Consultant for Final Project Evaluation (m/f/d) – Lebanon At Democracy Reporting International

I- Background:
Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation
registered in Berlin. Democracy Reporting International promotes political participation of citizens,
accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide.

With support from the German Federal Foreign Office, DRI in the framework of its Lebanon project
“Supporting Decentralisation – Phase III: Accountable, Inclusive and Effective Governance in
Lebanon ”from January 2020 till December 2021, has been working on strengthening inclusive
engagement of citizens, local and national stakeholders in effective decentralization reform, through
advising on legal reforms, building capacities and establishing active platforms between government
and citizens.

The project results cover three tracks: I- Supporting Legal Reform for Effective and Accountable
Governance, with the aim of supporting Legal reforms to local governance in an inclusive manner and
in accordance with good governance principles; II- Building Awareness and Capacity on Accountable
Governance, by enhancing the capacity of public and civil society actors for informed engagement
in accountable decentralisation; III- Facilitating Local and National Platforms for Participatory,
Inclusive and Accountable Policymaking with the objective of building inclusive platforms with and
between citizens and government built at the local, regional and national level.

DRI has collaborated with a large number of stakeholders at the local and national levels of
government, including municipalities, relevant civil society actors, and politically marginalised groups,
such as youth and women.

DRI is currently recruiting a Short-Term Consultant to design and conduct a Final Project Evaluation
of its project implemented by its Country Office in Beirut, Lebanon. The assignment can be conducted
in person or remotely, candidates based in Lebanon are preferred.

II- Key purpose of the assignment:
The final project evaluation’s purpose is to document learning, gauge effectiveness of DRI’s
programming approach and activity implementation. In particular, the final project evaluation will: (1)
focus on assessing the project’s performance against its main objectives (impact/outcome/output
evaluation), and (2) review and evaluate how the project was implemented (process evaluation).

The consultant will be required to assess the project against the OECD-DAC criteria of relevance,
effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project interventions. The
consultant should also review the effectiveness of gender and social inclusion in the project’s delivery.
A participatory approach is advised with triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data, featuring
learnings and measuring to which extent the intervention has led to the desired impact or change.

DRI Lebanon will provide the consultant with the relevant project documents and MEL data to conduct
a desk review and facilitate online or offline interviews and focus groups with stakeholders including
beneficiaries and local partners.

Depending on covid-19 travel restrictions, the interviews and focus groups can be conducted online
or offline. If travel is possible, accommodation and domestic travel expenses will be covered by DRI.
International travel expenses will not be covered in this assignment. The evaluator should outline in
their methodology how they will be flexible to adapt their methodology depending on contextual
challenges .e.g. fuel shortages, electricity cuts, covid-19 health & safety considerations (e.g. using a
decision tree). The evaluator should be open to using innovative data collection tools and methods to
actively engage and ensure adequate representation of beneficiaries and partners in the data
collection methods.

A mixed method approach should be used for the evaluation where qualitative as well as quantitative
data will be collected or analysed to inform the findings. An analysis of the following data sources is
required:
• desk review (activity reports, MEL data, any secondary sources, etc)
• interviews & focus group discussions (at least two focus group discussions with women &
youth participants, at least 12 interviews with stakeholders from civil society, partner
organisations, municipalities, DRI staff members and parliamentary stakeholders)
Travels, Transportation, accommodation expenses, and meals for the expert shall not be covered by
DRI.
Under the supervision of DRI’s Country Representative and in close coordination with DRI Lebanon’s
MEL Focal Point:

III- Specific Objectives:
• Evaluate the extent to which the project has met its expected results as per the project’s
logical framework;
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project and provide recommendations regarding
areas for improvement in future programming;

• Formulate lessons learnt from the project’s implementation and introduce recommendations
to improve design and delivery of a potential similar project.
• Evaluate if indicators, MEL methodologies and approaches were appropriate.
• Identify success stories and significant changes, and clearly describe the role of the partners.
• Identify opportunities for the sustainability of the project outcomes.
• If possible, visits to project stakeholders and participatory analysis of findings with project
beneficiaries.
• Assess the extent of gender and diversity mainstreaming in the project design and
implementation and provide recommendations as to how to improve results and outcomes in
this regard.

IV- Deliverables:
• Methodology (maximum 5 pages) that provides the basis for your final evaluation of DRI’s
project, to be approved by DRI before proceeding with data collection. The methodology
should include evaluation questions based on the OECD DAC criteria, outline the overall
evaluation approach and data collection methods. In addition to outlining the timeframe of
the mission and submission of deliverables.
• Draft evaluation report– a maximum of 30 pages excluding the annexes should be
submitted within a maximum of 15 days after finalising the desk review and interviews with
staff and stakeholders. The report should be produced in English.
• Final evaluation report – a finalised report should be submitted within a maximum of 5
working days as of receiving DRI’s comments on the first draft.
• Presentation of the report and lessons learnt workshop with DRI staff.
The below breakdown is provided to guide the draft methodology. The exact timeline and number of
days will be discussed with the consultant once selected.

V- Qualifications:
• University degree in political or social science, international development, or other relevant
fields;
• 5 to 8 years of work experience as a MEL consultant in the international development sector
and/or policy related field;
• Demonstrated experience in evaluating programmes, including feedback on M&E frameworks,
processes, and tools, and providing lessons learned;
• Understanding of challenges of doing MEL in democracy support programming is an asset;

• Proficient IT skills and English language.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Cultural and gender sensitivity;
• Experience in working on projects based in Lebanon is a strong asset;
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic.
DRI values diversity and aims to be an equal opportunities employer. Women are encouraged to
apply!