Terms of Reference for Final evaluation of somaliland and Somalia Joint Response 2022-2023

Job Description

Terms of Reference

Final evaluation of Somalia Joint Response 2022-2023

1.    Introduction.

1.1 Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA)

The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) is a coalition of 14 Dutch aid organisations in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The DRA partners are: CARE Nederland; Cordaid; Dorcas; Oxfam Novib; Plan International; Help a Child; Save the Children; SOS Children’s Villages The Netherlands; Stichting Vluchteling; Tearfund NL; Terre des Hommes; War Child; World Vision; and ZOA. The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ) partners with the DRA by funding Joint Responses.

The DRA was established in 2015 by 10 Dutch humanitarian NGOs, which started cooperating in 2014 on three crises – South Sudan, Ebola and Iraq. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ), which was funding the relief projects, saw an opportunity for a large-scale, lean funding model. The NGOs and MFA have since established a mechanism that goes far beyond a fully operational humanitarian funding modality – which would have been a major achievement in itself. The structure of the DRA enables participating NGOs to respond to major international crises in a timely and effective manner. The rising number of humanitarian disasters around the world has placed an increased burden on international aid organisations. The global increase in the number of armed conflicts – and the deepening complexity of these conflicts – is also adding to the severe strain on the existing humanitarian system. The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) was established to meet these challenges. Improved cooperation and coordination between NGOs enable them to better respond to major international crises in a timely and effective manner. The DRA members collaborate in humanitarian interventions – delivering greater impact than members operating independently.

1.2 Somalia Joint Response.

The Somalia Joint Response project runs from January 2022 to December 2023. Four DRA members (the SOMJR members) implementing the project are Help a Child/Medair, Oxfam Novib, SOS Children Villages and World Vision. DRA members partnered with eight local organizations in the implementation of the project. The eight local partners are Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC), Social-life and Agricultural Development Organization (SADO), Kaalo, Dawa, Zamzam Foundation, Vision Corps Initiative, SACIID, and Taakulo. The SOMJR Project focuses specifically on Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Protection, and using Multi-Purpose Cash where this is considered an appropriate modality. Target groups for the interventions are IDPs, agro-pastoralist and pastoralist communities living in IPC 3/at risk of IPC4 areas, many of them in remote and hard to reach areas, with limited access to basic services.

2.    Purpose, objectives and scope of the evaluation.

The SOMJR has a contractual obligation towards the DRA, and the back donor, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure the realization of an evaluation of the programme for determining contributions to alleviating human suffering in the protracted crisis. As the consortium lead, Oxfam will engage the service of an external evaluator to undertake this final evaluation.

The purpose for this evaluation is twofold. On the one hand, the evaluation will assess the performance of the SOMJR and ensure accountability towards the Dutch Government and public, DRA and as well to the targeted population. On the other hand, it offers a learning aspect for all stakeholders. The lessons learned and recommendations for programme implementation and design should be part of the evaluation report and will be used to improve the implementation of the next phase of the SOMJR (2024-26). The findings of the evaluation should be presented in a meeting with all the SOMJR partners.

The final evaluation will cover the project period and targeted communities in its entirety. The geographical covered for each DRA member is as given in the table below.



1.    Evaluation criteria

The consultant would employ a combination of selected OECD/DAC Evaluation criteria, the Core humanitarian standards.. The evaluation questions are however suggestive and evaluation managers will welcome further inputs and improvements from the consultants during the initial stage of the evaluation exercise. The selected criteria and accompanying questions for review are as indicated below.                       

I.             Effectiveness

·         To what extent and how have the planned outcomes and results of SOMJR (according to project plan, including logframe) been reached?

·         What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the response objectives?

II.            Efficiency

·         Was the process of achieving results efficient? To what extent has the SOMJR been implemented in a timely manner?

·         To what extent has the joint response model of collaboration (with national and international partners) led to cost-effectiveness?

·         How has the collaboration between SOMJR partners impacted reaching the affected population? Is there any substantial anecdotal evidence of how this is done?

III.          Relevance/ appropriateness

·         How relevant have the activities of the SOMJR been in addressing humanitarian needs in Somalia?

o   Are affected people satisfied with the interventions?

·         To what extent was the SOMJR able to adapt and provide appropriate response to context changes and evolving needs and capacities, and the priorities of the people, taking into account the specific needs of the most vulnerable groups, including women, children and people with disabilities?

·         To what extent and how was protection mainstreamed across the program activities?

·         Which attempts were being made to ensure participation of affected population in identifying the needs?

o   How were the communities involved in assessments, planning, implementation & monitoring of the program?

o   How, if so, has this involvement influenced decisions on the activities that were implemented?

·         How satisfied are affected people with their level of involvement, with the information they received on project activities and their ability to provide feedback and get a response?

IV.          Sustainability

·         To what extent do the benefits of the intervention continue, or are likely to continue?

·         To what extent does the intervention reflect and consider factors which have a major influence on sustainability, i.e. economic, ecological, social and cultural aspects?

·         What are the contributing factors and constraints that require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of the project outcomes?

V.           Impact

·         Have there been any unexpected positive or negative side-effects on affected populations as a result of the assistance provided by the SOMJR?

·         How has the SOMJR impacted the lives of the affected population in sustaining their lives through life-saving humanitarian assistance?

VI.          Learning and Improvement

·         To what extent has the SOMJR collaborative way of working facilitated peer-learning between SOMJR partners?

·         How have activities to increase learning affected delivery of humanitarian assistance by the SOMJR (local) partners? Is there any substantial anecdotal evidence of this?

·         Did partners make any changes to their programming as a result of learning activities, leading to better program quality? Please provide concrete examples.

·         How did the SOMJR project seek new ideas and innovations and used them to redesign project interventions and implementation approaches to maximize impact.

