External evaluation for the Nos Racines project At Volunteers

Project intervention areas

Greater Tunis
Bizerte
Sousse
Nabeul
Medenine
Gafsa
Jendouba
Beja
Kairouan

Chronological order of the call for tenders

The following schedule summarizes important dates in the tender process. Bidders must strictly adhere to these deadlines.

Announcement of the call for tenders: February 19, 2024

Deadline for written questions: February 26, 2024

Answers to questions/clarifications: March 1, 2024

Closing date of the call for tenders: March 15, 2024

Contract award (estimate): April 1, 2024

The above dates are subject to change at the sole discretion of Voluntas Advisory. Any modification will be published in an amendment to this call for tenders.

Project background and overview

Project Overview

The project was launched in March 2022 for an initial implementation period of 18 months, before extension for a final duration of 26 months, until the end of May 2024.

The project is implemented by Voluntas as lead partner, and ICCG and FACE as co-applicants, and in partnership with institutional and local stakeholders.

The overall objective of the action is to support the Tunisian population and the country’s institutions in their fight against the prevalence and rise of violent extremism in Tunisia. The program adopts a strategy aimed at integrating with the efforts deployed during previous IcSP initiatives and by existing programs, in order to increase the added value for the targeted populations and communities. The project adopts an integrated approach through action at the local, national and institutional scale targeting a panel of actors with complementary roles and responsibilities. At the local level, project actions are implemented in nine governorates.

The reference line (baseline) for the “Our Roots” project was finalized in November 2022 and the mid-term evaluation in August 2023. These documents, as well as other documents (activity reports, products produced, logical framework, theory of change, M&E documentation) will be communicated to the selected candidate during the initial/inception phase. The Nos Racines team will also assist in identifying and putting in contact with beneficiaries, partners, local organizations and institutions for the interviews planned as part of the data collection.

Project Components

Below are the main components of the project. The project started in March 2022 and activities are in the final phase. The final evaluation may be based on the mid-term evaluation and will pay particular attention to the activities carried out during the second period, but will also consider the project as a whole in order in particular to highlight the impact and lessons learned and to develop recommendations for future programs.

Prevention activities at local and community level (ICCG)

ICCG provides its local civil society partners with the means to lead a process of multi-partner community dialogues, thus enabling the establishment of trust between the main stakeholders (youth, local authorities, security forces, etc.) targeted by the project. This facilitates the common identification of priorities to combat risk factors leading to extremism and violence within these local communities. ICCG strives to encourage the role and participation of young people in promoting social cohesion in the digital space (digital peacebuilding) by strengthening their capacity to engage constructively on social networks in order to reduce risks polarization. ICCG also strengthens the capacities and means of action of women in the identification and prevention of early signs of vulnerability among young people with the support and collaboration of local women’s organizations and institutions in the target localities.

23 community dialogue sessions were conducted in six target regions , involving 367 participants (177 women and 190 men), including 121 young people. These events made it possible to bring together young people with community actors (local authorities, imams, security forces, local actors, etc.) to renew a dialogue, carry out a shared diagnosis of the community’s priorities and identify relevant initiatives.
6 community initiatives have been developed. They were designed by local associations to respond to indigenous and exogenous factors leading young people to violent extremism in their locality. The initiatives are diverse but share a common objective, that of fostering an inclusive environment, in which young people and the community have access to cultural, sporting and learning activities. The six associations also benefited from support and capacity building.
3 mothers’ brigades have been set up to play a key role in preventing extremist violence within their communities (Gafsa, Kairouan, Bizerte). Each brigade is made up of around fifteen working mothers and women, who have benefited from training and support on the mechanisms for detecting changes in young people’s behavior (marginalization, violence, etc.) and the response mechanisms. 56 cases have already been detected and treated by members. This pilot initiative aims to create discussion and early warning groups to encourage innovative prevention mechanisms in collaboration with local partners.
A dozen artistic works on local issues were created in a participatory manner in 6 localities . More than 160 people (including around a hundred young people) participated in this training process on issues of vulnerability and then co-creation with the technical support of communications professionals and a production company. These sessions resulted in a dozen consensual works with the aim of countering violent extremist discourse. The format of the works is varied, including podcasts, plays and videos. These works will be broadcast locally, nationally and digitally.
50 young people are equipped and networked to be actors in the consolidation of digital peace . During a first phase, 30 young influencers (15 women and 15 men) from Gafsa, Tunis and Bizerte were trained on the issues of fake news, misinformation and polarizing speeches. From this training, several digital campaigns were launched on social networks on various subjects such as gender equality and xenophobia. Secondly, around ten of these young people in turn became facilitators of a training program for 50 young participants (beneficiaries of other project activities) with the support of a group of experts . In addition, a free online platform has been designed to allow as many young people as possible to access educational resources intended to train new champions of critical thinking and information verification.
Social and professional integration (FACE)

