Join Our Mission: Enhancing Citizen Engagement Across Africa

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)

ADVANCING THE CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM (CEP) 

Background

Innovation for Policy Foundation (i4Policy), in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD and with funding support from GIZ, actively promotes inclusive governance and citizen participation across Africa through innovative digital tools. A key initiative in this effort is the Citizen Engagement Platform (CEP), which facilitates meaningful citizen engagement and supports data governance frameworks through public participation. Building on the success of the CEP, i4Policy, AUDA-NEPAD, and GIZ aim to drive Africa’s digital transformation in an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable manner.

Ultimate Result of Services

This project aims to improve the Citizen Engagement Platform (CEP) by enhancing its quality and relevance for stakeholders. Key activities include regular updates, better user onboarding, and customized training for policymakers and civic tech organizations. Furthermore, the initiative promotes collaboration among member states and civic tech organizations, utilizing the platform to tackle important reforms, such as gender equality.

Duration 

The contract will last for one year from the signature date.

Workplan

• Objective 1: Ensuring Quality Service and Supporting Digital Participation
  

1. 1. • Assist i4Policy in implementing consistent updates and improvements to boost the platform’s overall performance. 
      • Support i4Policy in creating a dedicated subsite to host comprehensive onboarding materials, including tutorials, manuals, and documentation, and to integrate a ticketing system for user support and issue resolution.
        

•  Objective 2: Preparing CEP for Open-Source and Digital Public Good Recognition
  

1. • Collaborate with the i4policy team to conduct an audit and improve the platform’s codebase and features to comply with open-source standards, addressing quality, licensing, and security gaps. 
   • Contribute to strengthening the technical documentation to support community contributions.
   • Align the CEP with the Digital Public Goods Alliance standards in preparation for applying for Digital Public Good recognition.

• Outputs
  

1. • Release notes document updates and improvements to address bugs, performance issues, and user feedback.
   • Shift the platform’s architecture from traditional Laravel Blade views to dynamic Livewire components.
   • Enhanced platform features ensuring improved usability and functionality.
   • Fully operational subsite hosting tutorials, user manuals, and technical documentation with an integrated ticketing system for streamlined user support and issue resolution.
   • Open-source-ready codebase with improved quality, security, and compliance with licensing requirements.
   • Comprehensive, developer-friendly documentation to support community collaboration and contributions.
   • Confirmation of CEP alignment with DPG standards in readiness for application.
     
     

• Expectations and deliverables

Output	Time Frame	Deliverable
Release notes document updates and improvements to address bugs, performance issues, user feedback, and enhanced platform features, ensuring improved usability and functionality.	Continuous	Regular update document
Shift the platform’s architecture from traditional Laravel Blade views to dynamic Livewire components.	3 months	Shift CEP from blade to Livewire Views
Fully operational subsite hosting tutorials, user manuals, and technical documentation with an integrated ticketing system for streamlined user support and issue resolution.	3 months	Working subsite
Open-source-ready codebase with improved quality, security, and compliance with licensing requirements.	3 – 4 months	List of features implemented
Comprehensive, developer-friendly documentation to support community collaboration and contributions.	4 months	Updated documentation on GitHub
Confirmation of CEP alignment with DPG standards in readiness for application	4 months	Status update report

 

Qualifications and skills

1. The firm must be a legally registered software development company operating within an African country, with a proven track record of delivering software solutions within the region.
2. Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining web applications using Laravel framework, PHP, Nginx, and Linux environments. Proficiency in deploying and managing applications on Linux-based servers, with a strong understanding of system performance optimization and troubleshooting. Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git) and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) processes.
3. Prior working experience with civic tech tools or platforms, particularly those supporting digital participation, citizen engagement, or data governance. Previous collaboration with civil society organizations, government agencies, or development partners on projects to improve public engagement or support policy reform is highly desirable.
4. Experience in contributing to open-source projects and preparing codebases for open-source release. Knowledge of licensing, security protocols, and compliance with open-source standards is essential.
5. Proven ability to produce high-quality, user-friendly documentation for both technical and non-technical audiences, including manuals, tutorials, and API documentation. Experience in implementing ticketing systems and providing responsive user support services.
6. Ability to manage projects effectively, ensuring timely delivery of outputs within specified time frames. Strong communication skills, with experience in coordinating between stakeholders such as civic tech organizations, policymakers, and technical teams.

The company should show dedication to quality, sustainability, and inclusivity, in line with the objectives of the Citizen Engagement Platform (CEP).

Submissions

Interested firms are invited to submit their technical and financial proposals, including their company profile, and relevant project experience to finance@i4policy.org with the title  TOR – ADVANCING THE CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM (CEP) by midnight on 13th January 2025.  Please note that only candidates who are selected will be notified directly.