Convergence Programme Evaluation (Consultancy), Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (9 Months)

Consultant Programme & Policy Monitoring & Evaluation

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, An advocate

With over 850 indigenous languages and one of the most ethnically diverse populations, widespread poverty, and gender inequality make it hard for many children to realize their rights. In Papua New Guinea, UNICEF’s works effectively both ‘upstream’ (with governments) and ‘downstream’ (at the grassroots level) to carry out its mission through a programme of cooperation jointly developed with the government guides our work in the country.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Assignment:

This evaluation will provide evidence with respect to the results of this program on all five (5) converging sectors of UNICEF’s work (i) Health and Nutrition, (ii) Education, (iii) WASH, (iv) Social Policy, and (v) Child Protection, with a view to future convergence program design and replication. Rigorous evidence is required to inform any redesign and replication of a convergence program within the new Country Program of Cooperation. This evaluation will not only provide this evidence but also demonstrate whether, and to what extent, UNICEF’s Convergence Program has had an effect on the lives of children in the program areas.

The primary users of the evaluation are UNICEF PNG. Secondary users are UNICEF convergence program’s main donors and partners such as the Government of PNG and other UNICEF Country Offices and Regional Office.

The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the Convergence Programme during the period 2021-2024 addressed disadvantages in the early years so that infants and young children got the best start in life and adolescent girls, boys and those of other gender identities are protected and empowered to reach their full potential.

Objectives:

The main objectives of the evaluation are:

1. To assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and sustainability of the Convergence Program from its inception to the present, with particular focus on equity, gender equality and disability inclusion, convergence of programme components and achieving results, as well as UNICEF's strategic positioning in relation to its child rights mandate.
2. To identify and document key lessons learned, good practices and innovations in implementing the Convergence Program that can inform and support advocacy efforts for replication.
3. To provide a set of forward-looking and actionable recommendations to strengthen programmatic strategies in the design and replication of convergence program, taking into consideration national development priorities and plans and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the country.

Scope of Work:

By applying the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and sustainability as well as equity, gender equality and disability inclusive considerations, the evaluation will capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNICEF contributions in achieving development results for children at the district level in Nawaeb and Bogia. The evaluation will cover the program duration beginning in 2021 until the time of evaluation data collection. Thematically, while the unit of analysis will be the convergence program as a whole, each of the five sectors of UNICEF’s programme targeted - (i) Health & Nutrition, (ii) Education, (ii) WASH, (iv) Social Policy, and (v) Child Protection – will be assessed on how equity, gender equality and disability inclusion have been approached. Impact of the convergence programming approach, broader than what is captured in under the effectiveness criterion is not within the scope of the evaluation.

This evaluation will be guided by key evaluation criteria and aims to answer the following evaluation questions:

Relevance:

1. To what extent has a convergence approach to programming become accepted / favored by the program’s beneficiaries and stakeholders?

2. How do stakeholders consider convergence programming compared to traditional sectoral program delivery modes?

Effectiveness:

3. To what extent has the Convergence Program achieved its outcomes, or is likely to achieve them, including any differential results across gender, disability, income level, etc.? What results have been achieved through convergence, and what are the other major factors influencing the achievement (or not) of program outcomes?

4. How were the sector implementation strategies and/or policies, sectoral programs, planning documents, and activities effective in contributing to the overall outcome of the Convergence strategy?

5. To what extent was the program Direct Cash Transfer to districts and engagement with district authorities effective in achieving program outcomes?

Efficiency:

6. To what extent did the monitoring and reporting systems provide credible data/evidence on the program’s performance and results?

7. Were resources (funds, human resources, time, expertise etc.) secured, allocated and utilized efficiently and strategically to track and achieve results, including equity and gender-related objectives?

8. To what extent has the program structure, and the office structure supported the management/coordination of the convergence program? Were the chosen strategies and approaches the most cost effective and efficient? Were there alternatives to the convergence programming approach that would have worked better and what are those?

Coherence:

9. How well did the Convergence Program and convergence approach support the synchronization of resources and efficiency within the UNICEF PNG Country Office?

