Horizont3000
—– Please download full ToRs in englisch here! —–
—– Please download full ToRs in spanisch here! —–
I CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND
HORIZONT3000
HORIZONT3000 is an Austrian NGO with nine Catholic member organisations. HORIZONT3000 is mainly funded by the Austrian government (Austrian Development Cooperation / ADC), the European Union, contributions from its member organisations and other public and private donors.
HORIZONT3000 has specialised in the implementation of programmes and projects and the deployment of technical assistance personnel. HORIZONT3000 works in close co-operation with local partner organisations, donors and other stakeholders such as international CSOs and research institutes to achieve common sustainable development goals. Through its presence in the regional and country offices, HORIZONT3000 cooperates and engages through an open and constructive dialogue with local partner organisations and beneficiaries guaranteeing a participatory approach and ensuring relevance and sustainability. HORIZONT3000 aims at targeting the most vulnerable population groups, such as smallholders, marginalised women, children and youth, human rights groups as well as indigenous populations. In 2021, HORIZONT3000 carried out some 145 projects in 16 countries with an annual budget of approximately 11.7 million euros. Currently, 27 people work in the HORIZONT3000 office in Vienna and some 70 experts work in local offices or are deployed as technical advisors in partner organisations.
Gender equality and environmental protection are cross-cutting themes of the organisation. The methodological approach is strongly based on the empowerment of partner organisations and beneficiaries and on knowledge management.
Programme Intervention Central America 2019-2022
HORIZONT3000 is currently implementing its 4-year framework programme (2019-2022) funded by the Austrian Development Agency and member organisations. This programme covers interventions in four regions and countries: East Africa, Central America, Senegal and Mozambique. In Central America, the intervention aims at the promotion of decent living conditions for the rural population in Central America in three countries, namely Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The HORIZONT3000 programme intervention in Central America stands on the two thematic pillars: Rural Development and Management of Natural Resources as one and Strengthening Civil Society and the Protection of Human Rights as the other. These pillars have been developed and strengthened over the years.
The programme intervention Central America encompasses 15 projects: 6 in Guatemala, 5 in El Salvador, 3 in Nicaragua, which are implemented by our partner organizations, und 1 regional project for knowledge management and experience exchange, steered by HORIZONT3000 (the latter is called KNOW-HOW3000). 8 partner projects are implemented within the sector Rural Development and Management of Natural Resources, and 6 in the sector Civil Society and Human Rights.
In the field of rural development and natural resource management, the programme focusses on the promotion of Agroecological Production methods for sustainable Food Security of the population, taking into account Climate Change. In the area of Human Rights – Civil Society the focus is on the Protection of Human Rights and Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights of the population, prioritising the rights of women, youth and indigenous peoples.
Both pillars are embedded in the regime of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The programme intervention in the area of Rural Development and the Management of Natural Resources contribute strongly to SDG 2 “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. Furthermore, the rural development pillar strongly contributes to SDG 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”, as well as the achievement of SDG 13 “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”.
The strengthening of the civil society and the protection of human rights addresses to the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls (SDG 5), as well as reduced inequality within and among countries (SDG 10).
In addition to the two thematic pillars, the programme intervention has two cross-cutting themes that focus on gender and knowledge management. The gender result focusses on empowering women and men for increased gender equality, contribution to SDG 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.
The knowledge management result strengthens our partners’ capacities to improve organizational performance through the creation, sharing and multiplication of relevant knowledge by partner organisations and HORIZONT3000 Member Organisations through our knowledge management programme KNOW-HOW3000, contributing to SDG 17 ”Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”.
Description of the programme
Project title Programme Intervention Central America 2019-2022
Donors ADA, DKA, KFB, WHG, SFL
Location Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua
General objective Promotion of decent living conditions for the rural population in Central America
Specific objective Promotion of Agroecological Production methods for sustainable Food Security of the population, taking into account Climate Change. Protection of Human Rights and Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights of the population, prioritising the rights of women, youth and indigenous peoples.
Expected results
Result 1: The populations of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua were strengthened in the areas of sustainable agriculture and food security, sustainable water use and resilience to the impacts of climate change (contribution to SDG 2, 6 and 13). A total of 11.207 people (5.852F, 5.355M) benefitted directly, and 111.270 people (58.520F, 52.750M) indirectly.
Result 2: The societies of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua are more equal and the rights of women, adolescents and other disadvantaged groups have been strengthened (contribution to SDG 5 and 10). A total of 6.236 people (3.576F, 2.660M) benefitted directly, and 124,720 people (71.520F, 53.200M) indirectly.
