Governance Structure and Internal Policy Framework Developme...

Tender Description
 
Request for Proposal (RfP)
&
Terms of Reference (ToR)
Consultancy Services
for 
Governance Structure and Internal Policy Framework Development
(Service)
For “STEAM CSO’s Network”
(Project)
July 2025

 

 
  1.  Background and overview
 
STEAM CSO Network
 
Ten leading Palestinian civil society organisations have long been active in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) education, each delivering projects in a range of non-formal settings. Since 2023(?), these organisations have gradually built rapport, shared experiences, and coordinated activities.  Meeting regularly over the period, they eventually signed an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their cooperation.
 
The partner organisations listed below have long been recipients of grants from Enabel, the Belgian development agency. To further formalise their collaboration—and in line with both Enabel's priorities and the partners' shared objectives—Enabel has awarded them an 18-month grant, starting in early 2025, to establish the Palestinian STEAM CSO Network.
 
Network partners
 
  1. M. Qattan Foundation
  2. Al Nayzak Organisation
  3. Al Quds University
  4. Al Raja Institution
  5. AlElieh for Science Environment and Art
  6. Burj Al Luqluq Social Centre Society
  7. East Jerusalem Young Men’s Christian Association (EJ-YMCA)
  8. Engineering for Kids
  9. Mena Catalyst Foundation
  10. Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD)
 
Building on this momentum—and in line with both Enabel's priorities and the partners' shared objectives, Enabel has awarded the partners an 18-month grant (starting early 2025) to support the establishment of the Palestinian STEAM CSO Network.
Delegated by the Network partners, the A.M. Qattan Foundation will be the contracting beneficiary of this project towards Enabel.
 
Delegated by the Network partners, the A.M. Qattan Foundation will be the contracting beneficiary of this project towards Enabel.
 
A.M. Qattan Foundation
 
The A.M. Qattan Foundation (AMQF) is an independent, not-for-profit developmental organisation working in the fields of culture and education, with a focus on children, teachers, and emerging artists. AMQF operates mainly in Palestine and the United Kingdom (UK Charity # 1029450; Palestinian registration # QR-0035-F).
More information can be found on www.qattanfoundation.org
 
STEAM network project:
 
The project’s overall goal is to establish a STEAM CSO NETWORK as the collaborative body that will strengthen non-formal STEAM education across Palestine. To achieve that goal, the project includes the following six key Objectives:
 
  1. Creating a collaborative governance and management structure for the Network.
  2. Developing shared policies, branding, and communication tools.
  3. Mapping member resources (human, physical, financial) to enable joint programming and advocacy.
  4. Building member capacity through Training-of-Trainers workshops on STEAM pedagogy and qualifications.
  5. Facilitating stakeholder engagement, public webinars, and learning exchanges that showcase local STEAM innovations.
 
The network does not aim to have an official registration with local authorities.
 
  1.  Service scope of work and deliverables
 
This Request for Proposal (RfP) seeks consultancy services that will:
 
  1. Fully deliver Objective 1—designing and endorsing the Network’s governance and management structure—and,
  2. Contribute to Objective 2 by drafting the core internal policies and resource-sharing protocols.
 
To lay a strong foundation for collaborative action, the Network requires a fit-for-purpose governance structure and internal policy framework that:
 
  • Preserves the Network's collaborative ethos while guaranteeing transparency and accountability.
  • Enables agile, equitable decision-making and resource mobilisation.
  • Aligns with relevant Palestinian and international legal and ethical standards; and
  • remains adaptable as the Network grows or formalises in the future.
 
AMQF, on behalf of the network, therefore, seeks a Management and Governance Expert (individual or team) to design these elements through a highly participatory process involving all Network partners.
 
The consultant(s) are expected to deliver a full cycle process that produces the agreed-upon Governance and Internal Policy Framework for the network; this is expected to be conducted over four phases of work, with cross-cutting responsibilities that apply throughout:
  1. Inception & assessment
    • Hold a kick-off consultation meeting and interviews with Network members to surface key governance needs, expectations, decision-making preferences, and structural preferences.
    • Review background materials (such as the STEAM Charter, ENABEL proposal, prior workshop notes, relevant policies & legal frameworks, etc.).
    • Draft an inception report based on the above that would include a refined work plan, data collection tools, and an upcoming workshop agenda. [Deliverable 1]
  2. Participatory design (3-day workshop)
    • Design and facilitate a 3-day participatory workshop for 20 Network participants (2 from each member organisation) and guide discussions on:
      • Network vision, values, and collective leadership models.
      • Roles, responsibilities, and membership criteria.
      • Decision-making and voting mechanisms.
      • Accountability, conflict-of-interest, and ethics safeguards.
      • Communication and correspondence among Network Partners Guidelines.
      • Media guidelines.
      • Resource-sharing, data management, and fundraising protocols.
      • Memorandum of understanding.
 
