the organisation works with;
2. The extent to which these positive changes on the target groups have been translated to policy and
practice change in addressing tax justice issues;
3. The extent to which initiatives undertaken over the period have led to capacity building for the target
groups;
4. Are there any innovative strategies, approaches, models and promising programming practices that
could be up scaled and replicated and
5. What were the strategic outcomes and impacts?
Effectiveness:
1. To what extent have the aims, objectives and targets of the Strategic Plan been met on time including
the design of strategy and interventions, implementation of the planned activities (quality, quantity
and value for money) and relevance of the core business of to the current policy environment.
Efficiency:
1. To what extent were TJN-As programme activities cost-efficient
How efficient was the programme and project implementation vis--vis fundraising and budget
absorption.
Relevance and coherence:
1. The extent to which the strategy adopts to and/or responds to the needs and contexts of the target
groups;
2. The extent to which programmes/projects are consistent with the TJN-A strategic framework;
Are the current thematic choices and strategic objectives (across the five pillars) still relevant in
addressing the needs of the target groups while also contributing to organisational sustainability?
5.1.2. Methodology

The evaluation is expected to be conducted in a consultative and participatory manner. Critical

reflection and learning is integral to this strategic plan evaluation, thus the consultant(s) will be expected
to create space for engagement of TJN-A Board, members, secretariat staff and partners.
The consultant will prepare a comprehensive proposal and work plan that will guide this assignment.
The proposal will be subjected to review and approval by the Strategy Review Team before
implementation commences. The consultant will be required to study and utilise various TJN-A tools
and models as well as existing organisational policies and manuals and other relevant materials.
The following reports and documents (together with any others deemed necessary) will be made
available for literature review purposes as part of the evaluation:

TJN-A Strategic Plan 2012-2016

Organisational Capacity Assessment Report 2013
Organisational Capacity Assessment Report 2014
Reviewed TJN-A Strategic Plan 2013-2016
Annual Report 2013
Annual Report 2014
Work plans and budget 2013-2015
Minutes of the General Assembly
Minutes of Board meetings
Audit reports
Reports of the staff planning retreats
Donor contracts and agreements
Performance Management Plans
Performance Appraisal Forms
Quarterly Staff and Management Meeting minutes
Staff Development and Training Plan
Monitoring and Evaluation framework
Theory of Change
Any other relevant documents.

The consultant will be required to engage with the Secretariat staff on an ongoing basis throughout the
evaluation process and is therefore expected to be physically present at the secretariat during key stages
of the process. Communication with members and other stakeholders based out of Nairobi will largely
be done through telephone, videoconference and other online means.
The consultant will use the evaluation findings to make proposals for consideration in the development
of a new strategic plan for TJN-A for the 2017 2020 period. The consultant will also propose a
framework and plan to guide the strategic planning.
To be able to deliver the above, the following will be done:
1. Relevant documents will be reviewed;
2. Appropriate questionnaires will be developed for data collection based on various categories of
respondents;
3. An internal discussion will be held with TJN-A staff (data collection);

4. Virtual correspondents with all TJN-A members and partners to assess the work, achievements
and to obtain and document key success stories. A representative sample will be drawn to
ensure representation of the 16 membership (both countries and regional networks) with clear
thematic representation on issues or projects implemented;
5. An internal validation session will be held with TJN-A secretariat team and selected members
to validate the evaluation findings before finalisation of the evaluation report and validation;
and
6. Production and submission of a report.
5. 1.3. Key deliverables
The consultant will provide the following deliverables:
1. A stand-alone executive summary distilling the key findings of the evaluation;
2. An evaluation report of a maximum of 20,000 words, covering but not limited to the following:

A clear methodology for the evaluation;

Findings focusing on the performance of TJN-A regarding impact, relevance,
effectiveness, and sustainability with regard to TJN-As work and
methods/approaches;
Lessons learned and best practices: What worked well and why; what didnt work well
and why?
Thorough analysis of the internal and external environment within which TJN-A and
similar organisations operate;
Practical recommendations for improving effectiveness of delivery of TJN-As
initiatives and partnership approaches based on the findings; and
Annexes: evaluation tools, list of key informants and any other relevant information

3. An outline document indicating possible strategic direction/choices with particular emphasis

on the appropriate Theory of Change. This should provide an accompanying analysis and
justification for the recommendations made.
NB: A report format and required content will be agreed upon with the consultant(s) prior to
commencing the task.

