Consultancy to conduct Midline Review of the NCA South Sudan Country Strategy 2020-2024

Background

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is a diaconal organisation mandated by churches and Christian organisations in Norway to work with people around the world to eradicate poverty and injustice.

NCA started operations in South Sudan in 1972, with a large multi-sectorial, operational programme in Eastern Equatoria. Over the years, NCA has expanded its presence in South Sudan to cover 15 counties and Greater Pibor Administrative Area. At national level, NCA supports faith actors and wider civil society organizations with implementation of peacebuilding and emergency interventions.

Since 2020, NCA has been implementing the 2020-2024 strategy which focuses on CR WASH, Peacebuilding, Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights/Gender Based Violence and Humanitarian Response. As the strategy period approaches completion, NCA wishes to conduct a midline review to assess the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of progress towards attaining programme results.

Purpose of Midline Review

The review will assess the relevance, effectiveness, sustainability and the extent to which country programme has addressed humanitarian and development issues within the spectrum of triple nexus. On relevance, the midline review will examine the level at which the stated thematic programme theories of change (TOC) remain valid within the operational context and to rights holders’ needs. On effectiveness, the midline review will assess the extent to which the programmes have achieved the stated outcomes. On sustainability, the midline review will assess if tools and processes in place are likely to maintain the outcomes to be achieved during this strategic period and beyond. On triple nexus, the midline review will assess whether NCA and NCA partners are utilizing combined expertise of the sustainable humanitarian, development and peace in overcoming collective challenges and ensuring the protection and wellbeing of affected population. Lastly, it will enable NCA to document lessons learnt, best practices, synergies, innovations as well as provide key recommendations.

Scope of the work

The Consultant/Consultancy firm will conduct the midline review in sampled counties within NCA operational areas in South Sudan. The midline will cover the period beginning January 2020 to December 2022. The consultant will work closely with the Programme Advisor and steering committee for the review.

The scope of work for this review will focus on the following key areas:

1. Assess the relevance of NCA South Sudan programmes’ Theory of Change (TOC) and the extent to which they matched to the expressed needs of the right holders;
2. Assess the effectiveness of the NCA South Sudan programmes’ and the extent to which the programmes’ outcomes have been achieved. This includes measuring progress against indicators to date for outcome level indicators for the Norad 2020-2024 South Sudan Civil Society grant and the Norad 2020-2024 South Sudan regional grant, MFA 2020-2024 SPA grant for humanitarian response;
3. Assess the extent to which NCA South Sudan addressed or mainstreamed humanitarian core commitment standards such as rights-based approach, gender, age, disability mainstreaming and sensitivity, conflict sensitivity, anti-corruption, environmental impact, and accountability;
4. Assess the role of NCA South Sudan in contributing towards achievement of humanitarian-development-peace nexus and identify barriers to the localization agenda;
5. Assess the role of NCA partners in contributing towards humanitarian-development-peace nexus;
6. Assess whether NCA South Sudan and partners have tools, processes and structures in place within the programme and implementation design to achieve sustainability;
7. Document strengths, opportunities, challenges, best practices, and other lessons learnt that can be used to improve the strategy formulation, mitigation, and institutional learning for NCA South Sudan country office.

Against this background, NCA South Sudan is looking for a consultant/team of consultants to support the midline review. The consultant/team of consultants will be responsible for:

• Carry out desk reviews of existing information from NCA South Sudan’s own documents and relevant data from primary and secondary sources including electronic sources, partners, clusters etc. All references should be listed in the final report;
• Design a sample frame for the midline;
• Develop and pretest of all the necessary tools for undertaking the midline assessment which include but not limited to questionnaires, maps, etc.
• Recruit and train enumerators for the midline review in compliance with national labour laws;
• Plan and develop field visit with itinerary to any of the NCA operational areas which may be subject to change after discussions with NCA based on contextual dynamics;
• The primary data collection will be preferably collected by use of use of open-source digital data collection methods preferably ODK/ KOBO;
• Planning his/her work and ensure sufficient time is spent in the field collecting data. The consultant will make the necessary changes as directed by midline steering committee.

Methodology

The consultant will propose a specific methodology in the inception report to be submitted to the contracting authority for approval. The proposed methodology must include contextual considerations. The inception report must provide details on the sampling strategy and quality assurance measures along the process.

NCA’s minimum standard to sampling can be found in NCA’s survey guide and will be shared with the consultant along with the existing tool NCA has previously used that will allow the consultant to scale up and assist in developing the methodology for the midline review. The data collection and analysis must include gender, age and disability disaggregation. Unless more detailed disaggregation is specified, data by women, men, young women and young men is default.

For outcome indicators, the consultant must design and propose data collection methodology. This apply to all indicators, except NCA’s compulsory outcome indicators, to which a collection methodology is already developed and must be used. Tools from baseline data will be shared to assist in data collection methodology.

NCA has an Indicator Website for guidance on our compulsory indicators of the global thematic programmes outlining purpose of indicator, frequency of data collection, data source and how to collect, analyse and requirements for disaggregation of each indicator: Refer to the annexed list of indicators for NCA programme in South Sudan.

Please note that also for the indicators some of the terms and survey questions require a contextual definition before collecting data.

The inception report must describe what measures will be taken to carry out the midline evaluation in a gender sensitive and inclusive manner.

The inception report must account for ethical approaches to data collection, analysis and dissemination of findings. The consultant shall commit to protect the rights and confidentiality of informants and abide by “do no harm” principles. Data and information collected in the course of the assignment will be used for the purpose of the assignment only, and hand over to NCA once the assignment has been completed.

NCA has established a Steering Group to provide quality assurance and approve of midline process deliverables. The consultant/team of consultants will report to NCA’s Steering Group Chairperson.

Deliverables

Minimum requirements under deliverables are as follows:

1. Inception report including detailed description of methodology. NCA will provide the template for the inception report.
2. Presentation of draft midline report with focus on findings, analysis of findings and recommendations
3. Final midline evaluation report.
4. Evaluation summary. NCA will provide the template for the evaluation summary.

Time frame-schedule

The timeframe for this midline consultancy is 35 days, from the time the contract is signed. The successful bidder must commit to accomplish and deliver the consultancy services and deliverables within 35 days.

• Preparations/Inception; 5 days
• Field work/interviews; 20 days
• Data analysis, reporting writing and submission: 10 days

Qualifications and skills

The consultant (firm) must have expertise and grounded experience in carrying out evaluations or studies. The consultant must be able to demonstrate a very good experience on participatory research methods and data collections/analysis tools. He/she should be competent in organizing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data and information. S/he should have the following academic qualifications and experience.

• The Lead Consultant should have a University degree preferably postgraduate degree in Social Sciences, development studies or any other related development field with a minimum of 7 years experiences in undertaking similar type of studies.
• In-depth knowledge and experience on research methods
• Team Members must have at least five years of experience in conducting evaluations with international NGOs/INGOs
• Knowledge of and familiarity with South Sudan context
• Consultants(s) should have comprehensive understanding of the tools development and draw the information from the midlline review data and analytical report writing skills.
• Excellent research and analysis skills; Communication and interpersonal skills
• Fluent in written and oral English and local languages
• Excellent report writing, data collection and analysis skills
• Knowledge of thematic areas in Peacebuilding, Climate Resilient WASH, GBV/Reproductive Health will be an asset

Further questions on the consultancy should be addressed to [email protected] and [email protected]