ToR: Mid-Term Evaluation for Inclusive Engagement for Change Project

Terms
of Reference – Mid-Term Evaluationfor

Inclusive
Engagement for Change Project

1.
Background

Period
being evaluated:
January 2016 – September 2017

Dates
of the evaluation: October
2017

Project
title: Inclusive
Engagement for Change Project in Rwanda

Project
intervention zones:
Three Districts -Bugesera, Huye and Nyamagabe

Project
duration:3
years (January 2016 – December 2

018)

With
funding from European Commission in Rwanda, International Alert and Pro-Femmes
TweseHamwe are implementing the Inclusive Engagement for Change Project
(IE4CP). This project seeks to address sustainable agriculture and food
security which are recognised as a priority in Rwanda’s Economic Development
and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II 2013-2018) and both expected to
stimulate economic growth and greatly contribute to poverty reduction. Alert’s
IEC4P project endeavours therefore to foster farmers’ participation in
agriculture planning and budgeting which will result in more ownership over
agriculture development programs. In achieving this, the project aims to have
three main expected results:

ER1.
Local CSOs increase capacities in agricultural planning, budgeting, monitoring
and evaluation

ER2.
Mutual accountability mechanisms are set up between local authorities, farmers
and civil society to improve food security

ER3.
Actionable recommendations from target districts inform national planning and
budgeting.

2.
Objectives of the evaluation

As
the project is 18 months into implementation, Alert is commissioning a mid-term
review of the project to understand the level of progress towards achieving its
expected results. Learning captured in the mid-term evaluation will be used to
adapt the remainder of the project to maximise its impact and effectiveness.

The
mid-term evaluation will also measure the quality of the work already
accomplished and the different approaches and methodologies used, in order to
formulate recommendations to improve the implementation of the project during
its last year.

Evaluation
criteria and key questions:

The
objective of the reviewis to assess the result and thechange brought by the
project in terms of:

Achievement
against the indicators and expected results in the logframe, as per the
contract with the donor
Actual
impact within the communities we work with
Spill-over
impact to nearby communities
Change
at district level both at district management and Joint action development
forum
An
assessment of the project methodology and the links between methods used
and impact achieved
Recommendations
for betterment of the remaining period of implementation.

Review Criterion	Key questions
Relevance	What is the relevance of the intervention as perceived by the local population, beneficiaries and external observers?
Effectiveness	Are interventions reaching targeted population? To what extent were the objectives achieved? What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives? What are the, direct and indirect, positive and negative, intendedand unintended results? What changes can be ascertained in attitudes or agriculture practices in target communities?
Sustainability	What is the probability that the benefits of the project continue after donor funding? What should be done to ensure sustainability after donor funding?
Impact	What has happened as a result of the project so far? What real difference has the activity made to the beneficiaries? How many people have been affected? Has the intervention impacted service delivery at the district or national level? What should be done to increase the impact of the project in the remaining period

3.
Methodology and scope of work

The
study design and methodology proposed by the consultant will be discussed and
agreed with the project team and with the implementing partners at the
beginning of the consultancy. The consultant will use different data collecting
methods: desk review, direct observation during field visits, quantitative
survey, interviews, and focus group discussions. The mid-term evaluation will
collect the mid-term data for the project’s key indicators.

The
methodology will follow the following steps:

Preparatory
phase:
Key documents of the project will be submitted to the consultant including
project proposal, log frame, budget, 2016 annual report, baseline survey
report, activity reports, Capacity needs assessment conducted for partner
CSOs, and monitoring data. Following this, the consultant will draft a
revised methodology plan, work plan and tools, which will be reviewed and
finalised with the project team including methodology and planning
meetings with Alert and Pro-Femmes.) This methodology should be both
quantitative and qualitative incorporate the indicators and questions
referred to above.

