Terms of Reference (TOR) for technical service for facilitating the Local Agriculture Development Plan and Strategy in selected Local Governments

Terms of Reference (TOR) for technical service for facilitating the Local Agriculture Development Plan and Strategy in selected Local Governments

1. Background

Heifer Project International Nepal (HPIN), an international non-governmental organization, has been working in Nepal since 1997. With its mission ‘ending hunger and poverty, while caring for earth’, HPIN is currently active in 53 districts and contributing to food system transformation in partnership with government, non-government organizations (NGOs), academia, the private sector, and value chain actors at national and sub-national levels. Heifer adopts the facilitative approach to strengthen the agri-food system and crop and livestock sub-systems by promoting regenerative practices, enhancing market linkages, building social capital, promoting regenerative practices, social capital development, and increasing economic opportunities for smallholder farmers. As of now, Heifer in Nepal has benefited over 450,000 farm families, organized in more than 15,000+ groups and 300+ Women Cooperatives, which play a key role in strengthening local economies and promoting inclusive participation in food systems.

Following the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal (2015) and the transition to a federal governance system in 2017, local governments have been mandated to lead agricultural production, extension services, and market development under the Local Government Operation Act (2017). These provisions position local governments as the primary enablers in strengthening Nepal’s agri-food systems and advancing agricultural development. Despite agriculture being a top priority for most Palikas and having initiated various agriculture development-related services to improve production, productivity, and market linkages, their access, coverage, and effectiveness remain constrained by limited institutional capacity, inadequate and inconsistent systems and policies, the absence of comprehensive sectoral plans, and insufficient technical expertise and human resources at the local levels.

HPIN has partnered with over 90 local governments to strengthen agriculture and livestock development through context-specific programs focused on productivity, business development services, institutional service delivery mechanisms, and improving market linkages and creating an enabling environment for selected high-potential value chains within local food systems. In addition, Heifer has provided technical assistance to more than 20 Palikas to develop and implement long-term agriculture development plans, contributing to improved Agri-governance mechanisms, aligning local agriculture development with federal structures and priorities, and contributing to more resilient, inclusive food systems, resulting tangible outputs even in short  As a result,  yielded tangible results even in a short period.  Building on this experience and in response to requests from two additional local governments, namely Phikkal Rural Municipality and Tinpatan Rural Municipality in Sindhuli, HPIN is extending technical assistance to develop localized agriculture development strategies, including the mobilization of experts to support the formulation of agriculture development plans and strategies.

2. Objectives

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide technical assistance to selected Local Governments to formulate a five-year Agriculture and Livestock Sectoral development plan and strategy (LADPS). This should include the following specific objectives: 

• Collect data/information regarding the current production, inputs, technical services, financing, aggregation, marketing, market centers, policies, gaps, challenges and opportunities in the areas of agriculture and livestock sectors.
• Identify target commodities and areas, and immediate and long-term support sectors for sustainable growth of agri-livestock sectors.
• Formulate investment plans in this sector with the alignment of current revenue projections of Palikas, Provincial, and Federal Government subsidies, and investment of the private sector. 
• Assess the capacity gap and formulate a capacity development plan of LGs to implement a long-term agri-livestock development plan. 
• Organize consultative meetings/workshops, sharing sessions, and long-term plan validation workshop with stakeholders.
• Define mission, vision, goals, objectives, and activities with an estimated budget for agriculture and livestock.
• Develop an annual plan to translate the long-term plan of the agri-livestock sector into action.