5.2. The Strategy

5.2.1. Overview
The final recommendations from the evaluation will inform the development of the new strategy for
2017-2020. Key pillars of the new strategy should be:
The Theory of Change (to include organisational long term vision, organisational purpose and
focus, TJN-A Role in achieving change): reference will be made to the current strategy and Theory
of Change but improvements will be made based on the findings from the evaluation;

Programmatic priorities and areas of work: reference will be made to the current thematic areas as
captured in the implementation matrix for the current strategy but these will be updated and rephrased
based on the new developments as captured by the evaluation report;
Institutional /secretariat structure: A new structure will be suggested based on the programmatic
priorities and areas of work;
Resource mapping: a clear resource mobilisation plan should be developed based on programmatic
priorities and institutional structure. Sustainability issues should be taken into consideration.
Implementation plan: a clear, practical and realistic multi-annual plan will be developed to guide the
secretariat in breaking down the strategy into realistic and measurable annual plans for the period.
5.2.2. Methodology
Critical analysis
The consultant will undertake an analysis that will largely borrow from the evaluation report but update
with developments that may have happened between the time of the survey and the strategy. The
analysis requires a comparison of the key outcomes of the mapping with the current strategic
framework.
Multi-annual Strategic Framework
The multi-annual strategy will be based on the outcomes of the analysis and developed through a cocreation process (ideally a face-to-face workshop with all [active] members) to ensure that members are
in full support and willing to play an active role in achieving the strategic objectives. This will also
require the development of a joint Theory of Change and agreement on the roles and responsibilities
that members have in realising the objectives.
Resource mapping
The strategy will include a clear plan for resource mobilisation through donor funding and other relevant
sources.

5.2.3. Deliverables
The consultant will provide the following deliverables:
Analysis of the (internal) Strengths, Weaknesses and (external) Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of
the network as a whole. This analysis should be based on a mapping of
- member organisations and their geographies (country or region);
- member organisations operation level (grassroots, national, regional, Pan African, global)
- member organisations thematic expertise areas;
- member organisations functional strengths and resourcing (research, communications,
media, mobilisation, digital, lobby, liaison);
- member organisations constituencies (e.g. special target groups);
- the roles member organisations currently play in influencing strategies of the network and
- member organisations interests to play different or additional roles in future campaigns

Depending on the specifics of the coalition, this analysis could also include an assessment of
the current governance structure, and provide recommendations for improvement.
It could also include a Life Cycle Analysis, and recommendations for strengthening coalition
dynamics.
Depending on the already available mappings, a mapping of external opportunities (for
example: the agenda of the main influencing target) could also be added to this exercise.

Multi-annual strategic framework

Based on the strengths and opportunities identified through the analysis, the network will develop or
adapt the multi-annual strategic framework. This framework will outline the strategic priorities for the
coming years (2017-2020), and also define which areas will not be prioritised. This framework could
include structuring the networks work into a limited number of key thematic influencing areas. The
current four thematic areas Promotion of tax justice in domestic tax policies and practices;
Taxation and Natural Resource Governance; International Taxation and Illicit Financial Flows;
Regional Harmonisation of tax frameworks will serve as reference but will be updated according
to latest developments and inputs from stakeholders. The framework will be based on a joint Theory of
Change that is shared and supported across the network.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

TJN-A will be responsible for:

Selecting, contracting and managing the consultant;

Supporting the process and actively engaging with and guiding the consultant during the
assessment/evaluations and
Identifying stakeholders and relevant documents as needed.

The consultant will be responsible for:

Preparing an assignment execution proposal including a work plan and appropriate evaluation
and strategy development framework;
Inception report within the first four days of signing the contract;
Engaging with TJN-A staff, Board members and other stakeholders through a jointly outlined
methodology and
Production of deliverables in accordance with the requirements and time frames of the contract.

REQUIREMENTS
The ideal consultant/consulting firm should have a team of specialists in international development,
governance and institutional development or a related field (minimum of Masters Degree) with at least
10 years of experience in similar assignment, with knowledge of and/or proven expertise in:

Strategy
evaluation
especially
leading
evaluations
for
similar
Pan-African
organisations/programmes in the civil society sector;
Campaign strategy design in an international context and preferably in a Pan-African context;
Organisational and institutional development experience;

Knowledge and demonstrated experience in TJN-As areas of work namely tax advocacy and
policy influencing, citizen empowerment, partnership networking, partners and civil society
capacity development;
Strong statistical and analytical, quantitative and qualitative research skills;
Strong analytical and writing skills;
Understanding of tax justice issues in the African continent and understanding of policy-based
approaches to programming and advocacy;
Participatory approaches in conducting assessments, facilitating strategic planning processes and
writing strategic plans for similar organisations;
Knowledge and experience in the CSO sector particularly at Pan-African level; and
Proficiency in English and French of key team members is a must.

8. TIME LINE
The assignment should commence on 15th of May 2015 and should be completed no later than 30th
November 2015. TJN-As terms of payment for consultants will apply as per the policy. Logistics and
payment modalities will be included in the contract agreement.
9. APPLICATION PROCESS
To

apply

kindly

fill

in

the

application

form

through

http://goo.gl/forms/f6PgDg361T by 17.00 GMT on 8th May 2015.

the

following

link