ToR for Endline Evaluation for New Zealand MFAT Disaster Response Partnership Project in Burao and Galkaio districts.

Title of Consultancy

ToR for Endline Evaluation for New Zealand MFAT Disaster Response Partnership Project in Burao and Galkaio districts.

SCI Contracting Office

Save the Children Somalia Country Office

Period of Consultancy

The assignment will be done in one month inclusive of travel.

Consultant type required

Consultancy Firm

Responsibility for Logistics arrangements and Costs

Save the Children will pay the fees for the evaluation in a lump sum and will not reimburse any incurred costs during the assignment. The consultant will cover their Logistical arrangements and costs in the country (Burao and Galkaio) to coordinate and implement the evaluation data collection. 

Taxation Provisions

The consultant/firm shall be responsible for all Taxes arising from the consultancy in line with the local Tax regulations applicable at the SCI contracting office named above.

Travel requirements

The consultancy firm/individual will cover their travel costs (tickets) and arrange local travel to field sites if needed

Security requirements

The Consultancy Firm/Individual will comply with standards of Save the Children Security procedures, including the completion of SCI online security training prior to travel to Somalia.

INTRODUCTION:

Save the Children has worked in Somalia for over 70 years and is a national and international leader in humanitarian and development programming. Our long operational history and broad geographical coverage, has afforded us positive working relationships with key stakeholders, including the federal government, state and local authorities, donors, international and local NGOs, as well as the trust and acceptance of the communities themselves. Save the Children has operational presence in 17 regions in the country, with over 640 national and international staff across 14 field offices.

Save the Children implements a wide range of multi-sectoral humanitarian and development projects in Somalia. Our programming is guided by our Country Strategic Plan 2022-24 which follows a child life cycle model to make sure our programs consider a child and their needs holistically and respond with thematically integrated and age-appropriate interventions. Our active portfolio in 2023 covers programs in Food Security and Livelihoods, Social Protection, Youth Economic Empowerment, Education, Health, Nutrition, WASH, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance and Advocacy while mainstreaming climate change adaptation across our portfolio. In addition, gender equality and disability inclusion are mainstreamed in all our programs.

BACKGROUND:

Save the Children Somalia has provided emergency humanitarian assistance through provision of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) worth USD$280 for four months to 400 households, comprising 400 men, 400 women, 792 boys and 792 girls facing survival deficits in Galkayo and Burao.

Save the Children used a gender and protection responsive approach by training committees on case management, GBV identification, and inclusive criteria for UCTs and provided case management and support to at-risk children, including survivors of GBV. Awareness campaigns, support groups, and PSS sessions were also facilitated to sensitise the community on child protection and GBV issues, and family conflict resolution and negotiation skills training will be provided.

The project provided emergency humanitarian assistance through provision of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) for four months to 400 households, comprising 408 men, 408 women, 792 boys and 792 girls facing survival deficits in Galkayo and Burao. To ensure smooth UCTs, SC partner staff and the village relief committees conducted community sensitisation sessions in the target areas to ensure understanding of the project’s aims and develop and agree selection and targeting criteria. Beneficiaries has been notified of the available accountability systems and the telephone numbers they can use to present complaints or concerns regarding project activities. Post-distribution monitoring (PDM) established the satisfaction of men, women, boys and girls with the process, their utilisation of the cash for food consumption and expenditure, unintended outcomes, and protection issues. The project is using a gender and protection responsive approach by training committees on case management, GBV identification, and inclusive criteria for UCTs. The project has also provided case management and support to at-risk children, including survivors of GBV. Awareness campaigns, support groups, and PSS sessions has been facilitated to sensitise the community on child protection and GBV issues, and family conflict resolution and negotiation skills training.

Objectives of this Assignment:

The endline evaluation will be conducted to assess performance progress of the project output and outcome indicators against the end line milestone targets as specified in the log frame. In addition, the evaluation is also expected to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, value for money, impact, sustainability, connectedness of the intervention approach to bring about the desired behavior change as well as to document lessons learned and provide recommendations for similar future programming.

Specific Objectives of this Assignment:

The specific objective of this assignment is to:

·         Assess performance progress of the project output and outcome indicators against the endline milestone targets as specified in the log frame.

