Terms of Reference (TOR) for Consulting Service for facilitating to formulate a Five Year Agriculture and Livestock Sectoral Plan of Local Governments

Terms of Reference (TOR) for Consulting Service for facilitating to formulate a

Five Year Agriculture and Livestock Sectoral Plan of Local Governments

1.     Background

Heifer Project International (HPI), an international non-governmental organization has been working in Nepal since 1997. HPI has served over 40 million families in Asia, Europe, America and Africa. In Nepal, HPI/N has worked in 53 districts in partnership with 100+ local non-government organizations (NGOs) with the mission – ‘Working with communities to end world hunger and poverty and care for the Earth’. It has been working in close collaboration with the Local, Provincial, and Federal Governments of Nepal and related organizations and contribute to the national development goals.  

HPI Nepal program works to achieve its mission of ‘alleviation of hunger and poverty and care for earth’. It intends to achieve holistic development through social transformation and better mobilization of physical resources. It believes development is not just about distributing physical inputs but more about empowering people and recognizing their potential which leads to their self-initiatives for sustainable development. Caring for Earth, Agriculture/ livestock is the main domain for economic transformation of the communities it works with. 

HPI Nepal collaborates with more than 90 Local Governments (LGs), leveraging resources from the Local Governments to implement Heifer’s model which cultivates local ownership and ensures continuous investment and engagement even after the project phases out. This project aims to contribute long term goals of agriculture and livestock sectors envision by Local Governments. Separate legal framework of partnership model has developed at Local Government level for effective implementation of the project. 

To strengthen the capacity of Local Government in the areas of agriculture and livestock sectors, Heifer plans to provide technical support through mobilizing experts to formulate agriculture and livestock sectoral plan in Kaligandaki RM, Syangja, Galyang M Syangjha, Ghyanlekh RM Sindhuli, Kathekhola RM Baglung, Melung RM Dolakha, Uttargaya RM Rasuwa, Mahshila RM Parbat and Punarbas M Kanchanpur districts. 

2.     Objectives

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide technical assistance to Local Governments to formulate a five-year Agriculture and Livestock Sectoral Plan of Local Governments.

• Collect data/information regarding the current production, inputs, technical services, financing, aggregation, marketing, market centers, policies, gaps, challenges and opportunities in the areas of agriculture and livestock sectors.
• Formulate investment plans with the alignment of current revenue projection of LGs, investment of private sectors, Provincial and Federal Government subsidies. 
• Identify target commodities and areas; and immediate and long-term support sectors for sustainable growth of agri-livestock sectors.
• Formulate capacity development plan of LGs to implement long term agri-livestock development plan. 
• Organize consultative meetings/workshops and sharing sessions with stakeholders.
• Organize validation workshops of plans
• Define mission, vision, goals, objectives, and activities with an estimated budget for agriculture and livestock.
• Develop annual plan to translate long term plan of agri-livestock sectors.

3.     Scope of Work

The specific scope of work includes:

• Review of existing annual development plans, periodic plans, sectoral plans and policies promulgated by LGs.
• Finalize methodologies, data collection processes, and planning frameworks in consultation with Heifer and ensure ownership of LGs.
• Facilitate inception workshops at local government level to build consensus on the strategy formulation process, stakeholder roles, and action plans.
• Develop checklists and questionnaires for focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII).
• Conducting orientation sessions for mobilizers, facilitators, project staff, and Palika technical staff to support data collection.
• Facilitating consultative visioning workshops at the Palika level to establish a vision, mission, and goals for agriculture sector development.
• Collect and analyze primary and secondary information on agriculture and livestock value chains to inform strategy documentation.
• Draft the strategy document, including a clear vision, mission, goals, expected outcomes, outputs, and major activities with resource requirements.
• Share and revise the draft strategy based on feedback from Local Government, stakeholders, and Heifer.
• Facilitate validation workshops to gather input and foster ownership of LGs.
• Finalize long term and annual plans and facilitate LG to endorse the plans.
• Prepare and submit a comprehensive report outlining the processes referred for plan formulation.

4.     Methodology

The consulting firm/organization shall adopt an inclusive methodology involving extensive consultation with Local Government and allied stakeholders to ensure ownership and effective implementation of the long-term plan. This includes consultations with LG’s leadership (e.g., Mayor/Chair, Deputy Mayor/Vice Chair), ward chairs, sectoral staff, cooperatives, farmers, and value chain actors.

Steps include:

• Consultations with Heifer, project partners, and LGs.
• Literature review of existing reports and materials.
• Developing tools for data collection (e.g., FGDs, KIIs).
• Organizing workshops at various stages of the plan formulation process.
• Conducting validation workshops and revising drafts based on feedback.

5.     Outputs/Deliverables

• An inception report with methodology, planning framework, tools, and checklists.
• Draft and final copies of the plans (electronic and hard copies).
• Milestone and assignment completion reports.

6.     Required Professional Competencies and Qualifications 

The firm or the technical support team should have composition of agriculture economist, agriculture expert, livestock expert and GESI expert with respective roles and technical inputs to the Palika’s.

The lead consultant should have:

• A Master’s degree in agricultural economics, agricultural sciences, livestock sciences, or related fields, with 15 years of relevant experience.
• Extensive knowledge of Nepal’s federalized agriculture sector.
• Experience in agricultural sector planning, policy formulation, and service delivery.
• Proficiency in analytical, facilitation, and writing skills (Nepali language preferred).

7.     Timeline

The assignment spans four months from February to May 2025, with the final report due by June 10, 2025.

8.     Budget and Payment Schedule

Payments will be milestone-based:

• 30% upon submission of the inception report.
• 30% upon submission of the draft LADPS.
• 40% upon endorsement of the final LADPS.

9.     Required Documents for Submission: 

• Cover Letter
• Brief profile of the firm/organization
• Updated CV (relevant competency and experience) of the proposed team
• Technical proposal including proposed methodology, calendar of operation, deliverables, and roles and responsibilities of key professionals.
• Financial proposal with detail breakdown
• Firm/organization Registration certificate
• VAT certificate
• Tax clearance certificate (FY 080/81)

10.     Submission Guidelines

Applications, including a cover letter, firm/organization profile, CVs, and proposals (technical and financial), must be submitted to Procurement-NP@heifer.org  by February 3, 2025, 5:00 PM, with the subject line: “Application for facilitating Agriculture and Livestock Sectoral Plan of Local Governments.”

HPI Nepal will only contact the shortlisted firms/organizations. Verbal and telephone calls will not be entertained.

HPI Nepal reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal.

Heifer Project International Nepal

Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Ward No. 15, Hattiban, Lalitpur

Ph. no.: 977-1-5913554, 5913120

Email: Procurement-NP@heifer.org