Sustainability:

10. To what extent are the net benefits of the Convergence Program sustainable at the district level? To what extent have the program strategies adopted by UNICEF contributed to or were designed in a way that they will contribute to sustainability of results, especially equity, gender and disability inclusive-related results?

11. To what extent have the convergence program strategies, plans, and tools, particularly those with an equity, gender and disability focus, been institutionalized in systems, policies, mechanisms and strategies among government, NGO/civil society, and other partners and stakeholders? Will the strategies/plans/tools be more widely replicated or adapted?

To answer these overarching questions, the evaluator will be expected to develop sub questions as part of the evaluation matrix to further focus the evaluation, not expand the scope, during the inception phase.

Approach & Methodology:

Based on the objectives of the evaluation, this section indicates a possible approach, design, methods, and processes for the evaluation. Methodological rigor will be given significant consideration in the assessment of proposals. Hence applicants are invited to interrogate the approach and methodology outlined in the ToR and improve on it or propose an approach they deem more appropriate. In their proposals, applicants should clearly refer to triangulation, sampling plans, ethical considerations and methodological limitations and mitigation measures.

The evaluation methodology will adhere to the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards. The detailed evaluation design will be developed by the external evaluators or evaluation consultancy firm to be contracted to conduct the evaluation during the inception phase, in close consultation with the UNICEF Evaluation Specialist managing the evaluation and key evaluation stakeholders. The design should specify how data collection and analysis methods integrate gender considerations throughout the evaluation process, including to the extent possible, inclusion of girls and boys, women and men, children with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities as well as a range of Convergence Program stakeholders. It will also be important for bidders to identify appropriate ways to engage community members in the evaluation, particularly children, adolescents and their caretakers, to ensure their voices are included.

stakeholders are incorporated in the evaluation will be part of the inception phase. A Theory of Change (ToC) approach (including reconstructing a theory of change for the Convergence Program) will be used in consultation with the stakeholders, as appropriate, to better understand how and under what conditions UNICEF's interventions under the Convergence Program are expected to lead to long-term program impact. Discussions of the ToC will focus on mapping the assumptions behind the program's desired changes and the causal linkages between the interventions and the intended Convergence Program outcomes and impact. As part of this analysis, the implementation of the Convergence Program over the program period will also be examined, covering UNICEF's capacity to adapt to the changing context in the focus districts and responsiveness to changing needs and priorities will also be looked at. Where possible and appropriate, the evaluation should seek to obtain evidence as to what may or may not have occurred in the absence of UNICEF's program.

The evaluation should use methodological triangulation that involves multiple data sources, methods, and quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches. Importantly, a baseline survey is available and an endline survey of the convergence programme is planned to precede the evaluation. These data sources should inform the evaluation questions, and the evaluator is expected to provide technical advisory support to the design of the endline survey to ensure it will be useful and relevant to the evaluation and to maximize efficiencies in data collection. The evaluation questions must be used to develop the approach and methodology, which will in turn determine the data collection strategies, instruments, sampling strategy, and the analysis plan.

It is expected that the Convergence Program evaluation apply a strong equity, gender and disability inclusive focus by: i) including equity and gender in evaluation criteria and evaluation questions; ii) making evaluation methodology and data collection and analysis methods equity and gender-responsive; and iii) reflecting equity and gender analysis in evaluation findings, conclusions and concrete recommendations and action points that can be addressed in the redesign or replication of the Convergence Program.

Ethics, Norms and Standards:

The evaluation needs to adhere to UNICEF Evaluation Policy; to UNICEF procedure for ethical standards in research, evaluation, data collection and analysis; to UNEG Ethical Guidelines; to UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation; to UNICEF Evaluation Report Standards; and to the Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS) quality standards. The evaluation has to consider UNEG Guidance on integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation and UN-SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicators. The final evaluation report should be compliant with UNICEF-Adapted UNEG Evaluation Reports standards and UNICEF’s Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS) review criteria and prepared according to the UNICEF Style Guide, UNICEF Publication Toolkit and UNICEF Brand Toolkit. Overall quality ratings and evaluation reports are then available on the UNICEF evaluation website.