The
consultant will:

Do
a desk review of all documentation
Prepare
a work plan jointly with the project team
Finalise
methodology of the study, including but not limited to the finalisation of
the sample size, the development of the questionnaires for the focus group
discussions and qualitative interviews and the finalization of the
questionnaires for the quantitative survey.
Field
work:
Field work will take place in a selection of sectors in Bugesera, Huye and
Nyamagabe. During the field work, and with the support of the project team
and the civil society partners, the consultant will:
Train
data collectors o Field test the questionnaire
Supervise
data collection
Supervise
data entry

The
project team will provide lists of stakeholders and beneficiaries of the
project for the consultant to select from.

Data
analysis:of
qualitative and quantitative data in collaboration with the data
collection team and the project team. This analysis should include any
analysis of contradictions that might arise between the quantitative and
qualitative data collected. Where contradictions do arise, it is expected
that the consultant offers hypotheses grounded in evidence as to why such
contradictions exist.

Restitution:
At the end of the fieldwork and before submitting the draft report, the
consultant will lead a restitution workshop with key project stakeholders
to present their initial observations, conclusion and recommendations,
with a dedicated session on ideas about rooms for improvement in the remaining
period.
Draft
report
Final
report:
taking into consideration two rounds of comments from the project team and
partners. Creative ways to present the findings would be encouraged. The
project team, including the project manager, the project officers, a
monitoring and evaluation officer, and the London-based design and M&E
team, would accompany the consultant throughout the implementation of all
these tasks.

The
main body of the report, in Word format, should be between 20 and 25 pages
(excluding the appendices/annexes) and is to include the following elements:

Contents
table
Executive
Summary
Introduction
List
of Acronyms
Background
(description of the project)
Evaluation
objectives and criteria
Methodology
and challenges
Main
results and analysis, clearly responding to the review criteria and key
questions in the TOR and referring to the project’s results and indicators
Conclusions
and recommendations, focusing on improvement for the remaining period

Annexes:
3 case studies that demonstrate lessons learnt review or, meeting calendar,
tools used in review (question guides, questionnaires, and observation grids),
and list of documents consulted, updated project log frame summarising
achievement of results and performance indicators

4.
Evaluation Timing and Duration

The
evaluationwill take place in October 2018. It is expected to take 50 days.

The
precise timing will be discussed and agreed with the consultant

5.
Support and resources to be provided by Alert

The
consultant will be supervised by the project manager. Alert will provide and
fund logistical support. All normal office facilities and supplies will be
provided – but the consultant will provide his/her own computer.Alert will
provide interpretation services if needed. Alert will also provide all key
documents such necessary to perform the assignment, at least two weeks prior to
the start of the fieldwork, to be provided by the project manager.

6.
Required skills and experience

We
are looking for a consultant (or a consultancy firm) which meets the following
requirements:

MA
University degree in relevant field (peace studies, political science,
anthropology, international relations, development studies)
At
least 5 years of progressively relevant professional working experience in
the field of dialogue, governance, development and/or peacebuilding, and
proven experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative research, and
specifically conducting baseline studies or evaluations
Experience
with quantitative data analysis software, or possibility to subcontract
work
Excellent
working knowledge and writing skills inEnglish
Excellent
report writing skills
Knowledge
of the socio-cultural, economic and political context of the Rwanda, and
in particular governance and dialogue processes
Ideally
some knowledge of agriculture and food security sectors in Rwanda
Knowledge
and experience of gender sensitive approaches

7.
Application process

To
apply, please submit expressions of interest by email toInternational Alert’s
Country Coordinator at Rwanda@international-alert.org.
Applications should be received before the 4th October 2017. The
expression of interest should include:

A
detailed and updated CV
A
suitability statement
Proposal
for the evaluation methodology, including draft work plan incorporating
the various steps of the review/evaluation
A
financial proposal containing a proposed daily fee. Please note that Alert
will provide all local transport in Rwanda, accommodation, and other
research field costs (such as room hire for data collectors training and
FGD, paying data collectors and covering transport for participants of
FGD)
3
references from organizations that have contracted the consultant proving
ability to carry out an evaluation
Two
examples of previous evaluation reports