TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR) for a REAL-TIME EVALUATION (RTE) CONSULTANT for the RESPONSE TO SYRIA EARTHQUAKE 2023

A. Real Time Evaluation Objectives:

An RTE will help to identify the effectiveness and efficiency of the response to date, to ensure that immediate course-correction is undertaken where possible, and document lessons learned to adapt systems for future responses in complex settings.

The following objectives will be considered during the evaluation:

Audience: This RTE will be used by the IFRC and its member National Societies, other Movement partners, the IFRC MENA Regional Office, and Headquarters in Geneva. The report will also be made available to RC/RC stakeholders and external partners involved in the response via the IFRC Evaluation Databank.

Commissioners: This RTE has been commissioned by the IFRC Regional Director for MENA and the Under Secretary General (USG) National Society Development and Operations Coordination in Geneva.

The Evaluation team: The EMT will select the members of the evaluation team, which will comprise of three to five persons, including a team leader and two to three staff from the RCRC Movement.

Reports to: The RTE team leader will report to a RTE Management Team which will comprise of representatives from different levels of the Secretariat and a planned National Society representative.

Duration: Up to 40 working days

Timeframe: September to December 2023

Location: This RTE will be consist of remote and onsite data collection which will involve stakeholders from IFRC MENA Regional Office, IFRC HQ in Geneva and targeted stakeholders in Syria Earthquake Operation.

B. Summary of the Crisis

A magnitude 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern and central Türkiye and north-western Syria in the early hours of 6 February 2023. A second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude followed at 13:24. As a result, many buildings collapsed amidst already vulnerable living situations and very harsh weather conditions. After the initial dead and injured were accounted for, more than six million people are affected in Syria, including more than 300,000 people displaced. The impacted areas are affected by the long-standing crises that have majorly affected Syria’s infrastructure, provision of essential services, and economic status with a very vulnerable population that has already limited resilience to withstand an emergency of this scale. The local economy is plummeting and the capacity of all public services and sectors (including health and civil defence) as well as the resources in-country are limited and unable to tackle such a large-scale emergency.

Critical infrastructure such as water and sanitation are overwhelmed or unable to function at full capacity. Urban areas have been severely damaged, with already collapsed infrastructure and substandard housing stocks to host the vast population needing safe accommodation in small and medium-scale cities. This is resulting in population movement between governorates and into governorates not directly affected by the earthquake. Inflation is spiralling, leaving much of the population unable to provide for their basic needs. This includes the many communities that are hosting people displaced by the earthquake and whose coping capacities and resilience are being further depleted due to the compound multiple crises. The northern and north-western areas of Syria were the hotspots of a large-scale cholera outbreak in September 2022. The outbreak has been largely attributed to a very fragile infrastructure system and a large gap in the capacities of the health system to cope with increasing and newly emerging vulnerabilities.

C.RTE KEY QUESTIONS

IFRC Secretariat coordination structure and operational intent

1. What has the relevance and value add from IFRC’s response (financial, technical and in-kind resources) been to SARC in terms of scaling its response to deliver humanitarian assistance?
2. Are the existing partnerships and relationships between IFRC Secretariat, Members, and the National Society being used effectively in this operation? What was the role of these partnerships in supporting an efficient and effective emergency preparedness for response operation before and after the earthquakes?
3. How has ‘New way of working’ (Agenda for Renewal), been implemented in this emergency?
   • how has ‘New way of working’ (Agenda for Renewal), been implemented in this emergency?
4. To what extent were the Principles and Rules for Red Cross Red Crescent Humanitarian Assistance respected and implemented?

IFRC Secretariat internal readiness to respond in complex environments.

1. To what extent are IFRC systems, tools, and decision-making processes fit for purpose for rapid and scaled crisis response in complex settings?
   • Were the HR surge deployments, including ERUs, timely and relevant to the needs on the ground?
   • Were IFRC finance policies and procedures been sufficiently flexible to allow for smooth implementation, as well as adapted to the needs of the Syrian context?
   • Have IFRC procurement and supply chain management processes been adequate to meet the evolving needs and intended outcomes of the operation?
   • Have logistics decision-making structures been clear, effective, and appropriate for a complex setting?
   • Are the systems in place fit for purpose to deal in complex environments with logistical and administrative impediments?
2. To what extent has the status of disaster law in the country affected the goods and services’ access to the vulnerable populations?
   • How did the political and economic restrictions in country affect the delivery of services in a timely and effective manner?
   • How were the relief efforts affected by the restrictions on movement of goods from neighbouring countries?

