International Consultant for Final Evaluation of the Livelihood Improvement in Tajik-Afghan Cross-border Areas II (LITACA II) project

Consultant

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

UNDP Global Mission Statement:

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with national counterparts on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.

UNDP Afghanistan Mission Statement:

UNDP supports stabilization, state-building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens. Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and subnational levels. UNDP has played a key role in the management of the Law and Order Trust Fund, which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the national police force and in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and reconstruction programmes have taken place nationwide. UNDP Programmes in Afghanistan have benefited from the very active support of donors. UNDP Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability and works in close coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.

UNDP Tajikistan Mission Statement:

The Country Program of UNDP office in Tajikistan for the period of 2016-2022 focuses on four priorities using an issues-based approach, with better targeting to reach the most vulnerable and excluded groups such as women in rural areas (including female-headed households), persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV and unemployed youth. Using its strong partnership with government institutions at all levels, United Nations organizations, development partners, private sector and civil society, UNDP advises on ‘big picture’ reforms and undertakes capacity-building and scaling-up actions to address programme priorities in a coherent, sustainable manner. UNDP promotes the advancement of gender equality and empowerment of women as agents of change and as leaders in the development processes that shape their lives. UNDP is committed to expanding the range and scope of South-South and triangular cooperation partnerships to foster development prospects, particularly in the areas of local governance, access to justice and social inclusion.

In line with the UNDP strategic plan, the Country Programme aims at transformational development results in the following priority areas: (a) improved governance, rule of law and access to justice; (b) sustainable and equitable economic growth; (c) social equity and protection of vulnerable groups from violence and discrimination; and (d) resilience and environmental sustainability.

Livelihood Improvement in Tajik-Afghan Cross-border Areas II (LITACA II) Project

Duration: Jan 2018 – June 2021

Budget: US$ 3,800,000,52 (TJK) and US$ 6,665,280 (AFG)

LITACA II is a 3-year initiative to improve living standards and promote stability and security in the bordering provinces of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. This will be achieved by reducing poverty, supporting economic development and cross-border collaboration among the communities along the Tajik-Afghan border. More than 130,072 (cumulative figure from both countries) people are targeted to directly benefit from LITACA project while the livelihoods of more than 1,823,828 (cumulative figure from both countries) people living in target bordering communities will be strengthened. The project offers capacity development opportunities for the local governments, civil society and private sector organizations to sustainably manage local socio-economic development. As well, the project offers investments for rehabilitating priority infrastructure initiatives and business development as a means of improving livelihoods of the target population, and thereby promoting stability and security in the region.

The project outputs include:

Output 1: Governance capacity, access to rural infrastructure and public services amongst targeted communities improved

Output 2: Employment opportunities for women and men in bordering provinces of Tajikistan and Afghanistan increased

Output 3: Access for cross-border trade, dialogue and partnerships amongst targeted communities, including vulnerable and marginalized rural women improved

Geographic Coverage: Takhar, Kunduz, Badakhshan and Balkh provinces of Afghanistan and 8 target districts of Khatlon region of Tajikistan (Shaartuz, Qubodiyon, Dusti, Jayhun, Panj, Hamadoni, Sh. Shohin and Farkhor).

The Final Evaluation (FE) is an important aspect in the project life cycle which will assess progress towards the achievement as specified in the LITACA II Project Document for results reporting and lessons learned. Against this background, UNDP is seeking an International Consultant to perform the tasks as described in the section of this ToR Scope of Work and Deliverables below.

Duties and Responsibilities

Evaluation Scope and Objectives

The Final Evaluation (FE) will assess progress towards the achievement of the project objectives and outcomes mentioned above and as specified in the LITACA II Project Document and project activities lead to the achievement of the planned results and the project objectives and TOC. The FE will also review the project’s approach and methodology, make recommendations for future similar interventions or scale up.