FACE Tunisia aims to have an impact within communities as part of a local approach, by strengthening the resilience of people who are both most at risk of violent extremism but also have a key role to play in preventing violence. -even. The action helps promote the social and professional (re)integration of young Tunisians in vulnerable situations, with particular attention paid to women as well as young people leaving prison. The action also includes strengthening the capacities of local actors (institutional partners, CDIS), by giving them tools and means to better support young people. Finally, the involvement of the private sector in the socio-economic reintegration of young people in vulnerable situations (raising awareness among private companies with a view to recruiting young people) is a complementary component of this action.

More than 200 vulnerable young people were supported in their social and professional (re)integration. Based on support kits (common core and entrepreneurship + financial education) developed with a group of experts, more than 60 training workshops were carried out for young people identified by the Defense and Integration Centers social (CDIS). 119 young people also benefited from a return to professional training and around twenty returned to school studies. And around thirty selected young people are supported in the implementation of their professional project, through financial and technical support.
Mobilization and training of state and association supports. More than 170 people, from CDIS and civil society, were trained on the themes of entrepreneurship and financial education.
Facilitation of dialogues between private sector actors and institutions. Four workshops are planned between February and April on issues affecting professional reintegration.
Swarming and diffusion of tools. Beyond the educational kit on entrepreneurship and financial education, video capsules are being produced on specific aspects of entrepreneurship.

Institutional support

Voluntas supports the organization of coordination meetings involving donors and technical partners working on the theme of prevention of violent extremism (PEV) under the aegis of the National Commission for the Fight against Terrorism (CNLCT). This approach aims to support the CNLCT in its central role of coordinating PEV actions and implementing the new National Strategy (SNLCET). This initiative also aims to strengthen coordination between actors and the complementarity of funded PEV actions, as well as to contribute to increasing the impact of actions through a better vision of the actors present and their capacities. These coordination meetings are led by the CNLCT. Voluntas, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), supports the CNLCT in logistical and organizational aspects.

Evaluation Objectives

In order to independently evaluate the effectiveness of “Our Roots”, the implementation of its key activities and the level of success in achieving the planned results, the project team is looking for an evaluation service provider to conduct a final evaluation.

Interested parties are invited to submit structured, clear and detailed proposals to achieve the objectives of the final evaluation. Depending on the quality of the proposals and the nature of the proposed approaches, the project team will select the service provider best suited to the mission.

The general objectives of the external evaluation are as follows : Evaluate the results and sustainability of the activities implemented within the framework of the “Our Roots” project and their relevance to its theory of change (TOC):

Evaluate the contribution of “Our Roots” to the development of a multilateral approach to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and stabilization in the given context of the action,
Evaluate the methodology and execution of the “Our Roots” project based on the OECD-DAC criteria to draw lessons learned and propose recommendations, with particular attention to how the intervention implemented a conflict-sensitive approach (do no harm) as well as a gender perspective.

Methodology

This external evaluation is structured in three distinct phases: (1) an inception phase, (2) a data collection phase and (3) a report writing phase.

These terms of reference have been structured to define the objectives, the indicative evaluation questions, as well as the deliverables and expected deadlines for each of these three phases. The research questions were defined based on the OECD-DAC criteria. It should be noted that these questions are not final and are intended to provide general guidance.

Potential service providers interested in responding to these terms of reference will need to present a clear approach and methods for meeting the objectives of each of the three phases in their proposals.

Potential scope for final assessment:

The evaluation service provider will be expected to propose (i) an approach for refining and prioritizing evaluation questions in light of the evaluation objectives, (ii) a methodology for sampling and identification of data collection, and (iii) requirements for primary and secondary data necessary to robustly answer the evaluation questions.

