End of Program Evaluation for the OFDA Funded Humanitarian Response Tender, Central African Republic - 35913077

Procurement Summary

Country : Central African Republic

Summary : End of Program Evaluation for the OFDA Funded Humanitarian Response

Deadline : 10 Sep 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 35913077

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : Other Funding Agencies

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : CONCERN WORLDWIDE
Central African Republic Email : matthew.duffy@concern.net and Pauline.carron@concern.net
Central African Republic
Email :matthew.duffy@concern.net and Pauline.carron@concern.net

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Central African Republic: End of Program Evaluation for the OFDA Funded Humanitarian Response for Newly Conflict-Affected IDPs from Basse-Kotto Arriving in Eastern Kouango.

1. BACKGROUND

Dubbed a forgotten conflict by some, the Central African Republic (CAR) faced critical challenges in 2018. The 2018 Human Development Index (HDI) ranked CAR 188th out of 189 countries[1] and, as of February 2019, conflict had resulted in 655, 956 internally displaced persons (IDPs)[2]. Hotspots around the country often suspend and limit humanitarian access during intense periods of fighting. These areas, particularly in Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto and Mbomou, prompt massive movements and displacements. Ouaka, the prefecture bordering both Basse-Kotto and Haute-Kotto, is host the greatest number of IDPs in CAR. While intermittent fighting remains in Ouaka, the conflict and instability in the sub-prefecture of Kouango largely subsided in 2017, which fighting in the sub-prefectures surrounding Kouango (particularly Grimari and Zangba sub-prefectures).

Concern Worldwide (Concern) has been working in CAR since 2014, delivering multi-sectoral programming to address issues surrounding food security, nutrition, livelihoods as well as sanitation and hygiene. Currently, Concern has field bases running both emergency and development programmes in the prefectures of Ombella M’poko, Lobaye and Ouaka as well as a coordination office established in Bangui.

Concern established a base in Kouango sub-prefecture in July 2015. Over the last years in the prefecture, Concern has engaged in programming to improve food security and livelihoods by providing access to seeds and tools, as well as through support to fishing communities in riverine sections of the territory. In addition, Concern has run a well-established Cash-for-Work program in the prefecture, providing income to beneficiary households while improving market and humanitarian access. From 2017-2019, Concern launched projects with OFDA (focusing on food security and economic recovery with returnees and IDPs), Irish Aid (focusing on access to water and sanitation and food diversity in stabilising areas with returnees), and the Common Humanitarian Fund (focusing on access to clean water).

2. THE PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Concern has been implementing emergency interventions supported by OFDA in the sectors of Agriculture and Food Security, Shelter and Settlements and Economic Recovery and Market Systems under an 12 month program (September 1, 2018 - August 31, 2019). The overall objective of the programme is to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to people affected by the ongoing crisis in Central African Republic. Working in the Ouaka prefecture, in the sub-prefecture of Kouango, this initiative targeted 21, 000 beneficiaries, including 11, 200 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

The program has one objective per sector as presented below:

Sector: Shelter and Settlements

Objective: To improve the living situation for IDPs in target villages by providing unrestricted cash transfers intended to buy essential shelter NFIs. (Modality change approved from cash to kit in Feb 2019)

Target: 11, 200

Sector: Economic Recovery and Market Systems

Objective: To increase livelihoods through temporary employment that also improves access to target zones and markets.

Target: 3, 890

Sector: Agriculture and Food Security

Objective: To contribute to the improved food security of host-communities by replacing seeds for crops lost during IDP migrations.

Target: 9, 800

*The Annex 1 includes all indicators per sector and areas of intervention

3. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION

The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct end of program evaluation for the USAID/OFDA 12-month program using the DAC/OECD[3] criteria of humanitarian/development evaluation, i.e. Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, and Sustainability; as well as an evaluation of the program in terms of the logical framework indicators and logic model.

The focus of the evaluation will be on emergency interventions implemented by Concern in the areas of intervention funded by OFDA.

Principle objective:

The overall objective of the end of program evaluation is to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the program and present a report with lessons learnt, conclusions and recommendations.