Result 3: The target groups of the programme intervention, as well as the employees (269F, 166M) and committees (58F, 40M) of 14 partner organizations in Central America are strengthened in the area of promoting gender equality. (Contribution to SDG 5).
Result 4: The synergies between the Central America and the KNOW-HOW3000 programme interventions strengthened the institutional development of the partner organizations of HORIZONT3000’s and its member organizations. (Contribution to SDG 17.9 and 17.16).
Programme Intervention Budget EUR 4 399 999,42
Duration of the Programme 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2022
Projects that contribute to the Programme: See full ToRs, Links above!
II PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION
Mandate and purpose
In accordance with the guidelines and rules of the public funder, it is the responsibility of HORIZONT3000, as the organisation responsible for the implementation of the programme, to commission this evaluation. The purpose of this evaluation is:
- Learning: the programme intervention’s partner organisations in Central America, donors and HORIZONT3000 are interested in learning from the implementation of programmes and projects in order to continuously improve their own work and the cooperation with other actors.
- Programme steering: This evaluation is taking place in the fourth and final year of the current phase of the Central America programme intervention. The findings, lessons learned and recommendations will be very useful for the steering of the next four-year phase starting in 2023. Particular emphasis will be placed on strengthening gender equality from 2023 onwards, this evaluation also includes questions relating to the gender analyses and its follow up.
- Accountability and reporting: The evaluation should also examine the success and quality of the programme intervention’s implementation on the basis of the OECD/DAC criteria.
Specific objectives
- Analysis of the achievement of objectives and expected results, effectiveness and sustainability at the level of the regional programme intervention and at the level of the different projects of the partner organisations
- Analysis of the programme intervention’s strengths and potential for improvement in the cross-cutting areas of gender as well as environmental and climate protection
- Analysis of the strengths of and the potential for improvement of the programme intervention in the area of knowledge management and gender equality
- Obtain recommendations for relevant stakeholders from the evaluation to improve the management of the programme intervention in the next funding phase from 2023.
Final beneficiaries and users of the results
- Partner organisations that implement the activities and interact with the programme intervention’s target groups through the various projects. They are, especially with regard to the learning objective of evaluation, not only the main beneficiaries, but also an important source of information and thus the main beneficiary of the evaluation
- HORIZONT3000, with regard to learning, programme management, but also accountability and communication
- Donors / funding partners, in particular DKA, KFB, BSIN, WHG, and ADA (Austrian Development Cooperation Agency), especially with regard to programme quality and quality of implementation
- Target groups (women, girls, men, boys) and civil society organisations in the three countries – as final beneficiaries of future projects in the next ADA Framework Programme 2023-2026.
- Other actors working on the same issues and interested in the lessons learned from this evaluation. (NGOs, technical services, local authorities etc.)
III SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION
This evaluation covers the Central America Programme Intervention 2019 – 2022 and all its projects implemented by partner organisations and by HORIZONT3000 directly. The results, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation should also influence the implementation of the next phase of the programme.
The evaluation covers the entire duration of the project’s implementation, from its inception to the end of the funding phase in question. Geographically it covers Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
The evaluation will take place in the first and finished in the second quarter of 2023.
The OECD/DAC evaluation criteria – specifically effectiveness and sustainability – will guide this evaluation. The focus is on these two criteria to enable learning and application of recommendations in the next phase of the programme intervention. There will also be a focus on the OECD/DAC criteria for gender marker 1.
IV EVALUATION CRITERIA AND QUESTIONS
Key evaluation questions – See full ToRs, Links above!
V DESIGN AND APPROACH
For this evaluation, an experimental or quasi-experimental study design is not foreseen, as the methodological conditions for this are not met. However, HORIZONT3000 has annual interim reports for all projects within this programme intervention, so a non-experimental study design, including the following elements, should allow conclusions to be drawn on all evaluation questions:
- Desk analysis of programme and project documents, interim reports and previous evaluations
- Data collection on programme and project indicators
- Field visits / local inspection to verify physical achievements / results
- Individual and group interviews / focus groups with representatives of the target groups (men, women, youth), local partner organisations (men, women), the regional office of HORIZONT3000 Central America, HORIZONT3000 Vienna and other cooperation partners for the triangulation of the results of the data analyses as well as for the elaboration of further knowledge and recommendations.
Note: Due to the current political situation in Nicaragua, partners organizations and the HORIZONT3000 office in the country cannot be visited physically but shall be involved remotely (and/or invited to workshops in Guatemala/ El Salvador). Two out of three partner organizations in the country were forced to close in 2022. In one case the project is being continued through another partner organization. In the other case the project had to be closed prematurely and will only be involved in terms of project documentation.
