Terms of Reference: Consultant for Programme Design of Frontier Tech Hub 3

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.

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Likely contract duration: 4 months (potential 3-month extension)

Contractor: Results4Development (on behalf of Frontier Tech Hub)

Deadline for applications: 8th November 23:59 UK time

Background to FT Hub

The Frontier Tech Hub (FT Hub) works with the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at the intersection of tech, innovation, and international development. We work across three main areas:

1. We work with FCDO colleagues to fund, test and scale frontier technologies worldwide, by calling for ideas to test frontier technologies in the real world. Since 2016, we’ve worked with 70+ FCDO staff on 58 pilots across 32 countries.
2. We connect FCDO colleagues with one another and the world of tech, helping them to explore the future, being critically curious about what radical technological transformation means for the future, and consequently, FCDO.
3. We gather and share learnings from across our portfolio of pilot projects, sharing thought leadership from the frontier of tech for impact within the FCDO’s work.

The Opportunity

The FT Hub is currently approaching the end of its second phase, a 4-year cycle of programming referred to as ‘FT2’. In looking ahead to the next phase (‘FT3’), the FT Hub consortium partners are keen to implement a comprehensive programme design phase to explore ways FT might evolve to meet ever-changing technological risks and opportunities.

To support the FT Hub in this process, we are looking for an experienced consultant who can facilitate the end-to-end programme design and help the FT Hub explore different technical and operational possibilities. The consultant will lead a structured approach that covers all relevant aspects of programme design (including delivery models, operations, management, budgeting and value for money) to ensure FT3 is a coherent, contemporary and efficient offering within FCDO’s wider technology portfolio. To do this, the consultant will work across the FT Hub consortium partners; at times convening us as a collective, and at other times working independently with individual consortium partners to drive forward elements of the programme design process.

The consultant will be someone who has significant, demonstrated experience managing highly collaborative programme design processes for large and complex initiatives. Ideally, they will also bring relevant experience with innovation and the application of technologies within development, and knowledge/experience with FCDO institutional processes and proposal writing. Many parts of the FT3 design process have already started informally, and the consultant will be invited to build on and potentially challenge existing thinking and approaches. Our goal is to ensure strategic alignment across FCDO and consortium partners and co-create a durable, efficient delivery model for FT3 that we can smoothly transition to when the time comes (expected April 2025). We expect this design process to take no more than 4 months; subject to discussion and available budget, there is the possibility to extend this for a further 3 months with the intention of then utilising the final 3 months of the consultant’s contract to support the Hub in addressing any challenges transitioning to the new structure.

Scope of Work:

The key activities include (subject to change):

1. Provide a comprehensive Programme Design process and required outputs, with accompanying timeline (not to exceed 4 months in total).
2. Ensuring that relevant FT Hub stakeholders are held accountable to timelines and outputs they are responsible for within the programme design process, providing support where necessary.
3. Lead and facilitate workshops for technical solution design and programme design across the consortium (as a collective) and at an individual org level. Focus areas/outputs for these activities are expected to include:
   1. Consortium and FCDO alignment around high-level goals and success indicators for FT3, including distinguishing value propositions and a ‘unique selling point’ for different stakeholders engaged with the programme
   2. Overarching design principles to ensure alignment across consortium partners
   3. An approach to how to ensure cross-cutting themes such as gender and localisation are integral parts of the programme
   4. Identification of changes that may be required to the current FT Theory of Change, in collaboration with the FT Hub Evaluation and Adaptive Learning (EAL) team
   5. Supporting the design of the FT Hub delivery model (explaining how the activities and the relationships between the activities deliver the outputs and outcomes of the programme)
   6. Outlining key accountabilities for each consortia member for key delivery activities
   7. Supporting the development of a Governance Structure for FT3
   8. Supporting the development of organizational charts and staffing structures
   9. Identifying key commercial considerations (VfM, detailed budget forecasts, cost risks)
   10. Development of a risk management and mitigation approach, including the identification of key programme risks
   11. Any other required technical components (tbc)
4. Ensure high-quality outputs are produced to ensure a common understanding exists between consortium members; these outputs should aim to provide alignment and ensure all partner activities contribute to programme outcomes and goals.
5. Support the FT Hub to engage and present to relevant FCDO staff outside the FT Hub to secure their input, and to support in keeping them updated at key milestones within the programme design process.
6. Coordinating inputs and translating programme design process and outputs into a comprehensive proposal to FCDO for FT3.

Outputs and Timelines:

Outputs must include the following, although the consultants/partner should propose an approach and set of deliverables that will be deemed most useful to FT Hub/FCDO:

1. Process and outputs for quality programme design and associated outputs (building on existing approach)
   Deadline: Month 1
2. Delivery of all agreed technical components and materials (outputs)
   Deadline: Months 1–3
3. Cross-consortium and org-level workshops
   Deadline: Months 1–4
4. Output presentations, updates, and final written FT3 proposal for FCDO
   Deadline: Months 1–4 (progressively populated throughout the process). Final proposal due in March
5. Additional 2–3 months to support the FT Hub in the Inception Phase
   Deadline: Months 5–7

Budget:

The maximum budget available is £50,000 between mid-November and end of March (please consider value for money within your offer). Subject to the needs of the FT Hub, the consultant’s contract may be extended to cover additional activities associated with transitioning to the new FT3 programme.

Skills & Experience

Essential:

1. 10+ years’ experience in programme design for multi-million bi/multi-lateral agencies.
2. 10+ years’ working in the international development space, either for INGOs, private sector consultancies, innovation agencies and/or government and designing programmes in the international development sector.
3. Significant demonstratable experience of working on programme design and bid/proposal documentation for the FCDO i.e. minimum of 5–6 multimillion-pound proposals/bid submitted to FCDO.
4. Deep understanding of technical programme design requirements (especially for FCDO) including Theory of Change/Logic Model, Programme delivery model, Programme Governance Structures, Org Charts, Commercial Considerations (including value for money, cost-modelling and budget forecasts), Risk Management and Mitigation, value propositions and cross-cutting themes (gender, localisation).
5. Ability to manage the views of a diverse group of stakeholders, identify consensus and challenges.
6. Strong communicator, particularly the articulation of the central objective(s) of a programme.

Desirable:

1. Experience of innovation and/or tech programmes.
2. Knowledge of working in early-stage innovation with start-ups, innovators, accelerators, incubators or other forms of start-up architecture, or early-stage innovation.

Applications instructions:

Please submit the following materials to sraghib@r4d.org with ‘FT3 Programme Design’ in the subject line:

1. CV(s) of those that are going to be involved
2. A maximum 3-page document outlining:
   1. Your interest in the role
   2. Your experience that relates to the criteria in this ToR
   3. An explanation of how you would approach the work
3. A budget containing:
   1. Daily fee rate(s)
   2. Level of Effort
   3. Any expenses
   4. Short commercial narrative explaining the reasons for your budget

Applications instructions:

The deadline for applications is 8th November @ 23.59 UK time. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

A 45-minute interview with the FT Hub team will likely take place w/c 8th November.

Enquiries:

Please contact sraghib@r4d.org for further enquiries regarding this Terms of Reference or for further information on the Frontier Tech Programme.

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