MESPT-ADMIN-01-2024 – Consultancy to undertake a MESPT Impact Exercise (Eligible to National Consulting Firms Only)

1. 1.0 Background Information about MESPT

Micro-Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is a Kenyan development organization established in 2002. MESPT’s overall objective is to promote economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation through enterprise development. This is achieved predominantly through supporting the development of agricultural value chains whilst embracing and promoting the green growth and climate change agenda. Through its vision of building a more Prosperous Society, MESPT facilitates increased commercialization, decent employment, and green transformation through targeted interventions in the selected value chains. MESPT key workstreams involve building the capacity of value chain stakeholders by increasing agricultural productivity and food safety systems, facilitation of market linkages and access to finance. MESPT also promotes the uptake of green interventions that contribute to a greener economy in Kenya.

MESPT sectors of development include:

1. Agri-enterprise development and access to markets
2. Access to finance and financial inclusion
3. Agricultural productivity and food safety
4. Green transformation
5. Gender equity and youth empowerment (40:30% representations respectively in all programmes)

The Trust is a multi-donor entity jointly founded by the Government of Kenya and the European Union who later relinquished their position to the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (DANIDA). To learn more about MESPT, please visitwww.mespt.org.

2.0 The overall objective of the consultancy

The main objective of this consultancy is to evaluate the impact of MESPT interventions implemented between 2005 to 2023. In specific the consultancy will seek to assess the impact and significant changes that the targeted beneficiaries have experienced as a result of such intervention over time. it will also seek to determine the extent to which the interventions have been sustained beyond the programmes both at beneficiaries and institutional level. Lastly It will seek to draw key learnings on key success factors influencing sustainable market systems and Agri-enterprise development; relevant in the design of future possible partnerships and programme interventions.

The specific objectives of the assignment are:

1. Assess the overall social-economic impact of the programmes to the target beneficiaries and MESPT.
2. Assess the extent to which DANIDA funded Programmes contributed to the achievement of MESPT’s strategic objectives over the years (impact).
3. Assess the sustainability of achieved programme outcomes and impacts over time including identification of factors that contributed and/or hindered the sustainability of programme results.
4. Facilitate the impact evaluation readiness by ensuring all the documentation is in place and filed in a way that they can easily be retrieved.

Documentation of scalable good practices and critical gaps in the project design, implementation models/ strategies, resourcing and information management systems as well as provide recommendations for future project designs, strategic plan development, as well as for general organizational learning and knowledge management

Specific tasks to be undertaken.

This will involve.

• Develop an inception report detailing the methodology, tools and techniques that will be used to execute the consultancy as well as a detailed work schedule with clear timelines, level of effort and detailed budget.
• Reviewing the documentation at MESPT past intervention funded by DANIDA to ensure they sufficiently demonstrate MESPT performance and results. The review will also target MESPT partners’ level to ensure the documentation is in congruence with what is at MESPT.
• Undertake in-depth interviews and focused discussion with MESPT staff, its partners and beneficiaries.
• Undertake field visit to sampled project sites to assess and document the status. This will include documentation of impact stories and/ or most significant change stories.
• Facilitate identification and analysis of key gaps identified during desk review and project sites visit and support provided to MESPT on the best steps/ measures to be undertaken in to addressing them.
• Develop a draft evaluation report detailing the findings and recommendations.
• Present key findings and recommendations to MESPT Team
• Submission of the final report integrating feedback from MESPT Team

5.0 Methodology

The consultancy firm will develop a suitable methodology for the assignment that will ensure that the objective of the consultancy is achieved through a consultative and participatory manner. It is expected that the consultancy firm will adopt a hybrid approach that will involve desk review, in depth discussions with MESPT teams and its partners as well as field visits project sites to gather and document the status of interventions that were supported by DANIDA.

6.0 Expected Deliverables

The consultancy firm will provide the following deliverables: –

• Inception Report:

An inception report outlining the detailed work plan with clear timelines and submission of deliverables. It will also include the data collection tools and the list of Stakeholders/ partners to be interviewed. A comprehensive file with all the documentation relating to Danida funded programmes from 2005 to date.

• Draft Final Report

The draft final report will follow the same format as the final report (described in the next paragraph) and will be maximum of 40- 50 pages in length.

• Final Evaluation Report

The final report should be produced according to the DANIDA/MESPT evaluation guidelines. The maximum length of the final report should be 40-50 pages in length. It will follow but not limited to the following format: – 1) executive summary, 2) introduction and objective of the assignment 3) Methodology, Tools and techniques used, 4) findings, 5) conclusions and 6) recommendations 7) annexes of the ToR, Data collection instruments, List of meetings/consultations attended, List of persons or organisations interviewed, List of documents/publications reviewed and cited, photo gallery of impacts documented.

7.0 Duration of the Assignment

The assignment will begin with an inception meeting at MESPT Head Office and conclude with a debriefing meeting with the chief Executive Officer. In overall the exercise is expected to take a maximum 40 working days from the date of signing the contract spread over 2 months.

8.0 Administration and logistical arrangements

The consultancy firm will report to Chief Executive Officer and will work closely with all respective Managers and/or departmental heads. The evaluation will be carried out with logistical support and services of contracted consultancy firm.

9.0 Qualifications and competencies of consultancy team

The consultancy firm should have a diverse mix technical expertise and academic qualifications necessary for successful delivery of the assignment. In specific the team lead should have at least the following qualifications:

• An advanced university degree (preferably master’s degree) in applied statistics, Monitoring & Evaluation, Agricultural Economics, Agri-business, Agricultural Education and Extension, Development studies, programme management and/or other related social sciences.
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience specifically in evaluating programmes in Market Systems Development, value chain development, integrated Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture for international development initiatives preferably in Africa.
• Demonstrated expertise and capability in assessment of small and medium scale enterprise development, regional private sector development, employment creation, related national policies and knowledge of government operational framework.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting impact evaluation of complex bilateral donor funded project.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting M&E capacity assessments, data quality audits/assessments.
• Proven experience with logical framework approaches and other strategic planning approaches, M&E methods, and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory), information analysis and report writing.
• Knowledge and expertise of evaluating programmes using result-based impact evaluation guidelines.
• Knowledge and experience with DANIDA and the EU funded programme will be an added advantage.
• Excellent communication and interview skills.
• Excellent English report writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines.