Consultancy End of Project Evaluation

TERMS OF REFERENCE: End of Project Evaluation

Consultancy Contract to conduct an End of Project Evaluation for a European Regional Development and Protection Programme[1] funded project entitled “Strengthening the protective environment and livelihood opportunities for refugees and vulnerable host communities, with a particular focus on women, youth and children in Bar Elias, Central Bekaa, Lebanon” – Trócaire, Lebanon

Background

Established in 1973, Trócaire is one of Ireland’s leading NGOs and the overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Trócaire works with partners and is a member of worldwide networks such as Caritas and CIDSE. Since 2013, Trócaire has responded to the Syrian humanitarian crisis, working remotely from Ireland and supporting partners in Lebanon and Syria.  Our work has focused on the provision of humanitarian relief, protection and psychosocial support, and in strengthening livelihoods.  Working with local partners, and realising the values of partnership, continue to be an important approach for the organisation. 

Project Background

The Beqaa Valley hosts 357,303 Syrian refugees or 36% of the total Syrian refugee population in Lebanon. The area has been severely impacted by the Syrian crisis. By law, Syrians can only work in agriculture, construction and environmental work, all sectors that provide little income and no security. Working conditions are often extremely harsh and families resort to using negative coping mechanisms. Many children have experienced psychological and social distress due to experiences of war and displacement; youth also face numerous barriers preventing them from enrolling and succeeding in educational institutions in Lebanon. Men, women, girls and boys often reach Beqaa after a difficult journey. Violence against women has increased as family supports deteriorate and tensions increase. Outside the household, women and girls are vulnerable to physical and verbal harassment, including sexual harassment.

Since September 2017, Trócaire together with our partner Basmeh and Zeitooneh, have been implementing a 12-month European Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP) - funded project in Bar Elias, Central Beqaa, seeking to support and empower refugee and host communities to increase their access to livelihoods and improve their protective environment. The project has been working to address protection concerns and the livelihoods needs of men, women, boys and girls in a practical and holistic manner. The intervention includes income-generation activities and market-based vocational training, targeting men, women and youth. The intervention also focuses on reducing vulnerabilities by strengthening existing and developing new vocational and livelihoods capacities. The inclusion of psychosocial support services seeks to assist individuals, families and communities regain functional independence and respond to risks. The project also contains a livelihoods-focused advocacy project examining access to work for Syrian refugees and the host community in Beqaa.

The overall objective of this overall project is that refugee and host communities in Central Beqaa are supported and empowered to increase their access to livelihoods and improve their protective environment.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

• Women, men, and male and female youth are engaged in income-generating livelihood opportunities to meet their needs and increase their independence;
• Women, girls, men and boys are maintaining or improving their psychosocial well-being;
• Stakeholders in Beqaa are effectively targeted in an advocacy campaign that lobbies for positive change in the livelihood opportunities of refugees and host communities;
• Trócaire’s partner has improved capacity in a range of competencies and adhere to relevant best practices and international standards.

Rationale for Consultancy

Trócaire seeks to recruit a qualified consultant to carry out an End of Project Evaluation in order to ascertain whether the project’s goals and objectives have been fully realised, what impact the project has had since its inception, and to look at the sustainability of the project’s interventions.

1.     Objectives of the evaluation

To primary objective of the evaluation will be to assess the scope of the project’s results and provide clear evidence of the project’s impact. The consultant should measure the project against the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria (Relevancy, Efficiency, Efficacy, Impact, and Sustainability). It will enable Trócaire to learn lessons about how to better support partners in protracted crises.

1. Evaluate and document the extent to which the project was relevant and in line with the needs of the programme participants:

• Did the project address the needs of the targeted programme participants? How? To what extent? Are the objectives of the project still valid?
• Were the activities and outputs consistent with the overall goal and intended impacts of the programme?

1. Establish whether the project was efficient, measuring how resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time etc.) are converted to results:

• Were the resources of the project used in a cost effective manner?
• Are the project’s accomplishments commensurate with the resources invested?
• Was the project implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives?

1. Establish how effective the project was in meeting end of project targets set against the project’s indicators:

• To what extent has the project been able to achieve the planned objectives and outcomes, as outlined in the project’s logical framework, and with what level of quality? (looking at all objectives, including building partner capacity).
• What were major factors influencing the achievement of objectives?
• Has the project been able to achieve results beyond the project’s logical framework? What are these results and what contributed to the achievement of these results?
• Was the project’s approach to targeting effective? What changes should be made, if any, in any second phase of programming?