·         Evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, value for money, impact, sustainability, connectedness of the intervention approach to bring about the desired behaviour change

·         Generate and document knowledge and learning from the project life cycle and provide sufficient recommendations for improving project quality and performance.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The endline evaluation is to be conducted in 10 project locations in Burao and Galkacyo. The consultant will be required to specify the sample distribution between Galkacyo and Burao and downstream intervention locations. In Burao the project was implenmented in 27th May, Adan Saleeban, Ali Hussein IDP, Gurya Samo, Koosar IDP, and October IDP. In Galkacyo, the project covered, Bacaadweyn, Cagaaran, Halabookhad and Salaama IDPs.

Furthermore, the final evaluation will cover all relevant stakeholders (government officials and representatives, community members, local partner NGOs, community relief committees, children, and overall project beneficiaries) who benefits or participates in the implementation of the project to collect the necessary.

METHODOLOGY:

The consultant is expected to submit a technical and financial proposal detailing an appropriate design and methodology for evaluation of the multi-purpose cash transfer project. The methodology should give plenty of room for the participation of children and communities. The proposal should show the sample size and the approach used to determine the sample size. In addition, the consultant will be required to:

Primary data collection will be done for all project outcome level indicators and % type indicators for output level indicators, whereas secondary information is also expected to be generated form available project records to be used to generate final evaluation data and information.

Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection will be employed, in order all the information needed for the project is collected.

·         Conduct a literature review: Prior to commencement of data collection for the final evaluation, review of program documents and other relevant literature will be undertaken, including the project baseline,

·         Review and revise, if necessary, the baseline tools to gather information from stakeholders. Include questions about service types, availability, accessibility, quality, and coordination. any adaptations to the tools should still enable comparison with baseline data in measuring results.

·         Quantitative: The quantitative data collection will be entailed the use of beneficiary surveys o Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) with project beneficiaries (Community leaders, child welfare committees, community relief committees, Parents & other care givers will be conducted.

·         Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Save the children staff

·         Supervise field data collection in Burao and Galkacyo in collaboration with SCI field team,

·         Analyze the collected data using appropriate Statistical Software to establish the status of the impact and outcome indicators,

·         Validate the findings with stakeholders, incorporating their feedback and suggestions for improvement, to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the service maps.

·         Based on the analysis and stakeholder input, identify recommendations for improving service coordination, addressing gaps, and enhancing overall service quality for children outside family use.

·         Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing the findings, service maps, and recommendations, and share it with relevant stakeholders, policymakers, and organizations involved in child welfare or social service provision.

The hired consultant will carry out the exercise in conformity with the standard operating guidelines in the MEAL approach for SCI as the consortium lead. All data collected and report findings for this study shall remain the property of Save the Children International Somalia/Land Country Office. Appropriate procedures (consent and assent, secure data management) for ensuring ethical and safeguarding standards are met will be put in place by Save the Children and the consultant.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation should effectively answer the following questions under each criteria;

            Relevance

·         To what extent are the objectives and design of the project aligned with needs and priorities of affected target community?

·         Are the activities and outputs of the programme consistent with the overall goal and the attainment of its objectives?

·         Are the activities and outputs contributing to impact and effectiveness of the programme?

·         In addition, was the design of the project the most appropriate and relevant to promote the strategy? Are there alternative approaches which may have been more appropriate or gaps in intervention strategies?

Effectiveness

·         To what extent did the project achieve its intended outcomes and objectives?

·         What were the key successes and challenges in the implementation of the project?

·         To what extent have Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) contributed to increased food security and overall wellbeing of the target community?

·         To what extent has the project contributed to the anticipated level of change in gender and socials norms practices in the target community as compared to the baseline?

·         What were the major underlying factors (internal and external) influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the results within the two years of project implementation?

·         Has project learning been captured in a timely manner and been used to adapt programming accordingly? What mechanisms exist to capture and share learning?

Efficiency

·         Has the project offered appropriate value for money within the context of Somalia in terms of its impact?

·         Identify the cost factors spent to deliver gender and social norms change interventions in the Somalia and identify the reasons behind budget underspend.

Impact

·         What are the key short term and long-term changes produced by project, positive or negative and what are the key factors behind these changes?

·         What real difference has the project activities made for the direct, and indirect stakeholders of promoting gender equality.

·         What are the changes achieved by project in relations to making difference on gender practices in the target community.