Specific objectives:**

The specific objectives of the program include:

· Assess the extent to which the results of the program were achieved and identify the contributing factors affecting achievement or non-achievement of the intended results.

· Establish the Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact and Sustainability and Impact of the program.

· To assess how Concern responded and adapted interventions to the changing humanitarian context and provide recommendations on how to improve its approach in future.

· Assess the extent to which Concern adhered to humanitarian accountability during implementation of the program.

· To provide actionable, context appropriate and innovative recommendations for improvement of the next phase of program design and implementation.

4. SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation will be conducted within all the geographical and time constraints of implementation; and will target program beneficiaries, staff and others involved in the program, both at cluster and contextual levels. The evaluator will be expected to travel to the program areas. The focus of the evaluation will be on emergency interventions implemented by Concern in the areas of interventions with USAID/OFDA funding. A detailed end of program evaluation report with sector-and area-wide analysis will be presented.

Key Tasks of the Evaluation:

For the objectives of the consultancy to be achieved, as a minimum, the following key tasks are to be performed by the consultant:

· Undertake desk review of the relevant program documents including the Program Proposal, Project detailed Implementation Plans, Project Reports, Concern strategy documents and any other relevant documents and should take into consideration USAID/OFDA evaluation guidelines and standards.

· Develop an inception report detailing the process and methodologies to be employed to achieve the objective of this consultancy as stated above. It should include the detailed data collection and sampling design, analysis and output framework and timetable. Present to Concern for review and further inputs before proceeding with the development of data collection instruments.

· Design, develop, critique (with Concern team) and refine data collection tools including translation to the local languages, where appropriate.

· Prepare training materials in consultation with Concern CAR team, and conduct the survey training covering all details in the survey tool. The survey training shall be attended by supervisors and data collectors.

· Conduct a comprehensive field based program evaluation [using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods] as a means of providing insights on support received to date from Concern and collect data, based on the criteria and objectives of the evaluation.

· Carry out data analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data, and write up the final assessment report. The format of the report shall take the form shared under the deliverables.

· Present the draft report to Concern team for review before producing a second draft.

· Submit a final end of program evaluation report to Concern as stated in these Terms of Reference.

5. OUTPUTS

a) Inception Report – The inception report will be a scoping exercise for the evaluation and will include the proposed methodologies, data collection and reporting plans with draft data collection tools such as interview guides, the allocation of roles and responsibilities within the team, a timeframe with firm dates for deliverables. These tools will be reviewed by Programme Directors, Programme Quality team, and Programme Managers to ensure that they adequately capture all the necessary data related criteria and program indicator list in the proposal before adoption and commencement of fieldwork.

b) Debriefings/Feedback to Area Coordinators at field levels – The consultant will report his/her preliminary findings to the Concern’s Area Coordinators, and program teams before leaving the field. The consultant will report his/her preliminary findings and recommendations to SMT before leaving the country.

c) Draft Report – A draft report, identifying key findings, conclusions, recommendations and lessons for the current and future operation, and take in consideration the outputs of the debriefing session. This will be reviewed by Concern for initial feedback.

d) Final Evaluation Report – A final report containing the main findings, with clear data/graphs. Attention should be paid on providing clear, feasible and context-specific recommendations considering funding patterns and context constraint both internal and external to Concern. The executive summary should be maximum two pages, the main body should include 1) Introduction and background 2) Findings under the headings of Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, Sustainability, enabling and disenabling factors, lessons learnt, conclusions and recommendation and annexes. The report should not exceed 25 pages. All OFDA-funded evaluations must the meet requirements, including what must be included in the report, as described in ADS 201mah: https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/201mah.pdf.

e) The final report should be presented in three copies of signed hard copies, and soft copy in both pdf and MS Word.

f) Presentation of findings: Prepare a presentation of the Final Evaluation Report, covering its key components to Concern.

