HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation
1     About the organization HELVETAS Ethiopia is part of a network of independent development organizations with head offices in Switzerland, Germany, and the USA. Helvetas is working in 29 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. HELVETAS Ethiopia brings about real change in the lives of over three million disadvantaged people every year. It implements development projects in the areas of water and sanitation, agriculture and nutrition, education, economic development, democracy and peace, and climate and the environment. Also, Helvetas provides humanitarian assistance through emergency response and disasters risk management. Helvetas Ethiopia has several projects in several intervention districts of Oromia, Amhara and SNNPR. It is also shifting its implementing strategies from direct support to a facilitating role where projects interventions are more sustainable and continues after the project ends. 2     Background to the assignment HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation (HELVETAS) and Concern Worldwide (CWW) in partnership with the North Gondor Zone administration are implementing a project called SEGORP (Semien Gondar Resilience Project). The overall aim of the project is to increase households and community resilience to climate change. This will be achieved through 4 system level changes/outcomes: Improved management of natural resourcesImproved market opportunities within and across livelihood zonesStrengthened systems for an improved human conditionStrengthened institutions for improved governance and accountability. The project has a range of activities that will lead to several higher-level results under each outcome with the recognition that the cumulative change within and between each of these systems will bring about the high level of impact the project seeks. In view of that, SEGORP project has established collaboration agreement with Debark Multi-Purpose Farmers’ Cooperative to increase agricultural productivity through climate smart agricultural innovations and enhanced smallholder access to markets. The project is investing to build the capacity of Debark Union and make it competitive, self-regulating economic institution in the area. Debark Farmers’ Cooperative Union is organized as per the Ethiopian cooperative proclamation no 147/1991 in the year 2001GC. The union is established to solve primary cooperatives’ common social and economic problems that are difficult to solve at individual Primary cooperative levels. The Union is located in the North Gondar Zone of Amhara Region in Debark town which is around 800 KM from the capital city of Addis Ababa. The union is established by six primary cooperatives with an initial capital of 80,000 ETB in 2001. Nowadays, the union is working in six districts/woredas (Debark, Janamora, telemet, Adi’arkay, Amba Giyorgis, and Dabat).  It is a service-oriented business organization that is owned, controlled, and managed by its members. The union has been able to achieve progress in the last 20 years. Debark union has been able to increase the total number of its members from six to seventy-seven PCs in 2022 and increase its capital from ETB 80,000.00 to ETB 12.5 million and currently serves 76,518 individual farmers. When the union was founded, it had only one accountant and one guard. Currently, the union has 15 employees and the educational level ranges from diploma to first degree. The major crop grown in the area is Fava Beans, Peas, lentils, Barley (food and malt), oilseeds (niger seed and sesame), Wheat, Sorghum, and livestock like Sheep. North Gondar is one of the food insecure and highly degraded areas in Ethiopia.  Debark union gave a grading and seed cleaning service for malt barley. Debark Mult-Purpose Farmers’ Cooperative Union has been serving its cooperative members and the rural farming communities of the six districts by providing them with different services such as -Provision of Agricultural input, supply of Consumable and industrial goods, providing output marketing services, and so on with the objectives of increasing production and productivity of agriculture and reduction of rural poverty to improve the living standards of the members. Debark union has capacity gaps /limitations of structural, governance, service provision, technical, and partnership in identifying and engaging in new activities/ businesses by considering members and areas potential. The union is also working without strategic objective and with undefined direction.  Thus based on this identified gap, SEGORP is decided and planned to equip the union with a well-designed five-year strategic plan of (2015 E.C. to 2019 E.C.)/(2022-2027 GC). 3     Objectives of the assignment To develop full-fledged, sound and applicable (SMART) five years strategic plan (2022-2027) for Debark Multi-Purpose Farmers’ Cooperative union. The strategic plan could be aligned with the ten years’ national development plan and priority areas in the areas of cooperative development. A separate sheet that shows an implementation plan with WBS (Work breakdown structure) is to be prepared for each recommended activity. 4     The assignment/Tasks of the consultant (Deliverables) Analyze organizational management from finance, human resource, and leadership perspective.Analyze the organization’s performance against their vision, current administrational and operational situation of the union.Conduct a SWOT analysis and ensure balanced triangulation of the relevant data (strengths and weaknesses) captured in the development of the strategic plan through engaging a broader array of stakeholders, management council, union management, members, and end users.Review organizational documents related to the existing structure, finances, staff, management functions, history, activities, previous projects, policies, and procedures (bylaws, Articles of Associations, membership, board members, National cooperative sector development strategy, cooperative directives, and legislations). Understand the essentials of cooperative business management in the Ethiopian context and Debark union operational frameworks to device actions that create operational efficiencies and decision-making frameworks for competing strategic priorities.Undertake stakeholders’ meeting or focus group discussion, key informant interview, document reviews in order to generate the information necessary to help produce effective strategic plan.Looking into the cooperative’s business environment (internally & externally) and team needs to know how the cooperative compares with its competitors and how it deals with its customers.Aligning the basic direction and goal of the union (Logical flows of the union’s activities towards outputs, objectives, goal, mission, and vision) within the contexts of national cooperative sector development strategy).Analyze environmental and social contexts and political, technological, and economic factors,Evaluate industry and market structure of the union in accordance with the countries context.Facilitate a validation workshop with the union and relevant stakeholders.Provide recommendations to the management and board members of the union on how to implement the five years strategic plan and present the document to all stakeholders through the validation workshop.The consultant must work closely with the strategic plan development teams of Debark union and project stakeholders.The final document must be presented in both Amharic and English version.  5     Duration and Location of the Study: The assignment is expected to be finalized in one month time, from Sept 1, 2022 through 15 October 2022. The time investment is including all about conducting the study, validation and final document submission. The task is going to be carried out in North Gondar Zone, particularly in Debark and Janamora woredas. 6     Competency and academic qualification: The consultancy firm/individual for this task should possess, but is not limited to, the following key qualities. The firm should have a previous working experience in developing strategic plan for multi-purpose farmers’ cooperative unions.The consultant firm should have proven experience and skills in developing a strategic plan for similar business ventures.The consultant should be familiar with the cooperative business entity.The firm equipped with sound and demonstrated participatory planning tools to conduct for strategic plan document preparation.The consultant must be well experienced with the strategic planning processes and tools/methodologies to properly extract facts.The consultant firm should be registered with Ethiopian tax authorities and should produce valid documents including VAT, TIN, Tax clearance, and MoFaED/PPA registration certificates. Legal and renewed license and relevant professional experiences for consultancy service