The objectives of the Final Evaluation (FE) are to:

1. Assist the recipient Government, beneficiaries, UNDP and, as appropriate, the concerned partners and stakeholders, to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, sustainability, and impact of the project and provide lessons or recommendations for potential scaling up the existing model of the project;
2. Provide feedback to all parties to improve the policy, planning, appraisal, implementation and monitoring for the upcoming phases of the project; and
3. Ensure accountability for results to the project’s financial backers, stakeholders and beneficiaries.

The questions regarding aspects of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project will cover the design, start-up, project management, and project implementation from 1st January 2018 to 30 June 2021.

FE Approach and methodology

The FE must analyze and provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful in the seven criteria of UNDP project evaluation framework. The consultant will review all relevant sources of information including documents (reference the 'Documents to be consulted' section below) and come up with a robust data collection plan should the available sources are not adequate to answer the evaluation questions as listed below including interviews with all relevant stakeholders and responsible parties contracted by the project. The consultant is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach ensuring close engagement of all stakeholders (See section below: ‘Evaluation Target Groups and sources of information’).

The consultant will produce an Evaluation Inception Report based on a review of all relevant documents and initial consultations and present it to the respective project and program teams and senior management of both Country Offices in UNDP Afghanistan and UNDP Tajikistan and other stakeholders to explain the objectives and methods adopted for the Final evaluation.

In addition to the Evaluation inception report, the consultant will produce:

1. an Initial findings presentation UNDP Afghanistan and Tajikistan office
2. a Draft evaluation report, and
3. a Final evaluation report based on below evaluation criteria and feedback received including all tools and questionnaires that were used.
4. Final presentation to the stakeholders

Evaluation Criteria and Key Evaluation Questions:

Relevance:

1. Is the project design appropriate to address the substantive problem that the project is intended to address? How useful are the project outputs to the needs of the target beneficiaries?
2. What is the value of intervention in relation to the national and international partners’ policies and priorities (including SDG, One- UN and UNDP Country Programme Document, Corporate Strategic Plan; Strategies Documents for both countries, etc.)?
3. Are the project objectives consistent with substantive needs, and realistic in consideration of technical capacity, resources and time available for a good model to be replicated and scale up?
4. How did the project remain agile to change in context, risks and assumptions to ensure that its strategy and theory of change remained relevant?

Efficiency:

1. To what extent were project start-up activities completed on schedule?
2. How well is the project managed, and how could it be managed better?
3. Is there an appropriate mechanism for monitoring the progress of the project? If yes, is there adequate usage of results/data for programming and decision making?
4. What is the project status with respect to target outputs in terms of quality and timeliness?
5. What is the potential that the project will successfully achieve the desired target and initiatives could be replicated?
6. What are the potential challenges/risks that may prevent the project from producing the intended results?
7. How well did the project manage and mitigate risks?

Effectiveness:

1. Are the project’s objectives and outcomes clearly articulated, feasible, realistic?
2. Are the underlying assumptions on which the project intervention has been based valid? Is there a clear and relevant Theory of Change?
3. If there were delays in project start-up, what were the causes of delay, and what was the effectiveness of corrective measures undertaken? Do start-up problems persist?
4. To what extent has the project implemented activities as envisaged? To what extent have those activities contributed to achieving the project objectives?
5. What factors have contributed to achieving/not achieving the intended results?
6. To what extent have the project implementation modalities been appropriate to achieve the overall objectives?
7. To what extent has the project managed to implement activities across the target project locations?
8. To what extent do external factors, such as logistical or security constraints, have impact on project implementation?
9. To what extent is the project logic, concept and approach appropriate and relevant to achieving the objectives?

Impact:

1. What is the wider perception of the project, its image, applicability and performance? Are project communications effective in positively promoting the project to a wider audience?
2. What are the results (or preliminary results) of the intervention in terms of changes in the lives of beneficiaries against set indicators?

