TERMS OF REFERENCE REVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT OF KEY INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORKS

1. Background and Context
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe is a country chapter of the PELUM Regional Association. In Zimbabwe, it is registered as a programme under the Zimbabwe Institute of Permaculture (ZIP) and is established as a network of organisations working to advance agroecology.
Founded in 1995, PELUM Zimbabwe currently has a membership of 37, comprising 31 civil society organisations (CSOs), 3 agroecology entrepreneurs and 3 individuals.
PELUM Zimbabwe’s mission is to upscale participatory ecological land use management practices for improved nutrition security, livelihoods and environmental sustainability in Zimbabwe. Its vision, as part of the broader PELUM Regional Association, is that communities in Africa are self-organized and able to make choices towards an improved quality of life that is socially just, economically viable and ecologically regenerative.
As PELUM Zimbabwe continues to grow in its programming, staffing, partnerships and institutional responsibilities, there is a need to ensure that its internal policies and operational frameworks remain relevant, fit for purpose and responsive to the organization’s current institutional context.
Some existing policies were developed several years ago and no longer adequately reflect the organization’s current structure, operational realities, staff needs and the evolving legal and policy environment in Zimbabwe. At the same time, a number of emerging institutional needs are not adequately addressed through existing policies and therefore require the development of new frameworks.
PELUM Zimbabwe is therefore seeking support for an organizational capacity strengthening initiative focused on the review and/or development of key institutional policies and operational frameworks. The initiative seeks to strengthen institutional governance, accountability, operational efficiency, staff welfare and compliance through a comprehensive, participatory and context-responsive policy development process.
The consultancy will work closely with management, staff and the Board to assess existing policies, identify gaps, review their relevance to the organization’s current context, ensure alignment with applicable labour legislation and organizational realities, consider relevant standards and good practices, and develop or revise policies as appropriate.
The process is expected to be participatory and will include staff consultations, management reflections and Board review and validation. This approach is intended to ensure institutional ownership of the policies and frameworks, while also strengthening staff understanding of and ability to apply the resulting policies.

2. Rationale
The Human Resources Manual was developed during the early stages of PELUM Zimbabwe and reflects a substantially different organizational and labour context. Since then, there have been changes in Zimbabwe’s labour legislation, workplace practices, organizational structures and staff welfare considerations. The manual therefore requires comprehensive review and revision.
The Motor Vehicle Policy was developed when PELUM Zimbabwe operated with one vehicle and did not have a designated driver. That context has since changed. The existing policy therefore requires review to ensure that it adequately addresses the organization’s current fleet management arrangements, vehicle maintenance responsibilities, operational procedures and accountability structures.
The Finance and Accounting Manual also requires revision to reflect current operational realities and strengthen institutional accountability systems. As PELUM Zimbabwe operates as a programme of the Zimbabwe Institute of Permaculture (ZIP), there is also a need to improve alignment between relevant organizational policies and broader network standards where appropriate.
PELUM Zimbabwe also requires a standalone Procurement Policy to provide clearer guidance on procurement processes, strengthen transparency and accountability, and support compliance.
The Per Diem Policy remains operational but requires review in light of the prevailing economic context. In particular, there is a need to reassess provisions relating to communication bundles, meals and incidental costs to determine whether the current provisions and rates remain practical and sufficient for staff undertaking organizational duties. The cross cutting issues policy also requires review in light of current context.
The Code of Conduct requires updating to ensure that it remains aligned with current labour legislation, organizational values, safeguarding standards and emerging workplace expectations.
In addition to the review of existing policies, PELUM Zimbabwe has identified institutional policy gaps requiring the development of new frameworks. These include an Asset Management Policy, an Artificial Intelligence Policy and a Monitoring and Evaluation Policy.
The overall assignment is therefore intended to strengthen PELUM Zimbabwe’s internal systems and ensure that its institutional policies provide an appropriate foundation for effective programme implementation, accountability, governance and organizational resilience.

3. Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of the consultancy is to support PELUM Zimbabwe to review and/or develop key institutional policies and operational frameworks so that they are relevant to the organization’s current context, responsive to emerging institutional needs, aligned with applicable legal requirements and supportive of effective organizational governance and operations.

• Review existing organizational policies and frameworks in line with current governance practices, applicable legal requirements and PELUM Zimbabwe’s current institutional context.
• Identify gaps, inconsistencies and areas requiring strengthening within the existing policies and frameworks.
• Revise identified policies to ensure that they are current, practical, clear and responsive to PELUM Zimbabwe’s present organizational and operational realities.
• Develop new institutional policies and frameworks where identified policy gaps exist.
• Strengthen alignment, where appropriate, between PELUM Zimbabwe’s policies and relevant broader ZIP/network standards.
• Facilitate a participatory process involving staff, management and the Board to promote institutional ownership, understanding and applicability of the resulting policies and frameworks.
• Review existing policies and manuals provided by PELUM Zimbabwe as part of inception and document review.
• Review relevant organizational structures, operational arrangements and other information necessary to understand the current institutional context.
• Identify key gaps, outdated provisions, inconsistencies and areas requiring revision or new policy frameworks.
• Develop an agreed approach and workplan for undertaking the assignment.
• Assess continued relevance, adequacy, and alignment with applicable labour legislation and legal/regulatory requirements for policies identified for review.