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The evaluation will be based on the DAC/OECD[4] criteria of evaluation in humanitarian context, i.e. Appropriateness, Connectedness, Coverage, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Impact; as well as responding to the program log frame indicators, as contained in the program proposal. The evaluation should answer the following questions under each criteria:

· Relevance:

§ Was the chosen program integration approach the best way to meet the health and nutrition needs focusing on affected populations and intended beneficiaries?

§ Were protection issues considered in the design and implementation?

§ To what extent was the design and implementation of the program gender-sensitive i.e. considered gender equality and women empowerment issues?

§ To what extent was the program design and delivery overall in line with humanitarian principles?

§ To what extent were contextual factors (political stability/instability, population movements etc.) considered in the design and delivery of the program?

· Effectiveness

§ To what extent have the objectives been achieved or not? What are key parameters/determining factors that have influenced the achievement of the objectives?

§ To what extent did the integrated approach improve access to the health and nutrition status among the target communities?

§ Did the interventions reach the target population? Were the supplies and services delivered at the right time according to the main target group?

§ Has the program contributed to strengthening the core potentials of the target groups with regard to new risks?

§ What lesson have been learnt to be taken into account in future interventions?

· Efficiency

§ Was the program cost-efficient?

§ Was the program implemented in a timely way?

§ Was the program implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives?

§ Did the targeting of the program mean that resources were allocated efficiently?

· Impact

§ What were the effects of the program on recipients’ lives?

§ Did a specific part of the program achieve greater impact than another?

§ Were there unintended (positive or negative) effects for recipients and non-recipients of assistance?

§ What were the gender-specific impacts? Did the program influence the gender context?

§ What were the impacts of the program on institutions?

· Sustainability

§ What are the contributions of the program to long-term intended results?

§ To what extent were local capacities developed or strengthened through the humanitarian interventions?

§ Does a sensible exit strategy exist including schedule and guidelines for the transfer of responsibility and activities to development organisations and/or government departments?

7. METHODOLOGY

The process will need to adopt a methodology that combines both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The evaluator in liaison with the Concern team will identify and adopt an appropriate methodology for data collection. The adopted evaluation methodology can include:

a) Documents Review

b) Cross-sectional survey design/household interviews with beneficiaries

c) Key Informant Interviews (KII)

d) Field Observations

e) Focus group discussions (FGD)

f) Meetings

8. LINES OF COMMUNICATION

The evaluator will report to the Country Director, Concern Worldwide CAR. For day-to-day operations, the consultant will report to the Area Coordinator. Concern staff in the evaluation areas will provide necessary support to the evaluator, as needed. For any technical questions on the methodology and tools, the County Director may link the evaluators to Concern’s technical advisors at head office level.

9. WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

· The evaluator must sign and adhere to Concern’s Code of Conduct and Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4) during the assignment.

· The evaluator must adhere to Concern’s procedures, notably on security and transport.

· Concern will provide transport to facilitate the work activities.

· The evaluator should have their own laptop to complete the work activities.

10. TIMEFRAME

Planning phase (2 days), training and pretesting of questionnaire (3 days), data collection (15 days), data analysis and final report writing (3 days), presentation of finding (1 day). Total 23 days.

11. ESSENTIAL AND DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

Academic qualifications: Master’s Degree in Humanitarian Action option along with relevant technical knowledge in, monitoring and evaluation, survey methodologies, research methods etc.

Necessary experience:

Extensive experience (4 – 7 years) in designing and implementing emergency programmes, evaluations, assessments or baseline surveys including qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Other necessary/desirable skills/qualifications:
Experience in working in fragile environments (conflict-affected, food insecure, displacement)
Documented experience in designing and implementation of mid-term or end of program evaluations including selecting appropriate methodology including sampling
Proven skills in data collection and analysis including secondary data
Ability to identify impact of selected project implementation strategies, budget management, human resources skills and management what other alternatives would have been and how project implementation issues were handled and the effect of all of these on results achieved
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Willingness to travel and work in tough, fragile field environments
Documented supervisory, coordination and organization skills
Fluency in French and English
Data collection and analysis using participatory methodologies. The consultant(s) will work with program team to develop the different evaluation tools to the expected standards.
Preparation of a variety of data collection tools including HH questionnaires, FGSs and KIIs.
Providing technical oversight and monitoring of the survey and ensuring timely completion and compliance with international evaluation standards.
[1]UNDP; Human Development Index 2018; http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CAF