Sustainability:

1. What are the Implementing Partner’s resources, motivation and ability to continue project activities in the future?
2. Is there adequate all-party commitment to the project objectives and chosen approach?
3. To what extent is there constructive cooperation among the project partners? What are the levels of satisfaction of government counterparts, donors and beneficiaries?
4. What has been the quality of execution of the implementing partner, and if applicable where are there specific areas for improvement?
5. What is the likelihood that the project results will be sustainable in terms of systems, institutions, financing and anticipated impact?
6. What is needed for the project intervention to be adapted/replicated further?

Conclusions and Recommendations:

1. The FE will include a section of the report setting out the FE’s evidence-based conclusions, in light of the findings.
2. What corrective actions are recommended for the design, start-up phase, managerial arrangements and project implementation, including sustainability, of the project? An actionable recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary.
3. What actions are recommended to follow up or reinforce initial benefits from the project?
4. What are the main lessons that can be drawn from the project experience that may have generic application?

Evaluation Target Groups and sources of information:

The consultant should strive to reach as many people as possible, ensuring diversity of various stakeholder groups, as well as to review existing reports and data for an enriched evaluation.

A provisional list of stakeholder groups that should be consulted during the evaluation is given below and will be updated once the consultant is on board:

1. Government of Afghanistan: MRRD, and its various departments including relevant Directorates, DRRD.
2. Government of Tajikistan: MEDT, Administration of Khatlon region and 8 target districts.
3. State Beneficiaries: MRRD and its various departments including relevant Directorates, DRRD, MEDT, local administration of 8 target districts and target jamoats of Khatlon region.
4. Targeted beneficiary rural communities/CDCs, OVOP Association members, farmers associations, civil society organizations, community groups representing vulnerable women, young people, people with disabilities, returned migrants and other vulnerable groups in Tajikistan.
5. Private sector representatives and business consulting organizations involved in project activities.
6. International Organizations: JICA in Tajikistan and Afghanistan
7. Donor: JICA
8. UNDP Country Office in Afghanistan and Tajikistan
9. LITACA II Project Staff in Afghanistan and Tajikistan

Expected Outputs, Deliverables and Timelines:

The following key deliverables are expected from this assignment:

1. Evaluation inception report—An inception report should be prepared by the evaluators before going into the fully-fledged data collection exercise. It should detail the evaluators’ understanding of what is being evaluated and why, showing how each evaluation question will be answered by way of: proposed methods, proposed sources of data and data collection procedures. The inception report should include a proposed schedule of tasks, activities and deliverables for each task or product. The inception report provides UNDP and the consultant evaluator with an opportunity to verify that they share the same understanding about the evaluation and clarify any misunderstanding at the outset. The Evaluation inception report should outline a clear overview of the Final review approach, including:

   1. The purpose, objective, and scope of the review
   2. The approach should include a summary of the data collection method, and the criteria on which the methodologies were adopted
   3. A proposed work plan including a schedule of tasks, activities, and deliverables
   4. A Final review matrix, specifying the main review criteria and the indicators or benchmarks against which the criteria will be assessed
   5. Any limitations for the Final review

2. Initial findings presentation — An initial findings presentation and report, presented on the last day of the FE mission.

3. Draft evaluation report—Full draft report and annexes should be submitted, UNDP and key stakeholders in the evaluation will review the draft evaluation report to ensure that the evaluation meets the required quality criteria. See section below ‘Suggested Template for the Final Evaluation Report’.

4. Final evaluation report - Revised report with audit trail detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final FE report.

Deliverables/Outputs

Inputs

Payments

Deliverable 1: Submission and Acceptance of FE Inception Report: FE team clarifies objectives and methods of Final Review;

Deliverable 2: Submission and Acceptance of Initial Findings Presentation and report: Initial Findings presented;

Inception Report due 1 week after signature of contract

Initial Findings Presentation and report to be presented by end of May 2021

40%

Deliverable 3: Submission and Acceptance of Draft Final Report: Full report with annexes;

Due 1 week (5 days home based) after submission of initial findings presentation and report

30%

Deliverable 4: Submission and Acceptance of Final Report: Revised report with audit trail detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final FE report; Expected to be completed within 1 week of receiving UNDP comments on draft.

