Consultancy ‘Endline evaluation of Durable Solutions for Returnees and IDPs in Somalia (DSRIS) Project’

  • Location:
  • Salary:
    negotiable
  • Job type:
    Temporary
  • Posted:
    4 years ago
  • Category:
    Consultancy & Contracts
  • Deadline:
    25/10/2019
  • Job Level:

 

Terms of Reference

Consultancy ‘Endline evaluation of Durable Solutions for Returnees and IDPs in Somalia (DSRIS) Project’

T05-EUTF-HoA-SO-03-4.1

CARE INTERNATIONAL IN SOMALIA

August, 2019

1. Background

1.1. About CARE International

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. Its programs go beyond meeting basic needs at the onset of an emergency to helping affected communities recover and rebuild their lives long after the crisis ends. CARE has been assisting communities in Somalia since 1981. CARE works in partnership with the government, international NGOs, civil society, leaders and local authorities in order to bring effective and lasting change to the most vulnerable communities. CARE currently works through three main programs: firstly, the Rural Women program which supports poor, rural women and girls in addressing long term underlying causes of poverty and vulnerability as well as social, cultural, political and economic obstacles towards positive change. We help women and girls improve their economic status, access education and support them to play a greater role in local leadership and conflict resolution. Secondly, the Urban Youth program focuses on job creation and livelihood opportunities for poor youth through interventions such as secondary education, vocational training, small business development and microfinance. Thirdly, the Emergency program provides direct humanitarian relief to victims of drought and conflict in Puntland, Mogadishu, Lower Juba and Galmudug state. CARE Somalia has three programmes namely Rural Women, Urban Youth and emergency. This project falls under Urban Youth.

1.2. About DSRIS project

Project Goal

Contribute to sustainable integration of IDPs, returnees and refugees in Somalia.

Project specific objective/outcome

To support a sustainable and durable reintegration of refugees and IDPs in Somalia and to anchor populations within Somalia

Project locations( State, Region/Districts )

Puntland, Bari and Mudug (Bossaso and Galkacyo North districts),

Galmudug, Mudug and Galgaduud (Dhusamareb, Adado and Galkacyo south)

Number of target beneficiaries

Final Beneficiaries: 90,000 persons (12,000 households – HHs) – 72,000 from IDP settlements. Based on the % of total HHs from IDP settlements and communities benefitting from the project- approx. 8 IDP settlements per location and 5 surrounding communities.

Implementing agencies

CARE(Lead agency), SCI, ACTED, IMPACT and SSWC

Sectors

Education, Health, WASH, Child Protection/GBV, women and youth empowerment and integration

Donor

European Union

Project duration

3 year (10th January 2017- 9th January 2020)

Available project documentation

Project proposal, M&E plan, logical framework, Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP), Baseline survey report, project interim reports.

The project results are as follows;

Result 1: Increased equitable access to quality basic services for IDPs and other vulnerable groups – including women and children and strengthened capacity of government and communities based on durable solutions and priorities set by the local administrations

Result 2: Increased self-sufficiency through sustainable and durable livelihood opportunities for youth and women.

Result 3: IDPs and other vulnerable groups are better protected, integrated and accepted through enhanced social dialogue, community participation and advocacy initiatives for inclusive policies and legal framework

Result 4 Evidence based replicable and scalable mechanisms established to advocate and inform policy and practice on migration, reintegration and durable solutions.

The project outputs are as follows;

1.1 Increased access and uptake of education, WASH, health, child protection and GBV services

1.2 Improved quality of education, WASH, health, child protection and GBV services provided in IDP settlements and at community level

1.3 Enhanced community and government capacity to manage, monitor and coordinate the provision of basic services.

2.1 Increased market-driven technical skills and capacities through relevant and quality TVET programs

2.2. Increased and sustainable employment opportunities for trained youth

2.3. Increased access to sustainable IGA opportunities for youth and VSLA members

3.1 Strengthened social dialogue and cohesion within and between communities

3.2 Enhanced civil engagement of young people and community dialogue on irregular migration and other harmful behaviors.

3.3 Improved capacity of IDPs and other vulnerable groups to advocate for their rights to land and access to protection services.

4.1 Support to urban planning in response to mixed migration and host community needs through generation of evidence to support area based responses

4.2 Improved understanding of root causes of needs and vulnerabilities, and drivers of mixed migration and displacement from and within Somalia.

2. Purpose and objective of the Endline Evaluation

The objective of the external evaluation is to assess the projects achievements, constraints and lessons learnt. In particular, the end-term evaluation intends to achieve the following objectives following the OECD criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability):

  1. To review the status of the performance and progress of the project in line with the expected objectives and results indicators set out in the project log frame;
  2. To draw lessons, best practices and gaps under each expected result.

