81313378 - Supporting local governance for poverty reduction in Rwanda

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been supporting the Rwandan Government in the process of decentralization and in strengthening local governments in fulfilling their designated functions through four project phases of "supporting decentralization as a contribution to good governance", implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). In January 2025 a new phase, titled "local governance for poverty reduction (LG4P)", has started, marking a reorientation towards the local level with a focus on inclusivity, accessibility, and poverty reduction.

This phase runs from January 2025 - December 2027 with the Overall Objective (module goal): "Local governments in Rwanda fulfil their role as actors of poverty-oriented, good governance in partnership with civil society more effectively". The Outputs are as follows: (1) local government services are provided in a more poverty-oriented and inclusive manner, with a special focus on the needs of women and people with disabilities; (2) institutional capacities of the local administration to manage public finances and increase own revenues in a socially responsible manner have been strengthened and (3) the results of local public participation are integrated into the work of the local administrations.

Capacity building of local governments plays a central role in Rwanda in addressing existing challenges through local development that is both demand-driven and efficient and effective, especially for the benefit of vulnerable rural population. The Rwandan government's overarching strategic framework includes Vision 2050, which is implemented through a 7-year implementation plan, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST) I and II, and sector strategies based on it. Under Governance and Decentralization Sector Strategic Plan (G&D SSP) and the Fiscal Decentralization Policy and Strategic Implementation plan (FFDP/S), the Rwandan government aims, among other things, to better leverage and manage local financial resources, enhance own source revenues, improve public service delivery at the local level, broaden the participation of the population in planning processes, increase their involvement in monitoring, and strengthen mechanisms of national and local accountability.

GIZ is seeking to procure the services of a contractor (consultancy firm or consortium) with relevant experience in inclusive local planning, service delivery, local public financial management and local revenue enhancement as well as citizen participation and accountability. Crosscutting expertise in gender and inclusion is essential. Geographical experience in project implementation should cover projects in Sub-Saharan Africa large and Eastern Africa in particular. The contractor contributes to all outputs and module indicators to different degrees. This includes capacity development measures, organization of workshops, peer-learning measures, conducting studies and surveys, managing local contributions, and to a limited amount procurement of goods.

The assignment will be carried out between mid-2025 (depending on the contract award) and 31 December 2027 with a total of 440 person days for an international expert as Team Leader/ Pool manager, 200 person days for an expert on M&E and quality assurance, 150 person days for an expert on gender and inclusion, 50 person days for an expert on financial management for local contributions and 650 person days for various pools of experts.