Job description

Request for proposals: Facilitation and preparation of the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan for the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Bertha Centre is a globally ranked centre of excellence dedicated to advancing social innovation and entrepreneurship towards social justice. The Bertha Centre is located in Cape Town, South Africa and seeks to build partnerships for social innovation and social justice across the region and throughout the African continent. The Bertha Centre also seeks to engage with policymakers and stakeholders in order to influence public discourse and strengthen the case for social change.

The consultant(s) appointed to prepare the 2022-2027 strategic plan will work with the director, assisted by the senior manager. The process will be coordinated and guided by the strategic plan working group comprised of staff and steering committee members. The working group envisions an engaged approach that is deeply involved in gathering, processing and summarising the information generated through various participation processes. The strategic planning process will be conducted in a manner that listens intently to the stakeholders and communities with which the Bertha Centre works to create space for social innovation.

The total duration of the contract will be for a period of four months beginning 18 January 2021 through 31 May 2021. This assignment will be entirely remote.

Proposal submission requirements

Proposal must be received via email by 8 January 2021 at 5pm SAST. Proposals received after this deadline will not be given primary consideration. A transmittal letter and proposal should be sent to az.ca.tcu@enagnerram.inibmotn as an Adobe PDF. Other formats will not be accepted. Proposals will be accepted from both firms and individual consultants. Consultants selected for further consideration must be available for a telephone interview on 18 January 2021.

The proposal itself should be no more than 10 pages and should address the complete scope of work and deliverables. Proposals should include the following sections:

a) Organisation/consultant background

State the name of the organisation and/or consultants. If an organisation, describe the general nature of its work and specifically name the lead consultant who will be conducting the work. Describe the education, skills, and experiences that uniquely qualify the lead consultant and his or her team for this work. Proposals must include three examples of related work completed with contact information for the organisations served.

b) Statement of proposed work

Methodology: The Bertha Centre is looking for consultants who will partner closely with us and engage regularly with staff and the Strategic Planning Working Group throughout the strategic plan process. Describe in succinct terms the methodologies proposed to complete the strategic planning process including:

• The approach to partnership and team-building. How would you and/or your organisation build and maintain an engaged relationship with the key stakeholders in the
• strategic planning process?
• Ways to ensure cross-fertilisation of ideas and feedback loops between the various stakeholders, which include both South African and international programme constituencies and staff, donors and governance groups;
• Innovative ideas for ongoing communications strategy that engages various constituencies and clarifies when and how people can participate;
• Ideas or examples of how to present and promote the finalised plan.

Workplan: Describe the work plan for the strategic planning process, including key milestones, timetable for completion of specific tasks, the personnel needed to complete tasks, and expectations for support and assistance from the Bertha Centre. The work plan should include regular consultation with key staff and the Strategic Planning Working Group starting with an initial meeting to present the strategic plan design and make any necessary adjustments in the partnership agreement. Proposals may also include other activities deemed necessary by the consultant and specified within the work plan.

c) Budget and deliverables

Provide a detailed budget as well as a description of the specific deliverables that will be submitted, the time line (with dates for completion of individual planning stages), and expected schedule of compensation. Deliverables are expected to include:

• Lead and facilitate an initial meeting with Bertha Centre Team members to map out strategic planning process
• Finalisation of the work plan with the Strategic Plan Work Group, including a schedule and question framework for consultation process with various constituencies and stakeholders;
• Redraft of the Centre values, based on commitment to anti-racism, to social justice and social innovation – for circulation to staff, governance, and external partners;
• Draft frames, directions and strategies for key issue areas, informed by analysis of field, constituency engagement process and discernment of staff and governance – for circulation to staff, governance, and external partners;
• A Strategic Plan with five to six high level goals, at least one of the them an internal organisational development goal, in both document form and in simpler, more colourful format [brochure, PDF…] for public outreach;
• An accompanying analysis in memo format of implementation issues raised.

d) Additional information and comments

Suggestions for models or best practices related to organisational management, governance, and monitoring of strategic planning. Include any other information deemed important, but not specifically required elsewhere.

Company Description

Background and Purpose:

At the start of the third decade of the 21st century, the African continent remains beset by complex socio-economic challenges. The need for inclusive and sustainable economic growth and a corresponding drive towards development require a radical shift. Innovations and social entrepreneurship in education, health and finance hold the potential to reset the development trajectory of the continent. With investment in impact based solutions towards social justice, social innovation offers a platform for the development of skills, technology and infrastructure needed to reach the goals articulated by compacts such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and harness the continent’s potential.
Located at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, the Bertha Centre leverages its position to influence the narrative of social impact at a leading institution on the continent. Established in 2011 as an interdisciplinary social innovation hub, through the development of new curricula, training and research, the Bertha Centre has been able to foster conversations on innovation and impact for social change from its position in knowledge institution. The Bertha Centre, funded by the Bertha Foundation, has developed programmes in Education, Health, Systems Justice, Finance and Youth Development creating a space for experimentation and pursuit of radical partnerships to unlock resources. The work of the Bertha Centre is built using a systems lens with the aim of investing in the next generation of leaders through the Bertha Scholars programme and creating opportunities for lasting social justice that addresses systemic inequities.
The Bertha Centre pursues its activities with a curiosity about the future and with a humble urgency. The Bertha Centre recognises that by working for justice now, it lays the foundation for equitable and just institutions in the future – that serve ideals and visions befitting of the greater imagination offered by the social justice and innovation movement of the present day.

Proposal evaluation criteria

The evaluation of each response will be based on demonstrated competence, compliance, format, and organisation:

1. Approach, thoroughness, and completeness of the proposal (30%)
2. References and past performance with multi-cultural, multi-national organisations engaged with social justice issues (25%)
3. Expertise in participatory processes, including details on key personnel (25%)
4. Price (10%)
5. Diversity of team (10%)

The consultant(s) should demonstrate:

• Experience with organisations of similar or comparable scale
• Skill at facilitation of inclusive and participatory team processes
• Clarity in writing and presentation of information
• Experience with multi-cultural organisational development, organisational management,
• change management
• Knowledge of qualitative data analysis/participatory research and ability to apply that to both
• internal processes and external research, information collection
• Skill at designing processes for facilitation of focus groups, listening sessions
• Knowledge of latest thinking in social change organising and roles of NGOs, FBOs
• Proven track-record of successfully advising multilateral and/or development organisations on strategic planning, strategy design and development, workshop design and implementation, and organisational development
• Demonstrated experience in conceptualising, organising and facilitating virtual consultations

The following skills or experience would also be considered beneficial:

• Social innovation
• Advocacy organisations
• Programme design, implementation, management
• Peace and social justice issue research

Posted on 03 Dec 07:22