Due 3 weeks (15 days home based) after the submission of the Draft Final Report.

30%

Total

100%

Working Arrangements:

The Consultant will work under the overall substantive guidance of the Head of the Prosperity pillar, with the PSRU Unit, Afghanistan and UNDP Tajikistan Sustainable Economic Development Cluster (for evaluation process and methodology) and overall logistical coordination with LITACA II Project Managers and or designated Programme Officer in both countries.

Duration of the Work

The whole assignment is foreseen for a period of two months with maximum of 30 working days. The tentative assignment for both tasks is as follows:

INDICATIVE TIMEFRAME

ACTIVITY

4 working days after signing the Contract

• Document review and preparing FE Inception Report within 4 days of start of assignment
• Telephone and Zoom interviews with key project stakeholders, Project Manager, and UNDP Country Office

6 working days (Afghanistan)

6 working days (Tajikistan)

• Virtual mission to Afghanistan to conduct data collection, meetings and interviews with Project stakeholders including governmental and project personnel and UNDP Country Office.
• Virtual mission to Tajikistan to conduct data collection, meetings and interviews with Project stakeholders including governmental and project personnel and UNDP Country Office.
• Initial findings report and presentation to be presented to stakeholders on final day of mission.

4 working days

• Analyze the data and submit Draft FE Report to UNDP Afghanistan Livelihoods and Resilience Unit, UNDP Tajikistan office and Project Managers

5 working days

• Detailed comments to the draft FE report sent to the consultant by UNDP focal point.
• Conference Call on the Draft FE with the consultant and UNDP

5 working days

• Incorporate audit trail from feedback on Draft Report
• Finalization of Final FE report following all revised comments

Evaluation Team

The evaluation team will comprise of Lead evaluation expert (international), a development consultant who was at no point directly associated with the design and implementation of any of the activities associated with the outcome. The evaluation expert should have knowledge and experience in poverty reduction and economic development, governance and public administration, local and sustainable development, gender and human rights. Two additional independent national consultants to be hired in each country with the same skills/experience to support the mission of the international expert. The international evaluation expert will have the responsibility for the overall co-ordination of the evaluation activity and for ensuring final coherence of the report, both in terms of content and presentation.

Duty Station and Implementation Arrangements:

Work from home, online communication with respective project and program team and close coordination with national consultants in Afghanistan and Tajikistan

Evaluation Competencies and Ethics:

The Evaluation will follow UNDP and UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) guidelines on the ethical participation of beneficiaries and children. In addition, all participants in the study will be fully informed about the nature and purpose of the evaluation and their requested involvement. Only participants who have given their written or verbal consent (documented) will be included in the evaluation. Specific mechanisms for feeding back results of the evaluation to stakeholders will be included in the elaborated methodology. All the documents, including data collection, entry and analysis tools, and all the data developed or collected for this consultancy are the intellectual property of UNDP-Afghanistan/Tajikistan and project IP, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) and METD Tajikistan. The Evaluation team members may not publish or disseminate the Evaluation Report, data collection tools, collected data or any other documents produced from this consultancy without the express permission of and acknowledgement of UNDP and MRRD.

Documents to be consulted:

LITACA II Project Document including annexes and Annual Workplans and project budget revisions, project reports including Annual Project Reports (APR), Semi-annual Project Report, ad-hoc project activity progress reports, report or other documents produced by Implementing Partner, Meeting minutes including: Project Board and Technical working group meeting minutes, Terms Of Reference, including for the Technical Working Group, procurement for Job Creation, communication pieces and human interest stories, TORs for project personnel including UNDP staff and NTA modality, correspondence with the donor, any other materials that the consultant considers useful for this evidence-based review.

