Individual Contractor – Mid-term evaluation of the Green Financing Facility (GFF)

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a 3-month contract within the Greening & Sustainability Project in our Global Mobility and Infrastructure (GMIS) Section.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a global United Nations organization which mandate is to protect and assist refugees and other persons of its concern world-wide and to seek durable solutions to their plight; UNHCR is present in 134 countries with offices in 540 locations.

Title: Mid-term evaluation of the Green Financing Facility (GFF)

Duty station: Home based

Duration: 3 months

Contract Type: Individual Contractor

Closing date: 26/08/2022

Start date: 01/09/2022

Organizational context

Introduction

1. This evaluation is commissioned by the Division of Financial and Administrative Management (DFAM) with the objective to conduct a mid-term evaluation (MTE) of the Green Financing Facility (GFF) project (formerly Green Fund project). In 2019, UNHCR signed a grant agreement with the Swedish International Development Cooperation (Sida) which has agreed to support the GFF between 2020-2024. As part of the agreement, UNHCR agreed to perform an MTE of the GFF during 2022. The main purpose of the MTE is to evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of the GFF project to date and to identify areas of improvement for the second half of the grant period.

Background

For detailed background please see full length description here: https://bit.ly/3SDl273

Purpose, Scope and methodological approach

1. The purpose of this independent MTE, is to take stock of progress in achieving the intended results of the GFF to date, to document key challenges in achieving those results, and to propose recommendations for improving the effectiveness, relevance, and efficiency of the GFF in the second half of the grant period.
2. The scope of the assessment is defined by the below boundaries:

• Period: The period from grant inception to mid 2022, including both the initiation period and the implementation period to date.
• Procurements to date: the assessment will address the processes and results of the procurement processes conducted to date.
• Contracting types: the assessment will evaluate if the contracting structures used by the facility are the most appropriate for UNHCR.

1. The MTE will be carried out primarily through a desk review and key informant interviews, via teleconferencing. The consultant is expected to produce an Inception Report (IR), further refining the evaluation questions and scope for the MTE. The IR will include and outline of the analytical approach, interview tools, and a reconstructed theory of change that will guide the analytical framework. Furthermore the consultant will produce a final report including an executive summary, background, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The exact outline and content of the final report to be agreed during the inception period. Key informant interviews will be conducted with key staff at headquarters and Regional Bureaux, in particular within DFAM to assess the performance of the GFF in meeting its objectives and priorities. The MTE will also review the structure, features of the GFF. Field missions are not foreseen for this MTE.

Key Areas of Inquiry

1. The proposed lines of inquiries for this MTE and related sub-questions are depicted below. Note that these will be refined during the inception period of the MTE:
2. Area of inquiry 1: To what extent have the processes and systems set up under the GFF managed to achieve their intended objectives?

Sub-areas of inquiry:

• Appropriateness of GFF staffing capacity and skills
• Relevance and coherence of project documentation (GFF charter, operational manual), vis-a-vis contextual and operational realities
• The effect of the guarantee and revolving funding mechanisms on: (i) private sector engagement (ii) risk appetite and risk management, (iii) pricing and price modelling, (iii) other forms of unbacked procurement modalities
• The quality and effectiveness of partnerships leveraged to achieve GFF objectives
• The quality and effectiveness of support mechanisms, systems, and processes in achieving intended objectives

1. Area of Inquiry 2: What are the major challenges impeding the achievement of results?

Sub-areas of inquiry:

• What have been the unintended effects/results of the GFF?
• What were the major challenges regarding the approach, implementation methods and systems/instruments, and how were these resolved?
• What are the (potential) major contextual and operational challenges that impede the scalability and efficiency of the GFF?

1. Area of inquiry 3: How can UNHCR improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and relevance of the GFF for the remainder of the project and beyond?

Sub-area of inquiry:

• Lessons and recommendations for improving the working approach, implementation methods, systems and instruments
• Practical recommendations for improving the operational manual and making this fit-for purpose to operational realities, including mitigation of major barriers
• Recommendations for enhancing sustainability of the GFF in the future

1. The Green Fund charter and operations manual should be utilised as a reference for the original conceptualisation of the facility and revisions suggested as an output of the report.

Deliverables

1. The MTE will be managed by the GFF Project Coordinator in DFAM, and supported by the UNHCR Evaluation Service for quality assurance purposes. A reference Group including other external stakeholders will be set up to help advise and guide the deliverables of the MTE.
2. The overall timeframe of the MTR is expected to be 3-months. The expected deliverables and schedule is outlined below:

And a stand alone executive summary

• Inception phase: Week 1-4
  • Key deliverables:
  • Draft Inception Report (including methodological approach, KII tools, analytical framework,/theory of change, and an evaluation matrix detailing the key evaluation questions and sub-questions against their sources, as well as an outline of the final report content
• Final inception report addressing comments from Reference Group on the 1st draft Data collection phase: Week 5-7
  • Key deliverables:
  • Validation workshop on preliminary findings, conclusions, presented by the consultant to Reference Groups
• Data analysis and reporting phase: Week 7-10
  • Key deliverables:
  • 1st draft report for comments (excluding executive summary and including preliminary recommendations)
  • Recommendation workshop presented by the consultant to the Reference Group in order to tweak/co-create feasible, and relevant recommendations
  • Final report addressing comments and including revised recommendations based on the workshop
• Finalisation of the MTR: Week 11-12
  • Key deliverable:
  • Presentation of final report to the Reference Group and other relevant stakeholders

1. The contractor will be required to sign the UNHCR Code of Conduct, complete UNHCR’s introductory protection training module, and respect UNHCR’s confidentiality requirements. In line with established standards for evaluation in the UN system, and the UN Ethical Guidelines for evaluations, evaluation in UNHCR is founded on the fundamental principles of independence, impartiality, credibility and utility. These inter-connected principles subsume a number of specific norms that will guide the commissioning, conducting and supporting the use of the evaluation. This includes protecting sources and data, informed consent, respect for dignity and diversity and the minimisation of risk, harm and burden upon those who are the subject of or participating in the evaluation, while at the same time not compromising the integrity of the evaluation.
2. A Reference Group will be established with the participation of the key stakeholders for the evaluation to help guide the process. The constitution of the reference group will be communicated to the consultant following the initiation of the evaluation process.

Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required

1. Ideally the evaluation team will comprise of two contractors: one subject matter expert and one expert evaluator.

• Education

Required:

• Advanced university (Masters) degree, or equivalent thereof, in environmental management, engineering, sustainable development, economics, business administration, climate change or other relevant fields.
• Work Experience

Required:

• A minimum of 10 years of work experience in renewable energy projects, their financing and legal requirements, both in the private and public sector for 1 expert of the team
• 10 years of experience in managing, conducting, and/or leading evaluations for 1 expert of the team
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of UN organisations and mandates;
• In depth knowledge of and proven experience with various data collection and analytical methods and techniques, including key informant interviews;
• Demonstrated financial and economic literacy.

Desirable:

• Proven research experience in the intersection of sustainability and private sector involvement in the humanitarian sector.
• Key Competencies

Required:

• Proven expertise in the area of sustainability and private sector involvement in the humanitarian sector
• In-depth understanding of governance function.
• Excellent research, analytical and drafting skills in English.

Location

Home based