Consultant Monitoring & Evaluation Programme & Policy

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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,

1 Introduction

As per UNICEF's Evaluation Policy 2018, every UNICEF Country Programme must be evaluated at least once every two-country programme cycles. Such Country Programme Evaluations (CPEs) are conducted by the Evaluation Section of the respective UNICEF Regional Office.

CPEs intend to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNICEF's contributions to development results at the country level and the effectiveness of UNICEF's strategy in facilitating and leveraging national efforts for achieving development results. Their purpose is to:

• Identify best practices, results and key lessons from the ongoing Country Programme to inform the development of the next UNICEF Country Programme Document (CPD)
• Strengthen accountability of UNICEF to national and international stakeholders
• Strengthen accountability of UNICEF to the Executive Board

The CPE will be managed by the Evaluation Section of UNICEF's East and Southern Africa Regional Office, under the overall oversight of the ESARO Regional Director, and in close collaboration with the UNICEF Lesotho Country Office (LCO), Government of Lesotho and development partners. Quality assurance will be provided by UNICEF's Evaluation Office, which reports directly to UNICEF's Executive Director, and is functionally independent within the Organization. The CPE will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of UNICEF's 2018 Evaluation Policy and the norms and standards of the United Nations Development Group (UNEG).

The terms of reference (attached) outline a brief description of the Country Programme; the evaluation's scope, objectives and key questions; evaluation methodology; stakeholder involvement; roles and responsibilities; evaluation process; deliverables; and evaluators' qualifications. Full TOR Lesotho TOR CPE Lesotho Final 1.docx

2 Evaluation Objectives

The overall objectives of the CPE are:

• To assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and sustainability of the Lesotho Country Programme from its inception to the present, with particular focus on equity, gender equality, convergence of programme components and achieving results at scale, as well as UNICEF's strategic positioning in relation to its child rights mandate.
• To identify and document key lessons learned, good practices and innovations in implementing the current (2019-2023) Country Programme that can inform and support advocacy efforts for scale-up and replication.
• To provide a set of forward-looking and actionable recommendations to strengthen programmatic strategies in the design of the next Lesotho Country Programme, taking into consideration national development priorities and plans and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the country.

3 Scope of the Evaluation

The proposed CPE will cover the Lesotho Country Programme (LCP) from 2019–2023, capturing and demonstrating evaluative evidence of the effectiveness of UNICEF in both leveraging of national efforts and the organisation's direct contributions in achieving development results for children at the country level. It is anticipated to begin in January 2021 with the inception phase and take 60 days over a span of five months to complete. As a country-level evaluation of UNICEF, the CPE will focus on the formal UNICEF CPD approved by the Executive Board but also consider any changes/revisions from the initial CPD during the period under review. Subject to specific areas of focus identified below, the scope of the CPE includes the entirety of UNICEF's engagement in the country, and therefore covers interventions funded by all sources. The CPE will also cover any humanitarian or emergency response supported by UNICEF Lesotho during the period under evaluation.

The CPE should have a particular focus on UNICEF's positioning within the development community and national partners in relation to its child rights mandate. The CPE will also examine the following areas of concern:

• Equity;
• Gender Equality;
• Convergence of programme components.

While the unit of analysis will be the LCP as a whole, each of the components making up UNICEF's programme will be assessed with a focus on how equity, gender and programme convergence have been approached. The CPE will also have a strong focus on gender as a cross-cutting theme across evaluation criteria and evaluation questions. It will also specifically examine the coherence of the LCP with the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and the Gender Action Plans (GAP) (2014 – 2017 and 2018 – 2021).

The LCP is entering year 4 of a 5-year cycle. It is not expected that programmatic results will manifest sufficiently to draw conclusions about the impact of the present LCP. The CPE aims to foster learning of what has worked, what has not and why, in the current LCP with a view to designing the next LCP.