Resource mobilization

1. To what extent did/does IFRC’s RM strategy and regular financial analysis and monitoring influence the funds received for this operation to ensure there were used efficiently and in line with the needs of the target population in Syria?
2. How efficiently and effectively did the IFRC and SARC coordinate with donors to mobilize resources?
3. What is the capacity of the National Society to absorb and manage resources being delivered/ mobilized for this operation, including time, and earmarked funding?
4. How are resources being allocated and maintained to ensure the sustainability of the NS operational capacity?

D. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The team will carry out the RTE through a series of approaches, including:

• Secondary data analysis (Emergency Appeals, Operation Updates, in-country documents, mission reports, debriefs, etc.).
• Key informant interviews with key RCRC and external stakeholders in the country and for those who have recently left the operation; and at CCST, Regional, and Geneva levels, including interviews with key delegates involved in the earlier stages of the response.
• Meetings and focus group discussions with RCRC and external actors, for example, SARC volunteers, PNS in-country, etc.
• An online survey could also be considered for key delegates who have left the operation if found useful.

The RTE team will present its preliminary findings to the IFRC Secretariat and IFRC-wide in-country team in Syria upon completion (in person or virtually, depending on the modality of the review), SARC leadership as recommended by the IFRC Head of Delegation, the MENA Regional Office, and Geneva Headquarters, through a participatory meeting and/or virtual workshop.

An Evaluation Management Team will also be set up to manage and support the RTE. It will comprise of a five-person evaluation management team (EMT) comprised of one representative from the CCST, Regional and Geneva levels of the Secretariat (2 DCC, 2 PMER). The EMT will support the RTE process, as required. It will be responsible for supporting and overseeing the evaluation process up to the finalization of the final evaluation report.

E. EVALUATION DELIVERABLES

The RTE team will deliver the following:

1. Inception Report – The inception report will iterate the parameters and the work plan to operationalize and direct each aspect of the evaluation and data collection plan, including the tools and methods to be employed. The inception report should outline the structure of the report to be submitted by the consultant and include the consultant’s expectations as to what extent the purpose of the evaluation can be achieved. The Inception Report will elaborate on these terms of reference:
   • Agreeing on specific evaluation questions
   • describing how the evaluation and data collection will be carried out.
   • refining and specifying the expectations.
   • detailing the methodology.
   • drafting data collection tools (interview guides, guidance for the FGDs, etc.).
   • clarifying roles and responsibilities of the team; and outlining the timeframe and activities for the evaluation.
2. Debriefings/feedback to management at all levels – The team will present its preliminary findings to relevant stakeholders before leaving the country, as well as the MENA Regional Office and Geneva Headquarters in a participatory meeting or virtual workshop. This will allow all three levels to take on board the ToR RTE Syria Earthquakes any pertinent comments and/or to make any corrections or additions to the findings, as required before the finalization of the report.
3. Draft report – A draft report, identifying key findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for the current and future operation, will be submitted within one week of the team’s return from the field. At least two workshops with relevant IFRC and SARC staff to present the key findings and recommendations, and to facilitate a discussion on possible solutions and a way forward (detailing action planning).
4. Final report – The final report will contain a short executive summary (no more than 1,000 words) and a main body of the report (expected to be no more than 10,000 words) covering the background of the intervention evaluated, a description of the evaluation methods and limitations, findings, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations. Recommendations should be specific, feasible, and evidence based. It will contain appropriate appendices, including a copy of the ToR, cited resources or bibliography, a list of those interviewed, and any other relevant materials. Meeting notes of the workshops, and identified actions planned, should be part of the final report. The final report will be submitted one week after the receipt of comments on the draft report and will have to be validated by the Commissioners (MENA Regional Director and USG Programmes & Operations). Once validated, the final report and the Management Response will be shared with IFRC senior management, wider IFRC and Movement stakeholders and will be posted on the IFRC Evaluation Databank.

