EPRM Evaluation Consultant

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IRC - The International Rescue Committee

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Job Description

Organizational and program background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their future. The IRC Yemen began its programs in October 2012 and currently operates in the South and North of the country through direct programming and local partnerships.

The country program operates in Aden, Abyan, Lahj, Al Dhale’e and Shabwa, Hodeidah, and Sana'a governorates and continues to assist the affected population to achieve the following Outcomes:

• People meet their basic needs and protect livelihoods during emergencies

• School aged children have improved literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills

• Adolescents and adults are physically and mentally healthy

• Children are well nourished and protected from all forms of undernutrition

• Women and girls use timely and effective Reproductive Health (RH) services

• Women and girls are protected from and treated for the consequences of gender-based violence

• People are safe in their communities and receive support when they experience harm

The IRC is implementing a 33-month ECHO project which includes its Emergency Preparedness and Response Mechanism (EPRM). The mechanism’s objective is to strengthen preparedness and emergency responses delivered in a flexible and timely manner that addresses the needs of affected populations.

The IRC has established a network of pre-positioned partners to ensure enhanced, effective, timely, and more wide-reaching emergency response for conflict-affected populations. IRC currently has eight pre-positioned partners (six NNGOs, two INGOs), however, IRC also directly implements when appropriate. EPRM focuses on locations under the Government of Yemen (GoY) control, with 19 responses activated in Abyan, Aden, Hodeidah, Marib and Taiz Governorates to date. Responses, which are a maximum duration of three months, include health, nutrition, WASH, and food security support to the affected population, primarily in response to conflict (displacement) and flooding emergencies. Responses can be activated for any man-made, natural, or chronic emergency which meets one of IRC’s emergency triggers which ensures resources are not used for gaps in the ongoing humanitarian response but are used for new acute emergencies. By the end of the project, EPRM plans to reach 188,860 individuals with emergency life-saving assistance.

Rationale and Purpose

The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the mechanisms’ preparedness efforts, response deliverables and achievements realized and take stock of the positive and negative changes brought about as a result of the response mechanism. The evaluation's information and recommendations will inform the IRC and ECHO of the existing gaps and possible better project design and implementation. As such, the Consultant is expected to provide information about success factors and recommendations for improvement areas.

Objectives of the Evaluation

Specifically, the evaluation should be able:

• To assess the effectiveness of the response modalities used under EPRM (direct versus indirect implementation).

• To assess the Value for Money of the EPRM approach.

• To identify lessons learned and good practices and provide recommendations.

Evaluation Criteria and Questions

The evaluation should explore the effectiveness (including short-term) and efficiency of the EPRM approach in Yemen. The following questions, among others, should be addressed under each criterion:

Relevance

• To what extent was the response mechanism aligned with the immediate needs and priorities of the target clients?

• Is the EPRM relevant to the context and needs in Yemen?

• Were the response and implementation justified and in what ways?

Effectiveness

• What program outcomes have been achieved as detailed in the program proposal?

• To what extent were the expected outputs of the program achieved?

• What program design, implementation, and monitoring elements can be added or amended to improve the effectiveness of the EPRM approach?

• What were the major internal and external factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the intended results.?

• Has working in partnership increased the effectiveness and quality of the response mechanism? Why or why not?

• Has the project been effective in building partner capacity? If so, how has partner capacity been built? If not, why not and how can this be improved?

Efficiency

• Did the program demonstrate a good Value for Money (VfM) approach?

• To what extent has the program exploited synergies among key humanitarian stakeholders and their respective competencies?

• How efficient were the management structures and the implementation modalities in terms of timeliness of delivery and cost-effectiveness of the interventions, including implementing through Partners?

• Have the preparedness measures (prepositioning partners, prepositioning supplies, early warning indicators) been useful in improving the efficiency and timeliness of EPRM responses?

• What are the barriers to the timely and quality implementation of the program? How can those barriers be addressed?

Scope of consultancy

This is a process evaluation that will be conducted periodically within one year where the Consultant is expected to be in Yemen at most four times for ten (10) days per visit for data collection. The Consultant (s) will design an appropriate evaluation methodology based on their understanding of the expectations of the terms of reference. The Consultant should propose and adopt a mixed-methods approach. Data sources should be both primary and secondary in nature – example include but are not limited to desk reviews, key informant interviews, surveys, etc.. The Consultant is expected to propose his/her methods for the evaluation that should include but not limited to:

• Drafting data collection tools

• Developing the data collection methodology, including sampling

• Developing the quantitative and qualitative data analysis plan

• Submit short reports on key findings on a quarterly basis.

• Conducting a learning/validation meeting with IRC staff and Partners.

• Presenting evaluation findings to IRC staff

• Production of the evaluation report

2. All data collected must be disaggregated according to the ECHO requirements that include but are not limited to sex, age, disability, and location. The Consultant should submit a detailed action plan that includes data collection instruments, clear roles and responsibilities, timeframe, data analysis process, and report writing.

