The purpose of the consultancy is to provide temporary and transversal capacity-building support to selected civil society partners experiencing significant difficulties in grants management, reporting, compliance or implementation follow-up. The assignment will strengthen partners’ ability to prepare complete, accurate and timely submissions and to implement agreed corrective action plans. This, in turn, will help build their organizational capacity and enhance their long-term financial sustainability beyond the project’s lifespan.

The consultant will directly follow a defined group of priority partners during the assignment and may serve as their operational focal point for the agreed capacity-building support, reporting preparation and corrective actions. However, this will not constitute a permanent portfolio, and the consultant will not exercise formal decision-making authority on behalf of Expertise France.

Scope of services

1 Targeted partner support and corrective action plans

·       Directly follow and provide time-bound technical support to a defined group of partners selected by the Project Director on the basis of reporting gaps, implementation delays, compliance risks or organizational capacity needs.

·       Assess the specific causes of each selected partner’s difficulties and agree a practical, time-bound support plan with clear actions, responsibilities and deadlines.

·       Coach partners during the preparation of narrative and financial reports, forecasts, supporting documents and other grant submissions, before their formal submission to Expertise France.

·       Support partners in implementing corrective action plans and in responding systematically to consolidated comments issued by the responsible Expertise France team members.

·       Document progress, unresolved issues and follow-up needs, and share concise updates with the responsible Grants & Partnership Officer and the Project Director.

·       For the partners formally assigned under the consultancy work plan, the consultant may act as the operational focal point for the agreed support and follow-up. The relevant authorised EF staff retain responsibility for formal validation, contractual decisions, payment approval and commitments made on behalf of Expertise France.

2 Grants-management capacity building and quality support.

·       Develop or adapt practical tools, checklists, templates and guidance notes that partners can use to improve the quality and timeliness of their submissions.

·       Deliver tailored mentoring sessions, reporting clinics or short workshops for selected partners, individually or in small groups.

·       Conduct pre-submission quality checks for the priority documents agreed in the work plan, focusing on completeness, internal consistency and readiness for formal EF review.

·       Help partners reconcile narrative progress, results data, expenditure, forecasts and supporting evidence before submission.

·       Support partners to address identified compliance or documentation gaps without providing formal validation or approval.

·       Maintain a clear record of support provided, partner commitments, deadlines, progress and outstanding corrective actions.

·       Flag persistent or material issues to the responsible Grants & Partnership Officer and Project Director for formal follow-up and decision.

·       The consultant’s quality support does not replace the formal programmatic, financial, compliance or MEAL review performed by authorised Expertise France staff.

3 Transversal analysis, tools and learning

·       Analyse recurring reporting and grants-management gaps across the selected partners and identify practical improvements to EF guidance and partner support.

·       Coordinate with the MEAL function on partner difficulties related to indicators, means of verification, beneficiary data and consistency between reported activities and results.

·       Coordinate with grants finance colleagues on recurring weaknesses in expenditure reporting, forecasts, supporting documentation and disbursement readiness.

·       Contribute to harmonised checklists, briefing materials and learning resources for partners and the project team.

·       Provide concise evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the project’s partner-support approach and reduce repeated reporting errors.

·       Share lessons learned and unresolved systemic issues with the Project Director and relevant team members; management decisions remain with authorised EF staff.

4 Coordination and boundaries of the assignment

·       Work from a written three-month work plan identifying priority partners, expected outputs, responsible EF focal points and delivery deadlines.

·       Coordinate closely with Grants & Partnership Officers and other relevant team members to clarify who leads each action for the partners directly followed by the consultant and to avoid gaps or duplication.

·       Participate in selected portfolio reviews or technical meetings when the consultant’s input is required on supported partners or transversal capacity gaps.

·       Store all tools, review notes, support records and deliverables in the approved project filing system and ensure an orderly handover to the relevant team members.

·       The consultant may directly follow the partners assigned in the three-month work plan, but will not hold a permanent portfolio or formally approve reports, payments or amendments, supervise EF staff, or represent EF or the donor unless expressly authorised in writing.

Expected working approach

At inception, the consultant and Project Director will confirm the priority partners, expected corrective actions, deliverables and indicative allocation of days.

Each intervention will conclude with documented progress, remaining gaps and a clear handover to the responsible team member.

The consultant will use a coaching and capacity-transfer approach designed to strengthen partner autonomy and the project team’s ability to sustain follow-up after the consultancy.

Any additional assignment outside the agreed scope must be authorised by the Project Director and linked to a defined deliverable.

The consultancy does not create a staff position, a permanent coordination role or delegated management authority.

 Deliverables and indicative level of effort

The assignment will comprise a total of 52 working days over three months, calculated on the basis of four working days per week. These 52 working days will be distributed indicatively across the deliverables below. The sequencing and allocation may be adjusted according to the final list of priority partners and the volume of support required, while remaining within the overall ceiling of 52 working days. Payment will be linked to the acceptance of completed deliverables and supporting evidence, rather than to a fixed monthly presence.

 Working relationships and limits of authority

The consultant reports to the Project Director and works in close coordination with the responsible Grants & Partnership Officers, Grants Specialist, Finance and MEAL functions. The consultant provides technical support but does not replace their formal review, follow-up or decision-making responsibilities.

The consultant may not sign grant agreements or amendments, approve payments, commit Expertise France funds, make final donor commitments, or represent Expertise France externally unless specifically authorized in writing.

The consultant must immediately disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest involving an applicant, grantee, service provider or stakeholder.