Terms of Reference (ToR)
Consultancy for Developing BELA’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030

Background

The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) is a national non-governmental organization of lawyers established in 1993 to promote environmental justice and strengthen environmental governance in Bangladesh. BELA’s work has been instrumental in developing legal and institutional frameworks to safeguard environmental rights, influencing law and policy reform, and ensuring citizens’ access to environmental justice through public interest litigation, advocacy, research, and community engagement.

BELA’s current Strategic Plan 2023–2025 outlines its key priorities in environmental governance, litigation, research, advocacy, and organizational strengthening. Building on this foundation, BELA now seeks to develop a Strategic Plan for 2026–2030 that will guide its direction over the next five years, taking into account emerging environmental challenges, institutional priorities, and evolving national and global contexts.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive, evidence‑based, and future-oriented Strategic Plan (2026–2030) that:

  • Aligns with BELA’s mission, vision, and values.
  • Is grounded in a structured foresight analysis including political, environmental, technological, and regulatory trends.
  • Produces SMART outcomes aligned with measurable indicators.
  • Includes organizational financial sustainability modeling, including:
    • Funding diversification scenarios.
    • Medium-term financial projections.
    • Cost sustainability analysis tied to strategic priorities.
  • Strengthens institutional systems, operational capabilities, and long‑term resource mobilization pathways.

Specific Objectives

  1. Conduct a rigorous assessment of BELA’s internal and external environment using structured analytical tools (PESTLE, SWOT, stakeholder influence mapping) by Month 1.
  2. Facilitate participatory consultations with BELA’s Board, Executive Committee, senior staff, partners, communities, and donors, ensuring evidence-based insights are collected by Week 5.
  3. Develop at least three future scenarios (optimistic, realistic, constrained) for BELA’s programmatic and financial pathways by Week 6.
  4. Produce a draft Strategic Plan structured around SMART results, KPIs, and year-by-year strategic priorities by Week 8.
  5. Deliver a comprehensive financial sustainability model including cost projections, revenue diversification options, and organizational efficiency measures.
  6. Finalize a Board‑ready Strategic Plan and an operationalization plan with work plan, budget linkages, KPIs, and MEAL integration by Week 10.

Scope of Work and Key Tasks:

Phase 1: Inception and Planning

  • Review BELA’s Strategic Plan 2023–2025 and key performance data.
  • Conduct an inception meeting with BELA’s management team to agree on methodology, deliverables, and timelines.
  • Prepare inception report detailing methodology, sampling, timelines, quality assurance, and tools.

Phase 2: Situational and Institutional Analysis

  • Conduct a PESTLE analysis capturing political, legal, economic, environmental, social, and technological trends relevant to environmental justice.
  • Conduct a SWOT analysis with full participation of BELA’s senior management and Board representatives.
  • Conduct stakeholder mapping and influence analysis.
  • Assess BELA’s organizational systems, HR capacity, digital capabilities, and advocacy platforms.
  • Analyze donor landscape, funding pipeline trends, and policy changes affecting environmental governance.

Phase 3: Stakeholder Consultations

  • Facilitate structured workshops with staff and management.
  • Conduct interviews and FGDs with partners, networks, communities, and key informants.
  • Capture donor insights into emerging funding priorities and compliance standards.
  • Compile evidence-based findings for use in strategic formulation.

Phase 4: Drafting the Strategic Plan

  • Prepare a comprehensive Strategic Plan (2026–2030) including:
    • Vision, mission, values review.
    • Strategic priorities and SMART outcomes.
    • Year-by-year strategic roadmap.
    • Operationalization plan linking annual work plans and budgets.
    • MEAL-aligned performance scorecard with KPIs.
    • Financial sustainability strategy and funding diversification framework.
    • Risk Control Measures (RCM) register covering programmatic, financial, operational, and governance risks.
  • Integrate digital advocacy strategies, including:
    • Use of online platforms.
    • Data analytics and information management tools.
    • Digital communication technologies relevant to modern environmental advocacy.

Phase 5: Validation and Finalization

  • Facilitate a validation workshop with Board, management, and stakeholders.
  • Incorporate feedback into revised drafts.
  • Submit final Strategic Plan in Board‑ready and donor‑presentation formats.

Governance, Oversight, and Quality Control

  • A Strategic Plan Technical Review Committee will oversee consultancy activities.
  • Draft deliverables will be reviewed within seven (7) working days of submission.
  • Consultants must incorporate feedback within five (5) working days.
  • Maximum of two revision cycles will be allowed to ensure time and cost discipline.

Expected Deliverables

  1. Inception Report (methodology, tools, work plan).
  2. Situation and Institutional Analysis Report.
  3. Draft Strategic Plan 2026–2030 with:
    • Strategic roadmap
    • Implementation and operationalization plan
    • Financial sustainability model
    • RCM register
    • MEAL-aligned KPI scorecard
  4. Validation Workshop Report.
  5. Final Board-ready Strategic Plan (print-ready and editable).

Knowledge Transfer Requirements

  • Facilitate at least two staff training sessions on:
    • Strategic Plan implementation.
    • MEAL integration.
    • Organizational alignment.
  • Conduct a formal handover and learning workshop with management and Board to ensure institutional ownership.

Duration and Timeline

Total duration: 8–10 weeks (approx. December–February 2026).
A final schedule will be confirmed during the inception phase.

Qualifications and Experience

  • Minimum 10 years’ experience in strategic planning for NGOs or advocacy organizations.
  • Proven expertise in environmental governance, legal frameworks, and political context of Bangladesh.
  • Demonstrated competency in futures thinking, PESTLE, SWOT, financial modeling, and MEAL.
  • Experience in digital transformation and modern advocacy tools preferred.
  • Strong facilitation, analytical, and report writing skills.

Management and Supervision

The consultant/firm will work closely with BELA’s Strategic Planning Committee and Chief Executive. BELA will provide access to relevant documents, data and contacts and facilitate meetings and consultations. The consultant will report to the Chief Executive of BELA or her designated representative.

Budget and Payment Schedule

The consultancy budget will be negotiated based on the scope of work and expertise of the selected consultant/firm. Payments will be made in installments upon satisfactory completion of deliverables:

  • 20% upon approval of Inception Report.
  • 40% upon submission of Draft Strategic Plan.
  • 40% upon approval of Final Strategic Plan.

Application Process

Interested applicants must submit:

  • Cover letter and understanding of assignment.
  • Technical proposal including methodology and timelines.
  • Financial proposal with itemized budget.
  • CV(s) of consultant(s).
  • Samples of similar work.

Applications should be submitted by 28 December 2025 to :

Mr. Nondon Chandra Paul
HR & Administrative Officer
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA)
House 15/A, road 3, Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

Please mention on envelope: ‘RFP for Consultancy for Developing BELA’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030`