Consultancy for Development of an Institutional Learning and Knowledge Management Framework

1. Background Information about MESPT

Micro-Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is a Kenyan development organization established in 2002. MESPT’s overall objective is to promote economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation through enterprise development. This is achieved predominantly through support to the development of agricultural value chains whilst embracing and promoting the green growth and climate change agenda. Through its vision of building a more Prosperous Society, MESPT facilitates increased commercialization, decent employment, and green transformation through targeted interventions in the selected value chains. The Trust is a multi-donor entity jointly founded by the Government of Kenya and the European Union who later relinquished their position to the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (DANIDA). To learn more about MESPT, please visit www.mespt.org.

2. Rationale for the Assignment:

MESPT has been generating, acquiring, and sharing information/ knowledge with staff and its stakeholders for the last 20 years especially through its programming works. However, MESPT lacks a coherent and structured approach to guide knowledge management at the corporate level. As a result, this has led to inefficiencies in having knowledge generated/ acquired by MESPT, institutional memory and lessons learnt, from being systematically captured, processed, retrieved, and disseminated across the various functional teams and stakeholders. MESPT has its EDMS where institutional knowledge-based resources and assets are collected, organized, and stored however there is need to institutionalize a learning and knowledge management system.

The main aim is to enhance integration, accessibility, and usability of MESPT knowledge-based assets and products beyond the organization. This will be achieved through development of an institutional learning and knowledge management strategy and a learning plan. The strategy will provide MESPT staff and its partners with a road map on how to strengthen its processes, practices, culture and systems in order to effectively drive organizational learning, increase awareness on knowledge management for better decision making. The learning plan will guide MESPT teams in mapping out opportunities for consistently identifying, generating, applying, and sharing Program Quality, Impact knowledge and best practices in support of delivering the strategic objectives and the overall goal of MESPT.

In overall the strategy and learning plan will ensure MESPT intellectual and knowledge -based assets and products will be systematically identify, capture, evaluate, retrieve, and share within and outside the organization for effective formulation, planning and implementation of decisions with regards to MESPT operations and programming work.

3. The overall objective the assignment

MESPT is seeking to involve the services of a consultant to develop an institutional learning and knowledge management framework that will enable MESPT to effectively manage its information, data, knowledge products and assets for the benefit of the corporate and its stakeholders.

Specific Objectives of the assignment

• To establish existing gaps, needs, challenges and barriers hindering MESPT from having an effective knowledge management framework
• To ensure MESPT has an effective learning and knowledge management strategy in place including an operationalization plan.
• To ensure MESPT has the necessary templates/ tools for capturing knowledge products and learnings.
• To strengthen capacity of MESPT staff on the knowledge management framework for the institution including the strategy, operationalization plan, tools and templates developed.

4. Scope of work

Specific tasks to be undertaken include: –

• Review of MESPT organization documents and other relevant materials
• Conduct interviews to all relevant MESPT staff on their understanding on institutional knowledge management, 2) assess existing gaps, barriers / challenges hindering MESPT from having an effective learning and Knowledge management framework 3) recommend appropriate solutions that are affordable, adaptable, and replicable.
• Compile a comprehensive needs assessment report
• Develop an institutional learning and knowledge management strategy and operationalization plan.
• Develop templates/tools for capturing proposed knowledge products and learnings.
• Presentation and sensitization of MESPT staff on the knowledge management strategy, operationalization plan, tools and templates developed.

5. Approach and Methodology

The consultant will be expected to adopt a highly consultative and participatory approach in the development of the Knowledge management strategy and learning plan. In consultation with MEAL Manager, the consultant will develop a suitable methodology and implementation plan clearly demonstrating how this assignment will be carried out.

6. Expected Deliverables

The consultant will provide the following deliverables:

i) Inception Report:

An inception report outlining the approach and work plan to be used in the assignment. This report will be 10 to 15 pages in length and will propose the methods, procedures and proposed timeline of activities and submission of deliverables.

ii) Comprehensive need assessment report

The report should be a maximum of 40 pages including the annexes entailing the challenges / barriers hindering MESPT from having an effective learning and Knowledge management systems with recommendations on appropriate interventions/ solution include mapping out existing and potential opportunities for MESPT and its partners.

iii) Institutional Knowledge Management strategy/ operationalization plan/ Tools& Templates

This will be included 1) knowledge management strategy 2) learning plan and 3) tools & templates capturing knowledge products and learnings reflective of feedback from stakeholders at the validation meeting; and draft report reviews/ comments from MESPT.

iv) Presentation / training materials used for sensitization on MESPT team

This will include the PowerPoint presentation and all the relevant training materials the consultant will use during sensitization of MESPT Staff for future referencing and learning.

7. Duration of the Assignment

The assignment will begin with an inception meeting at MESPT Head Office and conclude with a debriefing meeting with the MEAL Manager. In overall the exercise is expected to take a maximum of 30 working days from the date of signing the contract spread over a period of three months. The breakdown is stipulated in the table below.

8. Intellectual Property

All information produced pertaining to this assignment existing information (organizational and programme document, reports, impact stories etc.) that the consultant (firm) may have access to under this consultancy shall remain the property of MESPT. Furthermore, MESPT shall have exclusive rights over their use for a period of not less than 20 years. Except for purposes of this assignment, the information gathered shall not be disclosed to the public nor used in whatever form without written permission of the MESPT.

9. Administration and logistical arrangements

The consultant will report to MEAL Manager and will work closely with departmental/ units heads. The assignment will be carried out with logistical support and services of the MESPT.

10. Qualifications and competencies

The lead consultant should have at least the following qualifications:

• Advanced degree and/or certification in knowledge Management, Information Management, Development Communication, Public Relations, Business Analysis, Instructional Design, Project Management, Human Centered Design, and International Development. Master’s degree on the same would be an advantage.
• A minimum 5 – 7 years’ experience in a similar role related to Knowledge Management.
• Thorough knowledge of technology solutions, tools and platforms needed in support of Knowledge Management.
• Proven ability to apply effective knowledge management, user experience and human-centered stakeholder engagement skills and processes.
• Experience using content management systems (e.g., SharePoint) and learning management systems (e.g., Dayforce LMS) for knowledge management.
• Supporting users to find the resources they are looking for either through self-service or instruction
• Developing tools to enable knowledge capture, translation, and exchange.
• Knowledge of human centered design techniques and skills in their application.
• Knowledge asset template design and maintenance using modern technology (e.g., PDF forms) and advanced techniques (e.g., branching logic).
• Understanding of social impact organizations, enterprise practices and grant-making activities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 environment and apps especially SharePoint, Yammer, and Term Store.
• Modern SharePoint site building and content management with metadata.
• Translating technical procedures into user friendly instructional resources and job aids.
• Listening actively to understand needs and provide constructive/receive feedback.
• Aptitude for and keen interest in learning new information design and communication technology.
• Strong self-direction balanced with collaborative and creative approach.
• Meticulous detail-orientation and track record of delivering timely results under pressure.
• Service mindset for responsiveness to requests and striving towards becoming trusted business partners to drive common Foundation goals.
• Possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• Possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the MESPT’s values.