VII.        Partnership and Coordination.

VIII.      Coordination and Complementarity

·         To what extent were the activities of the SOMJR organisations complementary to the work of other stakeholders, prevented duplication, and contributed to the larger humanitarian response activities in the country?

·         Is there any substantial (anecdotal) evidence of how collaboration between SOMJR partners, specifically related to complementarity, has led to positive impact on the lives of beneficiaries?

·         How did the SOMJR partners work together with local authorities, and how did this have an impact on the project?

IX.         Partnership and Localisation

·         To what extent has capacity support enabled partners to effectively implement the SOMJR project?

·         To what extent and how did local partners feel empowered / felt ownership in the design and implementation of the SOMJR programme? What factors played a role in this??

·         What were the evidence of involvement of local partners in decision making process and how did this shaped successful implementation of the project interventions.

·         Were there any initiatives to raise the voice of local partners and increase visibility of their contributions to the project?

·         How effective is the relationship between the DRA member agencies and their local implementing partners?

·         What is the quality of the support from Oxfam as lead agency What could have been done differently?

2.    Evaluation Methodology.

A mixed method evaluation approach is highly encouraged for this evaluation. The consultant shall use mixed methods including desk review, household survey, Focus Group Discussions and Key Informants Interview (KII), using simple but essentially inclusive tools to collect data.

The consultant is expected to determine the methodological approach for the  final evaluation of the SOMJR project. The methodology should be detailed in the inception report and approved by the evaluation manager, including the research tools. The following guidance is provided for the development of the methodology:

·         The consultant is expected to use and review existing project documents during the end evaluation. These documents include the SOMJR project proposal and logframe, monitoring and progress reports, financial reports, policies and strategies, and any other relevant project documents. Oxfam in Somalia will provide the external consultant with all available project documentation at the beginning of the consultancy.

·         A mixed research methodology is preferred, which includes the collection of qualitative and quantitative data.

·         Triangulation of data is important. Therefore, the consultant is expected to use multiple data sources to allow for the verification of results.

·         The consultant (or the consultancy team) will undertake field visits to the project implementation areas to collect primary data amongst a variety of stakeholders, including project staff of international and local partners, local authorities, beneficiaries and other relevant persons. Participation of stakeholders in the evaluation should be maintained at all times, reflecting opinions, expectations, and visions about the contribution of the project towards the achievement of its objectives.

·         The consultant must consider participants’ safety throughout the evaluation (including recruitment and training of research staff, data collection / analysis and report writing) as well as research ethics (confidentiality of those participating in the evaluation, data protection, age and ability-appropriate assent processes) and quality assurance (tools piloting, enumerators training, data cleaning).

·         The consultant is expected to be aware of and understand political sensitivities, consult the SOMJR lead agency regularly and adapt the evaluation approach if needed.

3.    Deliverables.

The consultant is expected to lead, accomplish and submit the following deliverables within the agreed timeframe and budget:

1.     An inception report, including detailed methodology and work plan, ready to use data collection tools and questionnaire, evaluation team composition and quality assurance plan along with risk management plan.

2.     A max 30-page draft and final report (in MS Office and PDF for final version), excluding annexes, in English, in the following format at a minimum, to be submitted to Oxfam. The final report will consist of the following sections as a minimum:

·         Table of contents

·         Executive summary

·         Intervention description

·         Scope of the evaluation

·         Purpose and objectives of the evaluation

·         Methodology

·         Findings for each of the above-mentioned criteria

·         Lessons learnt

·         Conclusion

·         Recommendations

3.     Briefing and Validation workshop- The consultant will facilitate a one-day findings presentation and validation workshop with SOMJR partners in Mogadishu. The workshop will provide a good opportunity for refining and triangulation of the key evaluation findings and build ownership of the recommendations developed. The structure and specific activities of the briefing and validation event will be agreed between Oxfam and the consultant beforehand.

4.    Indicative timelines.

The definite timeline of the consultancy will be agreed with the successful applicant; however, the exercise is expected to commence on 15th Dec 2023 given the security situations in the project areas permits and be completed by 15th Feb 2023 on submission of the final Final evaluation report.


Skills and Qualifications
Requirements related to experience, expertise and skills for this assignment include the following:

·         Extensive experience in research work and in assessments/evaluations, ideally of projects that are implemented through a consortium or a combination of international and national/local NGOs Knowledge of research methodologies and application of various tools including practical experience in assessments, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of community-based interventions.

·         At least a master’s degree in economics, developmental studies, business administration, social science or a related field for the lead consultant/ a minimum of bachelor’s degree on the relevant academic areas with 7 year of progressive experience in research can be acceptable.

·         Strong experience in humanitarian response and knowledge of humanitarian standards (CHS, Sphere, Code of Conduct).

·         Proven experience of using participatory methods as the means of data collection and analysis.

·         Previous working experience in Somalia and/or working on DRA funded Joint Responses is considered an advantage.

·         Excellent analytical and report writing skills with skills in using statistical packages such as SPSS, STATA, NVivo

·         Fluent in English, understanding of local language will be an added advantage.

Attachments
ToRs for Final Evaluation of SOMJR 2022-2023_Final.docx
How to apply
Individuals/firms that meet the above requirements should submit an expression of interest (EOI) to  [email protected] latest 23rd November 2023, which should include:

i.              Technical Proposal detailing the approach, methodology and work plan of the assignment.

ii.             Financial Proposal including daily rates in USD with detailed breakdown (transportation, enumerators, accommodation, meals etc.)

iii.            CVs of the lead consultant and other team members contact details of two professional referees

iv.            Two samples of similar previous work

v.             Firms based/registered in Somalia must produce operating license.

vi.            Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview.

 
Email[email protected]
 
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