Sample Evaluation Matrix:

The evaluation matrix is a tool that the consultant evaluator will create as a map and reference in planning and conducting an evaluation. It also serves as a useful tool for summarizing and visually presenting the evaluation design and methodology for discussions with stakeholders. This will complement the Project’s M&E plan for each indicator. A sample Evaluation Matrix is provided below:

Relevant

evaluation

criteria

Key

Questions

Specific

Sub-

Questions

Data

Sources

Data collection

Methods/Tools

Indicators/

Success

Standard

Methods

for Data

Analysis

Management of the Evaluation:

The consultant is responsible for ensuring that the evaluation methodology is fully operationalized, and that evaluation work is conducted according to the highest professional standards.

Suggested Template for the Final Evaluation Report:

1. Executive summary

   • Should include Recommendation Summary Table

2. Purpose of the evaluation

• Restate the purpose of the UNDP Final project evaluation
• How this evaluation fits into project cycle and project planning/review activities

1. Evaluation methodology

• Methods used
• Workplan

1. Background

• Country context (policy, institutional environment with relevance to LITACA II) project intervention)
• Project rationale
• Project status (implementation, financial)

1. Evaluation:

Evaluation Questions should be answered under the headings as outlined in the TOR

• Relevance
• Efficiency
• Effectiveness
• Impact
• Sustainability
• Any other pertinent issues that need addressing or which may or should influence future project direction and UNDP engagement in the country.

Conclusions and Recommendations:

• The FE will include a section of the report setting out the FE’s conclusions, in light of the analysis of the evidence base and subsequent findings.
• What corrective actions are recommended for the design, start-up phase, managerial arrangements and project implementation, including sustainability, of the project? A recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary.
• What actions are recommended to follow up or reinforce initial benefits from the project?
• What are the main lessons that can be drawn from the project experience that may have generic application?

1. Annexes

To include, at minimum:

• Evaluation Follow-up Matrix (sample template provided)
• TOR
• List of people interviewed/focus group discussions, etc
• Other data collection or assessments conducted
• Tools/questionnaires used
• References

Competencies

Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Maturity combined with tact and diplomacy;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Special skills requirements

• Shows ability to communicate and to exercise advocacy skills in front of a diverse set of audience
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a multi-cultural and multiethnic environment;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Ability to work independently with strong sense of initiative, discipline and self-motivation.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in political science, sociology, international development, livelihoods, international economics, public administration, social science, evaluation, or other closely related field from an accredited university.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of working experience in evaluation and social research, with at least 5 years working experience with developing countries and a demonstrated understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by post conflict countries;
• Proven experience in evaluating livelihoods support projects/programmes of UN or development agencies (preferably UNDP).
• Strong analytical and research skills with sufficient understanding of quantitative/qualitative methods and data analysis;
• Familiarity with UNEG evaluation norms, guidelines and processes required.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines
• Excellent written and spoken English and presentational capacities
• Experience in evaluating rural development projects is an advantage.
• Experience working in Afghanistan and Tajikistan is an advantage.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is a requirement

Proposal Evaluation Method and Criteria:

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight 70%;

Financial Criteria weight 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria (70 points)

Technical Proposal (30 marks)

• Technical Approach & Methodology (20 marks) – Explain the understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, methodology for carrying out the activities and obtaining the expected output, and the degree of detail of such output. The Applicant should also explain the methodologies proposed to adopt and highlight the compatibility of those methodologies with the proposed approach.

• Work Plan (10 marks) – The Applicant should propose the main activities of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the Client), and delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan.

  Qualification and Experience (40 marks) [evaluation of CV]:

• General Qualification (15 marks);
• Experience relevant to the assignment (25 marks);

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Duly accomplished confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

Technical Proposal:

• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
• A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above.

Apply now

Added 3 years ago - Updated 3 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org