Outcome Harvesting for Building Local Civil Society Capacity to Fight Corruption in Iraq – Phase I At Transparency International

INTRODUCTION

Transparency International (TI) is seeking to hire an expert to gather evidence on changes in the capacity and awareness of actors (civil society, the state, and the private sector) to institute practice and policy to prevent corruption and ensure accountability in Iraq and the contribution made by the project to that.

The project is implemented in the period February 2022-2024 in Iraq and funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), aimed at building the anti-corruption and organisational capacities of Iraqi Civil Society Organizations, as well as creating a context for new and more robust networks of collaborations amongst them, and an interface with the public and private sector with a focus on transparency, integrity, accountability, and good governance. The project also envisaged the production of a comprehensive National Integrity System study, assessing and scoring the state of play of the different components of the Iraqi integrity system and providing a factual base for future advocacy activities. The project evaluation sets the stage for Phase 2, which aims to further enhance the capabilities of Iraqi civil society and relevant stakeholders in transparency and anticorruption efforts. Phase 2 will build on this foundation, employing targeted strategies and partnerships to drive positive change in governance and accountability in Iraq. This next phase is expected to yield tangible results and impact the country’s socio-political landscape.

BACKGROUND

Transparency International (TI) is the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption. In collaboration with nearly 100 chapters worldwide and an international secretariat in Berlin, Germany, TI raises awareness of the damaging effects of corruption and works with partners in government, business, and civil society to develop and implement effective measures to tackle it.

This project is the first of its kind in Iraq for Transparency International and lays the ground for crucial future work to build the competency and network of Iraqi CSOs with a focus on anti-corruption. The project was designed as a first phase in a longer engagement. The findings of the outcome harvesting will be discussed and reviewed in a stock-taking and lessons-learned workshop in Berlin scheduled for the end of January 2024.

OBJECTIVES OF THE OUTCOME HARVESTING

• Measure the impact of the project (Annex 2: logical Framework).

• Identify and document both intended and unintended outcomes and the level of the project contribution to that; this includes gathering evidence of changes, effects on target groups/beneficiaries, challenges, and achievements.

• Validate and assess the accuracy of the project’s Theory of Change (Annex 1) and introduce suggestions, recommendations, and adjustments to the theory of change of Project Phase II.

• Providing insights through success stories, real-life examples, or narratives into what works and what does not to promote evidence-based decision-making for the second phase of the project and for organisational learning.

METHODOLOGY

The consultant is responsible for the overall methodological approach and design of the outcome harvesting, which should be adapted to these terms of reference requirements. It should be planned, agreed upon, and conducted in close consultation with TI-S Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator and GIZ/TIS Iraq project team. The project team will provide the necessary substantive support, including sharing all documents for desk review. The outcome harvesting exercise should use a participatory and inclusive approach. Both quantitative and qualitative data should be utilised in assessing the project.

The outcome harvesting can include but not necessarily be limited to:

· Desk review of relevant documents, defining outcomes, data collection, identifying informants or key individuals who can provide information and stories about the project’s outcomes, conducting semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, or other forms of data collection with informants, data analysis & validation, reporting.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE

The consultant is expected to deliver:

• An inception report outlining the proposed methodology, stakeholders, data collection tools and time of planned actions.

• A design, facilitation, and documentation of interviews and focus group discussions, incl. PowerPoint presentation to discuss and validate the draft report at the project meeting and develop recommendations and an action plan.

• A draft evaluation report for review and comments by TI-S, including annexes.

• A final report. The report should include lessons learned and action-oriented recommendations according to the above evaluation criteria, with a suggested action plan for each recommendation.

GUIDANCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

• The findings should be referenced.

• The research should abide by ethical protocols, including participant confidentiality and privacy and data protection regulations.

The final report should not exceed 15 pages, excluding the annexes and the executive summary. All evaluation deliverables are to be submitted in electronic form in English, per the agreed deadlines. The consultant is responsible for the quality of the final product, including editing and quality control of language.

Annexes to the final report should be kept to an absolute minimum; only those annexes that demonstrate or clarify an issue related to a significant finding should be included.

While considering the comments on the draft, the expert(s) shall use their independent and impartial judgment to prepare the final report.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Core competencies

TI-S invites expressions of interest from consultants to carry out the outcome harvesting of the project. The consultant should have:

People’s skills: The consultant should be able to mediate the different expectations of the various stakeholders to produce a strong independent assessment that will genuinely serve the learning purposes set out in this ToR.

Work style: The consultant should be well-planned and organised even within a fluid working environment and have a capacity for initiative with competent analytical and problem-solving skills. The consultant should maintain a strong level and flow of communication with reporting stakeholders.

Language: The consultant should possess an excellent command of English. Competency in Arabic (spoken and written) is highly desirable.

Highly organised and adaptable: The consultant should be able to adjust to the possibility of frequent re-scheduling or cancellation of interviews and appointments due to logistical problems (e.g., roadblocks, power cuts, etc…).