3. Scope of Work

The specific scope of work includes:

1. Review of existing annual development plans, periodic plans, sectoral plans, and policies promulgated by LGs.
2. Finalize methodologies, data collection processes, and planning frameworks in consultation with Heifer and ensure ownership of LGs.
3. Facilitate inception workshops at the local government level to build consensus on the strategy formulation process, stakeholder roles, and action plans.
4. Develop checklists and questionnaires for focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII).
5. Conducting orientation sessions for mobilizers, facilitators, project staff, and Palika technical staff to support data collection.
6. Facilitating consultative visioning workshops at the Palika level to set vision, mission, and goals of the Palikas on agriculture and livestock sector development. The key participants shall be elected representatives of Palika, concerned administrative and technical departmental staff, representatives of lead farmers, cooperatives, and value chain actors, service providers, and other relevant stakeholders at the Palika level.
7. Collect and analyze primary and secondary information on agriculture and livestock value chains to inform strategy documentation.
8. Co-create the draft LADPS with the Palika team, including a clear vision, mission, goals, expected outcomes, outputs, and major activities with investment requirements and a resource plan.
9. Share and revise the draft strategy based on feedback from Local Government, stakeholders, and Heifer.
10. Facilitate validation workshops to gather input and foster ownership of LGs.
11. Support to finalize long-term plans and facilitate LG to endorse the plans.
12. Prepare and submit a comprehensive report outlining the processes referred to and the final output document.

4. Methodology

The consulting firm/organization shall adopt an inclusive and participatory methodology involving extensive consultation with Local Government and allied stakeholders to ensure ownership and effective implementation of the long-term plan. This includes consultations with LG’s leadership (e.g., Chair, Vice Chair), ward chairs, sectoral staff, cooperatives, farmers, and value chain actors.

Steps include:

• Consultations with Heifer, project partners, and LGs. 
• Review of literature, materials, reports, and relevant resources related to the agriculture and livestock sector 
• Develop questionnaires, checklists, and other tools for the collection of required data (primary and secondary) through FGD, KII, and observations.
• Organizing workshops at various stages (inception, visioning, and validation) of the plan formulation process.
• Conducting validation workshops and revising drafts based on feedback.

5. Outputs/Deliverables

• An inception report with methodology, planning framework, tools, and checklists.
• Draft and final copies of the plans (electronic and hard copies).
• Milestone and assignment completion reports.

6. Required Professional Competencies and Qualifications

The firm or the technical support team should have a composition of agriculture economist, agriculture expert, livestock experts and GESI expert with respective roles and technical inputs to the Palika’s.

The lead consultant should have:

• A Master’s degree in agricultural sciences, agricultural economics, livestock sciences, or related fields, with 10 years of relevant experience.
• Extensive knowledge of Nepal’s federalized agriculture sector.
• Proven experience in the local agricultural sector planning, policy formulation, and service delivery, and completion of at least three similar assignments. 
• Proficiency in analytical, facilitation, and writing skills (Nepali language preferred).

7. Timeline

The assignment spans three months from April to June 2026, with the final report due by June 10, 2025.

8. Budget and Payment Schedule

Payments will be milestone-based:

• 30% upon submission of the inception report.
• 70% upon completion of the assignment and acceptance of the final LADPS.

9. Required Documents for Submission: 

• Cover Letter
• Brief profile of the firm/organization
• Updated CV (relevant competency and experience not more than 3 pages) of the proposed team
• Technical proposal including proposed methodology, calendar of operation, deliverables, and roles and responsibilities of key professionals.
• Financial proposal with detailed breakdown
• At least three reference documents developed by the team leader
• Firm/organization Registration certificate
• VAT certificate
• Tax clearance certificate (FY 081/82)

10. Submission Guidelines

Applications, including a cover letter, firm/organization profile, CVs, and proposals (technical and financial), must be submitted to Procurement-NP@heifer.org  by April 20, 2026, 5:00 PM, with the subject line: “Application for facilitating LADPS of Local Governments.”

Applications received with incomplete documents and after the due date will be disqualified. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for the further evaluation process. Applications will be evaluated based on understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology and approach, relevant experience, qualifications, and cost-effectiveness of the proposal. All the application information and documents shall be kept strictly confidential and used only for this evaluation process. HPN reserves all the rights to reject any or all applications without providing any reasons.