The evaluation team should propose a detailed methodology for the assignment and is invited to explain its respective approaches to evaluate at the level of individual projects/partner organisations, as well as on overall programme intervention level. However, it should adopt a participatory, consultative and transparent approach involving the stakeholders, namely the head office in Vienna, the regional office in Managua, the HORIZONT3000 team in Guatemala and El Salvador, and the partner organisations throughout the evaluation process. A mixed-methods approach, combining different methods of data collection and analysis, is assumed.
The use of participatory methods is recommended in order to better involve partner organisations and target groups. Participatory methods should be chosen in such a way that men and women can effectively share their perspectives and wherever relevant, differences in needs/interest and access of women/men should be addressed. In designing the methodology, the evaluation team should be guided by the human rights-based approach, cross-cutting ADA issues such as gender and environment, the collection of data disaggregated by sex, age etc., as well as the quality standards applying to the design of ADA programmes and projects.
Methodological rigor will be heavily weighted in the evaluation of proposals. Bidders are therefore invited to question the methodology presented in these ToR and to improve it or to propose an approach deemed more appropriate.
The evaluation must be in accordance with the ADA Guidelines for the Evaluation of Programmes and Projects, the OECD/DAC Evaluation Criteria and the OECD/DAC Ethical Principles for the Evaluation of Development Assistance.
VI WORK PLAN
Key phases, deliverables, working days and information sources See full ToRs, Links above!
VII EVALUATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
For the follow-up of this evaluation, a reference group will be set up at HORZONT3000 with the following participants:
- Kristina Kroyer, Programme Coordinator Central America (Head Office Vienna)
- Christina Hoernicke, Regional Director Central America (Regional Office Managua)
- Imelda Sajquim, Programme Oficial Guatemala/ El Salvador (Regional Office Quetzaltenango)
- Daniela Pfeffer, HORIZONT3000 gender focal point (Head Office Vienna)
- Thomas Vogel, Head of Programmes (Head Office Vienna)
The Evaluation Reference Group is responsible for the management of this evaluation and ensures that technical and ethical standards and guiding principles of the evaluation, including impartiality and independence, are met.
The contact person for the evaluation team is Kristina Kroyer ([email protected]).
VIII REQUIREMENTS FOR EVALUATORS
A consultancy company with local expertise and good knowledge of the intervention area is preferred. The multidisciplinary team must be able to offer the following expertise:
- Proven experience with project and programme evaluation, qualitative (and quantitative) data collection and analysis
- Minimum of 10 years of experience with project and programme evaluation of the team leader
- Programming and evaluation of projects with relevant and proven experience in the programmatic approach
- Agricultural and rural development in Central America (with experience in agroecology)
- Human rights, women’s rights, women and youth empowerment in Central America
- Gender equality
- Expertise in gender-sensitive, human rights-based approaches and sufficiently equipped in participatory approaches
- Knowledge management / capacity building of institutional actors
- Fluency in Spanish (oral and written) and English (written)
Members of the evaluation team should not have been involved in the design and/or implementation of the programme. We propose a minimum of three experts and a maximum of six experts including a gender specialist for this evaluation. The evaluation team should be gender balanced and diverse.
The composition of the team must be detailed and explained in the technical offer, as well as the division of tasks between all team members and the added value of each of them.
How to apply
IX SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF TENDERS
A technical and financial offer must be submitted (max. 15 pages – without annexes) in SPANISH.
Tenders must include:
- Curriculum vitaes, experience and references of the consultants
- Suggestions on the methodology, timetable and action plan and, if necessary, suggestions and recommendations to the mandate
- The number of working days planned for the assignment, including daily rates
- A detailed budget, which must be presented in Euros and must include all taxes, travel costs, logistics (including workshop costs, and all necessary transport and accommodation costs of the local HORIZONT3000 team and partner organizations to participate in the workshop, as well as any other costs that may occur at partner organizations due to the applied methodology and field visits) and other expenses. (HORIZONT3000 is not allowed to deduct VAT, hence the offer must also include VAT).
The maximum budget available for this evaluation is EUR 88.000,00
For all tenders within the budgetary framework, the following evaluation grid will be applied:
- Methodological quality of the technical offer: 80%
- Financial offer: 20%.
The offer should be sent until January 31, 2023 to Kristina Kroyer ([email protected]). HORIZONT3000 reserves the right to extend the deadline if offers received by that date do not meet the requirements.