External Business Consultant

A.         BACKGROUND

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded Rene Moawad Foundation (RMF) the ‘Building Alliance for Local Advancement, Development, and Investment (BALADI) Program’ CA No. AID-268-A-12-00004 on September 30, 2012. RMF-awarded BALADI program implementation period extends to January 21, 2021 and aims at improving the delivery of public services by local government, fostering  the process of democratic decentralization that facilitates greater direct participation by the citizens in governance, and encouraging users in local decisions to look positively at environmental and gender equity practices thus transforming municipalities in Lebanon into effective agents for leading local socio-economic development through democratic engagement of the civic sector and citizenry.

B.         SCOPE OF WORK

Under the BALADI program, the External Business Consultant Scope of Work comprises, in general:

1. Coordinate closely with RMF and its partner(s) to ensure proper implementation of BALADI program activities and work on providing solutions to possible problems encountered during the course of implementation.
2. Collaborate with RMF at the field level to engage municipalities and local and national private sector actors.
3. Ensure proper documentation of all tasks/studies/training completed under the program.

External Business Consultant specific tasks are the following:

1. Assist BALADI in developing needs assessments for the selection of projects.
2. Assist BALADI in developing a feasibility study for pre-selected projects.
3. Assist BALADI projects’ implementing parties (municipalities and their respective partners, project committees, beneficiaries, potential operating parties, and others) in drafting their operation and management plans as needed, and deliver field and in-house trainings.
4. Follow up with municipalities on proper management and operation of projects, upon request from RMF.
5. Whenever needed, and upon request from RMF:

• 1. Offer Short Term Technical Assistance (STTAs) to BALADI participating and targeted municipalities by respective projects and as identified by RMF. The STTA topics include, but not limited to:
• Institutional Planning and Management.
• Project Management.
• Strategic Planning.
• Sources and tools for projects’ sustainability.
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, Budgeting and other financial concerns.
• Feasibility Studies.

Note that STTAs will depend on the required and needed terms of reference and expertise determined during the course of implementation and based on the nature of the municipal project to be implemented.

1. 1. Provide linkages to potential private sector and support public private partnership to ensure projects sustainability,

C.         WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The External Business Consultant shall report to and receive overall policy guidance from the RMF BALADI Deputy Program Director. The External Business Consultant shall work closely with the RMF BALADI Deputy Program Director and together they will plan key implementation activities as required.

D.         TITLE OF PROPERTY

All outputs produced by the External Business Consultant under this Scope of Work, including, but not limited to data, materials, writings, reports, outlines, drafts, any other materials or deliverables, is the intellectual property of RMF.