Terms of Reference (Tor) for Trainer – Capacity Building on Program Delivery, Activity Management, Reporting Efficiency, and Program–finance Collaboration Tender at African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
1. Background
The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) implements multi-country, donor-funded programs across its network of centers. Timely, high-quality narrative and financial reporting are crucial for maintaining donor confidence, ensuring prompt disbursement of funds, and safeguarding AIMS’s institutional reputation.
Recent internal reviews have identified recurring challenges across centers, including:
To address these challenges, AIMS will convene Program Managers, Finance Managers, Transition Leads, and selected leadership for a Mid-Year Program Review Meeting. One full day of the meeting will be dedicated to a practical, hands-on capacity-building workshop, facilitated by an external trainer.
2. Objective of the Assignment
The overall objective is to strengthen center-level operational capacity to deliver programs effectively and report on them in a timely, coordinated, and high-quality manner.
Specific Objectives
The training will aim to:
3. Scope of Work & Deliverables
|
Phase |
Deliverables |
Activities |
|
Pre-Training Preparation & Design (LoE of 2-3 days) |
Training Design Note & Agenda - A detailed design note outlining: Training methodology and adult learning approach, learning objectives for each session, a timed, practical agenda aligned with AIMS’s reporting calendar |
|
|
Training Delivery (LoE of 1 day) |
Facilitation of One Full-Day Training |
|
|
Practical Training Toolkit |
|
|
|
Post-Training Reporting (LoE of 1-2 days) |
Final Training Report (5–7 pages) |
|
|
Digital Training Toolkit |
|
4. Indicative Session Structure
|
Module |
Focus |
Expected outputs |
|
From Overwhelm to Order – Activity & Reporting Management (Approx. 3 hours) |
|
Draft center-level activity and reporting tracker. |
|
Time Optimization & Beating Procrastination (Approx. 2–2.5 hours) |
|
Individual time-blocked reporting and work schedule. |
|
The Program–Finance Handshake (Approx. 2 hours) |
|
Joint Program–Finance workflow and reporting checklist. |
|
Transition Implementation & Action Planning (Approx. 1–1.5 hours) |
|
Joint transitions support workflow |
5. Selection of the Consultant
The consultant will be selected through a competitive process based on technical competence, relevant experience, and value for money, in accordance with AIMS procurement procedures.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals (up to five pages) will be evaluated using the following weighted criteria:
|
Criteria |
Weight |
|
Understanding of the assignment and clarity of the proposed methodology |
30% |
|
Demonstrated experience in delivering training or capacity-building interventions that enhance productivity, workflow efficiency, activity management, and time optimization, particularly in not-for-profit or donor-funded organizations |
40% |
|
Quality, practicality, and usability of proposed training tools, templates, and facilitation approach |
20% |
|
Financial proposal (cost-effectiveness and value for money) |
10% |
|
Total |
100% |
Additional Considerations
Preference may be given to consultants who demonstrate:
Shortlisting & Interviews
Final Selection
The consultant with the highest combined technical and financial score will be recommended for contracting, subject to internal approval.
Timelines
The selection and engagement of the consultant will follow the indicative timeline below:
|
Activity |
Date |
|
Submission of technical and financial proposals |
28 December 2025 |
|
Clarification interviews (shortlisted consultants) |
07 January 2026 |
|
Notification of selected consultant |
09 January 2026 |
|
Delivery of the one-day training workshop |
16 January 2026 |
Applicants are requested to send their proposals to applications@aimsric.org by 28 December 2025
AIMS reserves the right to adjust the above dates as necessary and will notify all applicants accordingly.
Attachment
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