Final Evaluation Study - Pathways for Peace

1. Context

The Project

The Pathways for Peace project supports community leaders (women, youth, traditional leaders, etc.) to effectively create opportunities for local dialogue, mediate community conflicts and tensions, and promote a shared vision, through two specific outcomes; 1) enhancing the capacity of local leaders (formal and informal actors) in conflict analysis, dialogue and conflict mitigation in target communities; 2) promoting collaboration in target communities around shared interests to constructively address points of conflicts. This is being  achieved through a capacity building training for local leaders to increase their skills in conflict analysis, as well as facilitation and dialogue, enabling them to implement effective local dialogue processes in their communities to address pressing local issues. It is also promoting collaboration with local civil society organisations (CSOs) to conduct community initiatives in target areas intended to strengthen inter- and intra-community cooperation to enhance community resilience to communal tensions. The results will be reflected in a facilitated pathways for peace workshop to promote cross-learning and empower local leaders to mitigate conflicts in their community of origin. If local leaders (formal and informal leaders) are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to identify conflict dynamics and entry points for peace in target communities, and if they leverage these skills and relationships to promote an enabling and safe environment for inter-communal cooperation, then communities will become more cooperative and more resilient to tensions and violence through the implementation of collaboratively designed local initiatives which will enable them to build peace from the ground-up in their communities.

Target Group

The project targets numerous beneficiaries. The primary target groups are 24 local leaders, including 10 male local leaders and 14 female local leaders representing different socioeconomic backgrounds and age ranges. The secondary target groups are the wider members of target communities in addition to the local civil society organizations (CSOs).

2. Goal and Objectives of Study

Search is seeking a consultancy team/firm that can conduct an summative Endline study of the status of collaboration among local leaders and community members and its effects on addressing points of conflicts and mitigating future ones while leveraging intercommunal relations based on shared interests as a result of porject’s inputs towards promoting a sustainable peace.

The Endline Study should enable Search to inform future programme design and will assess the overall success and effectiveness of the implemented project. In specific terms, The Endline Study has the following objectives:

• Assess the intended (according to the project’s logical framework) and the unintended outcomes and determine Search’s contribution to identified changes.
  • Update the Project’s logframe and indicators with End-line values.
• Assess whether the project had produced the effects as envisioned in the Theory of Change in addition to assessing the project’s Relevance, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Impact, and Sustainability as per The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) evaluation criteria in addition to the overall project’s adaptability;
• Assess the level of changes in knowledge and capacities of local leaders; and
• Capture good practices, compile lessons learned throughout the lifespan of the project and draw recommendations to inform future programme design in a similar context.

This endline study is expected to give specific focus on assessing the effectiveness of the activities towards achieving the objectives and outcomes of the project. The activities conducted are 1) capacity-building workshops on conflict analysis, facilitation and dialogue, 2) community conflict analysis to identify and prioritize key conflicts, 3) facilitation of local dialogues in cooperation with local CSOs, 4) community initiatives intended to strengthen inter- and intra-community cooperation enhancing community resilience to communal tensions, and 5) Pathways for Peace workshop to reflect on the concrete steps that have successfully mitigated tensions in the communities.

3. Key Questions of the Study

End-line Questions

The Endline study should support the team to answer the key questions listed below. The study is expected to prioritize collecting feedback from direct and indirect beneficiaries including local leaders, CSOs, and community members.

• Relevance:
  • To what extent did the intervention’s objectives and design respond to the local leaders' needs related to strengthening their capabilities in order to sustain their operationality?
  • To what extent did the community-level conflict analysis identify and prioritise key conflicts in the relevant communities?
  • To what extent has ‘do no harm’, conflict sensitivity and barriers been taken into consideration in the design and implementation and what are the effects?
  • Have experiences from previous interventions been used successfully to improve the overall quality of the project?
• Effectiveness and Impact:
  • To what extent has intervention been effective in meeting the essence of the Theory of Change and achieving its results and planned outcomes?
  • What unintended outcomes (positive and negative) emerged from project implementation?
  • What factors (positive and negative) have had the greatest influence on the achievement of results?
  • To what extent has the intervention been able to contribute to longer-term effects (impact)?
  • Was the level of partnership(s) with local leaders and CSOs appropriate to support the effective achievement of the intervention’s objectives?
• Efficiency and Value for Money:
  • To what extent have resources been allocated and utilised in an efficient manner to achieve value-for-money?
    • How efficient was the delivery of the intervention in terms of expenditure and implementation of activities?
• Sustainability:
  • To what extent are the benefits of the program likely to sustain in the long term? What are the main factors behind this?
• Cross Cutting Issues:
  • To what extent have gender issues, Do No Harm, and conflict sensitivity been taken into consideration in design and implementation and what are the effects?
• Lessons Learned:
  • What lessons can be learned or good practices can be identified from the implementation of the project

4. Geographic Locations

These will be shared with the shortlisted firms but includes locations in the MENA region.

5. Methodology and Data Collection Tools

The Endline Study will utilise a mixed method approach consisting of both qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary data collections. The Endline study will be conducted to triangulate data from multiple sources and stakeholders in order to infer reliable findings. In addition to the proposed conventional approach and  using the evaluation questions (section 3) , the consultancy team is expected to integrate and apply, where feasible, ‘Outcome Harvesting’ techniques. The level of integration should be defined clearly in the proposed methodological approach in their technical proposal.

