National Consultant to Conduct a Midterm Review for the “Women’s Economic Empowerment for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Egypt” Joint Programme – “RABEHA”

Contract

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Background

UN Women and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Egypt are implementing a five-year program (2019-2024) titled “Women Economic Empowerment for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Egypt” in partnership with the National Council for Women (NCW), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) with the generous funding of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The program aims at reaching 6,300 direct beneficiaries and 30,000 intermediaries. The Programme reflects an integrated approach combining both upstream interventions at the policy level and downstream measures directly working with women and businesses to realize each of the three outcomes:

Outcome 1100: Increased productivity and job opportunities generated by women entrepreneurs.

Outcome 1200: Increased employment of women by businesses.

Outcome 1300: Reduced gender-specific barriers to women’s entrepreneurship and to women entering and remaining in the work force.

The Programme interventions aim to achieve the following results:

• Increased number of new businesses established by women entrepreneurs in the sectors of focus specified in section two of this document.
• Enhanced capacity of women led businesses to grow, attract and retain workers.
• Strengthened performance of productive clusters to employ more women.
• Enhanced employability of women in growth-oriented sectors.
• Increased abilities of businesses to implement gender-sensitive corporate policies.
• Strengthened individual and collective agency of women in the sectors of focus.
• Enhanced capacity of Government to mainstream gender in public policies and programmes.
• Increased access of women entrepreneurs to tailored financial and non-financial services.

As of 30th December 2022, the JP has reached more than 3250 women entrepreneurs and job seekers out of the total of 6300 targeted women from the 7 targeted governorates: Cairo, Giza, Beheira, Alexandria, Fayoum, Beni Sueif, and Minya. During COVID-19, the JP had used a hybrid approach in the delivery of the capacity development services.[1] As per the Joint Programme’s commitments, a mid-term review (MTR) will be carried out in 2023 by a national consultant contracted by UN Women on behalf of the programme.

List of Programme stakeholders:

• The National Council for Women
• The Ministry of Trade and Industry
• The Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA)
• The Ministry of International Cooperation
• Governorate Officials
• The American University in Cairo (AUC)- GAPP and CEI Centers/ sub-partners
• Nahdet El Mahrousa
• Service Providers: Innovety, DCODE, Beni Sueif University
• Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatories/Private sector companies

Objective of the Assignment

Reporting to the UN Women Programme Specialist and under the overall supervision of the UN Women Deputy Country Representative, the consultant will conduct a midterm review of the UN Women – UNIDO Joint Programme “Women’s Economic Inclusion for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Egypt” – RABEHA to assess its results, identify learnings and provide recommendations for the upcoming implementation period.

The specific mid term review objectives include:

1. Assessing the relevance of the JP in terms of the level of response to the needs of beneficiaries and priorities of partner governmental organizations.
2. Assessing the efficiency of the JP in terms of the level of meeting its targets, results based planning and implementation of activities and interventions.
3. Analyzing the implementation strategies of the JP with regard to their effectiveness in generating the planned outcomes and outputs, including the unexpected results and factors which may influence the project implementation.
4. Identify the strengths and areas for improvement in the JP implementation strategies and activities offered to beneficiaries
5. Provide recommendations for the improvement of the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) if necessary.
6. Identify the success stories and lessons learned which may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the JP in the next phase.

This external review is taking place towards the mid-term during the Programme implementation cycle for the purposes of supporting accountability and learning. Review questions for this review may focus on the criteria of relevance (the extent to which the Programme outcomes, outputs, and design respond to beneficiaries’ needs and context), efficiency (the extent to which the Programme delivers, or is likely to deliver, results in an economic and timely way), and effectiveness (the extent to which the Programme achieved, or is expected to achieve, its objectives, and its results). The consultant is expected to follow the OECD criteria of relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability.

The unit of analysis is the JP in its entirety, i.e., outcomes, outputs, activities, and inputs that were detailed in the Programme document and any associated modifications that have taken place so far.

Given the above, the objectives of the consultancy are to:

1. Collect and present evidence to review the extent to which the JP achieved its overall objectives and outcomes.
2. Review and provide evidence as to how the JP’s activities have contributed to the desired outcomes.
3. Collect and present evidence to the extent to which the JP achieved its results as described in the JP document and result framework.
4. Review the extent to which the JP has planned the creation of sustainable partnerships and collaborations with local and/or international partners from public, private sectors and civil society towards the end of the Programme lifetime.
5. Review current M&E system (indicators, means of verification, reporting systems, etc.) in place and provide recommendations for further improvement.
6. Based on the above, present the key progress or achievements by outcome and outputs
7. Based on analysis, present lessons learned, best practices and areas for improvement to inform future interventions.

