Technical Assistance for
Civil Society Organisations
Macedonian Office
This project is funded
by the European Union.
Technical Assistance Service Contract for the implementation of the project
“Capacity Building of Civil Society in the IPA countries and Territories (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo under UNSCR 1249/99,
Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey).
EuropeAid/127427/C/SER/Multi
TERMS OF REFERENCE
1 Senior Short Term Expert (STE) for
the activity of Preparation of consultations with CSOs about establishment of
consultative body for dialogue between the Government and the civil society
Background of the assignment
The general objectives of this project is to strengthen the overall capacities and accountability of the Civil
Society Organizations (CSOs) within the IPA beneficiaries and to guarantee the quality of services of CSOs
and a sustainable role of the CSOs in the democratic process. The main purposes of the project are to:
 Increase and improve the capacity and actions of CSOs and to
 Improve the democratic role of CSOs.
An important component of the project is the relationship between CSOs and other stakeholders with
particular focus on the cooperation and dialogue between CSOs and Government. In line with the TACSO
Macedonia Office work plan and national action plan agreed by the participants from the country at the
conference Keeping up the Momentum: Improving Cooperation Between Public Institutions and Civil Society
in the Western Balkans and Turkey held on 7-8 November 2012 in Skopje, TACSO Macedonian Office aims
to create enabling environment for establishment of consultative body for dialogue between the Government
and the civil society – measure foreseen with the Government strategy for cooperation with NGOs (20122017).
The purpose of this assignment is to help TACSO Macedonian Office to implement consultations with civil
society regarding the establishment of consultative body for dialogue between the Government and the civil
society based on comparative experiences and analysis of the national context.
The work will be coordinated by the Resident Advisor.
Scope of the assignment
The short term expert (STE) will provide assistance to the Macedonian TACSO team to prepare relevant
documents/analysis that should support consultation process with the broader CSO community regarding the
establishment of consultative body for dialogue between the Government and the civil society.
Under the overall guidance of the Macedonian TACSO office, the duties and responsibilities of the Short Term
Expert (STE) are as follows:
 Preparation of comparative analysis of the existing structures/Councils for cooperation among CSOs
and Government in the region (Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro);
 Preparation of elaborated concept proposal for establishment of the consultative body for dialogue
between the Government and the civil society relevant for the national context;
 Presentation of the prepared documents at national conference.
TACSO Macedonian Office • 11 Oktomvri 6/1-3 • 1000 Skopje • t: +389 2 3225 340 • f: +389 2 3290 684 • e-mail: info.mk@tacso.org
SIPU International AB Sweden • Civil Society Promotion Centre Bosnia and Herzegovina • Human Resources Development Foundation Turkey
Foundation in Support of Local Democracy Poland • Partners Foundation for Local Development Romania
Activities to be carried out
 Define detailed scope of the assignment and methodology in cooperation with TACSO team
 Collect, review and analyze relevant data
 Prepare, draft and finalize comparative analysis
 Facilitate working group consisting of the TACSO LAG members
 Gathering opinions and conducting interviews with other relevant stakeholders including Government
Unit for Cooperation with NGOs
 Prepare draft proposal based on comparative experiences and recommendations gathered through
consultations with the TACSO LAG and other relevant stakeholders
 Present the comparative analysis and the draft proposal at national conference to be held in June
Deliverables/results
By the end of the assignment, the STE should have finalized:
 Assignment plan with methodology;
 Comparative analysis with conclusions about the Councils’ strengths, weaknesses, challenges and
lessons learned with recommendations (10 pages);
 Elaborated concept proposal including recommendations and options (if appropriate) for the mandate,
structure and operational issues of the consultative body for dialogue between the Government and
the civil society as well recommendations for the establishment process itself (6 pages);
 Power point presentation for the conference;
All deliverables should be in English.
Location of assignment

From home and in the country
Duration and timing of the assignment
The assignment is planned to take place from 15 April and conclude on 30 June 2013 with duration of 12
working days in total.
Activity
Preparation phase (defining methodology and appropriate tools) (April)
Collecting data (desk study), analysis and preparation of comparative analysis (April)
Consultations with TACSO LAG and other stakeholders (May)
Preparation of draft concept proposal for establishment of consultative body for
dialogue between the Government and the civil society (May)
Preparation of presentation and participation at national conference (June)
Total
Working days
1
5
3
2
1
12
Profile of the STE:
Senior STE:
 Advanced university degree in Social Science, Economics or other suitable disciplines;
 At least 10 years of working experience in the CSO working field;
 Proven record of at least 5 years as a consultant in the field of CSOs and cooperation of CSOs with
Government;
 At least 5 similar assignments;
 Excellent communication skills and fluency in spoken and written English;
 Good understanding of the context in which CSOs in the country operate.
Applicants must be independent and free from any conflict of interest. Note that civil servants and other staff
of a beneficiary public administration may not be recruited as STE unless to prior written approval has been
obtained from Contracting Authority.
TACSO Macedonian Office • 11 Oktomvri 6/1-3 • 1000 Skopje • t: +389 2 3225 340 • f: +389 2 3290 684 • e-mail: info.mk@tacso.org
SIPU International AB Sweden • Civil Society Promotion Centre Bosnia and Herzegovina • Human Resources Development Foundation Turkey
Foundation in Support of Local Democracy Poland • Partners Foundation for Local Development Romania
Monitoring and evaluation of the STE
The activity will be monitored by the Resident Advisor.
The STE will deliver a mission report to the TACSO National office before remuneration
Application procedure
Applications must be in English and entail the following:
 Letter of intent and availability, information on financial requirements. Note that all costs including
travel costs and accommodation costs should be included in the offer.
 Proposal for methodology, data collection and structure of both documents
 CV in EU format
 3 references from similar assignments
The application should be sent not later than 8-th of April at 16,00 by email to info.mk@tacso.org.
TACSO Macedonian Office • 11 Oktomvri 6/1-3 • 1000 Skopje • t: +389 2 3225 340 • f: +389 2 3290 684 • e-mail: info.mk@tacso.org
SIPU International AB Sweden • Civil Society Promotion Centre Bosnia and Herzegovina • Human Resources Development Foundation Turkey
Foundation in Support of Local Democracy Poland • Partners Foundation for Local Development Romania