Firstly, the consultant(s) will review key project documents including the proposal, MEL framework, logframe and set meetings with key personnel to better understand the project, its goal and activities. The consultancy firm is expected to review the above background documentation as part of the desk review phase of the study.

Secondly, the consultant will utilise monitoring and evaluation primary data that was formerly collated by project staff including activity surveys and assessments, baseline data, project quarterly reports, etc. In addition, the consultancy firm will rely heavily on the completed Baseline Study to facilitate reliable judgments on what has changed.

Thirdly, the consultancy firm will develop quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and collect data in the form of surveys, interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and possibly case studies using a solid sampling approach and participatory methods with project beneficiaries and other stakeholders. The consultant(s) shall additionally propose the team set up for data collection (if necessary).

The methodology and data collection tools need to be validated by Search’s MEAL Manager.

The consultant(s) are also required to develop a detailed evaluation matrix with judgment criteria that captures the study’s objectives and evaluation question of which will guide the evaluation process into reliable judgments and outcomes.

Data collection, analysis and the results should represent Inclusiveness—the methodology should include a wide range of viewpoints, specifically gender and age-sensitivity when applicable.

6. Deliverables

Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline nad budget:

• An inception report detailing the methodology, data collection tools and timeline;
• Any necessary training of data collectors or set-up of systems for data collection;
• Supervision and participation in data collection;
• Oversight of data coding and analysis;
• All original data submitted to Search;
• A draft endline report in English for review by Search staff and partners; and
• A final report in English (40 pages max in length, excluding appendices) consistent with Search branding and standards for evaluation. The report:
  • Uses the Search reporting template unless otherwise agreed in the contract
  • Provides a clear connection between the conflict or context assessment and the intended results, articulate the project’s ToC, and include other relevant project specifics
  • Fully explains the objectives and research questions of the study, limitations and methods chosen for analysis,
  • Findings respect Search’s evaluation standards, are structured around the main objectives of the study, and are presented in relation to the intended target groups. The findings should speak to the link between the project, it’s Theory of Change and its contribution to our strategy. It should explain adaptations that occurred during the project and their impact on results.
  • Recommendations should have a clear audience and be specific, accessible, and actionable.
  • Indicator table showing all indicators
  • Appendices should include detailed research instruments, list of interviewees, terms of references and evaluator(s) brief biography.
• A one to two page document with key project lessons that Search can use in its business development efforts
• A PowerPoint presentation and the actual presentation of results to Search and the donor.

7. Logistical Support

The firm/consultant(s) will be responsible for organising their own logistics for data collection, and this must be budgeted into the financial proposal. Search can provide support in arranging interviews (if applicable).

In addition, Search and partners will share the following elements with the external consultant(s): Background materials including the project proposal and logframe, etc.

8. Ethical Considerations

The consultancy should take consideration of the rights of participants in line with the ethical codes and guidelines of research. The participants should be asked to provide their consent and made aware that their identities would not be revealed. Cultural rights will be respected; minors below 18 years of age would not be assessed while collected data would be protected for confidentiality all through the data management process.

The firm/consultants are required to respect the following ethical principles:

• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
• Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
• Respect for people: Consultant should respect the security, dignity and self-worth of the respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

The assignment should take into account precautionary measures to avoid COVID-related complications during data collection. These measures should ensure social distancing and remote interactions where possible. Therefore, applicants are kindly required to integrate a detailed multiple scenario strategy in their proposed methodologies and work plans that would ensure  efficacy in the delivery of the assignment and allow for flexibility to switch between different modalities (i.e., to virtual data collection and vice-versa) whenever there is a need to do so.

9. Data Quality Assurance and Management

All deliverables will be reviewed and approved by the country office and global Institutional Learning Team prior to acceptance of the final product. The consultant(s) are also required to develop a clear and rigorous quality control plan during the inception phase of which will be implemented and deployed throughout all phases of the evaluation process to ensure reliability and validity of findings.

10. Timeline

The evaluation timeline is expected to be kicked off by 15 June 2021 and concluded before 15 August 2021 by submitting the final deliverables requested above.

11.Budget
The total budget available for this study is 17,000 USD. A detailed budget should be provided, including daily rates for personnel, and costs related to data collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection, etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables.

12. Requirements of Consultant

Education:

• Lead consultants must have at  least a Master’s degree (PhD preferable) in research methods and/or evaluations, development, conflict or peacebuilding, M&E or any related social sciences.

Skills and experience:

The following skills and experience are expected by Search for our evaluator for this project:

• Excellent proficiency in English and Arabic (written (including professional English reporting) and spoken);
• More than five years of experience in programme/project evaluation, including collecting data in interviews, surveys and focus groups and analysis;
• Experience in conflict analysis and working with justice and civil society sectors;
• Experience working with international organizations;
• Experience conducting quantitative surveys and analysis;
• Monitoring and Evaluation methods and data collection skills; and
• Familiarity and experience with contextual challenges in the geographic location(s) where the study will take place.

13. Selection Criteria

Consultant proposals will be selected for:

1. Relevance of proposed methodology to the goal, objectives, and research questions for the project.
2. Quality of proposed methods, conflict sensitivity approaches, and quality control measures.
3. Qualifications of the candidate(s).
4. Proposed budget in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team.
5. Timeline for proposed activities.
6. Having previous experience working in MENA countries is an addition