Baseline Study Consultant At Sign of Hope

Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) is a Christian motivated organisation for Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance and Development Cooperation. From its base in Constance, Germany, SoH is committed to helping those in distress and exploited people worldwide.

This baseline study is commissioned, prior to project implementation, under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) budget for development projects run by private organisations.

SoH will be the private German executing agency and the contracting party, while “the Catholic order Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), known in South Sudan as the Loreto Sisters”will be the local implementing partner.

IBVM works to secure the freedom and dignity of people, active cooperation and partnership on an equal footing, recognizing the participation of women and reforming the church. IBVM’s long-term goal is to establish a basic standard of education. IBVM’s main focus is in Lakes State, with a focus on Rumbek Centre. IBVM has a strong presence in Rumbek and is a member of the Diocese of Rumbek (DoR) and the Religious Fraternity. The organization is implementing the project, “Education for Poverty Reduction: Capacity Development and Vocational Training towards Sustainable Employment in Lakes State, South Sudan” whose overall objective is improving the educational level and employability of young adults, especially women and girls, in Lakes State, South Sudan and contributes to long-term socio-economic development (SDGs 4, 8, 10)”. The project will specifically ensure that 400 teachers and 430 young adults have increased capacities in the fields (English, pedagogy, IT, vocational preparation and community development), apply them effectively in their fields of employment (teaching, community development, individual professional development) and their social environment (women’s engagement, peacebuilding, etc.) and thus contribute to the socio-economic development of the region. Some of the core activities involved in the project include construction and commissioning of a regional education centre (REC), training of teachers and young adults and strengthening capacities of relevant development actors

Baseline Study Objectives

The purpose of the baseline study is to provide SoH with a sound basis for developing a complete project concept, by identifying project prerequisites, opportunities and risks. This process includes an assessment of the baseline of the proposed project intervention to assess if it can plausibly achieve planned objectives given existing contextual realities.

This comprehensive study will verify relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the proposed project intervention. The study will provide concrete and practical recommendations that will assist with the finalisation of project design elements, including the logframe, risk analysis, problem analysis and relevance of the proposed project intervention, stakeholder analysis, among others.

The study will support the project quality assurance measures implemented by SoH and contribute to the decision-making process regarding the funding of the proposed project activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

The selected Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Head of the International Assistance and Cooperation Department, in close cooperation with the responsible SoH Officer and the local implementing partner.

The duties and responsibilities of the consultant will include:

• Develop a work plan outlining the proposed research methodology, geographical coverage, and schedule to conduct the baseline study,
• Carry out a project site visit to the project location to conduct research, collect data and establish contact with the local implementing partner, potential beneficiaries and relevant project stakeholders,
• Review existing policies and structures, government development strategies as well as relevant studies and research projects that could serve as a basis for the baseline study,
• Identify relevant project stakeholders at various levels (local, district and national if applicable), including local governing bodies, academia and industry as well as lessons learned and best practises of similar on-going and implemented projects relevant to the project,
• Evaluate all available data and sources providing background information on identified issues, the problem analysis as well as the selected intervention to address identified needs (baseline data with focus on the qualitative analysis),
• Assess the proposed activities, as well as their timing and required financial resources.
• Examine institutional, technical, staffing and financial capacities of the selected implementing partner, as well as its relationship with the target group. Based on the findings, determine if there are areas in which capacities of the local implementing partner need to be developed,
• Review main governmental and non-governmental stakeholders with a purpose to see if there is a potential overlap or conflict of interest as well as opportunities for coordination with the aim of creating synergies and new cooperation partnerships,
• Examine the identified target group, its needs and role in the broader social context as well as the relevance of the planned project activities for addressing their needs,
• Identify potential obstacles and alternatives to overcome the foreseen challenges,
• Review and analyse all available project design elements and draft documents related to the project concept, if necessary,
• Critically review the planned project in terms of OECD/DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability (please see www.oecd.org/development/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm),
• Prepare a report containing the findings on the above items, specific recommendations for the project concept with a view to planning and implementing foreseen project activities.

Expected Deliverables

The study will produce the following deliverables:

• a baseline study outline, including the proposed methodology and data collection tools, table of content and a timeline of research activities (inception report) prior to the site visit to the project location,
• a summary containing a brief overview and the main findings of the study,
• a comprehensive report of a maximum of 30 pages with practical recommendations and relevant annexes,
• a review of the main project design elements and provision of concrete recommendations for improvement,
• an analysis of the institutional structure required for project implementation, stipulating the roles and responsibilities of staff members involved, a detailed problem analysis, a stakeholder analysis, a revision of the target group, an analysis of the potential risks and recommendations on how to mitigate these risks, a schedule of project activities, a financial plan (planning budget), a detailed project log frame with SMART indicators for the project objective and results listing related activities and required resources,
• A “Do-no-harm analysis” including recommendations on how to mitigate potential harm and conflict situations that can potentially arise during or as a result of the project activities
• A Gender mainstreaming analysis identifying potential risks and recommendations to ensure gender equality in all aspects of the project design and implementation.

A template will be provided to serve as a guide and suggested structure for the final report.

Process/Timeframe

A total duration of the assignment is up to 20 working days within the period of 2nd May 2023 to 30th May 2023.

A planning meeting with SoH (remotely), handover of relevant documents 1 day

Initial document review and preparing inception report 3 days

Sharing inception report with SoH and IBVM 1 day

Data collection site visit to a project location 5 days

Data analysis, draft report with annexes, presenting to SoH 5 days

Incorporating received feedback and finalising the report 5 days

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• Minimum of 5 years of project evaluation and/or implementation experience in the result-based management framework
• Proven experience of conducting baseline studies, evaluations and other research projects
• Technical and methodological knowledge to conduct research projects and formulate conclusions based on a solid methodology, assessing projects for relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of projects
• Experience working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and partnered projects
• Fluency in written and spoken English

Desirable:

• Experience in the relevant field
• Professional familiarity with the project country/region
• Practical experience of working for and/or evaluating BMZ-funded projects

Academic Background

An advanced level university degree (Masters’ degree or equivalent) in social sciences, public administration, international development studies, law and/or Education. A first-level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted.

The consultant is to be independent and impartial with no liabilities to any other organisation or government entity regarding this evaluation.