Intended Users

The intended users for the evaluation will be:

• All interested parties in IRC including the Senior Management, Program departments, MEAL Department, Partnerships Department and Grants Management

• Partners interested in learning about partnerships with ECHO and IRC

• Representatives of ECHO as the donor that has funded the project.

Reporting Arrangements

The Consultant will report to the MEAL Coordinator in close collaboration with the Emergency Coordinator, and the Evaluations and Learning Manager.

Duration of assignment

The consultancy should not last more than 50 working days, excluding weekends (5 days for inception report and data collection tools, field visit for data collection for at most four times for 10 days per visit) The final schedule will be discussed and agreed on during the inception meeting.

DELIVERABLES

1. The Consultant will produce and submit an inception report detailing the evaluation design and methodology, tools, and instruments to be used in this evaluation within five days of signing the contract/agreement. The inception report will be submitted to IRC for review and presented virtually for feedback. The report should also include the finalized activity plan and a structural outline of the final evaluation report and should be shared and approved by IRC before the data collection commences. The Inception report should also contain:

- A detailed methodology for the evaluation implementation. - A detailed schedule for the program review. - The indicators that fall within the scope of the program review. - Draft data collection tools (qualitative and quantitative). - A work plan that sets out the preparatory activities, specific deliverables, and timeline related to the program review and budget for the evaluation.

2. At the end of the evaluation, the Consultant will produce and submit a draft evaluation report for review and virtually present it to IRC for comments and validation. A PowerPoint presentation outlining the evaluation process, key findings, lessons learned, and key recommendations should be prepared. The outline for this delivery could be as agreed in the inception report and should meet the evaluation objectives as indicated in this TOR.

3. The Consultant will develop a final report, incorporating feedback from IRC. The Consultant is accountable for maintaining the requirements for the content, format, and length of the final report, overall quality, and agreed timelines. The final report should incorporate all comments from IRC.

Qualifications

Evaluation Roles and Responsibilities

IRC will:

• Be responsible for travel and permit applications for the Consultant.

• Provide logistical and accommodation support to the Consultant while in Yemen.

• Provide ongoing security advice and support when traveling to the field.

• Facilitate engagement with the IRC staff and other key stakeholders.

• Provide all necessary project documents and contacts of relevant stakeholders.

• Review the Consultant's proposal, tools, and evaluation report.

The Consultant will:

• Be responsible for all aspects of the entire evaluation process, including evaluation preparation, data collection, analysis, and report writing

• Be responsible for paying any tax or other fees related to this assignment.

• Be responsible for their working tools such as computer and data analysis software.

• Ensure the highest research ethical standards and transparency are upheld during the evaluation.

• Ensure that the time scheduled is adhered to.

• Ensure that the consultancy fee covers ALL the consultancy-related costs, including internet costs, communication, etc.

• Abide by IRC Yemen working days, i.e., Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, and ensure all communication is done during those weekdays.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Please note that this consultancy is open to individual(s) consultants and companies or other evaluation firms. The requirements include:

• A qualification in Monitoring and Evaluation, Research, Statistics, or any other related field is required. A qualification in Social Sciences or other related field is also strongly required.

• Experience in designing, planning, and conducting Process/Impact Evaluations/ Real-Time-Evaluations using experimental or quasi-experimental design approaches.

• Significant experience in carrying out evaluations in Yemen or similar contexts. Experience in conducting evaluations in an emergency setup is an added advantage.

• Excellent skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.

• Excellent skills in data analysis software such as SPSS or STATA (for quantitative data analysis) and ATLAS.ti, NVivo for qualitative data analysis.

• Experience in using mobile data collection systems such as Kobo Collect or CommCare.

• Excellent organizing, facilitating, presentation, and communication skills, including good report writing in English.

• Ability to communicate in English required, including advanced English writing abilities.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested applicants who meet the required profile are invited to submit an application in English. The application package should include:

• Cover letter outlining relevant experience and skills against qualifications listed.

• Brief Technical Proposal detailing the methodology for the evaluation and a work plan.

• CVs of proposed Consultant and a company profile in case of a consultancy firm. Note: Key personnel whose CVs are submitted in the proposal will undertake the assignment and work directly with IRC. Any attempt to replace or substitute consultancy personnel will be treated as a breach of the agreement.

• Provide a sample report(s) of similar work conducted previously – the client's name may be redacted. IRC will only use the sample reports to identify a consultant for this assignment.

• Financial proposal showing the Budget that includes all expected expenses and total evaluation cost.

Applications that fail to include one or more of these elements will not be considered.

EVALUATION AND AWARD OF CONSULTANCY

IRC will evaluate the proposals and award the assignment based on technical and financial soundness and feasibility. IRC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal received without giving reasons and is not bound to accept the lowest, the highest, or any bidder.

The payment rate and schedule will be determined between IRC and the selected consultant based on the financial proposal.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 11 months ago - Source: rescue.org