Consultancy for Mid Term Evaluation for Projects in Uganda, Somalia, Mali & Central Africa Republic

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and provides assistance within the shelter, education, LFS, ICLA, and WASH sectors. We work in crises across 34 countries.

NRC is looking for eligible and registered consultants /consultancy firms to bid for the Mid Term Evaluation Consultancy for German Federal Foreign Office Project in Somalia, Uganda, Mali and Central Africa Republic countries.

Methodology

The evaluation will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and the consultant, taking into account the suggestions from the External Evaluation Steering Committee(EESC),will determine the final methodology. The consultant will elaborate the detailed methodology based on the Terms of Reference (ToR) and detail the proposed approach in an Inception Report, which is subject for review and validation by the EESC. At a minimum, the methodology should include the below elements, although potential consultants are strongly encouraged to go beyond these:

➢A desk review of key documents such as project documentation (qualitative and quantitative) as well as NRC CC strategies and policies,

➢Participatory methods, such as Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)to seek the views and perceptions of specific groups, such as women and People with Disabilities (PWDs), to complement Household (HH)surveys which might not have fully captured the views of these groups

➢Structured or semi-structured interviews with key informants (including local authorities, other humanitarian actors, Cluster and Coordination groups, NRC staff).

A field validation exercise, for confirming preliminary findings with key project stakeholders should be envisioned in the field part of the exercise.

The consultant, in consultation with the EESC, will prepare all relevant tools based on the agreed upon methodology. While the consultant can propose changes in the methodology, any such changes should be discussed and agreed upon with the committee. All relevant data should be sex-disaggregated and different needs of women and men and vulnerable groups should be considered throughout the evaluation process. Data analysis will be gender responsive and ensure requisite statistics (median, mean, etc) are used to highlight trends and correlation. A content analysis is encouraged to be used for qualitative data. It is expected that the consultant will work to the highest evaluation standards and codes of conduct. High ethical standards, transparency and objectivity will be always observed. The evaluation must respect the rights of the people interviewed by guaranteeing confidentiality and security. Respondents should not be exposed to any risks and discomfort. As such data collection tools will be pre-tested and evaluation activities will provide a safe space where respondents feel that their thoughts and ideas are important.

Deliverables

Deliverable 1: Draft Evaluation Inception Report-The draft inception report (using NRC’s standard template which will be provided) should set out any changes proposed to the methodology or any other issues of importance in the further conduct of the evaluation.

The inception report, which shall be provided in English, shall contain:

1. Include the desk review(s).
2. Describe the conceptual framework that will be used to undertake the evaluation
3. Present an evaluation matrix; set out in some detail the approach for data collection, the evaluation methodology, i.e, how evaluation questions will be answered by way of data collection methods, data sources, sampling and selection criteria.
4. Include all data collection instruments (in French and English)
5. Provide a detailed work plan for the evaluation, which indicates the phases in the evaluation and key deliverables.
6. Present an analysis plan.
7. Set out the list of key stakeholders to be interviewed.

Deliverable 2: Evaluation Inception Report–The inception report will be finalised upon consultation with the EESC (max 2 weeks review).

**Deliverable 3:**Draft Evaluation Report(max 40/50 Pages in English–excluding executive summary /Annexes) –including an executive summary of key findings, conclusions and recommendations, and all raw data.

All raw data collected should be transferred to NRC and is NRC’s intellectual property. Raw datasets will be transferred together with the draft evaluation report.

The draft evaluation report will be produced upon completion of the desk review and after the conduct of fieldwork and informal feedback meetings with the steering committee. The draft report is further disseminated through an evaluation stakeholders’ workshop to be organised by the EESC. The evaluator is expected to facilitate and deliver a presentation of key findings through an online presentation to the EESC.

Deliverable 4: A final evaluation report(maximum 40/50 pages, in English–excluding executive summary / Annexes) shall be structured as follows:

• Cover page
• A list of acronyms and abbreviations
• A table of contents
• An executive summary with main findings/recommendation(in French and in English)
• Introduction and background
• Scope and objectives of the evaluation
• Methodology
• Limitations
• Results(including key best practices/ case studies)
• Conclusions
• Lessons learned and recommendations

Appendices of the report, including:

• Terms of reference
• Evaluation matrix
• List of documents consulted
• Evaluation tools& raw data
• List of persons and organisations/institutions consulted

A management response plan will be prepared by the Steering Committee within one month after the finalisation of the evaluation. It will specify key actions to be undertaken, key partners to be involved in the execution of these actions and the implementation schedule.

Criteria for selection

The Consultants/ The Consultant team must have:

➢Advanced university degree or equivalent in Humanitarian/Development Studies, Social Sciences, Statistics or other fields related to the provision of humanitarian assistance.

➢Experience in planning, implementation, monitoring and especially in evaluation of programmes in humanitarian settings.

➢Proven track record and/or solid experience of data collection methods using tablets and CAPI systems and ability to analyse, synthesize, present and to write clear reports.

➢Good knowledge of outcomes evaluation approaches especially participatory mixed methods.

➢Good knowledge of community development mechanisms; gender and equity

➢Good knowledge of protection mainstreaming principles.

➢Professional fluency in French and English, writing and synthesis skills.

➢Minimum 5 years of experience with quantitative and qualitative research.

➢Technical understanding of humanitarian aid programming.

The composition of the team must be balanced to enable an exhaustive coverage of the various aspects of the evaluation set out in these terms of reference, including cross-cutting issues. Gender balance in the proposed team will be an asset.

Timeline

Contract duration will start from Mid Feb 2023 – Sept 2023.