  • Document proceedings in a concise Workshop Report. [Deliverable 2]
  1. Drafting & validation
    • Produce an integrated Governance & Operations Manual containing:
      • Governance structure (bodies, mandates, decision rules).
      • Membership policy.
      • Decision-making & voting policy.
      • Conflict-of-interest & ethics policy.
      • Resource- and data-sharing protocols.
      • Meeting & documentation procedures.
    • Circulate the draft for partner comment (two-week review window) and collect consolidated feedback. [Deliverable 3]
    • Engage a legal reviewer to check compliance with Palestinian and international norms; integrate recommendations.
  2. Finalisation & legal review
    • Revise documents considering partner and legal feedback; ensure plain-language clarity and consistency and submit a pre-final draft for final feedback. [Deliverable 4]
    • Submit a copy-edited, print-ready Final Governance & Policy Framework with editable source files (Word & PDF). [Deliverable 5]
    • Deliver a short synthesis presentation (virtual or in-person) to Network partners. [Deliverable 6]
Cross-cutting issues
  • Participatory Approach: Engage partners at each stage; adapt tools to accommodate diverse organisational sizes and capacities.
  • Safeguarding & Inclusion: Integrate gender, youth-protection, and disability-sensitive considerations into all policies.
  • Quality Assurance: Provide documents that are professionally copy-edited and proofread; maintain version control.
  • Bilingual Delivery: Produce all final texts in either Arabic or English with an executive summary in the second language.
  • Sequential Review & Approval – AMQF and an assigned committee from the network partners will review each deliverable within two weeks (three weeks for the final report). The consultant may not proceed to the next deliverable until written approval is received.
  • Knowledge Management: Ensure AMQF and partners have unrestricted intellectual-property rights to adapt and reuse all materials.
 
  •  Timeframe, payment schedule, and terms
 
  1. The assignment shall begin on the date the contract is signed and be completed within eight (8) consecutive weeks.
  2. The overall calendar will be adjusted automatically based on the CSOs' Network project coordinator's prescribed review periods (two weeks for interim outputs; three weeks for the final report) are extended.
 
Payment Milestones: Payments are linked to satisfactory delivery and written approval of the milestones as per the signed contract.
 
 
 
 
  1.  Required qualifications and experience
 
  1. A minimum of seven years’ proven experience designing and implementing governance structures, policy frameworks, or institutional-development strategies, preferably for networks, coalitions, or other multi-stakeholder initiatives.
  2. Demonstrated experience facilitating consultative and participatory processes with diverse stakeholders across multiple organisations.
  3. Experience working with non-profit organisations, civil-society networks, or inter-agency bodies is highly desirable.
  4. In-depth understanding of governance models, institutional accountability, and organisational policies within collaborative or networked settings.
  5. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality reports and policy documents.
  6. Familiarity with legal and compliance frameworks—especially in non-profit or cross-border contexts—is an asset.
 
Additional qualifications of added value:
 
  1. Demonstrated experience in the education sector, particularly in informal, non-formal, or alternative education settings (e.g., community-based learning, refugee education, adult literacy, or out-of-school youth programmes).
  2. Experience designing policies or governance structures that respect local knowledge systems, cultural diversity, and participatory approaches in education.
  3. Understanding of the unique challenges and governance needs of networks operating in informal-education landscapes, including flexibility, cross-sector collaboration, and grassroots participation.
  4. Ability to engage effectively with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders, including grassroots organisations and educators.
 
  1.  Offer submission details
 
The Consultant(s) is/are requested to submit the following documentation, noting that the offer shall be subject to AMQF’s and Enabel’s procurement policies, procedures, and applicable regulations.
  1. Technical Offer (70 % of total score):
 
  • A concise response to the above comprising approach, core philosophy of work, and reflection on the ToR (maximum 1,000 words).
  • A listing of 2 previous assignments of relevance: the type of assignment, role played in it, key deliverable, and the contact person of the organisation/firm that was your counterpart in that assignment.
  • The timeframe within which the candidate will complete the assignment. Taking into consideration that the validity period of this offer should be between two to six months.
  • Detailed CV of the consultant (or, for teams, CVs of all members involved in this assignment, with clear task division and roles).
 
  1. Financial Offer (30%):
 
  • Provide the Lump Sum cost of the assignment with a detailed breakdown of the cost for each of the deliverables.
  • For Individuals, the price offer should be submitted in euros and include taxes. A 10 % withholding tax will be deducted at source in line with Palestinian regulations for freelance services.
  • For registered companies, the price offer should be in Euros and doesn't include VAT, since it's a Zero VAT project.
  • Payments will be linked to deliverables and their approval; details will be finalised during contracting.
 
  1.  Inquiries, deadlines, and submission address:
 
 
  • Responses: all questions and answers will be compiled and circulated in aggregate form by 16.07.2025.
 
  • Offers are to be submitted by email ONLY, by 14:00 Palestine time on 21.07.2025.
 
  • Submissions are accepted ONLY if sent to: [email protected]. Submissions to other email accounts will be discarded.
 
  • Technical and financial offers are to be submitted in TWO SEPARATE EMAILS as follows:
 
  • Technical offer and related documents in one email entitled:
“Technical Offer – STEAM CSO Network – [Name of service provider]”.
  • Financial offer in a separate email message entitled: “Financial Offer – STEAM CSO Network – [Name of service provider]”.
 
  1. General notes
 
  • AMQF reserves the right not to accept any of the submitted offers.
  • AMQF is not obliged to accept the lowest financial offer.
 
Service Location
Ramallah
Deadline 21, Jul
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