Call for Expert: Project External Evaluator At Adyan Foundation

Term of reference (TOR) FOR External Evaluator

1. Introduction/Background

Adyan, Foundation for diversity, solidarity and human dignity, works locally, regionally and internationally for pluralism, inclusive citizenship, community resilience, and spiritual solidarity, through homegrown solutions in education, media, policymaking, and intercultural and interreligious relations. Adyan is registered in Lebanon as a non-profit and nongovernmental organization (NGO), under registration number 1103 by a ministerial decree dated 18 September 2008.

About Tahawor project

The Consolidating Values-Driven and Human-Centered Reform Efforts within the Lebanese Parliament (CVRD) Project, known as Tahawor in Arabic, builds on the results of Phase I and the relationships established between Members of Parliament (MPs) and their staffers. The project continues efforts to build consensus, transitioning from a focus on general political values to specific key thematic topics. It brings together MPs’ staffers/assistants, local and international civil society actors, and experts in an innovative, structured consultative process. This dynamic foster reflection on key issues, strengthens relationships, identifies commonalities, and develops draft laws that address various important, imminent, and timely topics

Project impact

• Goal: Mobilize Lebanese parliamentarians and their support staff to discuss and work out long term values-based policy stands and to build consensus resulting in a more genuine and democratic governance and policy making.
• Objective 1: Nurture a culture of Values based political public image, including accountability, and transparency of parliamentarians.
• Objective 2: Unmask the rigid, zero-sum game framing of values to get to a cooperative place where parliamentarians can agree on values & merits rationally and nurture a culture of negotiation and consolidation of efforts in possible win-win outcomes.

The project runs from October 2022 to March 2025, direct beneficiaries of the project are 30 Members of Parliament (MPs) with their staffers or consultants , while the indirect beneficiaries are 50,000 people from the constituencies of these MPs.

Adyan is seeking to conduct a real-time evaluation at the national level to assess how the project design and its implementation are influencing behavioral changes among key stakeholders. The evaluation will focus on identifying the ways in which these behavioral shifts are reflected in addressing key national challenges, fostering collaboration, and promoting values-based political discourse.

The process will also assess how the project’s implementation is contributing to sustainable changes in accountability, transparency, and constituency engagement among parliamentarians.

Additionally, the evaluation will pinpoint successes, challenges, and areas for improvement, emphasizing how behaviors are evolving as the project progresses.

Purpose of the Evaluation

The real-time evaluation will provide Adyan with key insights to enhance practices by assessing behavioral changes and how effectively the project is achieving its outcomes. It will evaluate stakeholder coordination, project sustainability, and with consensus building and processes, focusing on how behaviors are shifting among key actors. This evaluation will offer actionable insights for improving project implementation and achieving long-term results and future design of activities

The evaluation will focus on two key objectives:

1. Assess the achievement of project outcomes and stakeholder coordination: Evaluate the progress toward project outcomes, with emphasis on how well stakeholder engagement and coordination are supporting these changes.

Evaluate the sustainability of the project activities: Analyze the long-term relevance and sustainability of activities, including their alignment with expected outcomes and behavioral shifts.

Evaluation Objectives and Key Questions

The real-time evaluation will be structured around the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development / Development Assistance Committee OECD/DAC criteria (Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, Sustainability, Partnership, and Coordination).

Relevance:

• How well do the project’s activities address the key national challenges identified by the MPs and their support staff?
• To what extent are the thematic topics discussed during the sessions and roundtables aligned with the needs and priorities of the stakeholders involved?
• Are the selected methods of engagement (e.g., sessions, roundtables, study trips) appropriate and effective in building consensus among MPs, support staff, and civil society actors?
• How relevant are the guidelines and draft laws developed to the current political, social, and legislative contexts in Lebanon?

Effectiveness:

• To what extent have the project’s objectives, such as building MPs’ capacity to address national challenges and fostering values-based political discourse, been achieved so far?
• How effective has the coordination between Adyan, partners, MPs, support staff, and other stakeholders been in advancing project goals?
• Have the sessions, roundtables, and field study trips contributed to measurable improvements in MPs’ support staff skills and knowledge in addressing national challenges?
• How effective has the project been in ensuring that draft laws reflect commonalities identified through the consultative process?

Efficiency:

• Are the project’s resources (including time, budget, and human capital) being utilized in the most efficient way to achieve the intended outcomes?
• How efficient is the coordination between Adyan and sub-grantees in organizing roundtables, sessions, and other activities?
• Are the MPs and their support staff sufficiently committed to attending the sessions and participating in project activities, given the resources allocated?
• Are there any delays or challenges in the implementation of key activities, such as the development of draft laws or study trips, that are impacting the project’s efficiency?

Consensus building/ behavior changes:

• How has the project influenced changes in the MPs’ support staff’s behavior, particularly in their approach to addressing key national challenges and collaborating with civil society and political actors?
• In what ways has the project shifted the behaviour of parliamentarians towards fostering a culture of values-based political discourse, accountability, and transparency in their interactions?
• To what extent has the project led to behavioural changes in MPs, resulting in increased engagement or improved communication with their constituencies?
• Has the project triggered any unintended behavioural changes—positive or negative—among MPs, their support staff, or within the broader political environment?

Sustainability:

• How likely are the skills and knowledge gained by MPs and their support staff to be sustained beyond the project’s completion?
• What steps have been taken to ensure that the draft laws and guidelines developed through the project are adopted and implemented in the long term?
• Are there mechanisms in place to ensure ongoing collaboration between MPs, their support staff, and civil society actors after the project ends?
• To what extent is the project fostering sustainable political reforms that align with the long-term national interests of Lebanon?