The evaluation approach, data collection and analysis methods must be human rights based, including child rights based and gender sensitive, and wherever possible evaluation data to be disaggregated by gender, age, socio-economic status, and disability. UNICEF recognizes the critical importance of children’s voice in evidence generation and has specific policies to ensure child safeguarding, PSEAH, and ethical evidence generation involving children. The evaluators are expected to familiarize themselves with the procedures and guidelines and ensure the evaluation, data collection and analysis are in line.

The evaluator will be expected to apply for and obtain ethical clearance. The evaluator will need to outline any ethical considerations in their proposal and inception report. It is crucial that the evaluation embraces the views of all key stakeholders, including a fair representation of girls and boys, especially the most marginalized and disadvantaged. Children’s safety and wellbeing should always be paramount, hence the inclusion of children and adolescents in the evaluation should be in compliance with the Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) Principles, and the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis. The evaluator, including enumerators, must read and sign the UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation pledge and the UNEG Code of Conduct in Evaluation. All members of the Reference Group and the evaluator should also complete the ‘Evaluation Fundamentals: UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Online Course’ on Agora.

Supervision:

The Evaluation Manager will be the UNICEF Multi-Country Evaluation Specialist in close coordination with the UNICEF PNGCO-Convergence Programme Officer and UNICEF EAP Regional Office (EAPRO) Evaluation Advisor, under the overall guidance and responsibility of the UNICEF PNG Representative.

The evaluation manager will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight and management of the evaluation ensuring the quality and independence of the Evaluation and its alignment with UNEG Norms and Standards and Ethical Guidelines.

An evaluation reference group (ERG) will be created to provide guidance/technical inputs to the evaluation and quality assure all evaluation deliverables (from a technical point of view) which includes the inception report, draft report, and final report. The reference group will include District Government representatives (where possible), representatives of UNICEF Australia and UNICEF Aotearoa NZ, UNICEF PNG Chiefs of Education, Child Protection, WASH, Health & Nutrition, UNICEF Pacific and PNG Multi-Country Evaluation Specialist, the UNICEF EAPRO Evaluation Adviser, with UNICEF PNG Planning & Monitoring Officer as the secretariat.

The evaluation will be conducted by an external evaluator to be recruited by UNICEF PNG. The evaluator will be expected to engage local and qualified evaluators within Papua New Guinea to support contextualization, sense making and evaluation capacity building.

Payment

A % of contract value shall be paid upon the successful execution of each completed deliverable. Payment documentation will include a certified invoice and an evaluation and completion report. Payment terms 30 days net upon receipt of invoice and respective supporting document.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

It is envisioned that the Convergence Program Evaluation can be completed by one experienced individual paired with a mid-level local evaluator.

The consultant shall minimally meet the following requirements:

• Advanced university degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to evaluation (social policy, economics, demography, anthropology, public health).
• Minimum of ten years of experience in conducting similar or related strategic programme evaluations or evaluative reviews, including proven track record of evaluation or evaluative review of similar large multisectoral and multi-stakeholder country programs supported by UN or UNICEF.
• An excellent understanding of evaluation principles and methodologies, including experience in applied qualitative and quantitative research and analytical techniques, tool development and adaptation with translation and experience in costing, an awareness of human rights (incl. child rights), gender equality and equity in evaluation and UNEG norms and standards.
• Knowledge of program theories and strategies employed in each of the convergence program outcome sectors.
• A work record in East Asia and the Pacific.
• Excellent command of English, with a proven ability to prepare high-quality reports.
• Demonstration of capacity to carry out the evaluation and complete deliverables.
• The evaluator must submit samples (at least two) of evaluation work they have conducted.

Significant advantages

• Previous work experience in Papua New Guinea.
• Record of top ranked evaluation reports by GEROS.

In the review of the proposals, while adequate consideration will be given to the technical methodology, significant weighting will be given to the quality, experience (CV’s and written samples of previous evaluations).

The individual consultants are expected to provide their own space and equipment to carry out the work.

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. Back-office support assisting the team with logistics and administrative matters is also expected.

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For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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Added 2 hours ago - Updated 2 hours ago - Source: unicef.org