Indicative evaluation questions for the final evaluation:

Relevance
To what extent are the results and impact of “Our Roots” consistent with the needs of beneficiaries and relevant to local needs?
Consistency
Internal coherence: to what extent are the activities of the different components of “Our Roots” coherent and complementary to each other?
External coherence: to what extent is “Nos Racines” compatible and complementary with other government and/or donor-funded EPI programs and interventions in Tunisia in target communities?
Efficiency
To what extent has the “Our Roots” project achieved its results?
To what extent was the project successful in reaching its target groups/beneficiaries?
Efficiency
How effective was the Our Roots team in using project resources to produce these results and ensure impact on target communities?

In addition to the indicative assessment questions above, it is expected that the assessment service provider will also consider several specific questions such as:

What obstacles did the “Nos Racines” team encounter in implementing the project?
How effectively did the project team monitor its performance and results?
To what extent do the community and institutional actors targeted by the project feel better equipped to respond to the risks of violent extremism?
To what extent do the community and institutional actors targeted by the project collaborate better in the context of preventing violent extremism?
To what extent has the project adopted a conflict-sensitive approach?
To what extent did the project consider a gender perspective?

Deliverables, Timeline by phase

**Inception phase/Inception (**Inception report, including refined methodology. Data collection instruments, Week 0-2)

Preliminary review of project documentation
Developing a data collection plan for the evaluation
Development of the tools necessary for data collection (FGD, KII, survey, etc.)
Propose and finalize the data management approach (data protection and confidentiality protocols, and data quality assurance).
Develop a detailed implementation schedule for the assessment with integrated risk analysis.
Translation of all questionnaires.

Data Collection Phase ( Data Transcriptions, Week 3-5)

Data collection in accordance with approved procedures and quality control mechanisms.
Data quality control and assurance

**Analysis and report (**Final report, Week 6-8)

Production of an evaluation report using a format/skeleton developed in coordination with the M&E team, including recommendations and a specific section on lessons learned
Presentation/validation workshop with the project team
Finalize the report based on the comments/feedback received.

Guiding Principles of Evaluation

The following principles underpin the collaboration between the evaluation service provider and the project team:

Collaboration : Working in close collaboration with the Nos Racines team. All stakeholders will work in an organized and timely manner to ensure constant collaboration with the person(s) carrying out the assessment.
Communication : Communication will be proactive between the Our Roots team and the evaluator to ensure effective joint planning, and timely sharing of updates on evaluation activities.
Cooperation: All methodological and operational issues will be resolved as they arise, in a timely and cooperative manner.
Confidentiality : Confidentiality of documents and information shared during the implementation and evaluation of Our Roots is paramount. The assessor must take appropriate measures to protect this information. Special precautions will be taken when storing and transferring personally identifiable information (PII) of beneficiaries and partners.

Other requirements

The tender is open to individual bidders. Organizations/small teams of experts may also be selected if budgetary requirements are met.

Experience and abilities:

At a minimum, a Master’s degree in a relevant field of study (e.g., social sciences, international business, law, and other related fields).

At least 5 years of documented experience in evaluation, including the development of quantitative and qualitative tools, data collection, data analysis, and writing evaluation reports.

Experience in evaluation for development projects managed by one or more of the following institutions: NGOs, the United Nations, governments, etc.

Experience in research related to ENP, youth vulnerability, gender, human rights…

Experience and in-depth understanding of the Tunisian context.

Written and oral mastery of the French and Arabic languages.

Technical and financial proposals:

Applicants must submit their technical and financial proposals separately.

The technical proposal must include the following information:

A cover letter presenting the service provider’s expertise in the themes and areas mentioned above. Applicants must also provide examples of previous assessments completed either individually (for individual consultants) or in teams (for organizations) as well as a resume detailing work experience relevant to this assignment and contacts for 3 references .

An evaluation approach with methodological details (with a proposal for an evaluation framework based on the indicative research questions mentioned in these ToR with an overview of the necessary data collection modes)

The financial proposal must include the following information:

A detailed budget for each of the evaluation phases.

The project budget should be broken down by the activities undertaken and the working days required to complete them. The contract is expected to last two months and the maximum number of working days is 50 days.

Evaluation criteria

General understanding of the terms of reference (TOR) and clarity of the technical proposal (30)

Demonstrated understanding of the objective, scope, requirements and deliverables set out in the terms of reference.
The overall structure of the proposal includes a clear and comprehensive conceptual framework.
Compliance with data protection standards
Relevance of suggested mechanisms for risk management

Profile, capacity and expertise (30)

Compliance with the appraiser’s expertise requirements noted above. The quality of examples from past reports as well as the validity of shared references.

Financial proposal (30)