Coordination:

• How effective has the coordination between Adyan, MPs, support staff, partners and civil society actors been in advancing the project’s objectives?
• To what extent are roles and responsibilities clearly defined and understood among all stakeholders involved in the project?
• How well is information being shared between Adyan, MPs, support staff, sub-grantees, and other stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation of project activities?
• Are there any gaps in communication or collaboration between stakeholders that are hindering project progress? If so, how can they be addressed?

The list of questions above is tentative, and the external evaluator(s) are encouraged to add, modify, or suggest alternative questions. The final list of questions will be agreed upon during the inception phase.

Scope of Work

The real -time evaluation will focus on assessing the Consolidating Values-Driven and Human-Centered Reform Efforts within the New Lebanese Parliament (CVRD) Project within Lebanon, particularly targeting key geographic areas where Members of Parliament (MPs) and their staffers are actively engaged. The evaluation will encompass project components including legislative drafting, consultative roundtables, and capacity-building sessions with MPs’ support staff and civil society actors.

Methodology

Evaluation methods will be discussed with Adyan and should be rigorous, while remaining proportionate and appropriate to the project’s context and intervention. The evaluation will be based on both primary and secondary data, particularly documentation directly related to the project—such as the proposal, narrative and financial reports, monitoring datasets, and other materials used to analyze project components and inform decision-making.

A mixed-method approach is expected from the evaluator, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, along with triangulation of secondary and reference data that may be relevant for this evaluation. However, the methodology should primarily focus on the qualitative analysis of intended and unintended outcomes, assessing how well the project processes align with its needs and context.

Data collection must be conducted face-to-face, with the option to incorporate some hybrid online methods to a certain extent.

Outcome harvesting, theory-driven evaluation, or any other alternative approach that the consultant deems best suited to the evaluation objectives can be considered.

Deliverables

• An inception report (maximum 10 pages excluding annexes) refining / specifying the proposed methodology for answering the evaluation questions and an action plan and identifying stakeholder and key informants. This inception report will have to be validated by the Adyan Team.
• Draft evaluation report: To be reviewed by Adyan before finalizing.
• A final report of approximately 20-30 pages maximum (excluding annexes)

Evaluation Team Composition and Qualifications

The selected consultant (or consultancy firm) should meet the following criteria:

• Hold an advanced degree in a relevant field (Political science, international affairs, public policies)
• Demonstrated experience in conducting similar evaluations and research, with a strong capacity to analyze qualitative findings
• In-depth understanding of the Lebanese context, including politics and Parliament
• Significant field experience in evaluating advocacy or political projects
• Proven and documented record or portfolio of similar evaluations
• Extensive experience in the coordination, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects
• Previous experiences with evaluation funded by U.S. Embassy Beirut is a plus.
• Strong analytical and research skills
• Proficiency in both Arabic and English

Timeframe

The Total expected days of this evaluation is20 working daysover a period of 2 months**.**

Budget

Your offer should include the taxes, bank transfer fees and all expenses associated with field work, that is, transportation, accommodation, number of days, data collectors hiring and any other expenses that could be required.

Ethical Considerations

The evaluation team must comply with the following professional and ethical requirements

• Anonymity and Confidentiality: The evaluation must respect the right of individuals to provide information, ensuring their anonymity and confidentiality.
• Integrity: The evaluation team is responsible for identifying and addressing issues not specifically mentioned in the Technical Prescription Document if this is necessary for a more comprehensive analysis of the intervention.
• Independence: The evaluation team must guarantee its independence from the evaluated intervention, avoiding any links to its management or any of its components.
• Validation of Information: The evaluation team is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the information collected for the preparation of the reports and will ultimately be accountable for the information presented in the Evaluation Report.
• Copyrights: All the data and information shared or produced in the framework of this ToR are exclusively the property of Adyan Foundation. The evaluator has to commit to full confidentiality related to this project, besides what Adyan makes public from its results.
• Code of conduct: The expert agrees to fully respect Aydan’s ethos and code of conduct that is considered an integral part of this contract.

1. Submission of Proposals

We invite interested consultant (or consultancy firm) to submit their proposals, ensuring that the following information is included:

1. Cover Letter: A brief cover letter introducing the evaluator or organization, highlighting relevant experience, and expressing interest in the project.
2. Technical Approach: Outline the proposed methodology, approach, and tools for conducting the evaluation.
3. A minimum of two samples of a relevant previous evaluation, preferably for an international donor-funded project in a similar area, sectors, or context.
4. Timeline: Provide a detailed timeline indicating key milestones and deliverable dates.
5. Budget: Clearly outline the proposed budget, including all costs associated with the evaluation

Submissions will be evaluated in consideration of the Evaluation Criteria as stated below.

• Technical Expertise -Methodology (30%)
• Understanding of Context (20%) Knowledge of Lebanese Political Landscape, Cultural Sensitivity:
• Project Management (20%) Timeline and Deliverables: Feasibility and clarity of the proposed timeline, including milestones and deliverable dates. Resource Management: Efficient use of resources and budget, ensuring cost-effectiveness without compromising quality.
• Stakeholder Engagement (15%)
• Budget (15%) Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive pricing relative to the scope of work and the proposed methodology.

Application Process: Interested candidates are invited to submit their proposal to: fadi.b@adyanfoundation.orgwith a subject title “Tahawor – External evaluation” before January 30,2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity: ADYAN Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.