Consultancy for Organizational Capacity Strengthening of the Tanzania Sunflower Processors Association (TASUPA)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy for Organizational Capacity Strengthening of the Tanzania Sunflower Processors Association (TASUPA)

• Background and Context

Rikolto is an international network organization with over 50 years of experience collaborating with food system actors across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The organization works with farmers’ organizations, agribusinesses, governments, research institutions, and financial actors to build sustainable food systems that provide nutritious, affordable food while ensuring fair and stable incomes for farmers. Through its programs, Rikolto aims to strengthen value chains, facilitate inclusive market access, and support institutional development of key food system actors.

Rikolto Tanzania, in partnership with IDH and with funding from NORAD, is implementing the Growing Together Programme: Leveraging Markets and Data for Food Security and Thriving Communities in Tanzania and Ethiopia (2024–2028). The programme seeks to transform local food markets and improve food security and rural economies by strengthening linkages between small-scale producers, food SMEs, and markets. A key objective of the programme is to increase incomes for small-scale producers while supporting food processing SMEs to scale into competitive and reliable food companies.

A core strategic pillar of the programme is strengthening sector platforms and associations that play critical roles in coordinating value chain actors, facilitating market development, and influencing sector policies. Strong sector associations help organize markets, represent private sector interests, facilitate service delivery to members, and promote inclusive sector growth.

In Tanzania, the programme has identified the Tanzania Sunflower Processors Association (TASUPA) as a key national sector platform within the sunflower value chain. TASUPA serves as the apex body representing sunflower oil processors across the country and plays a critical role in fostering coordination among processors, strengthening sector dialogue with government institutions, and enhancing linkages between processors and sunflower producers. Established in 2010 and legally registered in 2011, TASUPA currently represents approximately 773 sunflower oil processing enterprises operating across 23 regions of Tanzania, encompassing large-, medium-, and small-scale processors. Collectively, these enterprises make a significant contribution to domestic edible oil production, employment generation, and national food security.

Given its strategic position within the sunflower value chain, the Tanzania Sunflower Processors Association (TASUPA) continues to demonstrate strong potential to further enhance its effectiveness and impact as a national sector organization. As part of ongoing efforts to support its institutional development and long-term sustainability, Rikolto conducted a SCOPE Insight organizational assessment of TASUPA in 2025.The assessment aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of TASUPA’s current institutional performance and to identify strategic opportunities for growth and strengthening. It evaluated the association across key organizational dimensions, including governance, financial management, sustainability, operations, production base, market engagement, and the enabling environment.

The findings from the SCOPE assessment provide valuable insights into TASUPA’s development trajectory and highlight clear opportunities to further professionalize and strengthen its systems and structures. These insights offer a solid foundation for designing targeted capacity strengthening interventions that will enhance TASUPA’s efficiency, responsiveness to member needs, and overall sector leadership.

Building on its existing achievements and wide membership base, TASUPA is well-positioned to leverage these improvement areas to deepen its institutional capacity, improve service delivery to its members, and strengthen its role as a key driver of growth and coordination within the sunflower value chain in Tanzania. The assessment therefore serves as an important steppingstone towards reinforcing TASUPA’s long-term sustainability and effectiveness. (Assessment report will be provided to successful Bidder for this assignment)

• Purpose of the Assignment

The overall purpose of this consultancy is to strengthen the organizational capacity, governance structures, and operational systems of the Tanzania Sunflower Processors Association (TASUPA) so that it can function as a professional, sustainable, and credible national sector platform representing sunflower processors in Tanzania.

• Specific Objectives

The assignment will aim to:

1. Strengthen TASUPA’s governance and institutional management structures to ensure effective oversight, accountability, and decision-making.
2. Support the professionalization of TASUPA’s management and secretariat through improved human resource systems, staffing structures, and performance management frameworks.
3. Strengthen financial management systems, budgeting processes, and financial sustainability strategies.
4. Support the development of a clear business model and operational planning framework for TASUPA.
5. Strengthen TASUPA’s service delivery mechanisms and improve its value proposition to members.
6. Strengthen TASUPA’s capacity to engage in structured advocacy and policy dialogue within the sunflower value chain.
7. Support the integration of climate resilience and environmental management considerations within TASUPA’s operations and strategic priorities.
8. A comprehensive report summarizing all activities undertaken, key achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for continued institutional strengthening and future support.

• Scope of Work and Key Tasks

Under the supervision of the Rikolto Tanzania programme team, the consultant will undertake the following tasks.