4 Specific Tasks, Deliverables and Timeline

The CPE is anticipated to begin in January 2021 with the inception phase and take 60 days over a span of five months to complete.

Timeline

Activity

Deliverable

Other elements to be aware of or link to

5 days

Preparatory phase

• Secondary data collection and desk review
• Preliminary stakeholder analysis
• Preparation for the inception phase

1. Plan for inception phase

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

Evaluation Reference Group is formed.

UNICEF and other stakeholders are informed to secure cooperation for the effort.

Documentation and data are assembled by UNICEF for use by the evaluator.

10 days

Inception phase

• May include a inception mission to Maseru, Lesotho
• (Re)Construction of Theory of Change
• Preparation of draft inception report (see Annex 2 for the indicative table of contents) and data collection tools
• Engagement with stakeholders on inception report
• Ethical approval process
• Finalization of inception report

2. Draft inception report

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

3. Presentation of the draft inception report and instruments – in person or via video link – to the Evaluation Reference Group;

4. Final inception report (plus completed audit trail addressing all comments)

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

25 days

Data collection phase

• Preparation for data collection, including piloting of instruments
• Mission in Lesotho to collect data and meet with stakeholders
• Preparation of interview reports
• Population of evaluation matrix
• Preparation and delivery of Country Mission Debrief

5. Country Mission Debrief with key LCO staff at the end of the in-country mission

20 days

Drafting, validation and completion phase

• Data analysis and drafting
• Preparation of a PowerPoint presentation on emerging findings, conclusions and recommendations
• Engagement with stakeholders on draft report
• Finalization of report and summary PowerPoint presentation

6. Presentation of Preliminary Findings – in person or via video link – on emerging findings, conclusions and recommendations, with key evaluation stakeholders, including the Evaluation Reference Group.

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

7. A complete first draft evaluation report

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

8. Presentation of the findings, conclusions and recommendations at the LCO Strategic Moment of Reflection;

9. A final evaluation report (plus completed audit trail addressing all comments). The final report should be illustrated with data and infographics. Detailed recommendations on each theme should be presented in a separate concluding chapter. Equity and gender should also be included as cross-cutting themes throughout the findings.

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

10. Final PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the evaluation findings.

Recipients: members of the evaluation reference group

11. Other agreed dissemination products including: evaluation brief, two or three thematic evaluation briefs, evaluation poster etc. are completed.

Presentations of key findings and recommendations need to be ready for the UNICEF Lesotho Strategic Moment of Reflection (preparation of the next CP) and other identified events in Q2 of 2022.

The report structure, format and quality should adhere to the UNICEF Evaluation Report standards and the GEROS Quality Assessment System.

Dissemination and use strategy commences as deliverables are received.

60 days

TOTAL

5 Expected Background and Experience of the Evaluator

It is envisioned that the CPE can be completed by one experienced individual. However, if the consultant proposes a team, the number of team members shall be determined by the consultant, as seen most suitable for the successful completion of the assignment, and the level of involvement of each team member must be specified in the proposal. However, UNICEF will not be involved in the contractual and financial agreement between the team leader and team members.

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 programmes supported by UN or UNICEF.
• Demonstrated expertise in evaluating institutional support systems including operations and the human resource function.
• Knowledge of programming theories and strategies employed in each of the programme outcome components.
• A work record in an Middle Income Country in Africa.
• Excellent command of English, with a proven ability to prepare high-quality reports.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
• Demonstration of capacity to carry out the CPE and complete deliverables.
• The evaluator must submit samples (at least two) of similar work they have conducted.

Significant advantages

• Proven ability to develop attractive evidence products that present complex information via Infographics and other communication means.
• Knowledge of the social, economic, and political context of Lesotho.
• Record of top ranked evaluation reports by GEROS.

6 Administrative issues

This consultancy will be carried in 60 working days. The individual consultant is expected to provide their own space and equipment to carry out the work.

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary

The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.

Apply now

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