Due Diligence Harmonisation in Ukraine Consultancy

Terms of Reference
Due Diligence Harmonisation in Ukraine
Consultancy – Call for Tenders

Background and Rationale
ActionAid is a global federation working towards a world free from poverty and injustice.
The humanitarian response in Ukraine, spanning across Ukraine and neighbouring countries since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in early 2022, is one of the most significant humanitarian interventions to date. Local organisations have been at the forefront, delivering essential support to their communities and rapidly scaling up their capacities.
Almost three years into the response, however, many local organisations express frustration due to high thresholds and Due Diligence requirements to receive funding from international agencies. This contributes to a general sense of exclusion from decision-making spaces. The labour-intensive and often repetitive nature of passing donors’ and international agencies’ Due Diligence processes—frequently without adding value—has been cited as one of the main frustrations. This has sparked an ongoing debate about Due Diligence processes in Ukraine and beyond, among both local and international actors.
Concerns from local organisations include:
•A strong polarisation of funding: National organisations with higher capacities often receive funding from multiple donors simultaneously, while small-scale, grassroots, and locally rooted actors receive less or no funding.
•Focus on procedural compliance: Some local actors tend to prioritise creating policies and procedures to meet minimum standards, sometimes without perceiving the added value or enhancing their capacity organically.
•Burnout among local actors: First responders in their communities often lack financial or capacity support to operate sustainably, effectively, and healthily.
•A sense of exclusion: There is frustration over the perceived unwillingness or incapacity of international agencies to adapt, differentiate, and/or provide capacity strengthening, with local actors feeling excluded from shaping the localisation agenda that appears dominated by international agencies.
International agencies have tried to address these challenges with limited success. Some organisations have focused on Due Diligence certification and passporting, harmonising processes with other actors, and adapting global tools to the Ukrainian context. However, they have not always managed to address key issues:
•High compliance requirements: Due to large budgets and concerns related to capacity and financial risks, international NGOs often require extensive compliance follow-up, for which local organisations sometimes lack resources or awareness.
•Complex legal environment: Navigating Ukraine's legal landscape and the prevalence of high-capacity local actors poses unique challenges for global policies developed for other contexts.
•Duplication of efforts: Several Due Diligence initiatives at both the Ukraine and global levels have not always been coordinated, resulting in duplicated efforts.
•Practicability of new tools: While many global initiatives propose harmonised Due Diligence tools, the practicality and buy-in from decision-makers remain uncertain.
•Lack of data and evidence: Due to limited data on Due Diligence processes, advocating with senior decision-makers, HQs, and legal and compliance teams has been challenging.
 

Since early 2024, the Due Diligence Task Force—a group of eight international and local organisations under the NGO Platform—has been working to streamline Due Diligence discussions in Ukraine. Key outputs to date include:

•A harmonised vocabulary defining key terms, such as ‘certification’ and ‘passporting’.
•A pilot comparative exercise that analysed various Due Diligence tools, forming the hypothesis that more than 80% of the content is identical.
•A database of local partner organisations in Ukraine that Task Force members have collaborated with.
•A strong informal network within Ukraine, enabling members to frequently exchange information, share Due Diligence results, and update each other—significantly reducing the workload for local partners in some cases.

The main purpose of this consultancy is to build upon the work done by the Due Diligence Task Force, deepen networks, engage more stakeholders at both the Ukraine and global levels, and increase the buy-in of senior decision-makers to adapt some of their processes, tools, and practices.

This assignment is co-commissioned by ActionAid and the NGO Platform, funded by the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC).

•The Humanitarian NGO Platform (NGOP) in Ukraine unites over 100 international and local agencies and has been a key platform for advancing debates on localisation and locally led responses in Ukraine. It has established various platforms for local and international members to discuss and make progress on Due Diligence.
•ActionAid has been a co-founder and co-chair of the Due Diligence Task Force (DDTF) under the NGOP, as well as a co-chair of the Partnerships Working Group. As an agency committed to supporting a locally led response, driven by women-led and youth-led actors, ActionAid has prioritised adapting Due Diligence procedures to the Ukrainian context since the beginning of the response.

Application
Proposals from candidates without existing regional or thematic experience (i.e., without experience directly related to Due Diligence work), as well as proposals that are not tailored to the assignment, will not be considered!
Please submit your complete application with the subject ‘Due Diligence Consultancy’ to the hands of Jasper Kiepe, Head of Programmes, and Oleksandra Buglak, Deputy Director, NGO Platform, at ukraine.submissions@actionaid.org.
The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2024, 23:59 UTC.
Please submit PDFs only. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so interested parties are encouraged to apply early.
The application should include:
1.A cover letter outlining relevant experience and interest in the topic.
2.A proposal outlining the methodology/approach to the assignment.
3.A working plan for six months including a detailed schedule for the first three months. The work plan should outline when parties will be present in Ukraine (for non-Ukraine based applications).
4.CVs of all involved team members including professional references.
5.Examples of similar past work and references of contact focal points.
6.A detailed budget breakdown (EUR preferred) that should include all local and regional travel expenses.
 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online discussion with the selection panel (composed of a representative from ActionAid, the NGOP, and other relevant stakeholders). The final selection of candidates will be based on their relevant. 

Click on the download " Due Diligence Ukraine Consultancy" for more information.