[2] UNHCR; http://data2.unhcr.org/fr/situations/car, accessed April 23, 2018

[3] Development Assistance Committee/Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

[4] Development Assistance Committee/ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Annex 1:

SECTOR TABLE:

Sector Name: Shelter and Settlements

Objective: To improve the living situation for IDPs in target village by providing unrestricted cash transfers intended to buy essential shelter NFIs.

Dollar Amount Requested: $ 596, 095

Number of People Targeted: 11, 200 direct beneficiaries (1, 600 households)

Number of IDPs Targeted: 11, 200 direct beneficiaries (1, 600 households)

Geographic Area(s): Cochio-Toulou commune, Kouango sub-prefecture, Ouaku prefecture

Keyword(s): Cash

Sub-sector: S&S Non-food Items

OFDA Indicator: Percentage of identified beneficiary households NFI needs supported through use of cash/vouchers

OFDA Indicator: Number and percentage of households receiving NFIs

OFDA Indicator: Number and percentage of people reporting satisfaction with the quality of the NFIs they received

OFDA Indicator (Cash Keyword): Total amount of cash transferred to beneficiaries.

Sector Name: Economic Recovery and Market Systems

Objective: To increase livelihoods through temporary employment that also improves access to target zones and markets.

Dollar Amount Requested: $ 769, 317

Number of People Targeted: 3, 890 Workers

Number of IDPs Targeted: 2, 000 Workers

Geographic Area(s): Cochio-Toulou commune, Kouango sub-prefecture, Ouaku prefecture

Keyword(s): Cash for Work; Livelihoods

Sub-sector: Temporary Employment

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Number of people participating in CFW activities

OFDA Indicator (Cash for Work Keyword): Total USD amount of cash transferred to beneficiaries as CFW payments.

Custom Indicator: Improved market access for the beneficiary community

Sector Name: Agriculture and Food Security**

Objective: To contribute to improved food security of host-communities by replacing seeds for crops lost during IDP migrations.

Dollar Amount Requested: $ 536, 588

Number of People Targeted: 9, 800 individuals (1, 400 Host Community Households)

Number of IDPs Targeted: 0 (Though IDPs will benefit from improved community level food security and conflict-risk reduction through crop replacement)

Geographic Area(s): Cochio-Toulou commune, Kouango sub-prefecture, Ouaku prefecture

Keyword(s): Livelihoods; Vouchers

Sub-sector: Improving Agricultural Production/Food Security

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Number of months of household food self-sufficiency as a result of improved agricultural production programming

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Number of people directly benefiting from improving agricultural production and/or food security activities

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Number of hectares under improved agricultural methods

OFDA Indicator (Vouchers Keyword): Total USD value of vouchers redeemed by beneficiaries

Sub-sector: Pests and Pesticides

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Number of people trained in appropriate crop protection practices

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Estimated number and percentage of hectares protected against diseases or pest attacks

OFDA Mandatory Indicator: Number and percentage of people practicing appropriate crop protection procedures

How to apply:
12. EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST AND ENQUIRIES

Please submit an Expression of Interest by 10th September 2019 to matthew.duffy@concern.net and Pauline.carron@concern.net outlining exact availability in line with the approximate timeline. The expression of interest should contain: (a) a technical offer and (b) a financial offer, comprising:

A. Technical offer:

· Up to date CV of the consultant(s) explaining how the consultant(s) meets the skills and experience required.

· Technical proposition detailing proposed methodology and resources needed (max 3 pages).

· At least one example report from similar work which demonstrates evidence of the skills and experience required.

B. Financial offer:

· A list of all expenses expected to be incurred by the consultant including a daily rate.

· Costs of transport in-country and accommodation will be covered directly by Concern and should not be included.

Documents

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