[1] Detailed programme brochure can be found here: https://egypt.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/EN%20-women%20empowerment%209-8-2022Web_0.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

The scope of the exercise covers the first half of Programme implementation, from the start date [1st July 2020] until [31st December 2022]. The report shall include the following:

• Contextual Analysis
  • Brief review of the scope and focus of the JP considering the development landscape, and the contextual changes happening in the country as well.
• Overview of Strategic Results
  • The consultant will conduct a detailed review and analysis of JP progress reports, results framework, workplan, communications materials, and any other relevant documents as made available by UN Women and UNIDO. The consultant will also conduct consultations/interviews with Programme stakeholders including government partners, private sector, and civil society. The consultant will also conduct interviews with Programme beneficiaries of the different components. The sample of beneficiaries to be selected should also take into consideration governorate representation.
  • Based on the analysis of data and review of documents, the consultant will provide an overview of the JP's contribution to strategic results.
• Results by Joint Programme Outcomes and Outputs
  • Based on the analysis of JP materials and consultations with stakeholders referenced above, the consultant will review and report on the JP’s progress toward its specific outcomes and outputs. The consultant should offer a draft outline of the final draft prior to commencing the report writing to ensure that it is in line with UN Women and UNIDO reporting requirements.
• Challenges and Changes
  • The consultant will provide a description of the challenges faced by the JP during implementation and explain the appropriateness of the JP’s responses.
• Local Ownership
  • The consultant will review the extent to which the Programme takes into consideration local ownership of its achievements, and the extent it involves various stakeholders in the implementation of its interventions.
• Monitoring and Evaluation System
  • The consultant will review the current M&E system of the JP and provide brief recommendations about mainstreaming best practices across the different UN Women and UNIDO components.
• Lessons learned and best practices.
  • Based on the review of materials and consultations with stakeholders, the consultant will identify lessons learned and best practices from the JP’s implementation, with the purpose of identifying recommendations for the successful implementation of the second phase of the JP.

The consultant will need to present evidence of development results or intermediate measures of tangible progress toward them. This assignment requires an advanced aptitude for analyzing complex information from different sources, identifying most essential insights, and articulating multi-faceted and cross-sectoral findings in a clear and concise manner. It will also require the ability to quickly acquire optimal understanding of a complicated country context and undertake high-quality research using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Deliverables Level of EffortInception Report including consultancy workplan

Initial review of documents and exchange with the programme stakeholders shall result in the outline of work plan to produce the final report. The inception report, to be shared in the first five days of the country, will include the methodology, list of interviewees, key documents that the consultant will review to conduct the MTR, other methods, sources, and procedures for data collection and a concrete workplan with time frame. The inception report frames a common agreement and understanding of what is to be produced by the consultant, UN Women and UNIDO, and relevant partners.

Deliverable: Inception report including consultancy workplan5 DaysKey informative interviews with stakeholders at the national and Governorate level;

Deliverable: interview reports 5 DaysFocus groups with beneficiaries in targeted governorates (Cairo, Giza, Beheira, Alexandria, Fayoum, Beni Sueif, Minya).

Deliverable: Focus group discussion reports 10 DaysDraft MTR Report

The draft final report will consolidate the overall progress, innovations, and lessons learned based on concrete evidence and cases. The Report will focus on reporting results and transformative changes (including tangible, evidenced intermediate outcomes toward them) rather than listing activities. The report should focus both on the JP’s progress against targets (what) as well as how the JP contributed to its desired objectives (how). The report should include detailed references and/or annexes to substantiate its findings.

Deliverable: Draft MTR Report 10 DaysFinal MTR Report

Based on the feedback collated by UN Women and the JP Steering Committee members, the consultant will finalize the MTR Report.

Deliverable: Final MTR Report5 Days

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to draft and communicate high quality clear and concise outputs.
• Familiarity with statistical analysis and indicators, especially gender-related statistics and indicators.
• Capacity to set priorities, self-organize research work and to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time.
• Knowledge and use of computer office tools (word, database, spreadsheets, etc.).
• Excellent research, drafting and reporting skills in both English and Arabic.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Advanced university degree (bachelor’s degree) in results-based management, economics, finance, business administration, international development, or another relevant field, is required.

Experience

• At least 10 years of relevant work experience including experience in international development, gender, poverty reduction, economic development, and/or private sector development, is required.
• Minimum of 5 (five) years of experience in results-based management, monitoring and evaluation in developmental contexts required.
• At least 5 (five) years of experience working with national institutions, multilateral organizations and/or international development organizations required.
• In-depth understanding of multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral project/programmes, is an asset.
• Experience of working with the UN development system will be an asset.
• Successful track-record on producing a minimum of 5 reports, reviews, assessments or evaluations of development programmes, funds, or complex projects overall, with a minimum of 2 conducted on joint programmes, is required.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

Evaluation Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Technical Weight Criteria: 70% (70 points)

• Criteria 1: Advanced university degree (bachelor’s degree) in results-based management, economics, finance, business administration, international development, or another relevant field. (20 points)
• Criteria 2: Minimum of 5 (five) years of experience in results-based management, monitoring and evaluation in developmental contexts. (20 points)
• Criteria 3: At least 5 (five) years of experience working with national institutions, multilateral organizations and/or international development organizations. (10 Points)
• Criteria 4: Experience of working with the UN development system/international development organizations. (10 points)
• Criteria 5: Successful track-record on producing a minimum of 5 reports, reviews, assessments or evaluations of development programmes, funds, or complex projects overall, with a minimum of 2 conducted on joint programmes. (10 points)

Financial Proposal

Financial Weight Criteria: 30% (30 points) – Lowest Financial Daily Rate Proposal

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
• 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

Application

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information in English to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Completed and Signed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment; make sure that you provide a valid email address for future communications, and
• Financial proposal must be submitted based on daily rate in EGP/ and estimated travel expenses for the field work outside of Cairo and Giza to (Beheira, Alexandria, Fayoum, Beni Sueif, Minya); and
• A technical proposal with a brief methodology section and an evaluation plan/matrix.

IMPORTANT: The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all of them, since the online application submission only permits one file upload per application. Incomplete submission can be grounds for disqualification.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)