Do you have a strong track record in evaluation of humanitarian and development programs and awareness of community-level development, with focus on WASH and DRR themes?
And are you able to provide programmatic recommendations to a variety of stakeholders?
You may be the consultant we are looking for!
Since 2011, Mission East has been a PATRIP Foundation partner in WASH and DRR interventions with a special focus on the border communities of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Mission East’s aim is to respond to community needs by assisting communities in organizing and assisting themselves, both through local partners and directly. Mission East is certified compliant with the Core Humanitarian Standard, is a signatory to the Red Cross Code of Conduct and applies the Sphere standards in its work.
Mission East is seeking to hire a consultant to evaluate its project, “Strengthening WASH & DRR Infrastructure in Border Communities of Rushon and Shughnan District in Tajikistan,” implemented in the GBAO region of Tajikistan. The project, which aims to enhance the health and resilience of selected border communities through improved water and sanitation infrastructure, promoting hygiene behaviour change, and increasing disaster resilience, is set to conclude in November 2024.
Terms of Reference
Specific objective of the project/outcome/impact:
To contribute to improving the overall health and resilience of border communities through provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services and disaster preparedness assistance.
As consultant, your objectives will be:
- Assess how the activities undertaken by the project have led to the achievement of its results and objectives and with what degree of (cost) efficiency.
- Measure the effectiveness of the project activities in empowering the primary target group of the project, namely, rural communities and within that, vulnerable members such as women, girls, PWDs, especially with regards to helping them to meet their WASH needs and reduce vulnerability to disease and malnutrition.
- Assess the unintended positive or negative consequences of project activities and get beneficiary/community feedback regarding efficiency and quality of assistance received in terms of implementation and ease of access to available services.
- Measure relevance of action at community and household level: did the project correctly identify and address the priority needs for each of its different target groups and was the modality of implementation adopted well suited to beneficiary needs and preferences?
- Evaluate the impact of the programme in building sustainability, community ownership and social cohesion in targeted communities. Did the project address intra-community needs/issues/tensions that may pre-condition the impact of activities on building social cohesion and trust? What was beneficiary/community/stakeholder perception of the process? Did they feel that this was a participatory process? Was it inclusive for different groups especially women and girls? Were dispute resolution mechanisms put in place at the community level?
- How agile, flexible and adaptable were processes and systems to accommodate any changes in planned programming?
- Identify good practices, lessons learned, failures and areas of improvement which can be used for improving and strengthening (i) overall project design and the linkages between different project components, and (ii) the community engagement approach adopted and how this could be improved to build local community and government capacity and agency?
- How the sustainability of the project results is being ensured?
We expect you to deliver following outputs:
- Assessment of overall delivery of the project
- A final written Inception Report
- A final written External Project Evaluation Report outlining recommendations, findings, lessons learnt, and best practices etc.
- Annexes to the final evaluation report including data collection and evaluation methodology and tools (semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions, well-being and asset ranking exercises, outcome mapping etc. with different beneficiary/community groups) as well as lists of respondents, description of cases, lists of information materials used etc.
- A power-point presentation to disseminate the results of the evaluation to further promote learning and accountability through a joint call with Mission East Tajikistan and HQ staff.
More detail on the objectives and outputs of the consultancy will be discussed during interviews and after contracting stage.
The report produced by consultant should follow the Evaluation Report Guidance Note from Mission East, which will be shared with the selected consultant before signing the contract.
Methodology & Timeline
Timeline
The consultancy has been scoped for 15 days of work with the following provisional schedule:
The whole project evaluation process will take a maximum of 15 working days (excluding weekends) that include desktop research (1 day), preparation (1 day), field visits and work with communities, field office visit and meetings with beneficiaries and relevant Mission East staff (10 days), and report writing, debriefing and presentation (3 days).
The evaluation should start no later than 1st of November 2024. The final report will be submitted no later than 31st of December 2024.
Method of work
The consultant is envisaged to work via:
- Analysis of project secondary information i.e. project document, progress reports, training reports, etc
- Development of detailed checklist for each key evaluation questions
- Meeting with staff/field visit to Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). The consultant will meet with stakeholders and visit the project communities as well
- Post-evaluation de-briefing to Mission East in Dushanbe office
- Development of draft evaluation report against the evaluation objective
- Finalisation of report after receiving feedback and comments
- Presentation of the report
Background Information
Documents and materials related to programming in the selected countries will be made available to the consultant on signature of the Terms of Reference.
Logistical arrangements
The evaluation will be carried in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) of Tajikistan. Mission East will arrange travel and accommodation in Tajikistan during the field work. Mission East will also arrange translation services if required. Any other logistical arrangements (other than assignment related) will be the responsibility of the selected consultant.
Selection criteria:
- Qualifications Requirements for the Evaluation Consultant:
- Advanced university degree in social science, monitoring and evaluation, or any other relevant field.
