Consultancy Terms of Reference (TOR) for Final Evaluation survey of the EC-IcSP funded Support to Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability of the Drought Affected Population in Ethiopia Project
Program Ref: IcSP 2015/42 (BL 19 02 01)
1. Introduction
The “Support to Early Recovery and Socio-Economic Stability of the Drought Affected Population in Ethiopia” project addresses the objectives of the European Union with an aim to help stabilize severely drought affected communities in Ethiopia in response to the El Niño caused severe drought. This project is being implemented in eighteen “hotspot 1 Woredas” as identified by the government of Ethiopia found in Tigray, Oromiya and Amhara regions for eighteen months beginning from January 15, 2016. The project is implemented by CARE, Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA), Relief Society of Tigray (REST) and Save the Children (SCI). The project has targeted a total of 1,005,940 individuals (201,118 Households) consisting of small holder farmers and agro-pastoral communities.
2. Project Objectives and expected results
Overall objectives
To foster social and economic stability of communities in the drought affected areas.
Specific Objectives of the project:
1. Resilience of poor smallholder farmers enhanced through increased agricultural production and income.
2. Drought affected communities have reduced their vulnerability to external shocks while having increased their productive and income generating capacity.
3. Local government and community/traditional institutions capacity reinforced; service delivery improved, and conditions for sustainable peace and development promoted in the target operational areas improved
4. Social norms and values are contributing positively to women’s food security at community and household level.
Expected Results of the project are:
1: Enhanced access to agricultural inputs and services, and increased productive capacity and production income by target poor smallholder farmers.
2: Reduced vulnerability of the target drought affected households/communities to external shocks through increased productive and income generating capacity.
3: Improved local capacity and service delivery, and conditions for sustainable peace and development in the target operational areas.
4: Enhanced food security for women at household and community level through increased knowledge, understanding and contribution to changes in social norms.
3. Project intervention areas
The project has been implemented in the following eighteen woredas in three regions across five zones.
· Tigray Region (East Tigray zone): Atsbi Wenberta, Ganta Afeshum, Gulo Mekada and
Hawzen woredas (implemented by local partner REST)
· Oromia Region: East Hararghe Zone: Fadis, Kurfa Chale, Meta, and Deder woredas
West Hararghe Zone: Boke, Chiro, Doba and Odabultuma/Kuni Woredas (Both
Hararge zones implemented by CARE)
· Amhara Region: Wag Himra zone: Sekota and Ziquala woredas (Implemented by SCI)
North Wollo zone: Meket and Bugna Woredas ((Implemented by local partner ORDA)
Wag Himra zone: Dahina and Gazgible Woredas (Implemented by local partner ORDA)
4. Purpose of the consultancy: Final Evaluation Survey
The overall objective of this assignment is to carry out final evaluation survey for the IcSP EU recovery project in the implementation woredas. The survey shall generate evidence for the indicators of the project in the logical framework. It is also to identify key lessons and to propose practical recommendations for future similar actions.
The final evaluation will be conducted to:
· Review the relevance of the project and its approaches/strategies in the context of the need of the communities in the intervention areas;
· Verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the results achieved and trace the changes observed in the lives of the target beneficiaries;
· Generate quantitative data for project overall objective, specific objectives and expected results based on the project indicators which will be comparable with baseline results;
· Critically examine the validity of the assumptions on which the project’s likely impact was based;
· Analyse sustainability of the project initiatives from the point of view of local stakeholders including target beneficiaries participation, institutional arrangements, compatibility of project objectives and target community’s need;
· Assess level of the intended synergies/integration/complementarities as well as the coordination of the project interventions with other on-going similar food security initiatives implemented in the respective project intervention weredas by both the government and other actors;
· Draw lessons and provide recommendations having strategic significance for improvement in future similar actions.
The final evaluation survey will require conducting both qualitative and quantitative survey embedding pre-codified answers to accelerate collection. The survey will be conducted by the consultant in collaboration with project staff from all consortium members. The main responsibilities of the project staffs will be appointing the sampled beneficiaries at the specified date and time. The evaluation survey will focus on sampled households from the target kebeles and documentations in implementing organizations. The consultant might follow the following processes:
· Document Review: The selected consultant will first be responsible for preparing an outline of basic data elements needed prior to fieldwork by reviewing the existing project documents (narrative, log frame, etc.), survey and midterm review reports and proposing sample size and key procedures of the survey.
