COVID-19 Response and Recovery Operations in Bangladesh: Evaluation of activities funded by the DEC

  • Contractor
  • Remote
  • TBD USD / Year
  • British Red Cross profile




  • Job applications may no longer being accepted for this opportunity.


British Red Cross

1. Background

Context and background

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in recent history. More than two years since the onset of the pandemic in January 2020, every aspect of peoples’ lives is still affected. It is both a public health crisis and a socioeconomic crisis that is threatening the lives, health, and livelihoods of billions of people all over the world. It has resulted in global lockdowns and widespread travel restrictions throughout 202, 2021 and 2022.

The impact of the pandemic is being most strongly felt by people already affected by displacement, conflict, food insecurity and natural disasters. In addition to the impact of public health and the ability of health systems to provide continuous care, the resulting socioeconomic impacts have caused widespread hardship and will continue for many more months and years to come.

The British Red Cross (BRC) received funding from the DEC COVID-19 appeal in Phases 1 and 2 to support activities in Bangladesh, Syria, Yemen, India and Somalia. As of February 2022, DEC funding supported different components of the BDRCS COVID-19 response and recovery operations in Cox’s Bazar, as follows:

  • Supporting the BRC-BDRCS Resilience programme in Teknaf[1], funding livelihoods, WASH, and health interventions (BRC-BDRCS bilateral programme)
  • Health component of the BDRCS COVID-19 Plan of Action, targeting guest communities in the camps (IFRC Appeal) in Cox’s Bazar.
  • WASH activities, targeting guest communities living in Camp 18 (consortium between the Swedish Red Cross, BDRCS and BRC)

An evaluation showing how these funds were used will be required before the end of Phase 2 (July 2022).

Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Response

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is uniquely placed to respond to the pandemic. More than two years since the onset the focus remains on supporting communities to reduce transmission and save lives, while helping the world’s most vulnerable people cope with its wide-ranging impacts. National Societies are supporting their domestic health authorities to slow the spread and/or mitigate the impact of the outbreak, and many are supporting national vaccination campaigns.

The IFRC is supporting National Societies with a global appeal that is coordinating the mobilisation of resources and technical capacity, and a targeted IFRC immunization plan aims to help 500 million people around the world. The ICRC is tackling the outbreak in some of the most challenging contexts and settings, including places of armed conflict and places of detention. Together, the IFRC and the ICRC are appealing for CHF 3.1 billion to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its socioeconomic impacts. These coordinated appeals build on the previous ones, jointly launched on 26 March 2020, and represent perhaps the largest coordinated Movement emergency response plan in its history.

The overall objective of the COVID-19 operation is to contribute to reducing loss of life, while protecting the safety, well-being, and livelihoods of the most vulnerable people. This revised Emergency Appeal highlights a continuous focus on the work of National Societies to deliver this response. The operational framework for the COVID-19 response is set out according to the three operational priorities:

  • Priority 1: Sustaining Health and WASH
  • Priority 2: Addressing socio-economic impact
  • Priority 3: Strengthening National Societies

BRC Global Response

BRC is responding to the COVID-19 crisis in a variety of ways, with an overarching principle of contributing to a well-coordinated Movement effort, led at country level by National Societies. It is also guided by acknowledgement of the protracted and layered nature of the humanitarian impacts of COVID-19, and the need for ongoing response and other interventions and partnerships to be supported and sustained with this complexity in mind.

In Bangladesh BRC supports BDRCS’ response with funds received by the DEC, among others. Activities funded by DEC include health and WASH activities in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and livelihoods and WASH activities in host communities in Teknaf.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) Response

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) has been responding to COVID-19 across Bangladesh working closely with the Government of Bangladesh. Services and areas of work include health, livelihoods, basic needs, risk communication and community engagement, gender, and protection. Health work include psychosocial-social support, infection prevention and control, hygiene promotion, COVID-19 isolation, and treatment management in health facilities such as the BDRCS Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital and the Integrated Isolation and Treatment Centres (IITC) in Cox’s Bazar. BDRCS also supports to the government in the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines across the country and provides access to essential healthcare through Mother and Child Health Care centres and other health posts.

In Cox’s Bazar, BDRCS has been working with host and guest communities under the Population Movement Operation (PMO). BDRCS, along with IFRC and other partners, has had to cope with the pandemic, the ongoing population movement crisis as well as other emergencies such as fires and flooding.

2. Purpose and scope

The purpose is to evaluate, summarise and generate lessons on service quality and activities implemented in response to COVID-19 in Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar, while focusing on the role of BDRCS.

Given the uniqueness of the pandemic and the learning opportunities an evaluation can generate, BDRCS and BRC would like to focus on understanding what it takes for a National Society to adjust to a pandemic whilst also responding to other emergencies and providing ongoing services, using the response in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf as an example.

The area to cover will be Cox’s Bazar and surrounding host communities in Teknaf, including non-COVID-19 responses implemented concurrently, as well as ‘business as usual’ services provided by BDRCS in the same area.

The evaluation should cover Phase 1 (August 2020 to January 2021) and Phase 2 (February 2021 to July 2022[2]) of the DEC funding cycle for COVID-19 response.