• Inception and Desk Review

The consultant will begin the assignment by conducting a comprehensive desk review of key documents including:

• SCOPE Insight assessment report for TASUPA
• TASUPA Constitution and governance documents
• TASUPA Strategic Plan
• TASUPA Policies and Constitution
• Relevant programme documents under the Growing Together Programme.
• Consultation with Rikolto and IDH

5.2 Governance and Institutional Strengthening

The consultant will support TASUPA to strengthen governance systems by:

• Reviewing and updating TASUPA’s governance framework and institutional policies.
• Supporting the operationalization of governance structures, including the Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee.
• Facilitating governance orientation and capacity-building sessions for board members.
• Supporting the strengthening of accountability and oversight mechanisms.

5.3 Human Resource and Organizational Development

The consultant will support TASUPA to professionalize its organizational structure through:

• Reviewing and operationalizing TASUPA’s human resource policies.
• Supporting the development of job descriptions and performance management frameworks.
• Advising staffing structures required for effective secretariat operations.
• Supporting the establishment of performance monitoring and reporting systems.

5.4 Financial Management and Sustainability Strengthening

The consultant will support TASUPA to strengthen financial systems by:

• Operationalizing TASUPA’s financial management policies.
• Supporting the establishment of budgeting and financial reporting systems.
• Developing financial sustainability strategies including membership fee mechanisms and income diversification options.
• Supporting the development of a multi-year financial sustainability plan.

5.5 Business Planning and Service Development

The consultant will support TASUPA to develop a clear business model and service delivery framework by:

• Facilitating the development of a comprehensive TASUPA Business Plan.
• Defining a portfolio of services that TASUPA can provide to its members.
• Supporting the development of annual operational plans aligned with strategic priorities.
• Strengthening member engagement and communication mechanisms.

5.6 Advocacy and Sector Coordination

The consultant will support TASUPA to strengthen its advocacy and sector coordination role by:

• Supporting the development of an advocacy strategy and policy engagement agenda.
• Strengthening TASUPA’s capacity to engage in structured policy dialogue with government and sector stakeholders.
• Supporting the development of evidence-based policy position papers.

• Expected Deliverables

The consultant will produce the following deliverables:

1. A comprehensive inception report outlining the assignment methodology, detailed workplan, timelines, assessment tools, and stakeholder engagement strategy to guide the overall implementation process.
2. A validated and refined report of the SCOPE Insight assessment findings, including key institutional strengths and prioritized areas for capacity strengthening, developed in consultation with TASUPA leadership and members.
3. A practical and results-oriented strategy detailing priority interventions, clear milestones, roles and responsibilities, and timelines to support TASUPA’s institutional development and long-term sustainability.
4. Development or enhancement of governance structures, policies, and operational guidelines to improve decision-making, accountability, and organizational effectiveness.
5. Strengthened financial management systems, including budgeting, financial controls, reporting mechanisms, and a sustainability plan to enhance resource mobilization and financial resilience.
6. A structured approach to improving member value proposition, communication mechanisms, and service delivery to ensure increased member participation, satisfaction, and retention.
7. Delivery of targeted training sessions and technical support to TASUPA leadership and staff, with documentation of training content, participation, and key outcomes.
8. A comprehensive report summarizing all activities undertaken, key achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for continued institutional strengthening and future support.

• Duration of the Assignment

The consultancy is expected to run for approximately 120 working days between 20th April 2026 and 20th August 2026, aligned with the implementation timeline of the TASUPA capacity strengthening programme under the Growing Together Program detailed work plan will be agreed during the inception phase.

• Consultant Qualifications

The consultant or consulting firm should have: Demonstrated experience in organizational capacity strengthening of associations, cooperatives, or private sector platforms, Experience working with agricultural value chains and sector associations, Proven experience in governance strengthening, financial management systems, and institutional development, Strong facilitation, analytical, and report writing skills., Experience working with development programs and donor-funded projects will be an added advantage.

• Application Procedure

Interested consultants are invited to submit:

1. Technical Proposal (maximum 5 pages) including

• Understanding of the assignment and context
• Proposed methodology and approach
• Draft work plan and timeline
• Team composition (if applicable)
• At least three references from similar assignments

1. Financial Proposal detailing consultancy fees and cost breakdown.

The applications should include:

• Cover letter
• CV(s) of proposed consultant(s)
• References from at least three organizations for similar assignments
• Samples of previous relevant work.
• Valid government compliance certificates (e.g., Tax Certificate, business registration, or other statutory documents)

Interested applicants should submit their proposals via email to eastafrica.recruitment@rikolto.org no later than 16 April 2026. The email subject line should clearly indicate the title of the assignment and the source of the advertisement. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not receive a response within two weeks after the closing date, consider your application unsuccessful. For more information about this consultancy opportunity, please visit the Rikolto website.