· Development of appropriate tools: the consultant will submit detailed methodology for the survey with tools for data collection. The methodology should include focus groups discussions, key informant interviews to generate information, cross check results and validate the assumptions of the project. The consultant will also look into some secondary information and basic documentations in consortium members to get enough evidence and meet the evaluation objectives. After the development of the tools, it will be shared and commented by consortium members and feedbacks will be incorporated accordingly.
· Sampling techniques: the consultant should include the sampling technique and make sure that representative samples from intervention areas are selected.
· Staff, government and community participation: the survey methodology should be designed in such a way that it will involve project staff, relevant stakeholders and community members.
· The overall survey process should clearly show in the inception report submitted by the consultant. The survey will be commenced after the consortium members agreed on the survey process. The inception report will be critically reviewed and commented after submission by the consultant.
5. Time Frame
The survey has to be completed within 60 calendar days starting the day of beginning the assignment. The applicants for this consultancy service are responsible to come up with detailed inception report not to exceed 10 pages including work plan within 5 days after signing of the agreement.
6. Activities for the Final Evaluation
The following is an indicative list of activities to be performed during period of the conduct of the final evaluation survey but not limited to:
· Orientation and discussions with CARE and consortium staff
· Desk review of relevant project documents
· Preparation of a draft evaluation survey study design, methodology for qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis as well as a work plan, and presentation of same to the employer
· Testing of the survey tool before commencing the survey and made corrections accordingly
· Training of enumerators taking into account CARE standards and project’s results chain
· Conduct the actual survey generate results which includes administering the survey questionnaire, facilitation of FGDs and in-depth interviews with relevant project stakeholders and key informants (CARE, consortium staff, government partners, private sector, etc.) and review of documentations at consortium members
· Submission of draft result summary table and evaluation report for comments by consortium members
· Submitting of second draft report incorporating feedbacks
· Presentation of the results to CARE and other consortium members, and selected stakeholders in a workshop to collect feedback
· Incorporating feedback from consultation and finalization of study report
7. Expected outputs
The final evaluation will generate project results with reference to the indicators in the project log-frame. The consultant should deliver the following assignments as a result of the consultancy.
· Inception report, including proposals of design of the final evaluation survey including data collection tools and outline of the final report
· Draft result table generated for indicators and narrative report for comments by CARE and other consortium members
· Second draft evaluation report incorporating comments
· Final evaluation result validation workshop: half day workshop is required to be facilitated to share project findings to consortium members
· Final version final evaluation report incorporating feedbacks from CARE and consortium members. The report should be concise with maximum of 30 pages. The report shall encompass executive summary, main findings, conclusion and recommendations. Relevant documents such as data collection tools, references, raw dataset, etc. have to be annexed and delivered both in soft and hard copy during submission.
8. Proposal for the Consultancy
The consultant must submit both technical and detailed financial proposals separately sealed to CARE Ethiopia in ten calendar days from the date the announcement.
9. Competency and expertise required
The consultant/consulting firm should have a multidisciplinary team with appropriate socioeconomic, food security, statistical and survey expertise. Have excellent analytical and report writing skills. The consultant/consulting firm should have knowledge of or experience of livelihood programs, food security, and emergency recovery programs, financial services provision systems, gender and market value chain analysis. The Consultant needs to have good facilitation skills, and experience in conducting similar surveys. Have at least 5 years continuous professional experience in the design, monitoring, evaluation and review of activities related to Food Security, EW/DRR and gender. The curriculum vitae of the team members has to be annexed and submitted along with the technical proposal.
The selected consulting firm shall hire and train its own enumerators. The involvement of staff from CARE and other consortium members shall involve in design review, facilitation during actual survey and reviewing evaluation findings. The consultant will have overall responsibility for ensuring all parts of the TOR are addressed satisfactorily.
10. Reporting Responsibility
· Ultimate reporting will be to EU Recovery Program Coordinator for CARE Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, who will oversee quality and other technical issues connected with this consultancy. The Program Coordinator may delegate the overseeing work as may be appropriate to other colleagues within the project.
· The consultant will work closely with IcSP Project Managers and other project staff in the field.
11 Application requirements
· Max 5 pages proposal with proposed set of tools and methodologies for the present initiatives
· Budget and work plan within the proposed timeframe (60 calendar days)
· CVs of each team member and at least two references
· One example of previous similar evaluation (preferable)
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