2.1. Scope of Work

The end line evaluation will look in to the progresses, achievements, constraints and lessons of the project under all the expected results and cover project implementation from the start until the end of the project period. The consultant will be expected evaluate the work of all implementing partners and travel to all regions of program implementation (security permitting). However, this may be further dealt with during preparation of technical proposal on the basis of kind of activities accomplished/ sampled district. The consultancy will include desk review work, field data collection, data analysis and report writing and presentation of findings during a validation workshop to be organized with partners and the Donor.

2.2. Evaluation criteria used and key questions

The end line Evaluation shall follow the OECD/DAC Criteria, and evidence under each criterion supported by qualitative and quantitative data. The evaluation questions are not exhaustive and the consultant is free to propose additional questions including on cross cutting issues.

Table 1: OECD/DAC Criteria

S/n

OECD/DAC Criteria

Key questions

1

Relevance

· To what extent was the project design and intervention strategy relevant to the context and the needs of targeted groups in Galkacyo, Bossaso, Dhusamareb and Adado?

· To what extent were the services provided within the framework of the intervention able to address the real needs of the beneficiaries?

· To what extent was the programme able to adapt and provide appropriate response to changing local needs and the priorities of the target communities?

2

Effectiveness

· What progress have been achieved against expected results and outputs, and likelihood of achieving planned project’s overall objectives in time?

· How effective were the strategies, methodologies and activities used in the implementation of the project?

· What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives?

3

Efficiency

· Did the implementation of the intervention make effective use of time and resources (financial, human) to achieve results?

· What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the project implementation process?

· Was the project implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives?

· How was the project management, and monitoring, evaluation and reporting capacity of the project? How can it serve and respond to the differing requirement of donor and partners, and for internal use as well

4

Sustainability

· Is the project activities been delivered in a manner that will ensure continuation of benefits to the communities during and after development assistance is complete? Also provide analysis of the risks that are likely to affect the persistence of project outcomes in the short, medium and long term and the steps taken by the project to mitigate identified and potential risks.

· Is there an enabling environment that supports ongoing positive impacts?

· What are the contributing factors and constraints that require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of the project outcomes and the potential for replication of the approach?

5

Coordination

· Has coordination/planning been effective within and between consortia?

· Was the division of labour (sectoral, geographical) within the consortia appropriate/effective?

· How effective was the coordination with authorities through the Steering Committee? Did this improve the day to day implementation of the programme?

6

Impact

· Have any positive and negative effects (mid or long term) produced by services delivered, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended that have been observed or foreseen?

· In addition, have the interventions enhance resilience and strengthened the engagement and participation of beneficiaries? What real difference have the activities made to the beneficiaries?

3. Technical approach and methodology

The consultant shall use a mixed method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. Qualitative approach will adopt data collection methods such as in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and case studies, whereas quantitative approach will adopt use of household questionnaires to collect primary data and literature review for secondary data from project documents such as the proposal, Indicator performance tracking tool, log frame, evaluation framework and work plans. The sample size must be statistically representative of the population. The analysis will involve statistical and content analysis using appropriate packages as deemed fit by the consultant. The analysis among others should show trends and to the extent possible should disaggregate data by gender and location. Unless otherwise necessary, the consultant shall use the sampling techniques consistent with the baseline and midline for ease comparability of performance and targets.

The consultant will be responsible for defining and carrying out the evaluation tasks. This will include the design of the evaluation methodology (specification of the techniques for data collection and analysis), development of data collection tools, structured field visits and interactions with beneficiaries. The methodology and data collection tools will be reviewed and validated with the consortium partners, CARE Netherlands and approved by the European Union Representatives.

4. Deliverables

All deliverables shall be submitted to CARE and should be in English. Deliverables include:

· An inception report shall be submitted one week (not later than November 14, 2019) after the beginning of the evaluation, explaining the methodology, work programme and timetable for the evaluation. This should also include draft data collection tools, both qualitative and quantitative. Inception report will include the proposed evaluation approach, Key Evaluation Questions matrix, sampling approach, timeline and roles, responsibilities, anticipated outputs and associated levels of effort of each of the evaluation team members. The consultant will prepare evaluation framework containing key questions and methods to consider as part of the Inception Report. The evaluation framework should identify in detail, areas of focus for each question, aspects to consider within each focus area, and methods for investigation.

· ETE implementation plan – will include the final end line evaluation process with dates and milestones of key activities i.e. desk review and preparation of the inception report, development of data collection tools, training of the supervisor and enumerator, field data collection, data entry and analysis plan, reporting and validation of the findings.

