Tender Details

Invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI) to Partner with Oxfam for the “Establishment of a Humanitarian Development Studies Centre to Strengthen the Capacities of Local and National Actors” in Aden, Yemen

1: Overview

Oxfam Yemen seeks an eligible Local and National Actor – LNA (LNAs refers to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including CBOs, WROs, and WLO) to partner in implementing Outcome 1 of the "Building Agile Leadership and Development Initiative" (BALADI) programme: Enhanced organizational, institutional and technical capacities of local and national actors. This initiative, aligned with Yemen's Localization Strategy 2023-2026, prioritizes gender-responsive localization by empowering national and local actors in the humanitarian and development sectors.
The Outcome 1 of this programme aims to establish a sustainable Humanitarian and Development Studies Centre (HDSC) in Yemen through a collaboration between Oxfam, University of Aden, and a selected CSO. The University of Aden has been identified as the host institution based on their previous experience, willingness and consultation with local and national actors to ensure local leadership, ownership and sustainability of the HDSC. 
A participatory approach will be employed to design the HDSC's strategy, governance, and thematic priorities, actively engaging key decision-makers, local organizations, women's rights groups, government bodies, and donors. Comprehensive assessments will identify capacity-building needs and available resources, informing the development of context-specific and gender-inclusive curricula for the HDSC's training courses. The establishment of a multi-stakeholder task force and board of trustees with gender balance will oversee the center's operationalization, embedded within the University of Aden for sustainability.
The HDSC will offer capacity-building training in operational, institutional, and technical competencies to 50 local and national organizations, integrating gender equality, conflict sensitivity, and nexus approaches. Mentoring and financial grants for internal organizational capacity-building or project implementation will be provided to trainees. Regular monitoring and evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the interventions, with findings shared through workshops and dissemination activities to ensure learning and accountability.
Oxfam invites applications from local CSOs with a presence in Aden to become an equitable partner in implementing Outcome 1. The selected CSO, with Oxfam's technical guidance, will be responsible for:

• HDSC's establishment including its governance structure drawing inspiration from design thinking principles. 
• a comprehensive mapping of local and national actors in the development and humanitarian sectors, recognizing the diversity of local and national organizations.
• A gender barrier analysis to identify challenges in access to capacity-building opportunities, women's representation in decision-making processes
• Participating in the programme’s International Partner led ‘taking the lead approach’ and facilitating the roll-out of individual Capacity Self-Assessment (CSA), identification of training topics for HDSC, and development of capacity development plans.  
• Supporting with continuous monitoring and feedback of training courses for adjustments - aligned with our design thinking approach.

2 – Selection Criteria, EOI requirements 

CSOs that intend to apply for this EOI should fulfil the following selection criteria: 

1-    A local CSO that is based or at least has an office in Aden.
2-    A local CSO that works directly with local partners on capacity strengthening programming and localization agenda in Aden specifically and across the country generally. 
3-    A local CSO that has strong experience working on localization, local humanitarian leadership, and civic space area.     
4-    A local CSO that has a strong track record delivering training and capacity strengthening programming 
5-    A local CSO that is registered with the relevant government authorities under IGR in Aden. 
6-    A local COS has a properly constituted governance board and structure.
7-     A local CSO that has the capacity, resources, and plans to operate in Yemen until at least the end of December 2027.
The selection of a partner CSO will be a competitive process based on the criteria mentioned above. EOIs will be assessed by an evaluation committee to identify a partner CSO that has the capacity and comparative advantages to support the achievement of Outcome 1 of Oxfam’s Baladi programme.

If you think your organization can fulfil our expectations, Oxfam invites you to share the following documents:

a)    Expression of interest letter (one page),
b)    Organization profile and governance board and structure,
c)    Up to date registration/permission document from the IRG
d)    A detailed concept note, and
e)    Document/s or reference letter/s displaying the organization’s experience working on localization, local humanitarian leadership, and/or civic space as well as their experience to deliver training and capacity strengthening programming.  

Only organizations whose concept notes have been shortlisted / selected concept note will be contacted. The EOI and the other documents should be sent to Oxfam – Yemen Partnership email at:  YemenPartnership@oxfam.org.uk before 27 June 2025. 

Note: Interested organizations must align with all six criteria mentioned above to have their concept note evaluated. Concept notes of CSOs/NGOs that do not align with one or more of the criteria will not be evaluated and will not be shortlisted and/or move to the next stage.  

All submitted expression of interest and other documents should be titled “EOI Oxfam HDSC – Name of the CSO/NGO – name of the doc – Aden”.

3. Indicative timelines 

Note: This timeframe is only for the EoI while the entire process is taking more than this timeframe as there are steps before and after this EoI to select the partner.

Disclaimer:

Advertisement of EOI does not commit to any funding liability on the part of Oxfam. All CNs will be reviewed and evaluated on merit criteria. Oxfam reserves the right to accept any or none of the applications submitted.