Technical Competencies

Applicants should have:

• A university degree in social sciences or a related area. A post-graduate degree in project evaluation and/or management or related fields would be an advantage.

• Substantial experience conducting outcome harvesting/evaluations, including in the anticorruption field.

• At least five years of proven relevant professional experience in an international development environment, of which at least three years should be in evaluating multiple country projects & programmes.

• Proven experience in conceptualising and facilitating interviews, focus group discussions and participatory workshops.

• Demonstrable experience of producing high-quality, credible reports in English • Expertise in areas of governance, anti-corruption, civil society, and advocacy is desirable.

• Regional experience and a good understanding of political and socio-economic issues in the MENA and Iraq.

• Ability to travel to and move to Iraq (the bulk of the work with in-person interviews is likely to occur in or near Baghdad). • Experience with the evaluation of GIZ projects is desirable but not necessary.

• Experience with working with Iraqi CSOs is highly valued.

• Highly motivated and committed to the values of transparency and integrity

The consultant will communicate with the TI-S evaluation reference group (the project manager, regional advisor, and MEL coordinator) in regular MS Teams calls and keep them in the CC of all communications.

REMUNERATION AND COSTS

The consultant should provide their estimated total fee as a lump sum or standard daily rates before any VAT or other charges

For Consultants based in the EU (European Union), EEA and Switzerland

Transparency International e.V. (Secretariat) (TI-S) is registered as a Business Entity in Germany with VAT identification number DE273612486. To determine the Value Added Tax (VAT) implications of this tender, we kindly request that the consultants fill out the VAT Form for Tenders/Vendor Form (instructions inside the form) and submit the completed and duly signed form along with their email application.

Consultants who are based in Germany and do not charge German VAT must confirm their small entrepreneur status.

The link to the VAT Form for Tenders/Vendor: https://files.transparencycdn.org/images/TendersVendor-Form.docx

LOGISTICS AND SPECIFICATIONS

The consultant is expected to work approximately 14 working days between November and December 2023.

A detailed timeline needs to be agreed upon at the beginning of the assignment.

DATA PROTECTION

When you respond to this tender and submit your application, you provide consent that Transparency International e. V. keeps your application materials for a period of ten years according to German legal requirements. Afterwards Transparency International will delete your application and any personal data included in it. If you have any data protection questions, please reach out to dataprotection@transparency.org

Guidelines for handling overhead and travel expenses

Overhead

Regular overhead expenses associated with the Consultants maintaining their place of business, such as rent, telephone, utilities or stationery, are included in the Consultant’s professional fee, except where explicitly agreed otherwise in the contract.

Travel

Travel and accommodation expenses will as far as possible, and where applicable, be recovered from the institutions and companies hosting events or using the outputs provided by the Consultant. Where such cost recovery is not possible, all travel is subject to prior approval by TI-S staff responsible for the financial management of the Project or TI Budget Line that will support the costs of travel. TI shall not issue travel advances to the Consultants. For accommodation or travel by air, rail or coach, they will instead have to contact TI-S which will make travel arrangements on the Consultant’s behalf. All travel booked by TI-S will include travel health and accident insurance with worldwide coverage and Economy class only; accommodation will aim to achieve the best value for money up to a 4-star category. Consultants shall be entitled to invoice TI-S only for local transportation and visa cost (if applicable). Subsistence allowance (per diems) and expenses for individual meals cannot be claimed. These are part of the Consultant’s business expenses.

Annex 1: Theory of Change

The overall objective of this project is to support governance and state-building initiatives in Iraq by promoting transparency and accountability. It will do this primarily by building capacities among Iraqi civil society, public state actors, and private sector actors. By supporting sustained improvements in governance, the project aims to contribute to sustainable development and economic growth in Iraq.

The project envisions three interconnected desired changes to achieve this objective:

1. Change in knowledge: The project will work towards raising awareness and improving the knowledge of Iraqi stakeholders on issues related to accountability, transparency, and prevention of corruption. Therefore, CSOs, state actors, and the private sector will have a greater awareness of the importance of pursuing anti-corruption measures and will develop a specific knowledge of practices that can prevent corruption and ensure accountability.

2. Change in action / behaviour: The project will work towards changing the behaviour of Iraqi stakeholders so that they more effectively work towards preventing corruption. Therefore, CSOs, state actors, and the private sector will have a greater ability to institute practices to prevent corruption and ensure accountability.

3. Change in policy: The project will work towards changing the governance policies of Iraqi stakeholders so that they more effectively work towards preventing corruption. Therefore, CSOs, state actors, and the private sector will have a greater ability to institute policy changes that lead to a sustainable improvement in measures to prevent corruption and ensure accountability.

Annex 2: Logical Framework

Please refer to the ToR on the Wesbite: Outcome-Harvesting-for-Building-Local-Civil-Society-Capacity-to-Fight-Corruption-in-Iraq-–-Phase-I.pdf (transparencycdn.org)