Coordination The last evaluation criteria is often Coherence?

·         How have the project activities been coordinated within different stakeholders to achieve overall objective?

·         Has the consortium governance structure helped to deliver the project better. Are there ways of improving project delivery mechanisms as a consortium?

·         Are there positive and negative issues about projects staff relationship with governments and other NGO working on gender and women empowerment programs?

DELIVERABLES:

The potential consultant will be expected to complete the assignment in one Month (including development of study protocol and implementation plan/timeline, literature review, inception report, development and pre-testing of data collection tools/instruments, training of assessment team, data collection, analysis, validation and final report writing).

·         Inception report detailing workplan, proposed approach and methodologies.

·         Interim Progress Reports providing updates on data collection, analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

·         The consultant will be required to compile two success stories alongside the evaluation report.

·         Presentation of findings to Save the Children, including opportunities for feedback and discussion.

·         Final evaluation report with appropriate findings and recommendations

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

The following attributes are requirements for the selection of the innovation hub center.

·         Proven experience in conducting final evaluation on cash transfer and CP/GBV programs.

·         Copy of registration certificate from the government (If firm)

·         Submit a Technical Proposal that clearly explains the proposed methodology/ approach, and timeframe to conduct the evaluation.

·         Submit a detailed budget for the various activities of the evaluation.

·         Submit detailed financial proposal with cost break down.

·         All lead applicants should have degrees in Gender Studies with demonstrable experience in economic empowerment of women and gender equality. Alternatively, relevant master’s in development studies, social sciences with statistics and economics background will also be accepted.

·         Submit CVs of the lead applicants/consultant conducting the evaluation including relevant qualifications.

CODE OF CONDUCT:

Because Save the Children’s work is based on deeply held values and principles, it is essential that our commitment to children’s rights and humanitarian principles is supported and demonstrated by all members of staff. Save the Children’s Code of Conduct sets out the standards which all staff members must adhere to.

PROPERTY RIGHTS:

All data that will be collected should be considered as SCI properties and may not be used for other purposes.

Qualification and Experience

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

The following attributes are requirements for selecting the consultancy firm/individual.

·         Masters in Gender Studies with demonstrable experience in economic empowerment of women and gender equality. Alternatively, masters in development studies, social sciences with statistics and economics background will also be accepted. A team with a combination of at least two of the fields will have an added advantage.

·         Demonstrable experience in working with children preferably in conflict prone countries such as Somalia.

·         Demonstrate advanced capacity in data analysis preferably regression and econometric analyses

·         Considerable record of accomplishment and proven experience in quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis and management.

·         Previous consultancy experience on unconditional cash transfer response projects.

·         Sufficient local presence in Somalia with no access limitations in moving from region to another. The consultant is required to demonstrate a well-built survey team that has experience in collecting quantitative and qualitative data. Either the lead consultant or co-consultant is expected to speak in Somali.

·         The team members are expected to meet the terms and work conditions stipulated in their contract including Save the Children child safeguarding policy.

Profound experience and technical knowledge in gender equality and women’s empowerment

Application Procedure

Firms interested in this evaluation are expected to provide the following documentation:

·         Technical proposal aligned with ToR, presenting the background, objectives, research questions, study design, study area, proposed sampling techniques and tools, and timeline.  

·         Separate financial proposal: Depicting names and number of staff time, daily rates, number of days, roles and responsibilities in the study.  

·         The profile of the staff involved in the study and experience including CVs of research team members, examples of similar research reports written by the consultant, contact details for further information regarding proposal submission, etc. 

References – at least two credible and traceable referees  

Candidates interested in the position are expected to provide the following documentation:

·         A technical proposal with a detailed response to the TOR, with specific focus on the scope of work, methodology to be used and key selection criteria.

·         Initial work plan based on the methodology outlined, and indication of availability.

·         A financial proposal detailing the daily rate expected including accommodation, transportation, stationary, research assistances/enumerators and all other cost related to this assignment (full package);

·         Consultancy firm lead and associated personnel CVs including a minimum of 3 references.

·         Samples of relevant completed deliverables for work undertaken in the last five years.

Qualified Consultancy Firms consultants are requested to submit their technical and financial proposals and Lead consultant and associated personnel CVs and other relevant documentation to  somalia.tenders@savethechildren.org

The deadline for submission is 05th April 2025

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