1. Evaluate the project’s overall impact:

• Did programme participants experience change as a result of participating in the project, and if so, what type(s) and extent of change were experienced?
• What are the long-term consequences of the project, including positive, negative, direct, indirect, intended, and unintended impacts?

1. Enumerate to what extent the interventions of the project are signalling sustainability of benefits after the end of the project:

• To what extent are the project’s results likely to be sustained after the project ends?

Additionally the consultant should measure:

Coherence:  

• To what extent was the project coherent with other interventions which have similar objectives?

Added Value: 

• What is the additional value resulting from the RDPP funded intervention, compared to what could reasonably have been expected from Member States acting at national and/or regional levels?
• What would be the most likely consequences of stopping or withdrawing the RDPP funded intervention?

Learning:

• What are the key lessons learned, what could be scaled up or discontinued, and are there other recommendations specific to designing a second phase of the project?

1. Methodology and Actions Envisioned

The consultant will be responsible for finalising the evaluation methodology. However it is envisioned that the consultant will use a mixed methods approach with a strong participatory element.

In order to complete this assignment it is envisaged that the consultant will undertake the following actions:

• Following an initial meeting with relevant Trócaire staff and a review of relevant documentation produce a revised inception report, clearly outlining the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, methodology, draft tools, work plan and timeline;
• Engage with Trócaire’s implementing partner and other identified stakeholders  
• Include field visits to a select number of project sites, focus group discussions/interviews with Trócaire’s partner and the communities served by our partner (where possible).
• Preparation of draft evaluation report;
• Present the study findings and recommendations to Trócaire for feedback;
• Incorporate feedback into final report
• Presentation of final report and key lessons/recommendations to Trócaire and our partner
• In line with Trócaire’s focus on Protection the consultant should incorporate Trócaire’s Programme Quality Humanitarian Benchmark tool and the Caritas Protection Working Group Protection Mainstreaming Framework in the evaluation.

Reporting

The overarching deliverable is the production of a final evaluation report detailing the key findings and practical recommendations for the project. The report should not exceed 30 pages (excluding annexes).

The consultant will report to Jean McGrath, Institutional Funding Advisor Asia/Middle East, who will lead the revision process and who will also be responsible for signing off and approval of the final product.

A draft report will be submitted by the 15^th of October 2018. Quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysis developed should be annexed to the draft report.

The final evaluation report will be completed with a presentation of the report along with key lessons/recommendations to Trócaire and our partner by the 31^st October 2018. The Final Evaluation Report should include a two page executive summary that summarizes the key lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations. Quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysis developed should be annexed to the final report.

Competencies Required

• Master’s degrees in Sociology, Anthropology, Social Sciences, statistics or a related field;
• Expertise in protection and/or livelihoods approaches and in related programming evaluations in Lebanon and/or the region;
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in conducting evaluations and impact assessments, particularly learning focused evaluations;
• Proven experience  in conducting evaluations of EU-funded projects and programmes;
• Expertise in qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, sensitive to protection issues;
• Expertise in conducting participative evaluations;
• Strong familiarity with the international literature and issues related to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in humanitarian contexts;
• Familiarity with the socio-cultural context of Middle East and the cultural, political  and religious sensitivities relevant to the Syria crisis;
• Excellent writing and communication skills in Arabic and English (Reference and production of sample work required), preferably be a native Arabic speaker with sufficient experience in conducting focus group discussions in all settings;
• The capacity to write, analyse and synthesize complex information;
• Ability to work under strict and demanding timelines.

Timeframe of the consultancy and remuneration

The duration for the consultancy will not exceed 4 weeks with a maximum of 20 working days. The proposed dates for the consultancy are between 1^st September 2018 and the 31^st October 2018.

The final amount charged for the consultancy should include transport, food and accommodation costs, fees, taxes or any other deductions made by the consultant and others who may be required in order to provide secretarial services. Where travel is required, Trócaire regulations will apply to the reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses.

Application and Selection Process

Applicants will be required to review the project proposal and prepare an inception report, clearly outlining the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, methodology, work plan, and team composition, as well as a financial proposal answering to these terms of reference (no more than 5 pages)

Applicants should also provide:

• Up-to-date Curriculum Vitae(s);
• A sample of written reports from similar assignments produced by the applicant as the principal investigator or primary author;
• Two verifiable referees.

All applications will be appraised according to the following criteria:

Item

Appraisal Allocation

Proposed methodology

40%

Proposed timeframe and work plan

10%

Financial proposal

20%

CV(s)

10%

Sample of previous work and references

20%

Applications should be submitted to [email protected] no later than 5pm p.m. on the 17^th of August 2018. Submissions received after this deadline will not be taken into consideration. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.