Final evaluation consultancy

Assignment title: Final evaluation consultancy

Area of intervention: Libya, Tunisia

Length: 30 days of work during the period of August/September/October

Type of contract: consultancy

Remuneration: Depending on seniority

Deadline to apply: July 31, 2022

Promediation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (under the French law of 1901), led by professionals who combine high-level expertise in mediation and negotiation with extensive field experience in Africa. Involved in various processes since 2006, the team has been working since 2012 in support of peace processes and conflict prevention efforts in Africa, particularly in the Sahel and the Maghreb, but also in the Gulf of Guinea.

Promediation is looking for a consultant to implement an evaluation on a mediation project in Libya

Context of the project

Since 2011, Libya has been afflicted by a generalized situation of uncertainty and crisis compounded by a series of political and security challenges; despite attempts to advance the political transition to build sustainable peace, political and military fragmentation and widespread insecurity continue to impede efforts to reach consensus and exacerbate local tensions and competition. In this context, Southern Libya has been affected over the last years by recurring violence and conflict; a region of strategic importance, whose dynamics are strongly interconnected with national and regional developments throughout cross-border areas.

Promediation has been working in Libya since 2014, focusing our activities on local and sub- regional initiatives towards peace in the South and neighboring cross-border areas with Chad, Niger and Sudan.

In this context, Promediation has since 2019 developed an Action to support the reduction of tensions in Southern Libya through dialogue and mediation. The activities carried out were devoted to realize a set of two key objectives:

1. The development and support of inclusive peace and dialogue initiatives at the local level by providing spaces, tools and expertise to support target groups engagement in peaceful conflict resolution initiatives.
2. Enhance the inclusion of target groups in peace and stabilization processes at national and international levels as to improve mutual understanding and more generally allow to design and implement strategies that are in phase with local realities, needs and opportunities.

The purpose of this consultancy is to assess the results achieved by the project through a final evaluation. The purpose of this study is to collect various data to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the impact of the project on local mediation initiatives and target groups engagement in the areas of intervention and the perception of the project by all the actors involved.

The specific objectives of the evaluation will be to i) assess the progress made towards the achievement of the expected results of the project, ii) the relevance of the theory of change (the logic of the approach) proposed by the project, as well as its effectiveness and efficiency, iii) Evaluate the level of satisfaction of the various key players with the project itself and the results achieved, iv) Identify the main lessons to be learned from the implementation of the project, as well as good practices that can be replicated.

Responsabilities

With this in mind, the consultant will be tasked with:

• Develop research tools to assess the perception and satisfaction of target groups. These tools and questionnaires will be implemented by the consultant during its interviews with target groups and key interlocutors

• Undertake a mission to Tunis (or Tripoli, if the situation allows it) to conduct semi-structured interviews with the target groups as well as interviews (KIIs) with key interlocutors in the implementation of the project. To do this, a mission to Tunis (or Tripoli, if the situation allows it) of about 5 days is to be expected. Transportation and living costs are not covered directly by Promediation and should therefore be included in the financial offer proposal. For stakeholders not available to meet in person, the consultant will carry out phone interviews.

• Analyze all the data collected to identify trends and new areas of priority action for the future

• Work in collaboration with the rest of the team to aggregate existing data.

• Write the external evaluation study and present the conclusions to the Promediation team.

• Knowledge of mediation and mediation work is an asset.

Evaluation questions

This final evaluation should answer the following questions:

A. Relevance

• Are the interventions relevant to the context?

• Do the objectives and expected results meet the needs of the target populations?

• Is the results framework (indicators) defined relevant and suitable for measuring results?

B. Effectiveness

• Have the expected results been achieved?

• What are the external factors that contributed to the achievement or not of the Outcomes?

• What are the main difficulties encountered and what are the causes?

C. Efficiency

• To what extent have the resources (financial, human and informational) invested in the implementation of the activities been used in an optimal manner with regard to the results achieved? Were the resources sufficient in relation to the results achieved?

D. Sustainability

• What was the degree of ownership of the project by local authorities and/or communities?

• To what extent will the positive changes in the field continue in the future?

• To what extent have national capacities been strengthened? If so, at what level?

E. Cross-Cutting Themes

• To what extent has the project contributed to the promotion of gender in the interventions?

• To what extent has the project contributed to the social inclusion of groups usually excluded from decision-making processes and consultation mechanisms?

• Has the project contributed to the promotion of women’s participation in the activities in question

Methodology and expected deliverables

Methodology

The international consultant will decide on a combination of qualitative and quantitative method for data collection and analysis.

• The project documents will be submitted to the international consultant for a documentary review: project document, minutes of meetings, monitoring and evaluation framework, various work plans, periodic reports, mission reports.
• Data collection and data analysis will be done by the consultant and will aim to consult stakeholder groups at the community level.
• Key informant interviews: the assessment should include interviews with key project stakeholders in Tunis, institutional partners, civil society experts, key project staff.
• Structured and semi-structured telephone interviews: project staff and key informants residing outside the country can be approached by telephone, e-mail. Evaluators can also use these tools for other data collection.

Expected deliverables

The main deliverables of this evaluation are:

• Work plan: the consultant will have to produce a simple document which presents the understanding of the mandate, methodology to be followed, distribution of tasks between the members of the team and chronogram of the intervention. This document will be based on initial consultations with the Promediation team to refine the methodology. This document will be submitted to Promediation for approval at the start of the consultancy.

• Presentation of quantitative and qualitative collection tools

• Weekly note: a regular progress report to update on the progress of the work, review the work plan if necessary, and identify the questions to be resolved during the duration of the consultancy. This weekly note will be brief and not exceed 1-2 page(s).

• Presentation of preliminary results and draft evaluation report: the evaluator will make a presentation of the preliminary results to the Promediation team and submit a draft report for comments.

• Final evaluation report: the Promediation team will take a maximum of 10 days to consolidate their comments for the evaluator, who will have a maximum of 10 days to finalize the report including a summary in English.

Skills and qualifications required

• Master’s degree or equivalent in humanities or other relevant fields with a minimum of 5 years’ professional experience
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience specifically in managing and conducting evaluations of peace and security, social cohesion, stabilization and peacebuilding projects.
• Ability to demonstrate experience with formal and informal approaches to data collection and analysis.
• Good understanding of the political-security context and dynamics in Libya, good understanding of dynamics in the South
• Acute interpersonal skills, ability to establish a relationship of trust with interlocutors, open to change, able to receive and integrate feedback.
• Fluency in Arabic would be an asset.