3. Users and uses

  • Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
  • DEC members
  • Wider sector (e.g., local NGOs or CSOs)

4. Evaluation focus

COVID-19 and Localisation

Since the Grand Bargain, the localisation agenda has become prominent, calling for change in our ways of working so that national actors can play an increased and more prominent role in humanitarian response. For Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies this is a given, although cooperation with partner National Societies from the global north, including receiving financial, operational, and technical support, is common. However, COVID-19 has presented a new reality to the humanitarian sector – access challenges and movement restrictions for many international agency staff has been limited and has changed the way in which we work, further stressing the importance of localised aid.

The evaluation will therefore focus on learning at the organisational level, looking at the role of the National Society responding to a public health emergency as an auxiliary to the public authorities in the humanitarian field, while providing ongoing services and implementing humanitarian and development projects.

The quality of activities implemented in response to COVID-19 in Teknaf will also be assessed using recent evaluations and studies commissioned by BDRCS, BRC and partners. Focus will be given to assessing the effectiveness of the adjustments in relation to COVID-19. For example, early in the pandemic, BDRCS and BRC assessed the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on livelihoods in Teknaf and adapted planned activities as a result. The evaluation will look at what has been done to mitigate negative impact and the extent to which it has been successful.

Where appropriate, relevant Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) commitments and quality criteria will be used as the basis of the evaluation.

5. Approach and methodology

  • Recent studies and evaluations took place to assess the quality-of-service provision in Teknaf and an evaluation of the support provided in Cox’s Bazar (WASH in camps) is planned. Considering the timing of these studies, primary data collection from community members is not required for this evaluation.
  • A synthesis of recent studies and reviews is a core part of this evaluation and should be reflected in the evaluation framework, design and final report.
  • The evaluation will utilise a mixed method approach including interviews/FGD with staff members and volunteers at the HQ, PMO and branch, as well as a survey if needed.
  • Triangulation of findings across different sources is expected, also in relation to findings from the synthesis of previous studies.
  • The evaluation will adhere to BRC’s evaluation standards: utility; feasibility; ethics and legality (including data protection); independence and impartiality; accuracy; participation and collaboration.

Recent Evaluations & Studies

  • V2R Cox’s Bazar project final evaluation, commissioned by BDRCS and BRC in October 2021
  • V2R Cox’s Bazar project final lesson learned workshop, commissioned by BDRCS and BRC in December 2021
  • Cox’s Bazar WASH programme (in camps) evaluation, commissioned by the Swedish Red Cross and BDRCS (expected in Q2 2022)

6. Evaluation process and deliverables

The expected deliverables will adhere to the BRC Evaluation Quality and Standards (Annex. 1) are as follows:

· An inception report, presenting:

  • A detailed methodology based on this ToR, including a rationale for the choice of methods and how they will be used. This should include planned timeframe, list of stakeholders to be consulted, protocols for data synthesis, collection and analysis, ethical procedures to be followed and proposed travel and logistical arrangements for the team if applicable.
  • Initial findings based on review of programme documentation, existing data, prior evaluations/reviews and secondary data.
  • An outline of key knowledge gaps not covered by this ToR and any suggested additions/alterations to the proposed evaluation.

· One electronic copy of qualitative and quantitative data collected.

· Draft and final versions of the evaluation report/outputs. The evaluation report should:

  • Include an Executive Summary, brief response background, outline of the methodology used and acknowledge its limitations, findings and recommendations by evaluation criteria used and questions.
  • Ensure analysis is backed up with relevant data and validated with reference to the data source.
  • Ensure recommendations made are specific and include relevant details for how they might be implemented.

· A presentation for dissemination of findings and recommendations which can be used by BRC or BDRCS in learning events and conferences.

7. Timeframe

  • Kick off meeting – May
  • Data analysis and synthesis – May to Mid-June
  • Validation workshop – Mid-June
  • Draft report submitted – Early July
  • Feedback on draft report shared – Mid July
  • Final report submitted – End of July

8. Budget

An indicative budget for this evaluation is GBP 20,000 inclusive of all costs.

9. Consultant specification

  • Prior experience conducting evaluations, reviews and/or learning initiatives, including methodology design, data collection and analysis.
  • Prior experience reviewing and synthesising large amount of information and datasets.
  • Demonstrable skills in producing high quality, accessible reports/outputs.
  • Considerable technical knowledge and experience in international emergency response operations, health and livelihoods.
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Knowledge and experience of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
  • Experience working in Bangladesh

How to apply

We will consider applications from consultancy firms, individual consultants and/or teams of individual consultants.

Interested parties should submit their applications to [email protected] by midnight (BST) on 19th of May.

Applications must include:

  • Curricula Vitae (CV) for all proposed team members
  • Cover letter outlining how the consultants meets the person specification, confirming of availability in the timeframe indicated, and contact details for two professional references
  • Proposal not exceeding six pages, outlining a proposed approach and methodology with time plan and budget, and an outline of the roles and responsibilities of each member of the consultancy team
  • An indicative budget
  • A sample of a similar piece of work previously conducted

Job Notifications
Subscribe to receive notifications for the latest job vacancies.