· Digital transcripts of data collected during this evaluation through FGDs, KIIs and Household surveys

· A final report to be submitted at the end of the evaluation (not later than 30th October 2019) with a maximum extension of 30 pages excluding annexes. The final evaluation report will be structured as follows:

i. Table of contents

ii. Acknowledgements

iii. Affirmation

iv. Glossary/Acronyms and Abbreviations

v. Executive summary

· Overview of the project Evaluation objectives

· Methodology

· Limitations and delimitations

· Summary of most important findings and conclusions

· Main recommendations

1. Introduction

· Scope and purpose of the evaluation, intended users, team composition and structure of the report

· Evaluation questions and criteria

· Eventual changes to the initial request (objectives and questions)

2. Methodology

· Description of methods used and rationale

· Description of project ToC if any

· Limitations and constraints, potential bias and mitigations measures

· International standards used as reference for the evaluation

3. Context: Analysis of the context

  1. Core sections of the report by result area (indicators), evaluation criteria and questions. Presentation of the evidence gathered, triangulation and findings
  2. Conclusions: final appreciation (clear and defensible basis for value judgments. Provide insights pertinent to the intervention that has been evaluated and to the purpose of evaluation.
  3. Recommendations: clear, specific and relevant, implementable, linked with conclusions and reflect consultations with stakeholders, presented per priority level, with timeframe and suggestions of where responsibility for follow up should lie.
  4. Lessons Learned from the evaluation Process

Annexes

· Terms of Reference

· List of groups people interviewed (anonymized) and sites visited during the evaluation

· List of documents consulted and secondary data used (please provide the sources through web transfer or drop box)

· Data collection instruments (in English and Somali)

· Evaluation matrix

· Power point presentation of the main findings and recommendations

· Relevant maps and photographs of the study areas

· Raw data in an agreed format

5. Tasks of the consultants

The consultant will undertake the following specific tasks:

· Review existing project documentation and other secondary data relevant to the project’s interventions and project areas;

· Design a participatory methodology and develop both quantitative and qualitative tools for conducting the evaluation;

· Conduct field work in the project districts including interactions with project beneficiaries, implementing partners, other stakeholders and key informants and regular debriefing with the CARE team;

· Conduct the evaluation in line with these terms of reference and approved methodology as contained in the inception report;

· Present evaluation findings and draft evaluation report to the CARE team and other project stakeholders in a debrief session.

6. Guiding Principles and Values

The consultant shall adhere to the “Do No Harm” principle and any other humanitarian principles. The consultant will be required to follow CARE Somalia’s security advice. The consultant shall ensure at all times the confidentiality of data, respect the privacy of all individuals concerned and make all data collected available to CARE in a usable format.

7. Evaluation Schedule

The total number of days for implementation of this Endline Evaluation will be 30 days in a calendar month. The assignment shall start the latest on 8th November. 2019. A first meeting shall be held before the assignment starts in order to review the ToR and agree on tentative work plan.

TOR finalisation

15 September 2019

TOR advertisement – call for expression of interest

8th – 23rd October 2019

Analysis of applications and interviews

24th – 30th October 2019

Evaluation team announcement

31st – 6th November 2019

Issue of contract

7th November 2019

Desk review and inception report

8th – 14th November 2019

Field data collection

17th – 1st December 2019

Preliminary findings of the Endline Evaluation Report

15th December 2019

Submission of the draft report

20th December 2019

Validation workshop

10 January 2020

Submission of the final evaluation report

15 January 2020

8. Proposal contents:

Qualified individual consultants or consultancy firms interested in the assignment are expected to submit the following documentation;

· A technical proposal (max 5 page): interpreting the ToR and elaboration of the proposed methodology and design, including (1) draft work plan; (2) brief overview of the consultant/consultancy firm and the skills and relevant experiences (including CVs of all team members proposed for the assignment); (3) contact details of three referees from other organizations that have recently contract the consultant/consultancy firm to perform similar work in the last 1- 2 years

· A financial proposal: clarifying the following costs: (1) budget with professional fee per day, excluding logistical costs (vehicle hire, accommodation and living costs; stationeries, and supplies needed for data collection; and other costs related to field mobilization costs) as these will be provided by CARE Somalia.

9. Profile of the consultant

The evaluator should be an experienced and independent consultant with the following expertise:

· Proven experience in evaluating development programmes

· Experience with international (I)NGO’s

· Good writing and communicative skills

· Good command of English

· Experience in evaluating governance programme

· Experience in evaluating lobbying and advocacy programmes

· Work experience in conflict context; Somalia would be an added advantage.

10. Logistics

CARE will provide all the necessary logistical arrangements required for data collection in all the districts.

HOW TO APPLY:

Complete comprehensive technical and financial proposals should be sent to somconsultant@care.org latest by 25th October 2019 with marking in the Subject line “Technical and Financial Proposal for End line Evaluation- Durable solutions for returnees and IDPs in Somalia (DSIRS)”.

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