RFP – Local Impact, Review of HCD Approach

Learning Review of HCD Approach being Implemented under Local Impact Program

INTRODUCTION

Founded and guided by His Highness the Aga Khan, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of development agencies with mandates that include the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, the promotion of private sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities. It brings together number of development agencies, institutions, and programs that work primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. A central feature of AKDN’s approach to development is to design and implement strategies in which its different agencies participate in particular settings to help those in need achieve a level of self-reliance and improve the quality of life. AKDN agencies conduct their programs without regard to faith, origin or gender and have decades of experience in integrating economic, social and cultural development.

One of the specialized agencies of the AKDN is the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), which brings together human, financial, and technical resources to address some of the challenges faced by the poorest and most marginalized communities in the world. Special emphasis is placed on investing in human potential, expanding opportunity and improving overall quality of life, especially for women and girls. AKF works in an integrated way in primarily in six areas: Agriculture and Food Security; Economic Inclusion; Education; Early Childhood Development; Health and Nutrition; and Civil Society.

In partnership with the Local Impact Project, in 2021, our Global Learning Partner co-developed a framework to evaluate the extent to which Human Centered Design (HCD) approach has imparted new mindsets, abilities, and ways of working. The HCD measuring framework also aims to evaluate the intended impacts HCD processes and solutions on project outcomes in terms of real-life and potential benefits innovative approaches and processes such as HCD. The HCD measuring framework is an integral part of Local Impact’s MERL system. Alongside Local Impact’s Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF), the HCD measuring framework aimed at better measuring the effectiveness of the HCD processes as well as its outcomes.

AKF is seeking services of a research and evaluation organization to ascertain learnings from implementation of the HCD measuring framework. Assessing learnings from implementation of the HCD measuring work, the service provider is expected to generate actionable and credible evidence and learnings to help Local Impact informed decision making for better implementation of the approach in the years ahead. It is expected that the assignment will start in January 2024 and is expected to be completed within five-six months.

LOCAL IMPACT OVERVIEW

Working together through a co-created, co-funded, and community-centered agreement, AKF and USAID are implementing Local Impact, a multiyear, multi-sector, multi-country partnership to achieve transformational development outcomes. Local Impact is a Leader with Associates (LWA) award that works with communities to:

1. catalyze inclusive economic growth and ensure basic livelihoods;
2. enhance infrastructure and access to basic services with a focus on clean energy;
3. enhance the capacity of citizens and local institutions; and
4. promote pluralism and social cohesion.

Under Local Impact, AKF and USAID engage locally, regionally, and globally and align on shared priorities. Once priorities are identified, AKF and USAID begin identifying and defining the problem and co-creating the solutions with key stakeholders including local communities, the private sector, local governments, and other donors and relevant partners. Through the co-creation process, AKF utilizes human-centered design tools and processes such as design research (including existing studies, reports, and data) and prototyping and testing solutions directly with users. Through this process, Local Impact mobilizes communities, taps into existing productive efforts at the grassroots level, scales programming on the ground, addresses drivers of unproductive social behavior, and draws out the entrepreneurial spirit and strengths of civil society and the private sector.

Before moving to scale, AKF and USAID will work with the target audience to ensure the solutions work. By piloting, testing, and iterating, AKF and USAID will learn quicker and fail faster, in the way that enterprises iterate solutions to problems that emerge for faster scaling. By learning what doesn’t work through testing and piloting, the result is far more likely to be sustainable and achieve the intended goals. For the pilot, testing, and iteration phase, AKF, USAID, and relevant stakeholders—together—can either propose an Associate Award with funding clearly identified from a Mission, or they can call on a pilot pool under the Leader Award to test the solution.

Local Impact is currently being implemented in Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan and is its 4th year of programming.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Research and Evaluation Organization through this learning review is expected to generate evidence in the following areas:.

1. Application of HCD Methodologies Case Studies assess how design teams applied HCD methodologies as well as the effects or changes experienced among design team members (and stakeholders engaged in the design process, potentially) as a result of those methodologies.
2. HCD-Led Solution Effectiveness Evaluations consider the immediate results and effectiveness of solutions developed using HCD methodologies.
3. Understanding HCD Relative to Other Methodologies Studies look at the effectiveness of HCD solutions, the cost, timeliness, and overall value for money relative to similar interventions designed using non-HCD methodologies.
4. Review the HCD measurement framework for its relevance and coherence and provide recommendations on course-correction and further implementation.
5. Establish/strengthen relevant evaluation design to better assess the effectiveness and impacts of HCD approach.

The Research and Evaluation organization will:

1. Implement a measuring framework that can help Local Impact evaluate the impact of the Human-Centered Design (HCD) processes and solutions on project outcomes in order to better understand the real-life benefits that can be gained through the application of innovation processes such as HCD.
2. Will employ a broad array of contextually relevant data collection tools such as (1) surveys, (2) key informant and stakeholder interviews, (3) observation studies reflection processes; (4) co-design workshops and processes, (4) and structured review of materials.
3. Will co-reviewed and analyzed the data through (1) collaborative analysis and interpretation processes; (2) benchmarking case studies and (3) contribution analysis to generate communication products that are tailored to resonate with target audiences.
4. Will generate evidence of the impacts of the HCD process by measuring aspects such as:

• changes in working culture (factors such as motivation, team collaboration and alignment, engagement and trust)
• changes in the project outcomes (improved quality of choices, reduce risk and cost of failure)
• changes in capacities (changes in capacity for collective action and problem solving, increased access to networks and pooled resources)
• changes in mindsets (increased value of diversity and pluralism as drivers leading to better innovation outcomes; encourages learning mindset and action orientation)

1. Will engage multiple stakeholders including the country leadership team, Local Impact leadership team, country project management team, innovation team, design team, MERL team, community-based stakeholders, partner organizations, on-ground staff, local community members and the end-beneficiaries of the solution for a comprehensive and holistic assessment.
2. Will generate impactful, actionable evidence that supports Local Impact in assessing whether investment in innovation/co-creation has helped us achieve marginally/significantly better solution or increase in capacity of community to design and manage their own solution, which drives local impact, economic growth, quality of life, or social cohesion. This might include benchmarking the intervention against similar intervention conceived using traditional methodology to compare and contrast results.

The study will include following components for data collection:

• Collection of quantitative and qualitative data through key staff/team member interviews
• Collection of quantitative and qualitative data through key informant and stakeholder interviews
• Collection of quantitative and qualitative data through community beneficiary interviews
• Collection of Baseline and Endline data from beneficiaries of selected HCD pilots PMF
• Collection of quantitative Facility data (Facility Assessment) of sampled facilities
• Collection and analysis of secondary sources

The following indicators are expected to be collected through the interviews of team member and beneficiaries:

QUALITATIVE INDICATORS

% of project beneficiaries reporting improvements in their quality of life as a result of project interventions.

% of women able to access to program relevant locations, businesses or services, within and outside their residential locality on their own

% of individuals with better employment following participation in USG-assisted workforce development programs

% of trainees reported increased ability, skills and mindsets around HCD

% of project beneficiaries reporting increased participation in decision making at the community level

Additional indicators shall be added to the RFP based on the selection of the specific HCD solutions for the study.

HCD solutions shall be studied at three levels, first, those at the planning phase, second, during the execution/implementation phase and third those completed the pilot phase. Three different types of

KEY ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES

The key deliverables expected from the Research and Evaluation Organization for this assignment are as follows:

• Review the HCD Measuring Framework and relevant innovation documents, studies and other data sources relevant to HCD work the three countries, including performance indicators and definitions identified in the project Performance Measurement Framework[1].
• Study Plan/Inception Report[2]: a detailed study plan/inception report and work plan is to be produced including the following elements:
• Study design and methodology, including sampling strategy and proposed sample size for quantitative components
• Sampling strategy for qualitative component, including individual respondent selection and criteria for qualitative methodologies
• Data collection activities and approach
• Detailed work plan that includes all tasks by the Consultant and team members and incorporating the overall study timelines[3].
• Level of effort of each team member
• Ethical considerations
• Detailed study budget including professional fees, expected reimbursable, etc.
• A copy of quantitative and qualitative tools for data collection and plan for translation and/or back translation
• Review/Finalization of data collection tools: development of quantitative and qualitative tools for data collection and plan for translation and back translation. These tools will be reviewed during the inception phase and must be included in the inception report/work plan.
• Develop Enumerator Guidelines and Protocols for Data Collection
• Coordinate/Conduct Enumerator Training following a detailed agenda and outlining study protocols (this agenda should be included in the inception report)
• Ensure Data Entry Quality by reviewing initial data entry conducted at the country level and provide feedback to Country Study Leads, where applicable
• Analyze qualitative and quantitativedata. It is also expected that the Consultant will do a critical analysis of the data through statistical treatment and triangulation with other sources and literature review.
• Summary of all results to be used for external audiences.
• Draft and final Study Reports including Executive Summary and Full Consolidated Report. Final Report is to be submitted in both Word and PDF versions with all annexes and raw data files included. A suggested Table of Contents (ToC) will be provided by AKF.
• Copies of original and cleaned data sets including any field notes are to be submitted to AKF with the draft report.

QUALIFICATIONS OF Research and Evaluation Organization

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in administering studies, collecting data and producing quality baseline/end line study reports, preferably for international non- international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies and multi-country studies
• Human-centered design, design thinking, systems thinking or other innovative approaches.
• Engaging various stakeholders, from government to communities, in data interpretation processes
• Demonstrated experience in designing baseline and end line studies including proven experience in sound sampling, mixed method approaches (quantitative and qualitative), tool development, enumerator training, and writing comprehensive reports for a variety of internal and external stakeholders etc.
• Excellent facilitation skills and ability to recruit and manage facilitators for qualitative component.
• Experience working with complex, multi-stakeholder partnerships and alliances.
• Engaging various stakeholders, from government to communities, in data interpretation processes
• Experience of working with development agencies including donors and implementing partners.
• Capacity and ability to work in relevant local languages such as Russian, Kyrgyz and Tajik;
• Fluency in English is mandatory and familiarity with and understanding of Tajikistan, and Kyrgyz Republic is an asset.
• Designing dissemination products for multiple audiences
• Knowledge and experience in gender issues are highly preferred.
• Ability to produce high quality work under tight timeframes.

[1] A copy of the PMFs and other relevant documentation will be provided to the consultant prior to the inception meeting.

[2] The inception report is an elaborated version of the initial proposal submitted. A detailed outline for the inception report will be provided to the successful candidate(s) prior to the inception meeting.

[3] Timelines will need to be coordinated with AKF country office. AKF will facilitate this with the consultant.