F. PROPOSED EVALUATION TIMEFRAME

Time Schedule

10 days

Activities

1. Desktop study: review intervention documentation, and related primary/secondary resources for the evaluation.
2. Initial virtual debriefings from key stakeholders in the operation.
3. Development of a detailed inception report, or data collection/analysis plan and schedule, draft methodology, and data collection tools.

Deliverables

1. Inception report, data collection/analysis plan and schedule, draft methodology, and data collection tools.

15 days

Activities

1. Preparation and pilot of data collection tools.
2. Data collection

Deliverables

1. Piloted data collection instruments.
2. Data collection

3 days

Activities

Findings sessions with relevant stakeholders in Syria, at the Regional Office in MENA and for Geneva.

Deliverables

Findings sessions at the various levels

5 days

Activities

Prepare a draft evaluation report.

Deliverables

Draft version of the evaluation report.

5 days

Activities

Revise and submit the final evaluation report.

Deliverables

Final draft of the evaluation report.

2 days

Activities

Virtual presentations on overall evaluation to IFRC Secretariat and National Society

Deliverables

2 Virtual presentations

40 days

Total Working Days for Consultant(s)

G. ETHICAL STANDARDS

The evaluators should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the RTE is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities involved and to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate and reliable, is conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability. Therefore, the evaluation team should adhere to the evaluation standards and applicable practices outlined in the IFRC Evaluation Framework and linked to the RTE Guidance.

The evaluators should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the RTE is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities involved and to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate and reliable, is conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability. Therefore, the evaluation team should adhere to the evaluation standards and applicable practices outlined in the IFRC Evaluation Framework and linked to the RTE Guidance.RTE Guidance.

H. EVALUATION TEAM COMPETENCIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

The EMT will select the members of the evaluation team, which will comprise of three to five persons, including a team leader/company and two to three staff from the Movement. Efforts will be made to respect diversity criteria and profile needs.

The team leader/company will have the following skills and experience:

• Proven extensive experience in being the lead in conducting emergency response evaluations (7 to 10 years).
• Master’s degree in international development, social sciences, humanitarian assistance, or other related fields.
• Good knowledge of strategic and operational management of humanitarian operations and an ability to provide strategic recommendations to key stakeholders.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English (reference and production of sample work required).
• Familiarity with the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and its disaster management system.
• Knowledge of cross-cutting issues, including protection, gender, and inclusion (PGI) and community engagement and accountability (CEA) would be of interest.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, and prepare well‐written reports in a timely manner.
• Advantageous to have good knowledge of the MENA region or a similar response in the region.

The consultant/company will provide an independent, objective, and critical perspective, and will be the primary author of the evaluation report. S/he should not have been involved or have a vested interest in the IFRC operation being reviewed, and will be hired through a transparent recruitment process, based on professional experience, competence, ethics, and integrity for this evaluation.

The consultant/company should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the piece of work is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people involved and to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate and reliable, is conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to better programming, organizational learning, and accountability.

The team members will have the following skills and experience:

• Five years of experience working in international relief operations and/or monitoring and evaluation.
• Master’s degree in international relations, social sciences, humanitarian assistance, and/or related fields or equivalent experience is preferred.
• Experience with RCRC Movement and external coordination mechanisms.
• One person in the team with a good knowledge of the MENA region or a similar response in the region.
• Experience in carrying out interviews and facilitating group discussions.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills in English. An advantage if proficient or fluent in Arabic.
• Should not have been involved or have a vested interest in the IFRC operation being reviewed.

As it is an ongoing operation, it is important that the team abide by all necessary security rules and that they be sensitive to the significant workload of the various teams and ensure that demands are kept to a minimum. Efforts will be made to appoint logistical focal points at the various levels to assist with the evaluation. In-country, the team should aim to be as self-sufficient as possible.

How to apply

I. APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR TEAM LEADER/company

Interested candidates/companies should submit their application material by Friday, 29 September EOB CET to the following address – [email protected], with Team Leader/Company for the Syria RTE written in the Subject Line. Application materials should include:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

2. Cover letter clearly summarizing experience as it pertains to this assignment, daily rate, and contact details for three professional referees.

3. One example of a previous evaluation report they have authored.

Application materials are non-returnable, and we thank you in advance for understanding that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.