- At least 10 years of relevant expertise and a demonstrated track record in program/project formulation and execution, including at least 5 years of experience conducting evaluations and reviews for international and local organizations (INGOs).
- Professional working experience demonstrating good understanding of evaluation and assessment techniques.
- Technical expertise and awareness of community-level development, humanitarian and development programs undertaken in rural areas, with focus on WASH and DRR themes.
- A thorough awareness of the local environment (in this case Tajikistan, particularly GBAO region)
- Knowledge of how to evaluate programs and initiatives using results-based techniques.
- Strong analytical capability, openness to adapt, and ability to absorb and incorporate feedback
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to adhere to agreed-upon schedules and fulfil deadlines to meet
- Excellent report writing skills
The final decision for this consultancy will be based on:
- Match with selection criteria
- Value for money
Other Requirements if selected:
- Mission East will require you to sign our organisational Code of Conduct.
- Mission East upholds high standards in Counter Terrorism (COTER) and sanctions regulation compliance. In view of the nature and location of Mission East’s work, Mission East will conduct background checks of the successful consultant, including checking through relevant sanctions lists.
- You will also be required to commit to the following clause relating to the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment : The consultant agree to actively prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), and to ensure, in the best possible way, that the intervention is carried out in an environment free of all kinds of exploitation, abuse and harassment, sexually or otherwise, especially in the case of particularly vulnerable groups.
- Mission East upholds high standards in all aspects of Safeguarding. In view of the nature of this role potentially requiring unsupervised access to vulnerable individuals (including situations where there are potential imbalances of power), you may be required to provide a certificate of good conduct.
Anti-Fraud Policy:
Mission East has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and fraud in all its forms. Mission East aims to prevent fraudulent activities and to respond to any allegations or potential fraud swiftly and effectively. In line with Mission East’s Anti-Fraud Policy, which can be viewed on Mission East’s website, Mission East requires the consultant to report any suspected fraud, waste, theft or abuse to Mission East. Any reports of such misconduct can be reported to Mission East headquarters through contact details on their website.
Exclusion criteria:
If any of the following situations, which are further detailed in the required Eligibility Statement, are true for the applicant at the time of submitting their application or at any time during the procurement process, they will be excluded from consideration for winning a contract with Mission East. The bidder may also be blacklisted for participation in future Mission East procurements.
- Violations of sanctions & support for terrorism
- Unacceptable interaction with Mission East
- Unethical practices by the bidder
- Unacceptable legal situation of the bidder
Applicants must complete and sign the ‘Consultant Statement Confirming Eligibility’ below and submit the signed ToR together with their application package to confirm that that they are not in one of the situations listed above. Even if such confirmation is given by a bidder, Mission East will investigate any of the situations listed above if it has reasonable grounds to doubt the contents of such confirmation.
Basis of payment:
A payment schedule is to be determined during contract negotiations.
Application
Deadline for application: 20 October 2024 midnight (CET)
If you have any questions about the position, please, contact Alex Ramos Peña, via arp@missioneast.org
How to apply
You apply by clicking on https://missioneast.bamboohr.com/careers/70 filling in the form and uploading:
- Cover letter explaining why you are the best fit to conduct this evaluation
- Consultancy proposal
- A track record of conducted studies, research, publication
- Detailed resume
- Financial Proposal (Please note that per-diems are not issued as part of consultancies with Mission East. Please take this into consideration in the financial proposal)
- Signed Consultant Statement Confirming Eligibility (see below, Annex 1)
- A signed copy of PATRIP’s Declaration of Undertaking (see attachment, Annex 2)
Annex 1.
Consultant Statement Confirming Eligibility:
By signing this Terms of Reference, the consultant certifies that that they are not in one of the situations listed above under ‘Exclusion Criteria’. The consultant also certifies that all the information provided, and any related documents submitted are truthful and correct at time of signature.
Name: _________________________ Signature:_________________________ Date: _______________
Annex 2.
PATRIP’s Declaration of Undertaking (Attached)
Remember to click on “Submit application” at the bottom of the page.
Mission East wants to promote equality and diversity, and we therefore encourage all qualified people to apply for the assignment – regardless of ethnic background, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or religion.
About us
Mission East is an international relief and development organisation working in crisis-affected countries in the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and Asia. We deliver emergency relief during disasters as well as long-term development assistance and are highly committed to our values. We are dedicated to empowering vulnerable individuals and marginalized communities, striving to uplift them from poverty and exclusion. Through direct engagement with those in need and collaborative efforts with local and international partners, we endeavor to enhance the effectiveness, reach, and long-term viability of our aid initiatives. Together, we are committed to creating positive change and fostering sustainable development for a brighter future.
Mission East is certified as compliant with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and member of the CHS Alliance. Mission East is a signatory to the Code of Conduct for Red Cross and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief, to the Charter4Change, and the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations.
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